Rating: 
Summary: Love stories from this time period!
Review: "The Temptress" is an amzing read. A story from a time period that I honestly love. Romance and chivalry, damsels and marriages of convenience.To win a young damsel's hand in marriage seems a simple challenge until the chase begins - Esmeraud's challenge makes her far more exciting than Bayard had dared hoped - But when he follows her across the waters and has to resuce the seductive little minx in disguise he not only knows he has found her but he suddenly realizes she is much too intriguing to ever let her slip through his hands. "The Temptress" is a magical tale that I found to be both exciting and appealing. John Savoy
C.E.O. & Financial Advisor
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
Rating:
Summary: Love stories from this time period!
Review: "The Temptress" is an amzing read. A story from a time period that I honestly love. Romance and chivalry, damsels and marriages of convenience. To win a young damsel's hand in marriage seems a simple challenge until the chase begins - Esmeraud's challenge makes her far more exciting than Bayard had dared hoped - But when he follows her across the waters and has to resuce the seductive little minx in disguise he not only knows he has found her but he suddenly realizes she is much too intriguing to ever let her slip through his hands. "The Temptress" is a magical tale that I found to be both exciting and appealing. John Savoy
C.E.O. & Financial Advisor
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
Rating:
Summary: Love stories from this time period!
Review: "The Temptress" is an amzing read. A story from a time period that I honestly love. Romance and chivalry, damsels and marriages of convenience. To win a young damsel's hand in marriage seems a simple challenge until the chase begins - Esmeraud's challenge makes her far more exciting than Bayard had dared hoped - But when he follows her across the waters and has to resuce the seductive little minx in disguise he not only knows he has found her but he suddenly realizes she is much too intriguing to ever let her slip through his hands. "The Temptress" is a magical tale that I found to be both exciting and appealing. John Savoy
C.E.O. & Financial Advisor
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
Rating: 
Summary: The Bride Quest continues
Review: Courtesy of The Best Reviews Bayard of Villone has recently returned from the Crusades where he has spent the last five years. He left home after a bitter argument with his father which put him at odds with his entire family. He has returned to protect his family's estates from pending attacks. Upon returning home, Bayard's grandmother ropes him into finding a bride in exchange for his uncle's estate of Montvieux, which Bayard desires above all else. So he grudgingly goes on a bride quest, for a woman he has never even seen, and is pleasantly surprised by what he finds. Esmeraude of Ceinn-beithe is opposed to the competition for her hand in marriage. She refuses to marry for less then the complete love of her husband and will not settle for a marriage of convenience. So she sets out upon a quest of her own, searching for personal adventure. She issues an additional challenge to her potential suitors, leaving them riddles to lead them to her location, testing their intelligence and commitment. Bayard is bound and determined to win the competition against the other knights, which include his younger brother and his cousins, even before seeing or talking to Esmeraude. When he finds her on her adventure, disguised as a common maid, he knows immediately who she is. He is intrigued by her wit and intellect, which causes him to desire the marriage for more than the holdings it will secure for him. But he swears he will never allow his life to be ruled my emotions, especially love. Esmeraude was immediately attracted to Bayard, convinced he was the only one for her, when she thought him to be a complete stranger. She is surprised and disappointed, at first, to discover he is one of her suitors on the Bride Quest. Then he tells her he does not believe in love, but wants to marry her because it is mutually beneficial to the both of them. Esmeraude has decided Bayard has one her heart and is the only man for her. So she takes it upon herself to make him admit he loves her before she will agree to be his wife. Ms Delacroix falls flat with this latest tale in the Bride Quest series. Bayard is an overly cocky and disillusioned knight who thinks he is always right and that he is the greatest knight around. He can't understand how any woman could possibly be uninterested in him. He treats his family poorly, even to the point of trying to steal his cousin's inheritance out from under him. In the end, he starts to come around and even admits he may have been wrong in the past. However he never quite redeems himself to be worthy of winning the quest, in this reviewer's opinion. Esmeraude is a young lady who has dreams beyond what is expected of women in her time and wants to have some fun and a lasting marriage full of love. She is a dreamer who wants everyone else to dream too. When she sets her heart and mind on Bayard, she doesn't give up and goes after what she wants, not giving up. The plot is rather limited, revolving more around the characters than excitement and action in the story. There were some good side stories going on throughout as well, with an enchanted vine and yet another marriage being made while Esmeraude and her knights are on their quests. This tale is not a favored one of this reviewer and not a "keeper" though it did have some finer points to it. The uninspiring hero detracts from the story and does not seem deserving of his Lady Love, Esmeraude.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best
Review: For fans of the Bride Quest books, this is a can't miss installment. 'The Temptress' restored my interest in the series. Delacroix's writing, which had seemed a little tired lately, has been rejunvenated. The characters are as interesting as ever, the plot was full of unexpected twists and turns and the hero and heroine persued each other - I like that. There was some faults, however, which caused me to assign a rating of four instead of the five the book deserves. Namely, contrived plot devices (heroine just "happens" to drop a key piece of evidence for the bad guy to find?) and lack of any real threat from the competition until the end of the book. This heroine was never really in peril. Also, Finlay and Mihairi deserved more attention. I especially would have like to see some of Finlay's battle for Mihairi's hand. There was a great buildup and then it was over. Nevertheless, this was definitely a book to include in your collection and will enthuse anyone with flagging interest in the series. A WORD TO CLAIRE DELACROIX: Put a family tree in the books. I forget how everyone is related and it's nice to be reminded of all of the stories that have passed.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: For fans of the Bride Quest books, this is a can't miss installment. 'The Temptress' restored my interest in the series. Delacroix's writing, which had seemed a little tired lately, has been rejunvenated. The characters are as interesting as ever, the plot was full of unexpected twists and turns and the hero and heroine persued each other - I like that. There was some faults, however, which caused me to assign a rating of four instead of the five the book deserves. Namely, contrived plot devices (heroine just "happens" to drop a key piece of evidence for the bad guy to find?) and lack of any real threat from the competition until the end of the book. This heroine was never really in peril. Also, Finlay and Mihairi deserved more attention. I especially would have like to see some of Finlay's battle for Mihairi's hand. There was a great buildup and then it was over. Nevertheless, this was definitely a book to include in your collection and will enthuse anyone with flagging interest in the series. A WORD TO CLAIRE DELACROIX: Put a family tree in the books. I forget how everyone is related and it's nice to be reminded of all of the stories that have passed.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting vividly written medieval romance
Review: In 1194, Bayard returns home from the Crusades, but worries over a pending attack on his family holdings. His family scoffs at his warning, thinking he suffers from paranoia from post Crusader battle syndrome. To keep his Montvieux safe, Bayard knows he must act alone. He decides a marriage of convenience will provide the alliance needed so he accepts an invitation to participate in a contest of brawn and brains to win the grand prize of marriage with Esmeraude.
The lovely young lady wants a marriage built on love and trust rather than on military and political needs. She sends her wannabe husbands on a wild chase leaving clues and riddles for her suitors to decipher. Ultimately Bayard finds a disguised damsel in distress and realizes he has found the ultimate award Esmeraude. Though attracted to her, he refuses to let his heart open up to her until a rival forces Bayard to choose between a love of a lifetime or a political union.
THE TEMPTRESS is an exciting vividly written medieval romance that take the audience along for a merry ride. The story line is fun and quite entertaining as Esmeraude (picture a twelfth century woman singing "You Don't Own Me") uses her intelligence to implement her plan to marry for love only. As usual Claire Delacroix proves how powerful the historical romance sub-genre can be when a grandmaster writes the tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: An exciting vividly written medieval romance
Review: In 1194, Bayard returns home from the Crusades, but worries over a pending attack on his family holdings. His family scoffs at his warning, thinking he suffers from paranoia from post Crusader battle syndrome. To keep his Montvieux safe, Bayard knows he must act alone. He decides a marriage of convenience will provide the alliance needed so he accepts an invitation to participate in a contest of brawn and brains to win the grand prize of marriage with Esmeraude.
The lovely young lady wants a marriage built on love and trust rather than on military and political needs. She sends her wannabe husbands on a wild chase leaving clues and riddles for her suitors to decipher. Ultimately Bayard finds a disguised damsel in distress and realizes he has found the ultimate award Esmeraude. Though attracted to her, he refuses to let his heart open up to her until a rival forces Bayard to choose between a love of a lifetime or a political union.
THE TEMPTRESS is an exciting vividly written medieval romance that take the audience along for a merry ride. The story line is fun and quite entertaining as Esmeraude (picture a twelfth century woman singing "You Don't Own Me") uses her intelligence to implement her plan to marry for love only. As usual Claire Delacroix proves how powerful the historical romance sub-genre can be when a grandmaster writes the tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Hot and cold for me
Review: Maybe I didn't get this book? It was the first Claire Delacroix book I read and I know it's part of a series, so maybe I missed something along the way but I found this book to be confusing and choppy in parts. It started off really good but then it slid into areas that left me scratching my head. For example: I was shocked with how fast the heroine threw herself at the hero and slept with him just to lose her virginity. It didn't make sense to me that a medieval woman would do that. She was also TSTL at times. The hero was better and he is the only reason I finished reading the book, sad to say. I really got confused when the goddess Fortuna appeared in a tree and was commenting on the hero and heroine. Whats up with that?! Also there were looooong stretches of a poem inserted into the book that went on for chapters and chapters of time. It was a nice poem/story but it seemed like it was just there to fill pages. It took away from the book I thought. Like I said. Maybe I just did not get this book. Other reviewers seemed to like it so I guess you just have to be the judge. My copy is already in the trade box for the UBS.
Rating:
Summary: A Yummy Hero,
Review: THE TEMPTRESS has an almost fairytale quality missing in today's historical offerings and should please those who have been following the tales of the women of Ceinne-beithe. Yet, readers will wonder, is pampered lass quest anymore important than that of a battle weary Crusader who must marry to consummate a quest of his own? Esmeraude, is the youngest daughter of Countess Eglantine de Crevy, Now of a marriageable age, her mother and step father Duncan have assembled a number of eager knights who will vie for her, as much as for her dowry and womb. Yet, like many of the maids in this series her heart is full with the expectation of seeking her own destiny: a lovematch. Bayard of Villionne is a battle hardened Crusader who, despite is conflict with his choice of liege Lord, is held captive by the desires of his grandmother and family honor. When he arrives at Ceinne-beith as a well accomplished knight he doubts not that he will succeed for the hand of the young maid, who he assumes is an maid of country innocence. He rises to the challenge of the pursuit of this maid, not unlike those same challenges found on the battlefield. But can he stay one step ahead of an evil bent on keeping him in his place, and one surely bent on destroying Esmeraude as well. Of course is it any wonder with THE TEMPTRESS's fairytale-like quality there should be just such evil. Unlike those of our childhood fairytales, there is not a traditional
dragon to slay but one of a two legged variety readers should discover early in the book. Although a fun read there are a number of elements of the story that bothered this reviewer. First and foremost was the heroine who at times seemed to be so out of character for the time period(ie... her willingness to give her virginity away so casually and putting her need to find a man to love her rather than what she could bring to the relationship) Virginity being a gift that can only be given once, seemed to be less important to her than giving her heart. Yet, to this reviewer the giving of such a gift seems to be convincing only when she knows the receiver also has given his heart to her. Thier coupling certainly was well written, one the reader will enjoy. The hero, who made the book for me was also not without his contradiction of character. At first in the presence of Emeraude's family and other knights his chivalrous honor shines through like a beacon proclaiming all the good that a fairytale knight should be with honorable declarations of his intentions. Certainly he outshines the other knights present with his diplomacy at the court of the Lord of Isles and elsewhere. So when did his armor get tarnished, or at best lose a bit of its shine? When he meets our tempting maid he knows who she is yet quite wilingly takes what is offered, not very chivalrous in the great scheme of things. This reviewer would have enjoyed seeing him with a bit more angst both above and below the beltline. Denial of ones desires makes the gift all the more special. But with this said, this is after all a work of fiction, a well crafted journey where the reader escapes the woes of the real world: one where evil is conquered but only when true love is found. THE TEMPTRESS has wonderful secondary characters, especially Celie. She provides the heroine with a level headed sidekick who knew the score from the start. For loyal readers of the series the appearance of not only Duncan and Eglantine but Angus and Jacqueline will add to the enjoyment of Bayard's and Esmeraude's quest of the heart as well. Also Ms Delacroix does more than just an adequate job with her medieval voice, she has a rare gift readers should enjoy. For it is not so much her choice of words that are exceptional, but the development of the medieval syntax of her speakers. Although not overpowering with historical references, this is after all a fairytale that should be read for the plot and characters rather than for a sense of Scottish history. Can this reviewer give THE TEMPTRESS a thumbs up? You bet. Although not quite as good as the first three books with the Irish setting this one is a nice conslusion to the Scottish trilogy. Fans will feel like they have come home to the highlands.
| 
