TEMPTING EDEN by Margaret Rowe

PUBLISHER: Berkley, June 2010
SETTING: England, 1818
GENRE: Fiction/Erotic Historical Romance
VIRGIN HEROINE? No
MY GRADE: A-

SYNOPSIS: Eden Emery is no stranger to sin. To keep her sister safe from harm, she’s paid a steep price with her body-and very nearly lost her soul. But when Baron Ivor Hartford, the man who has dishonored her, finally dies, her troubles are far from over.

Major Stuart Hartford, the late baron’s nephew, is in the market for an honorable wife, but first he has to take care of the matter of his Uncle Ivor’s ward, Eden-a young woman who makes him question the virtue of being proper. For the passion she incites burns away his inhibitions and inflames his heart.

But Eden has vowed to never again cede her destiny to a man. And Hart is left with no choice but to tempt the temptress herself…

MY THOUGHTS: Boy, was this one dark story with a heroine who had an unusual past. We got to hear about it through book excerpts what were written by her sex partner, Ivor. They were graphic and a bit disturbing. Eden really had no choice in the matter when she began a sexual relationship with him four years earlier, at the age of eighteen. Even though she had to do it, she loved every minute of it.

I didn’t really sense a love connection between Eden and Stuart even though we were told they loved each other. I never understood why Stuart wanted to marry her so soon. I never understood why she turned him down so many times. She did feel she was unworthy but that too didn’t seem true. Both characters were very likable but I wish Stuart had been a little more alpha.

All of the sex scenes were very graphic and I enjoyed them. There was even one with the heroine using a dildo anally. I preferred the scenes that were between Eden and Ivor to those between her and Stuart, the hero. I think the ones with Ivor were more graphic and detailed.

I found it interesting that the author created a young heroine, twenty-two, who was very skilled/experienced at sex and actually liked it. That’s not the usual type of historical heroine we’re given and I found it a refreshing change.

Ms. Rowe also writes under the name Maggie Robinson.

I received this from the author in 2011 in exchange for an honest review.