Barbara Pierce, Tempting the Heiress

Tempting the Heiress

Barbara Pierce

St. Martin's, May 2004, $6.99, 352 pp.

ISBN: 0312986211

In 1810 Vauxhall Gardens, Conte Prola passionately kisses Amara Claeg. Her parents will force Amara to marry her to the Italian count though she hates his kiss. She flees only to run into the devil, Brock Bedegrayne, who has come home after two years overseas.

Though Amara's mother detests the Bedegraynes blaming them for the death of her son, Brock makes it clear to Amara that he desires her and is courting her. Brock asks her to forgive him for his part in the incident two years ago in which her brother died and informs her he is no longer running away so she will have to deal with him.

Amara dreams of her previous suitor Lord Cornley who died in a fire six years ago. Her father selected him though her preference would have been Brock. As far as her dad was concerned Cornley could do anything he wanted and he sexually assaulted her until Brock yanked the SOB off of Amara. A fire killed the man.

This is an engaging Regency romance due to the strong attraction between the two lead protagonists and the fun interactions between his family members. The heroine's reactions to her almost betrothed vs. her belief that she must marry as her father insists turns tedious and a subplot involving her cousin as an odious rival never comes to fruition. Still fans will appreciate this suspenseful second chance tale especially a final fiery twist as Brock struggles to overcome the odds knowing her family rejects him and she has reasons too.

Harriet Klausner