Lord of Temptation audiobook

(Review from original reading in 2012)Mmmm there's nothing more I love than a deliciously tempting historical romance and this one hit the spot! It's impossible not to fall in love with Lorraine Heath's stories, and I'm so happy she's created yet another irresistible book! It's been four years since Anne lost her betrothed in the war, yet she still hasn't been able to move on. Before she enters back into society, she wishes to visit him one last time. In order to do so, though, she enlists the help of the only man she knows who can get the job done efficiently with no questions asked: Captain Crimson Jack. The captain, otherwise known as Lord Tristan, is willing to take Anne on the journey, but not without tempting her as much as her feminine whiles tempt him. Whenever they're together, sparks fly, and we'll just have to wait to see who gives into the temptation first...And I can definitely see why Tristan is the Lord of Temptation! I have a soft spot for ship captains, and Tristan embodies all of the enticing, irresistible qualities of a man of the sea. He's strong, attractive, and knows exactly how to take charge in any situation. I'm so happy that a man like him is only taken by Anne, because she sure gives him a run for his money. She's just as stubborn as him and doesn't let his charms fool her (at least not as easily as every other woman). This time period is so enchanting, with Anne having to worry about her reputation and attending balls, parties, and courtly rides in the garden. I love everything about it and couldn't help getting wrapped up in her life. I was kept on the edge of my seat during the entire time I was reading this novel; how were Tristan and Anne going to work? Could Tristan really let go of his troubled past? Could he get over his stubbornness and truly let Anne in? So many questions and an enticing story to give you all of the answers! If you haven't read anything by Lorraine Heath, do it now! She knows how to spin a magical story and make you fall hopelessly in love with the characters (trust me, you're going to fall in love with Tristan). If you a fan of historical romance, or romance in general, you're going to absolutely love this one! So go out and try this book out now! You're in for a fantastic tale about love, the sea, and a simply dashing hero.

(Tropes: Forbidden Love, Forced Proximity, Enemies to Lovers, Mistaken Identity, Opposites Attract)When I first started it felt formulaic. Girl needs ship, hero is captain of ship, forced proximity and voila. I was quite sceptical of the speed of how it all unfolded. But THEN….. it got more layers - quite delicious, emotional and complex ones. Plus a rather believable obstacle to a happy ending. So once again I was impressed by Lorraine Heath, and her Lost Lord series. *****- He was what he was, set in his ways, too old to change. He would never settle into marriage. He would never be embraced by Society. Once they returned to England, he would never again see Anne. *****- She was accustomed to gentlemen rising when she approached. Instead, he continued to slouch in his chair, leisurely trailing one long thick finger up and down his mug, his gaze fastened on her as though he were imagining what it might be like to stroke that finger along her throat.- “A kiss.”She spun back around to face him. “Pardon?” “A kiss. That’s what I want you to barter for passage on my ship.” “A kiss? That’s all? A kiss?” Surely she’d misunderstood.“A long, slow, leisurely kiss,” he whispered in a velvety smooth voice that sent a shiver of something that resembled pleasure scurrying along her spine.- “Don’t be so modest,” he growled. “I’m not looking.” She relaxed. “Truly?” “Of course I’m looking. I’m a man, aren’t I?” She laughed.- He parted her hair and began to plait it. “You’re really quite nice, aren’t you?” she asked of the wall. “Because I won’t take advantage of a woman who might heave her stomach contents over me? You don’t have very high standards, Princess.”- She’d not expected to like him, to be drawn to him, to be fascinated by him. She’d not expected to be able to peer beneath his rough exterior and discover a kernel of goodness within him that rivaled that of the most generous lords she’d ever known.- She wanted to reach out, touch him, curl her fingers around his shirt, and bury her face in his shoulder, inhale deeply of his now familiar fragrance. Instead she balled her hands into achingly tights fists.- “I would take your pain if I could,” he said in a low rough voice.- Not daring to look at him, she tapped her finger against the glass. “I always strive to be so damned proper.”“You say that as though you’re not quite pleased with that aspect of your character.” She lifted her gaze to his. Why was it that he seemed to know her so well?- She hadn’t realized exactly how dead she’d been, but now she was being brought back to life—her body, her soul, her heart. They were all beginning to regain a sense of awareness. They could feel again. They wanted to feel again.- “I’m a lord by birth and blood, but not by life. I don’t fit comfortably here as you can well imagine, since you know something of my life beyond London. To be honest, I had no particular interest in claiming my place in Society until I realized that it would provide me with much easier access to you.”- He strode over to her, cupped her face in his hands, and tilted up her chin so he could gaze squarely into her silver eyes. “Tell me to leave and I will.” “God forgive me for my weakness,” she whispered, rising up to meet him as he lowered his questing mouth to hers.- “I thought you understood that my purpose in this Season was to secure a husband.” “Which is the reason that I’ve stayed away, but I missed you, dammit.”- She would have to forget him, cast memories of him to the locked corners of her heart, only to be visited on the very rarest of occasions.- “We’re from different worlds, you and I. As lovely as it’s been, I can’t stay in your world. Not for the long haul.”- “You should know that I’ll never forget you.”*****4 solid stars Side note: I’ve just started the 3rd book, the last brother – Rafe – and I have massive expectations as he is carrying more baggage than a skycap.

Five huge stars!"He skimmed his fingers along her throat, felt the fluttering of her pulse against his skin. “And I’m still safe. I’m a blackguard to the core. I’ve never claimed otherwise. All I want from you is passion and pleasure. To give. To receive. You don’t want me for a husband any more than I want you for a wife. But you can’t deny there is an attraction between us, like the moon to the tides.”“And which am I?” she asked on a breathy sigh. Before he could respond, she answered, “The moon, of course. I stay put in London Society while you come and go where the sea takes you.”“Yet here I am, with you pulling me toward you. Let me come nearer, Anne.”I loved this book! It seemed to come out of nowhere and grabbed hold from the beginning. And I have to say right off that I listened to the audiobook, and contrary to the norm, this narrator actually enhanced my "reading" experience. Faye Adele is her name and it seems that she may be fairly new to the narration world as she doesn't have much out yet but WOW! I loved her voice, her inflection was spot on, her British accent lent a realism to the characters yet wasn't at all stodgy or boring. She has a soothing, calm voice and it sounds young. I hate getting some old lady's voice narrating a story about twenty-somethings. Okay, moving on...Lord Tristan is the middle child of the lost Lords of Pembroke. He was secreted away on a merchant ship when he was fourteen to escape his uncle, who was trying to kill him and his brothers to gain their title. And life was not easy for Tristan, a boy used to having whatever he wanted basically laid at his feet. He wasn't proprietary and spoiled, but he was stubborn and prideful, and that fact led him to learning some tough lessons...some of which ended up with him tied to the mast for a round of lashings that nearly killed him. Now, he's come home to London for a visit. And there he meets Lady Anne, a woman who seeks him out in order to hire him to get her safely across the sea to the Crimea in order to meet up with her fiancée that she hasn't seen in years. Tristan is fascinated with Lady Anne...her loyalty, her gentle beauty, her determination...it's not often that you come across someone, especially a woman, in London society, with those characteristics. And the rest...is beautiful."Misjudging an adversary on the sea could cost a man his ship and possibly his life. Tristan was not in the habit of misjudging. He was very skilled at biding his time until the moment was right."The best way I can describe both Lord Tristan and Lady Anne is that they each have this understated charisma...a magnetic pull. Neither is particularly showy or flashy, but there's that untouchable, compelling air about them that draws the reader in. We get a dual point of view here, and it worked magically for me. Watching and hearing Tristan slowly go from fascinated lust to a beautiful, obsessive, riveted, single minded love against all odds, including the fact that he doesn't want to love her...oh, it's what makes romance worth reading. Tristan loves the sea. He owns and captains his own ship, and that's always been his love. But the moment he notices Lady Anne, his priorities change. And after getting to know her and realizing what a wonderful woman she is, there's no going back for him no matter how much the sea calls to him.This is a small spoiler, so don't read on if you don't want to know. It comes to light pretty early on in the book, and you see it coming from a mile away but fair warning! Lady Anne just about broke my heart. She truly loved her fiancé. Not with a mad, passionate love, but with a sweet, tender, partnership and a mutual understanding of one another. I LOVED how this was handled. I get tired of an MC's significant other being portrayed as an utter ass just to excuse the behavior of the H/h or give a reason for them to either cheat or leave. Not the case here. (view spoiler)[ Lady Anne travels across the sea to be with her fiancée, and once we get there, we realize that he actually died in the war. She only wants to see his grave, to say goodbye, to gain some closure, to mourn the loss of a love that she expected to be hers forever. (hide spoiler)] I'm tearing up as I read this because truly...when Lorraine Heath is on, she is ON! It's like magic from her fingertips, and bone deep emotions that come through so profoundly that I remember her story forever. I don't LOVE all of her books, but the ones that I do...wow. Just wow. It's like she crawls into my heart and plays around until she knows just how to make me swoon.I think that this was the moment for Tristan, as well...the moment that he fell in love with the beautiful Anne. The moment he realized how much she could mean to him. And yet he still fights it. Not only does he fight it, but Anne's brothers and father, indeed the whole of London society fights it...the rascally lost Lord of Pembroke, stealing away one of their jewels? Never! But love conquers all! Le sigh...And Lady Anne is no different than Lord Tristan...she finds in him a freedom, a lust for life as well as body. He tempts her with the titillation of exploring the world, being more than she ever thought a Lady could be, seeing faraway places and experiencing random acts of awesome, such as climbing the crow's nest and seeing the world from a completely different perspective, hearing whales calling to each other and simply opening herself up to so much more than what's ever been offered. Her lust for Tristan, the magic of his touch...so different from her fiancée's.It's a rarity but this goes on my favorites of all time shelf. Beautiful! Simply beautiful.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Aventura, diversión y sobre todo pasión son unos de los ingredientes de esta historia, fue mucho mejor y bastante entretenida a comparación del libro de Sebastián que fue muy aburridito, la cuestión es que Tristán si me gustó su coquetería, su risa pícara todo un libertino y sus dos lados uno un lord y el otro un pirata su sentido del humor y que a pesar de todo lo que les pasó vio el lado bueno de las cosas y no se quedó atrapado en la amargura y la venganza aunque si al final era de por favor no seas cobarde y decídete.Annie también me gustó mucho a ella no le pongo ningún pero y lo que más me gustó de ella es que sabía lo que Tristán quería de ella y no lo presionó lo dejó ir pero también cuando sabía que no podría vivir sin él lo arriesgó todo para estar juntos. Ahora sí voy por la historia de Rafe que me tiene súper intrigada.***3.5 STARS***

I enjoyed the premise of this story and how everything unraveled but I just thought it dragged for a bit towards the later half and our hero flipped and REALIZED his feelings too quickly. Still a good read!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars! “There was no hope for her to have anything with him beyond this—a few nights of secreted lovemaking. He was not a man to be tied to shore. And she was not a woman who could go long unanchored.” Lady Anne Hayworth wants to do one thing before she reenters society: Say goodbye to her fiancé who perished two years ago. To do that, she hires the notorious privateer Crimson Jack to bring her to Scutari. But the captain does not want money as a payment, he insists a kiss from the lady is what he’ll accept. During their time together on the ship, passion arose but when they return to English shores, Anne knows she must say goodbye to the captain, confident that she’ll never see him again. Yet, they meet each other again in a London Ballroom, and the man she knows as a captain is actually Lord Tristan Easton. Now, Anne is torned between continuing her affair with the Captain and the duty to find a husband to please her family. Lord of Temptation is the second book from Lorraine Heath’s historical romance series, The Lost Lords of Pembrook. This is about Lord Tristan, Sebastian’s twin from book 1, and Lady Anne Hayworth. So, I am finally done with this series! It is kind of funny how I read it out of order yet I ended up reading it all. I was actually hesitant to start this one but I loved Tristan’s character in his siblings’s books, so I decided to go through with this and actually finish the series. I am glad I read it because it was better than I expected! Meet Lady Anne Hayworth: She is the daughter of the Earl of Blackwood. For four years, she hasn’t seen her fiance and she went mourning for two years when news reached her that he died. Anne feels guilty of something that she was not able to give her deceased fiancé before he went to war. In order to let go of the past, she wanted to say goodbye to where his remains lay. After this business, she will reenter society and marry someone as her family wishes her to do. Meet Lord Tristan Easton: Tristan is the second son of a Duke and Sebastian’s twin. When his uncle planned to kill him and his brothers, they escaped. And now it has been two years since they reclaimed their birthright. But during his time apart from his brothers, he turned into a different man. Although he is once again a Lord, he still feels most comfortable being in his ship and traveling across the sea. Although a gentleman by birth and blood, he is no gentleman. He had done many things that gentlemen don't do.Tristan (Crimson Jack) was highly recommended to Anne. She knows that she must go to Scutari and say goodbye to Lord Walter to truly have a peace of mind. But the captain enraged her when he refused to accept two hundred pounds as a payment for the trip she plans to make. He does not want her money, he wants a kiss from Anne. Although Wary, she agrees to his proposition. While on ship, Anne is tempted like she has never experienced. Not wanting to live with regrets any longer, she gives in to a night of passion with him before they part ways forever. To her shock, she meets him once again in a ballroom….Anne knows it is wrong, but she can’t seem to stop her affair with the man. Yet she knows she must. Conflicts along the way….two characters who are stupid enough to see that they are the ones making things harder for each other and finally a HEA!I was not the biggest fan of the heroine. But then again, perhaps it is a personal preference. I was initially scared of starting this book because I do not like heroines and heroes who had first loves. It makes things complicated, I don’t need that! I don’t like when they’re mooning over their lost love, it annoys me. And well, of course, Anne loved Walter, so naturally she thinks about him quite a lot. I am sure that her only personality for the first half of the book is to mope and think about her dead fiancé and frankly, I could not see what Tristan saw in her. He was instantly attracted to Anne and I just could not understand why. Thankfully, her character was more bearable for the second half of the book. She grew on me and somehow, I rooted for her HEA. I have always liked Tristan’s character. He is most definitely the lord of temptation. This man! He is so hot! I had to put my kindle down for some moments because I had to process how attractive he is. I don’t even know but he’s just so charming! He is a man who knows what he wants (most of the time) and determined to have it. The part where he paid a thousand pounds for Anne’s first dance…I am just saying, he does not need to pay me, I will do anything for him for free. Aside from him being very attractive, he is also a man with depth. Due to what happened when he was but a boy, he is a changed man who fears love (and he has his reasons), he built a wall so high, so nothing would ever hurt him again and I understand him in that sense. Although this type of hero is very common in HRs, I find it was plausible in his situation. He says he’s not a gentleman but his actions say otherwise: I mean, although Lady Hermione annoys him, he can’t bring himself to be rude to her. Moving on, he was not without flaws, in fact he was a bit of an ass, wanting Anne as his lover, yet he has no plans to marry. But then again, we see the reason why he does not want to be tied down. The sea is his safe place. Being married means having to stay on land. But we know that you just can’t dally with a lady of nobility! Be responsible, Tristan! I think if you’ve read my review about I kissed an Earl, you’d know that HRs that take place in ships / pirate romance are not my thing. Because of this, their voyage was not very interesting to me.The first half was kind of a snoozefest, I did not really connect with Anne’s grief over her dead fiancé. It felt as though Heath only wrote that so she’d have a reason for Tristan to have a heroine who he can take on a trip to the sea. Thankfully, it got better when they were back in England! I love it because it was more fun to read about. The thrill of the scandal, getting caught, being surrounded by lords and ladies, the ton and their expectations. I just love it! At some point, I even thought about how Lady Hermione would’ve made an interesting heroine. She was spoiled and pampered, but I think she’d be very interesting if given the chance to mature. But I did not like what she did to Tristan! I am glad that Anne said the truth, that was the moment she won me over. She knows that it will taint her reputation, but she would not stand for Tristan’s reputation ruined more than ever and possibly leg-shackled to someone else all because of a lie. Lord Chetwyn was a good man. I saw that he has his novella and I might give it a read soon just to see how he gets his happily ever after. He was the one who made Anne realize things and for that, he gained my love. He was an honorable man. I am not sure what’s up with Lord Jameson and Hermione or if they ever ended up together but I hope they did. They were petty people but it’d be nice to see them together seeing as he pined over her. I loved Rafe in this too. He says he does not care for his brothers and yet it is the little things he does that shows he loves them. I’ve read his book first from this series and I am just glad that they are all happy together in the end. I’ve reread the epilogue of the Lord of Wicked Intentions and it is now much more satisfying because I’ve read all the books of the three brothers and I know they all deserve to be happy with their beautiful and patient wives. I am torned about how I should rate this book. I enjoyed it best out of the three but the first half was lacking. Still, it was nicely written and I am glad I read it. I liked the heroine well enough although the star of the book was the hero. And how could I forget? I loved the part towards the ending where they’re frantic and just shouting each other’s name because of the mutual realization that they did not want to lose each other and that they just had to compromise in order to make their relationship work. Overall, It is no shock that I enjoy Lorraine Heath’s work. She knows how to write main characters with chemistry that are off the charts. Characters who are annoying yet I can’t help but root for them. They're stupidly in love with each other but are making things harder for themselves and I can’t help but roll my eyes and yet I finished the book with a little smile on my face. Some quotes: “She didn’t know what had possessed her to think she could have married anyone else, that she would have been content with him off sailing the world without her at his side. She loved him so much, wounded soul and all. They were each broken in their own way, but somehow the cracks and fissures allowed them to fit together perfectly.” “Do you love him, Anne?” Tears burning her eyes, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. The sea is his home . . . and what sort of life would that be for a lady?” “If it includes love, I should think it would be a very wonderful life, indeed.”“He understood her loneliness. He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he did. He knew the abstract sense of it, the concrete pain of it. He would leave her and forget her. Go on with his life. He wouldn’t love because love tied one down. Love bound. Love and everything that accompanied it terrified him.”“If he discovered tomorrow that she had died, he’d have no stride to adjust because the devastation of learning she was no longer in the world would drop him to his knees.”“With you I’m happy. With Chetwyn, I would be only content. I don’t care if we live in London or the country or a cottage by the sea. I only care that I’m in your arms."

La segunda entrega de la serie "Lores de Pembrook" cumple con creces lo que auguraba la primera. Una historia de pasiones que, antes de desatarse, se transforman en amor, aunque ninguno de los dos protagonistas se dé cuenta. Él, un capitán de navío con el que yo misma me embarcaría, y que además, es un lord. No es novedoso, pero siempre me han gustado los lores que dan la espalda a la aristocracia. Ella, hija de un marqués, una mujer de carácter más fuerte de lo que ella cree, con un objetivo claro, y muy consciente de que su mundo es la sociedad aristocrática en la que vive y que así seguirá siendo. El conflicto está servido. Alrededor de la pareja pululan unos secundarios que cumplen muy bien su función, con la presencia justa y cuando es necesaria. La novela me ha enganchado de principio a fin. Es una historia de amor y de amores (no solo amor romántico) en la que los protagonistas no tienen reparos en satisfacer sus deseos, pero sí en unir sus vidas. Sus mundos son incompatibles y ninguno de los dos quiere renunciar al suyo. Una historia que demuestra que el amor, cuando es verdadero, siempre encuentra un camino por el que avanzar. Muy, muy recomendable. Y si te gustan los capitanes de barco, no te la pierdas.

This one is 2 for 2 in this series of heroes who don't obsess over their heroines enough. They seem just fine letting them go. Not willing to give up their pain for their lady.That is just not how I like Lorraine Heath to write her men. It makes me see them as unworthy of their ladies. Tristan is willing to ruin her to have her in his bed but too afraid to claim her as his own. It just bugs me.4/5 stars

5 Pirate StarsBR with Aly!!Lord Tristan Easton is the scoundrel among the brothers. Forced to leave his life as the second son of a duke and live in the seas as a pirate he has become a man no one messes with. He shows only his jovial face and pretends to be an unthinking man-whore in order to protect himself from coming too close to anyone since his only permanent love and home has become the sea. All this though is about to change the minute Lady Anne Heyworth steps into his life.Anne was once very much in love with her fiancé when he decided to go off to war and in consequence lose his life. Years later Anne decides to hire Tristan's ship to take her to the place where her beloved died in the hopes of finding closure and moving on with her life. What she couldn't have guessed is that she would find herself very much addicted to the man who calls himself Crimson Jack.What nothing could have prepared her for though is seeing the pirate she thought she left behind at a completely respectable ball were he shows up, actually invited.

Col senno di poi Tristan si è rivelato il migliore dei tre.E ripensandoci proprio nel conformarsi al classico cliché romantico dell'eroe guascone, che va per mare senza un pensiero e con tante donne in ogni porto, finché non ne trova una con proprio carisma che lo assolda per andare a portare i fiori sulla tomba del fidanzato.Per Tristan dev'essere stato un evento di portata devastante: nonostante l'evidente sintonia tra loro e la seduzione posta in atto, lady Anne non è che rimanga a struggersi per lui. Non mi vuoi? Ciascuno per la sua rotta.E qui scatta la regola della vittoria a chi fugge in amor...

"There is no way this couple can have a future together." That's what you'll be saying to yourself right up until the last few pages of this story, and by my standards that makes for a pretty darn good book. It's Romancelandia, so we know that an HEA is guaranteed, but how . . . ?Lorraine Heath is one of my go-to HR authors, and although I did not love the first books in this trilogy, She Tempts the Duke, I was excited to receive an ARC of this book from Edelweiss. First, a quick update on the story of the three Pembroke lords. Their father was the late Duke of Keswick, and their uncle was the devil himself. After arranging for the duke's apparently accidental death, the uncle imprisoned the young brothers in Yorkshire and made plans for their demise. This cra-cra uncle really want to be a duke! In the first volume, the brothers flee from their home, split up, and return as agreed twelve years later to claim their birthright. Eldest brother, Sebastian, becomes the duke; the uncle gets his just deserts; and we get intriguing glimpses of the two younger brothers, Tristan and Rafe.Tristan went to sea at the age of 14, shortly after escaping from their mad uncle. He grew to love life on board a ship, and after helping his brothers expose their uncle's crimes, all Tristan wants is to continue his life as Crimson Jack, captain of his own ship. One day, a beautiful young woman wants to hire him to take her to the Crimea, so she can bid a personal farewell to her soldier fiance, who has yet to return from the Crimean War. (This is a weak link in the story. It's a long, costly trip, and it seems like a Dear John letter would suffice. I won't spoil things for you, though.) Tristan becomes smitten with Lady Anne, however, during the course of the voyage, and just before returning to England they engage in a night of passionate lovemaking. No one in Society knows of Lady Anne's scandalous behavior, so she returns to her father's house and resumes her traditional duties. At a ball, however, Tristan shows up, and only then does she learn his true identity.Lady Anne wants to lead a conventional life -- titled husband, a country estate, and children -- so she agrees to marry a marquis. Tristan wants nothing more than to sail the seas. Will love be enough to bring these two together? Heath almost spoiled the book for me by dreaming up a truly over-the-top wedding scene. It's flat-out ludicrous, even by Romancelandia standards. Things were somewhat redeemed, however, by the truly lovely epilogue showing how these lovers devised a life together. The last book in the trilogy is the story of Rafe, who was only eight years old when his brothers were forced to leave him in a workhouse. Rafe now owns a gambling hell in London, and he's still angry with his brothers. I'll definitely be reading this one.Many thanks to Edelweiss and Avon for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

5 starsAnother winner from Lorraine Heath.I can't think of any words to describe how much I love this book.This story is beautiful. “But you can’t deny there is an attraction between us, like the moon to the tides.”“And which am I?” she asked on a breathy sigh. Before he could respond, she answered, “The moon, of course. I stay put in London Society while you come and go where the sea takes you.”“Yet here I am, with you pulling me toward you. Let me come nearer, Anne.”