Temptress by Lisa Jackson

Book 2 of the Medieval Trilogy Series

www.lisajackson.com

     I have to admit that Lisa Jackson develops an excellent suspense plot and a great mystery. I was guessing almost to the end. Unfortunately, I was also guessing who the romance was supposed to be between. Without spoiling the book, I can’t tell you why, because it’s truly a very big surprise.

    

     Suffice it to say that the entire time ‘Carrick’ was injured (severely) and spent most of his time in bed. For most of the book he wasn’t able to speak or wouldn’t speak. There’s one conversation that they end up having, before their passionate lovemaking.

*****BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG SPOILER ALERT: READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL*****

Morwenna talks to him while he’s unable to lift his eyelids about how much she loved him all those years ago – and we see glimpses into her past with Carrick and how cute they were together. We believe this man in bed is Carrick, and so does she, and she talks to him about how much she still loves him… maybe three times. All of a sudden, then, we find out that he’s not actually Carrick but his older brother Thoren who had amnesia because of his injuries and the attack that left him nearly dead? WHAT? And she’s suddenly way in love with him though they’ve only had one conversation and sex? What? It’s all so sudden and… really unrealistic. I mean, who finds herself in love with the brother of a man she thought she was in love with and, in truth, knows almost nothing about? I would be repulsed that I’d had sex with him not knowing at all who he is, not suddenly in love with him.

 *****END OF BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG SPOILER ALERT*****

     Morwenna isn’t really the strong woman Jackson tries to tell us. She isn’t headstrong or slow to fall in love again. Her behavior is strange and erratic – there’s a dramatic contrast between what her actions tell us and what Jackson tells us. Not that it matters, because most of the time we don’t get to focus on her romantic behavior. In fact, there was very little romance altogether. I was sorely disappointed. After reading the much more romantic Impostress (the book that occurs first in this ‘series’ of related books) this book was second-rate. In the end, this book got a less than average rating because it wasn’t a romance book. Really. There was like, no romance. I kid you not. The only redeeming factors were that I liked the one romantic conversation they did have (ONE) and liked the suspense.

Favorite quotes:

The man who had lifted more hems than the local seamstress…

“Have you no shred of decency?” (Morwenna)

“Apparently not.” (uh… Carrick?)

Overall Rating: C –

"Sexy"ness Rating: Mildly Hot.

Bottom Line: This book is average, and was a good read – but it wasn’t a romance. Its plot is a bit confusing, though certainly suspenseful. There are some creepy moments that I wasn’t so fond of. The romance was NOT well developed at all, however.

Pages: 321

Published: October  4, 2005

Genre: Medieval/Historical/Mystery/Suspense