Review -- Tempting the Marquess

Tempting the Marquess
The Weston Family - Book 2
By Sara Lindsey
Publisher: Signet Eclipse
Release Date: June 1, 2010




Like most young ladies, Olivia Weston expects to get married and start a family. She has no illusions of a love match, despite her fancy for romantic novels because she doesn’t think any man can compare to the heroes she reads about. But before she marries, Livvy would like a little adventure. As readers learned in the first book in the series, Promise Me Tonight, Olivia missed her first London Season to be with her pregnant sister, Isabella, at her Aunt Kate’s family home in Scotland. While there, Livvy discovered an old diary belonging to Kate’s stepson’s late wife. She was fascinated by what she read and wanted to satisfy her curiosity about the undoubtedly grief-stricken marquess. After Izzie safely delivered her baby, the family prepared to return to Weston Manor in Essex. Livvy was not ready to return home, so she asked and was granted permission to travel with her aunt, Kate, and cousin to Castle Arlyss in Wales to spend Christmas with Kate’s stepson, Jason Traherne, Marquess of Sheldon and his young son. However, once she arrives, the marquess is anything but cordial to Livvy. In fact, his first words to her are: “Who the devil are you and what are you doing here?” Not at all what Olivia expected! And then while attempting to protect her young cousin, she promptly gets trampled by one of the marquess’s large dogs and the man becomes insufferable.

“I must apologize, Miss Weston. I rescued both dogs from a particularly vicious bear-baiting and while they generally act like overgrown lapdogs, Red in particular still responds badly to hearing the word A-T-T-A-C-K.”

“Oh,” Olivia gasped. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“Obviously, or you would not have said it. Of course, you shouldn’t be here in the first place, and if you hadn’t been here, the incident never would have occurred, but I apologize all the same. Now, you look like the missish sort who will insist a doctor be sent for, but I give you leave to prove me wrong.”

She stared, astounded not only by his sheer audacity but by his ability to insult not only her but her entire gender in one breath.

Olivia knows that she will have her hands full with getting through to him, but she is up for the task. And I love that she holds her own when verbally sparring with him.

Jason has his reasons for not wanting the interfering young woman in his home. Very personal reasons. And despite their heated first meeting, Jason believes that his stepmother brought Olivia to tempt him. Regardless of his misgivings (and the fact that Olivia does make him lust), he enjoys ribbing her as it’s the most fun he has had in years. He tries to remain his usual gruff and cynical self but it becomes increasingly difficult as Livvy is so alluring. She makes him feel things that he hasn’t felt in a long time and disrupts the order he normally craves in his life. I enjoyed watching her ruffle his feathers! But when Jason discovers the truth about why Olivia is there (along with other truths), can he overcome the past and take a chance on love again?

Tempting the Marquess is the second entry in Sara Lindsey’s Weston Family series about siblings blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with Shakespearean names. I enjoyed this story and its extremely likable characters, even though Livvy does something rather silly towards the end of the book. Ms. Lindsey’s writing is solid and her “voice” reminds me a bit of Julia Quinn’s. If you’re a fan of historical romance with a slight gothic feel, look no further than Tempting the Marquess. I, for one, am enjoying the crazy antics of the delightful Weston family and can’t wait for the next installment!

~Andrea

Review -- Promise Me Tonight

Promise Me Tonight
Book 1 - Weston Family Series
By Sara Lindsey
Publisher:  Signet Eclipse
Release Date:  February 2, 2010

At the tender age of six, Isabella Weston announced her intention to marry James Sheffield in a letter to her mother.  At the age of 14, she secured a promise from James to dance with her at her come-out ball and on the night of her ball she declared her love and sent James - the boy next door, her older brother's best friend and the love of her life - fleeing to Ireland.

After the tragic deaths of his parents and infant sister, ten-year-old James Sheffield swore he would never open his heart to the pain of love again. Shipped off to England to live with his grandfather, the cold, heartless Earl of Dunstan, James spent his childhood being told over and over that he was a disappointment and unworthy of being loved.  The only affection he ever received, the only people he considered family were the Westons next door to his grandfather's estate. As close to his best friend, Henry Weston, as a brother, he would never do anything to betray his friendship or his trust - and that includes lusting after Henry's little sister. But a fully grown, exquisitely beautiful, Isabella Weston is a force of nature and when James is called home following his grandfather's death, Isabella takes matters into her own hands.

Promise Me Tonight is the first book in Sara Lindsey's Weston family series, focusing on the lives and loves of the seven irrepressible Weston siblings. The writing is passionate, funny and endearing - evoking laughter, tears, sighs and the desire for many more stories from the talented Ms. Lindsey. Her dialogue is, by turns, sparkling, amusing and heartfelt - as in this passage when 20-year-old James comforts a young Isabella.

The small smile she gave him made James feel like the king of England - utterly grand and slightly mad. As James stared into her watery eyes, for a moment, it seemed as if he saw his soul gazing back at him; the thought terrified him, and he pulled his hands away as if burned.

Or, in this passage when Isabella's mother attempts to delicately question her daughter about whether she and James have done more than kiss.

"Oh!" Izzie's eyes grew wide with sudden comprehension. "You wanted to know if James and I were like Venus and Mars."
"I beg your pardon," her mother said. "Did you say Venus and Mars?"
Isabella nodded. "Yes, like the pictures in the book I found in - well, it's not important where I found it, and I only looked at it because I thought it was so odd to find a religious tract in...the place where I found it. Which is not important," she said again for good measure.
"I am afraid you've lost me. A religious tract?"
"That's just it!" Izzie waved her hands in frustration. "It wasn't religious at all, but the title was so misleading. Godly Love, I think it was called."
"Ah." Lady Weston nodded. "I believe I begin to understand. I can also imagine where you found it or, rather, whose possession it was in. I presume it has moved along with its owner to his bachelor lodgings so as not to corrupt any of my other children. Well, my other children aside from Olivia," she clarified, "since I can't imagine you kept such a find to yourself."
Isabella's blush proclaimed her guilt.
"Now back to the subject at hand - I trust you and James were not like" - Lady Weston swallowed hard - "Venus and Mars."
"Oh no!" Izzie exclaimed with horror.
Her mother breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God!"
"It was more like Juno and Jupiter."
Lady Weston buried her face in her hands and made a choking sound. Isabella couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. Maybe both.

I adore the Westons!  The feelings I had when I turned the final page of Promise Me Tonight were not unlike those that I felt upon finishing The Duke and I, the first book in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series:  the pleasure of reading an emotional and heartwarming love story, the excitement of discovering a new and talented author and the anticipation of many years of books, telling the stories of family members that I'm eager to know better.   

With the publication of Promise Me Tonight, Sara Lindsey joins a cadre of 2009-2010 debut authors who have proven, through the quality of their writing, that the future of historical romance fiction is, indeed, in very capable and talented hands.

~PJ