Title: Tempted
Author: Megan Hart
Publishing Date: 2008
Genre: Contemporary (Erotic)
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Burning
I feel that Tempted is not classically a romance. I am going to let it fall in the category of women’s fiction, because this is not a book just about Anne’s relationship with her husband and best friend, but also her relationship with her parents and her three sisters, and also Anne’s own emotional growth throughout the story.
Anne has been happily married to her husband James for six years now. She has heard stories from her husband about his best friend Alex, but never met him. Out of the blue Alex calls up James. His company in Singapore has been bought out and he is moving back to the states. He asks James if he can stay with him until he gets things settled. So Alex moves in for the summer. James, Alex and Anne form a relationship triangle. What starts out as a summer fling begins to have consequences no one predicted. It becomes complicated and tangled.
I was really surprised at the depth to this book. The author was not afraid to delve into the dark side of relationships. She was not afraid of making the reader uncomfortable with the choices the characters faced in her book. She did not shy away from it and that is what made this book so great. She touches on subjects that make most people uncomfortable such as jealousy, alcoholism, adultery and failure. But she was able to do it in a way that never felt preachy. She made the characters feel so genuine. People who you could relate to and empathize with; or at least I could.
There are no easy answers for these characters and things don’t exactly fall magically into place. I do wish that there would have been more resolution between James, Anne and Alex at the end of the story. I wanted more confrontation and therefore a more definitive solution to every ones’ problems. I guess I wanted everyone to have a happy ending, but it just can’t work out that way and it doesn’t. I really like Megan Hart’s writing. I love that she broaches subjects that take the reader out of their comfort zone. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
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8 comments:
Megan Hart is a hard writer to classify. I call her Spice novels "erotic novels" for lack of a better description!
I enjoyed Tempted, but felt the beginning was a little on the sluggish side. It wasn't until the fling, and the fallout, that it really started to cook for me.
Have you read her other books? While I enjoyed Tempted I positively loved Dirty and Broken.
Sounds good! I've never read about a menage, maybe I'll start here. Thanks for the review. :)
Great review, Jill. I read Tempted back in February and I'm telling you--the characters and their story still resonates with me. It is a very poignant and thought provoking story.
Did you know that Megan Hart is writing a spice brief that takes place after Tempted? I don't want to spoil it for anyone by naming the protagonist, but I think you can figure it out. I'm really looking forward to it.
Thanks for the review. I just ordered Dirty, my first Megan Hart book, and I can't wait to read it. Maybe this will be next. It sounds really good!
OK - I'm sold. I've been thinking of getting this one but it's way outside my normal reads but so far everyone who has read it has really praised it. So I'll just have to add it to the TBB list!
I also have Broken, but I haven't read it yet.
Wendy, Now that I look back on it the beginning chapters did seem a little sluggish. I have read Broken and Dirty and I loved them both.
Christine, I wasn't going to read Tempted but after reading your review, I decided to and I am really glad I did.
Carolyn Jean, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!
Kristie - I know you don't really enjoy erotica, but I still think you will like this book. I think the focus is more on the emotional impact of the sexual relationship, than the actual sex. I hope that made sense?!
When you are in the mood for something different, pick up Broken. Who knows, you might really like it.
Wonderful review! Love the way Megan Hart writes ~ sexy and she makes you think. Broken is one of my favorites. I've got Tempted on my TBR pile. Need to get to it soon.
Leslie, I hope you do and I will be curious to hear what you think of it!
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