When Tempting a Rogue by Kathryn Smith

Book 3 in the Victorian Soap Opera Series

www.kathryn-smith.com

This book had a few things going for it, so I think I’ll start with those. First, it was funny. There were several witty scenes and snippets of dialogue that were really quite humorous. Sometimes it was funny in a silly, ridiculous way and other times it was funny in a witty, sarcastic way – but there was plenty of comedy in this book. The other thing it had was a good cast of supporting characters. The supporting characters obviously don’t need as much development as the major characters, so I found they were alright. There were an awful lot of them, though.

What did this book not have going for it? Everything else. For example, the romantic plot was entirely ridiculous. Most of the book was the cast of supporting characters convincing Trystan and Vienne to talk to one another. If I had kept a tally of the number of times they were told to talk to one another it would probably be in the thirties. It was ridiculous. If you can’t talk to one another, you clearly don’t want to be together. There wasn't any real chemistry or build-up between them either. Though Smith certainly tried to give them some sexual friction, I really couldn't feel it building to a climax (pun intended) throughtout the story.

Vienne’s self-loathing due to the ‘issue’ in her past was really stupid. It was an issue that shouldn’t have been an issue. After 'knowing' enough men and seeing enough of the world, I felt that Vienne should’ve realized that the things that happened in the past weren’t her fault. Her self-pity and ‘I’m-not-good-enough’ attitude really got on my nerves. Instead of feeling bad for her, I was annoyed by her. Also, there wasn't a big enough emphasis placed on her conversation about her past with Trystan. If it was really such a big deal as Smith tries to make it out to be (after all, it's affected Vienne's whole life and attitude) there should've been a lot of talking about it. As for Trystan, he's a saint. I can’t imagine anyone being patient enough to put up with Vienne for life. I thought he was a good hero, at least. Patient, kind, and very considerate.

All in all, this book was disappointing and a drag. Throughout the book I found it harder and harder to keep reading. The pace was slow. The plot line, focusing around dangerous attacks at Vienne’s new business was unexciting and uneventful. Even the climax for it was cliché and boring. It lacked good writing that would’ve built up the suspense. In other parts of the book, I found stiff dialogue, awkward phrasing, grammatical errors, weird analogies, terrible clichés, and TSTL moments. Clearly, this is a book to skip. This book was true to its series name – it was the completely stereotypical soap opera, melodramatic and overdone.

Favorite quotes:

“To the Kane family bollocks. May they be forever monstrous.” (Archer)

“Perhaps I let you win.” (Trystan)

She [Vienne] snorted. “I could have offered you fellatio and you would not have let me win.”

“You insolent cur. I ought to trounce you within an inch of your life.” (Earl Chase)

“With what?” Trystan taunted him. “The strongest thing on you is your breath.”

“Sexy”ness rating: Heat is there. Eh.

Overall Rating: D+

Bottom Line: This book was a poor read. It just couldn’t seem to grab hold of my attention for very long. There were some awkward phrasing, weird analogies, grammar mistakes, and stiff dialogue problems that eventually made this book a rotten read. There were simply too few redeeming points to make up for the terrible heroine, plot, and writing.

Pages: 384

Published: April 6, 2011

Genre: Historical