Temptation

Enjoyed an early 1900s woman trying to help single women in NY yet had to agree with her reassessment of it after living in Scotland. She had lots of spunk, came up with a solution to conditions that her stepfather created, yet was willing to get her hands dirty to fix the estate. Had a hard time agreeing and understanding James. Liked the humorous situations and solutions to the women who came wanting to be his wife. Never got the necessity of the treasure hunt. Agreed with Temperance in not going thru with the marriage ceremony. Glad to see growth for James in learning about life. Disappointed in the ending: good solution for the women involved when back in NY but hurried, disjointed finish to the romance.

An exciting historical romance that was filled with plenty of wonderfully humorous moments. Headstrong city girl Temperance must adapt to an un-modern Scotland and makes plenty of attempts to set James up with potential brides which ensues hilarity. I had a wonderful time reading about their developing romance and experiences along the way.

Temperance is independent young women ahead of her time in New York City that encourages women to be stronger. When her mother marries an uptight Scottish man, her world will forever change. Removing her from her banking accounts, he forces her to move to Scotland with her mother. Upon arrival, Temperance is furious and attempts to ruin her step-father by over spending. As a last resort, the father decides to send her to his nephew’s house with a mission to find the young man a wife. The book is about how Temperance changes as a person and how her idea of love and compassion transforms as she spends time with James McCarn.
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that her development was well portrayed. I quickly became very fond of the show more characters and then completely plunged in the book. Only downfall of this book would be that it is expected. Once she leaves to go to James’ house, I could already predict the ending. So I would just depict this book as a good summer read or chick flick. show less

Early suffragette and do-gooder Temperance O'Neil is incensed that her new stepfather is in control of her fortune and expects her to act like a dutiful, proper young lady. She continues to needle him until he sends her to his nephew, James's house with the promise that if she can find James a wife, he will allow her to return to New York and her work. What happens next is no surprise.

I generally love romance novels as a good guilty pleasure, but the breathy qualities of the narrator, combined with her insistence to perform a nearly unintelligible imitation of a Scottish brogue drove me nuts. It didn't help that I didn't realize this audiobook was an abridgement and there were jarring gaps in narrative. I might have liked it better in show more the print form, but the narration was too annoying. show less

Taming of the Shrew meets Pride and Prejudice.

I recently had a discussion with a co-worker about why I don't like the Stephanie Plum books. Based on that information, she decided I would like like this one, loaned it to me, and I felt obligated to read it even though it's on the opposite end of the spectrum from the books I usually like. I tried to give it a chance, but I hated every minute of it. The plot was an unoriginal mash up of two books that did it better, the storyline skipped around every time the author couldn't think of what to do next, the characters were oversimplified stereotypes, and the writing was bad.

I have nothing against anyone who likes this type of book, but now that I've tried one, I can say with complete show more certainty that they're not my cup of tea. show less

Amazon.com
In 1909 New York City, Temperance O'Neil is an upper class intellectual exploring the few public forums allowed her: the campaign against the tenements and the emancipation of women. When her stepfather, Angus McCairn, demands that Temperance move to Scotland to begin a more proper life, she is stuck. Dependent on his control of her money, Temperance moves to Scotland but makes his life a circus of women's committees and good works. To distract her, Angus makes an irresistible offer--once she has found a wife for his reclusive nephew, James, she may return to New York with a modest stipend. Temperance agrees, and heads for the remote laird.
Once Temperance arrives, however, she realizes that the challenge of finding James a show more wife is equally as intimidating as the prospect of cleaning up a tenement. The house is in shambles, the local town depressed, and his welcome perfectly horrible. Faced with this task or the return to her stepfather, Temperance digs in and focuses all her energies on making James presentable and finding a willing bride. Impressed by her tenacity, James begins to care for her, and it looks like the search for a wife may be over, if Temperance agrees.

Temperance is the heroine we've been waiting for. The descendent of Jane Austen's women, she is smart, passionate, liberated, and true to her own ideals. While at the denouement of most stories the heroine melts into a slushy pile of self-contradictions, Deveraux's character stands strong in her convictions and wins the respect of the readers, if not her fellow characters. Just like the readers, romance heroines are securing the man, the fortune, and the good ending through the quality of their characters, and not by the leverage of their charms. Temperance is the hero that we all want to be, and Jude Deveraux's work is an entertaining medium for inspiration.--Nancy R.E. O'Brien --This show less

In Edwardian New York, Temperance O'Neil is dedicated to women's rights and focuses her efforts on helping women who have been abandoned by husbands and/or fathers. When her brother-in-law issues her an ultimatum, be "dutiful" or loose your inheritance, Temperance follows the family to Edinburgh and shows just how much damage a dutiful woman can do to a family's fiances. Next, she is packed off to be housekeeper to James McCairn, laird of his clan. James family has its own dark secrets and loveless marriages. With both under pressure to marriage, James and Temperance succumb to the the forces pushing them together. However, their happily ever after does not come easily as they both must learn that pride can destroy love.

Suggestive, not show more explicit
Actually Edwardian
Women's suffrage

Temptation.doc show less