Review: To Tempt A Rogue

Behind a horrid cover lurks a good book. Honest. Written by Adrienne Basso and published by Zebra in 2004, TTAR is set in Scotland in 1811. I've enjoyed other Adrienne Basso titles & this one pretty much pushes her onto the auto buy list.

Nathaniel Bennett, Baron Avery, has spirited his two nieces & nephew away to rural northernmost Scotland to escape the clutches of his greedy uncle. Needing a governess for them, his friend Duncan McTate hires Harriet Sainthill, sister of Viscount Dewhurst, to fill the position.

Harriet is the spinster older sister in an uncomfortable position in her brother's household. Jilted by her fiance upon his return from the war Harriet decides she needs some breathing room. The family appears to be loving & close, but she is ready for a change.

Nathaniel, meantime, promised his brother, shortly before Robert & his wife died, that he would raise Robert's children. Problem is, no supporting document could be found. Thus the children are at the mercy of the cold & distant Uncle. Hatching a plan with his friend Duncan, they spirit the children away while waiting for the case to wind its ponderous way through the courts.

My favorite scene hands down was when the virginal Harriet seduces Nathaniel. She tells him what she wants & what her terms are & she refuses to allow him to put her off. I liked the fact that they were able to talk to each other without mincing words or playing games.

I am interesd in looking for Duncan's story, if he has one. Basso's website is dated 2004 on the first page & other pages inside are screwed up, so I don't know what's up with her. Amazon says she had an anthology with Hannah Howell (Highland Vampire) last year. Also, Wedding Deception last summer. I plan to keep TTAR, at least for now.