The heroine of TEMPTED BY HIS KISS is a sometimes frustrating blend of level-headed maturity and naivety that begins as charming, then slowly becomes tiresome. Margaret Amberley, Meg for short, is quite enjoyable to read about as long as the hero, Cade Byron, doesn’t befuddle her senses. Cade Byron, not related to that Byron at all, isn’t so bad either, as long as he isn’t thinking about his actions too deeply.

Their romance is sometimes awkward to fathom. Cade is stuck in the past, stubbornly determined to stay there even though it gives him nothing but pain, and Meg is content to let him make all the first moves, convinced that every time he does, he’s toying with her. Neither one is particularly good with expressing their feelings and both act as if the world would end if they did.

The surrounding cast of characters are lively and given enough development and meaning to justify future books that may feature them prominently. I would have liked to know a bit more about Cade’s younger sister Mallory—she wanders in and out of Meg’s world to be support for Meg—but I hope that a future book might enlighten us as to her particular future.

There is some content that caused me to squirm a little—not any of the romance scenes—but some flashbacks from Cade’s (rather horrific) past tragedy. Nothing overly explicit, but the imagery leaves its mark for certain.

All in all, I do look forward to the next Byron novel and did enjoy the fact that neither the hero nor the heroine gets off lightly for their ridiculous behavior and antics. ( )

I just couldn't get into this book. The action was so slow with lots of trivial details. Meg is caught in a snowstorm while traveling and seeks shelter with Lord Cade, a recluse with a limp. I quit after 100 pages.
( )

A really good solid 4-star book. Good characters, nice plot development, satisfying ending. I liked the historically accurate tidbits interspersed. Looking forward to more about the Byron family. ( )

Tracy Anne Warren is with Avon now. Though the book is a good read, I think she may have lost some of her uniqueness. ( )

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Feb09

When I read the back cover blurb for “Tempted By His Kiss” by Tracy Anne Warren, for some reason I expected a humorous book. And I guess there were some humorous parts, but this story is written as a more serious historical about a physically and mentally wounded soldier. Is it strange that I read this tale back-to-back with another historical about a suffering military man? Or is it that the ‘wounded warrior’ theme is one that has special meaning for us these days?

Warren’s new series is about the Byron family. They’re not related to that Lord Byron, but they are, at times, just as scandalous. Our first Byron is Cade. He returned from war a tortured and broken man and has removed himself to the countryside, far from his family and society. NOTHING can budge him from his ‘fortress of solitude’. Until, that is, a young lady, Meg, ends up stranded at his ‘fortress’ by a freak snowstorm
with only her maid for a chaperone
for three weeks! Now, to save her reputation, the two have no choice but to head for London and feign an engagement. Meg will stay with the Byron family for the duration of the season. During which time she will find a husband and ‘jilt’ Cade. Unfortunately Cade just doesn’t seem to approve of any of the men she meets! And to make matters worse, he’s accusing a recent war hero of being the spy who had him tortured and murdered his French fiancĂ©e
the reason he says he won’t marry Meg. But if he doesn’t want to marry Meg, why does he keep making love to her?

I honestly can’t recall if I’ve read anything by this author before. The hero and heroine were likable enough if a bit dim-witted. I thought the villain was smarter than both of them. The plot is not particularly complex and easy to follow, but that also makes it easy to figure out the upcoming events. I would have liked to have gotten a bit more information about the other brothers who I assume will be the upcoming heroes in the remaining two books of this series. On the other hand, I enjoyed the very passionate, if unlikely, love scenes between the lead characters and did enjoy the beautiful descriptions and bits of humor as they appeared.

I would describe Tracy Anne Warren’s “Tempted By His Kiss” as a ‘whip cream’ historical romance. Fun, light reading that leaves you with a grin
at least it’s not fattening! ( )