Tempted By The Night

A Secret Admirer . . .

They say he's a shameless rake who cares for nothing but pleasure, a rogue who spends his nights in London's lustiest locales, gambling and carousing until dawn. But Lady Hermione Marlowe refuses to believe that the handsome gentleman she's loved from afar for so long could be so wicked. If only she had a way to prove to the ton that Lord Rockhurst is as proper as the rest. If only she knew what he really did under cover of the night . . .

A Clandestine Encounter . . .

Lord Rockhurst knows what they say about him, and he doesn't care. Let them think his nights are filled with craven debauchery. Only he knows his true purpose, his dangerous goal. But when a mysterious woman falls into his arms—and thereby saves his life—Rockhurst will struggle to save his secret. Who is this creature with such tempting curves and an enticing touch? Rockhurst can only wonder how he can trust her . . . for he knows he cannot resist her.

I was expecting a straight forward historical romance, but I got a little surprise...it's a paranormal as well. It does seem that more authors are jumping on the paranormal bandwagon, some I've been turned off by, but this one I was pleasantly surprised.

The characters are wonderful. Hermione/Shadow, the heroine is shy (at least with the hero), curious, funny and also has a very quick temper - she reminds me of someone!. Rockhurst, the hero, is considered to be a rake, but he has his own little masquerade going on. He alone is the protector against those things that go bump in the night. His only companion is his wolfhound Rowan, well, until Hermione stumbles upon the truth.

It was only after I started reading the book that I found out it was the second of a series. I'm not sure if I'll read the first book, but I'll definitely be looking (hoping) for more of "those" Marlowe's.

Tempted by the Night by Elizabeth Boyle (4.5/5) Historical Romance; Paranormal; Published: Avon (9/08); Series: # 2, Marlowe; 100 + Reading Challenge (75); Library book;