Judith's review of Tempted By Her Innocent Kiss by Maya Banks

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Judith's review of Tempted By Her Innocent Kiss by Maya Banks.

No Man’s Bargaining Chip

Devon Carter was her first; now newly wed Ashley wants their passion to last. But her dreams of true love are crushed by the discovery that their marriage is another of Daddy’s business deals. Her strategy: act the part of perfect wife and make Devon love her.

But Devon misses the bubbly, no-holdsbarred woman his wife used to be. Who is this Ashley with the steely demeanor of a society wife? And will he find a way to rekindle the fire in her eyes…especially now that she’s pregnant?

The hero of this story, Devon Carter, is a man any father would be delighted to have for a son-in-law, especially if he was the CEO of a well-known hotel chain and whose corporation wants to merge with "daddy's" hotel conglomerate. One little caveat: Devon had to court the daughter in a way that would never clue her in that this was an "arranged" romance. Add to this the fact that Devon had come from such a dysfunctional family situation that he didn't believe in romantic love anyway. Now he has fulfilled Dad's requirement, has truly romanced, wined and dined Ashley to the point that she has fallen in love with her handsome suitor, and has even chosen him as the man who will take her virginity. The engagement ring is huge, the wedding glorious, but the sword of disillusionment is set to fall on this couple--on their wedding night.

This is a story that sort of surprises readers in that the romance seems to be going well when all hell breaks loose. Not only that, in her desire to keep the man she loves even though he has been "purchased" for her, Ashley becomes a different person--a woman who no one knows, whose friends become concerned because the light has gone out of her eyes, and whose sense of joy and being comfortable in her own skin is no longer a part of the Ashley who is not Devon's wife. The interesting thing for me is that Devon is clueless--he sees this Ashley as impetuous, impulsive, childish, frivolous woman who must now become the public hostess and begin to take her place in the upper eschelons of business entertaining. It is a testimony to how dead his own emotions are that it takes tragedy to awaken him to the value this woman has in her own right and the quality of living she could bring to their relationship were he only to value her delight in life.

This is a story that is really an emotional roller coaster, a tale of love and joy that become a story of disappointment and betrayal, a journey these two people must undertake in order to find a way to peace, to genuine relationship, to authentic love. The background characters are quite interesting as well and they give depth and color to the story. Factor in the close friends who are advising, often with good intentions, and you have a situation that most readers can relate to, even though most of us haven't had to be under the kind of pressure--either business-wise or socially--that Ashley and Devon live with daily. Yet I know the power of advisors and friends to either make or break relationships and I found this aspect of the story to be particularly interesting for me.

This is a very well-written story and one that I think most romance readers will enjoy. It is full of real people, regardless of their financial or social status, and there are some important life issues that are addressed through the experiences of the main characters. It is not one that is excessively long, but it is substantive enough that readers will feel that they have read and enjoyed a complete story. It is really a very, very good read.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr J's Book Place.

This book is available from Harlequin. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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