Born
into poverty, Simon Quinn has made his way in this world with his fists and
his considerable charm. Those talents made him the perfect undercover agent
for England, hence his recruitment into the covert organization.
But Simon tires of living the life of a spy, and finds he is ready to
retire. He has just one last mission before he is free of his commitments –
trade his captive, the French spy Lysette Rousseau, to their French
adversaries in exchange for the lives of his men.
But his superiors want to know why the French are agreeable to such an
uneven trade, and they assign him one more mission – to watch the mysterious
Lysette and ferret out her secrets.
But something is different about Lysette… Simon has never been attracted to
her – until now. Instead of cold and dangerous, this woman is sweet and
beguiling. It is almost as if they were two completely different women…
From the moment Sylvia Day first introduced the character of Simon Quinn in
Passion for the Game, I have wanted to know more about this
wickedly intriguing man! Bless Sylvia Day’s historical loving little heart
(that’s a good ‘bless your heart’, not the bad kind – lol), she did
not keep us waiting too very long for Simon’s story, and when she finally
delivered the goods, the resulting tale was well worth the wait.
Indeed, I completely understand now why this book was delayed until after
A Passion For Him. Simon and Lysette play such an integral part
in that story, and it really sets both the stage and the mood very
effectively for Don’t Tempt Me. Even so, readers new to these
books should have no trouble at all jumping right in with Don’t Tempt
Me without reading the previous books in Sylvia Day’s Georgian
Series.
Simon is everything I expected and more. His devil-may-care attitude is a
carefully crafted façade that masks the deeper, caring man underneath –
something a man in his profession dare not let surface lest it and those he
cares for be used against him. But Simon does indeed care, and when he
loves someone, it is deeply and with complete loyalty. He evidences this
again and again by way he works tirelessly to save his men and of course, by
the way he protects the woman he loves and her family.
Notice I said ‘woman’ and not ‘Lysette’? *grin* You see, Lysette has a
sister no one in her current life knows about. It is her identical twin
Lynette that so effortlessly bewitches Simon, leaving him completely
perplexed at his previous lack of feeling for this woman – until he
discovers that they are two separate women. No spoiler here, this tidbit is
present in the blurb for the book. The way this little truth unfolds in the
book, however, is absolutely delicious, making for some very intense scenes
between Simon and Lynette.
Ms. Day carefully balances several sub-plots with the major storyline of
Simon and Lynette’s romance. Not only do we enjoy their love story, but we
are afforded glimpses of the twins’ parents past courtship as well as their
current romance. In addition, we meet the man who is destined to sweep the
reserved Lysette off her feet, breaking through the hard shell that has
protected her for so long.
Through all of that, the author keeps us guessing with several suspenses, a
few betrayals, and more intrigue than I would have thought possible in one
story. In the hands of a less talented author, such a busy plot may have
become difficult to follow, but Sylvia Day handles it with aplomb,
delivering a story that grips the reader at page one and refuses to let them
go until the very end.
What about the love scenes, you might ask? Sylvia Day can usually be relied
on for extremely passionate erotic love scenes, and Don’t Tempt Me
certainly doesn’t disappoint in this department! Keep a cold glass of ice
water handy when you read this – you may need to use it to splash yourself
with when things heat up!
Reviewed by Jennifer
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The Georgian Series, Book 4:
Don't Tempt Me
Sylvia Day
ISBN: 9780758217639
Brava
March 25, 2008
Erotica/Historical
Historical Romance/Regency
Trade Paperback
Rating:
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