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To Taste Temptation is the second book by Elizabeth Hoyt that I’ve reviewed, and I’m glad to say it’s an improvement from her other novel, .nightsandweekends.com/articles/07/NW0700597.php>The Serpent Prince. The book still has its flaws, to be sure, but I enjoyed it much more than my earlier introduction to Hoyt’s work.
It’s 1764, and Lady Emeline Gordon is a young widow living in London. She makes her “pin money” (basically spending money, since she’s an aristocrat and doesn’t need to work) by tutoring young ladies in the ways of high society and by acting as their chaperone at social events. She’s approached by Samuel Hartley, a wealthy businessman from America, who wants her to help introduce his sister to the London ton. At first, Emeline is put off by Samuel because he seems like a “savage:” growing up in the wilds of colonial Pennsylvania, Sam spent a lot of time among the Native Americans there, learning to hunt and track prey. Emeline, however, agrees to help introduce Rebecca Hartley into society—even if her brother does have the audacity to wear moccasins to a fancy dress ball.
It soon becomes apparent that Samuel has other motives for being in London, other than finding his sister a rich husband. Samuel fought in the French and Indian War, and he saw some bad fighting in the Battle of Quebec. He has a hunch that his regiment was betrayed to the enemy, and he’s therefore in London to find the traitor. Emeline, of course, becomes embroiled in this scheme—and, all the while, the two fall in love.
I found the characters in this novel to be better developed than in Hoyt’s earlier novel—and the plot is more intricate as well. Emeline is not quite a “Mary Sue” (i.e., a perfect female character, good at everything she does). Instead, she has strong flaws—such as a tendency to be judgmental and snobbish—but these flaws are offset by her strong affection for her young son. She grows through the novel, learning to care less about what society might think and more about how her heart feels. Samuel can be seen as a tortured figure, but Hoyt clearly shows us why this time—and I really felt for him as I watched him work through his fears and paranoia resulting from war. He soon learns what it means to be a coward, and he discovers that he is, in fact, not the type of man that his reputation suggests. The only character that could be described as “one-note” or a “Mary Sue” is Rebecca; she’s always sweet, always humble, and, in fact, her one “vice” is that she likes to befriend the servants. (Gasp! The scandal!)
One thing I still didn’t like, though, is how Hoyt frames each chapter with a section from a (fictional) fairy tale. It didn’t work in The Serpent Prince, and it still doesn’t work in To Taste Temptation—but at least the fairy tales aren’t as integral to the plot in Temptation as they were in The Serpent Prince. I give Hoyt points for creativity, but I’d rather see the fairy tales put together as a set of stories in their own right, instead of as bookends for each chapter.
Still, the love scenes are really the best parts of the book. Though Hoyt tends to veer into the vulgar at times, I still found the scenes to be thrilling and very, very hot.
I look forward to reading the next book from Elizabeth Hoyt—especially if her writing continues to improve. As for To Taste Temptation, I probably will read it again—or at least just the naughty bits!
