Temptation Road

Temptation Road #1

by Kimball Lee

What if you had to choose between a life of fame and luxury or finding your truest love while restoring a house overflowing with magic and enchantment in the Blue Ridge Mountains?
Reagan Hart is the DeLuca Girl, hers is the world famous face of a generation. Her husband has directed five of the highest grossing movies of all time, and her ex is a hunky detective who can’t get her out of his heart. She has all that glitters, but it isn’t at all what she bargained for. Beguiled by the story of a mystical old house in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she walks out on her past and into her future.

In the village of Seven Devils, North Carolina she is drawn to and enchanted by The Mary’s House and comes face to face and heart to heart with breathtakingly handsome and reclusive Fletcher Green. Fletcher steals Reagan’s heart in an instant but there are secrets to be told and he hasn’t uttered a single word in twenty years. Only his brother Teddy has discovered the mysterious truth that sets Fletcher apart from all others. The two brothers will rebuild The Mary’s House for Reagan and along with a town full of eccentric’s she just might find her place among the charms and bits of magic, both good and evil. Fate, destiny, passion and a touch of the divine will change her forever as she becomes a part of all that exists on Temptation Road.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Ebooks, Contemporary, Amazon, Contemporary Romance

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2013

About the author

Hi, I'm Kimball Lee and I'd like to welcome you to the many worlds of my imagination! The topics of my novels and novella-series will vary, but my style of writing remains the same. I don't write 700 page books padded with useless words that take three pages to describe a doorknob! I do write funny, interesting, happy, sad, romantic, often titillating, and always thought provoking books that pack a lot good reading into just the right number of pages.
My first novella, Legal Action, changed my life over night with more than 250,000 downloads in the first months. I write twelve to fifteen hours a day and love ALMOST every minute of it! My social life has completely disappeared, but interaction with my readers through email, Facebook, and Twitter makes me very happy... (As well as the occasional Diet Coke and chocolate cupcake!) I am represented by Joyce Holland at D4EO Literary Agency. Happy reading! Kimball

Reviews

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short quick read that I liked a lot. This cover is hot. Reagan is a famous model married to a famous Hollywood director. While at a party she is told about a beautiful Victorian house in North Carolina and decides to move there. She moves the very next day, leaving behind her husband and career. Once in NC she discovers a sweet little town, a magical house, and a hot sexy man. This was a short quick read that I wanted more of this was book one in this series this was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[hugsandcookies · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do I describe a book that really didn't flow with me until I understood it. Confusing or I just didn't get it. Anyways I would say that I didn't get the purpose of Temptation Road until reading this.

It may be a short read but...it's



at all. We are introduced to the beautiful Reagan Hart and the sexy but mute Fletcher Green. So I do find this a little intense, sort of a cliffhanger read.

I think that Kimball Lee's writing is twisted (in a good way) more like thriller, suspenseful and dark. You won't be disappointed by it.

[Lora J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short read but now I have to wait for next book to see what happens Dang it

[ella ☆ any pronouns · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, not going to lie, I hated this read, but the further I got into it and the more I got accustomed to the author's writing style, I grew to become quite fond of it. I was immediately hooked, even though it was confusing at the times, I was interested nonetheless.

I was going to give this book only two stars at the beginning, but later on, I started to thoroughly enjoy it and wanted to give it four stars, so as a compromise, I'm taking the ladder and giving it three stars.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, it took me a while to get with the flow of the author's writing style, it seemed at times to be run-on sentences, which can already be confusing if you're hearing a person talk continuously without pausing, it's even harder to figure out the pause points in a book if there's no punctuation that indicates a break. But the story is just interesting enough that I got hooked once I got used to the narration style. I can't wait to find out about the incident that left Teddy scarred and Fletcher not talking for 20 years.

Overall a good story and the price was just right!

[Tisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the beginning of this story is her running away as a young 18 yr old. A handsome, decent cop rescues her for one night. Which becomes a year until the DeLuca owner sees her face & wants her to makes her a star. She leaves her safe cop one night. A man who truly loved her with all his heart.
Reagan Hart is the famous DeLuca Girl for almost a decade. She is tired of the fame, & lies that everyone around her does. All they do is use her. Including her husband with his indiscretions' who has insulted, degraded flaunted his other woman, Cheated & schemes investors & now he has to run. But all his dirty deeds comes to haunt Reagan because she is this creeps wife. Though see knew nothing of his business dealings.

In the village of Seven Devils, North Carolina she is drawn to and enchanted by The Mary's House and wants she wants to own this little hideaway. But conditions with the Estate states has to be purchased by a relative related to Mary. Which just so happens she's a distant relative. While she is trying to settle in her hideaway. She meets the breathtakingly handsome and reclusive town contractor/handyman Fletcher Green. Fletcher steals Reagan's heart in an instant but there are secrets to be told and he hasn't uttered a single word in twenty years.
During this time Reagan finds out that her old beau- the cop happens to be the town Sherriff & he still loves her even though he is married & has a child. He will do anything to protect her. Even keep her away from the FBI for her threatening husbands misdeeds. Can the cop & Fletcher protect Reagan from the feds?
Read the other two novels to find out what happens to Reagan, Marry house & her love life.

[Jennifer Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary’s House

She’s finally had it with her husband and is following her heart. Only that leads her to a mysterious mansion in the middle of nowhere. Her dreams keep leading her here. Now getting it and starting her life over is the trick. This is the start of a story. There’s definitely allure and some passion. Definitely will want to pick up the sequel to see how things all play out.

[DeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Book I've Been Waiting For!

Finally, a literary romance! Kimball Lee writes like a master wordsmith. Too many romances use the easier to write first person narrative style. Kimball tells a story as well as the beauty of the hills of North Carolina where the story is set. She lilts this beautifully written story in magic and art so we can see what she sees. This is what story is supposed to be!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This is a great beginning to this series. Rae started life as a small town girl from Texas that her mama out on a bus to Hollywood to give her a chance at 18. A great cop, Sean, helped her and then they went out one and everything changed. Now she is done with her marriage and bought a house.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick read!

I liked that this book was such a quick read . Sometimes I just want to get through a book quickly. I liked storyline and the back story of Rae. Looking forward to learning more about Fletcher in the rest of the books in series. Well developed characters in such a short book.

[Bobbi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely the worst book I've Ever read!!! What an awful way to end it ! I think the publisher should be ashamed, Get people interested in reading a book and then all of a sudden the end! I'm making sure that I want ever read another book by Kimball Lee

Horrible way to end a book,seemed as tho it was written to keep our interest, but then she just up and ended it!

[Becky Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snippets

Snippets of intrigue and magic and mystery. A beautiful betrayed woman bound to change her world and not afraid to do it. Silence from a skilled handsome man. Chemistry and passion.

[Chrystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, being book 1 of 4 it left 100 questions unanswered but expected. The story had some flickers of magic through out which was sweet and left me curious to know where the writter was going with it. Of course I'll have to wait until the next book to discover more...

[Sharon Ryder Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a hard read to get into at first, as some details were missing.... But as time went on, the mystery grows more and more with in the pages. Have know idea where this is all headed, but i hope its good things!

[Katrina Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesomeness

I liked everything about this books. She truly has a head on her shoulders and knows what she wants out of life. She didn’t let her past stop her. It was wonderful to read about.

[Ana Oh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but...

Really disappointed this is a serial. Give me one big, fat, juicy book, please!

So far the story is amazing, Fletcher is hot af, and Lord what does Sean want?

[Reian'sReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Runs away from millionaire to find a hot silent man.

I think that the development of the romance was not the best but the book kept me intrigued enough to finish through.

I want to pick up the next book and see what happens!

[vicki carnicle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance temptation road

Interesting reading who the main character found her way and the plots kept changing till funds her way to love

[Readsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters are likeable and eccentric. I was surprised to turn to the next page and realize I'd reached the end. So I purchased the box set.

[Mona Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

This was the best book and I could not put it down. I went to sleep with while reading and woke up and finished it. More please

[Kerry Spyve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book, not read a romance for a while and this did not disappoint. Find steamy scenes.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

The way this boom is written is a little strange. I do really like the story line, hated the cliffhanger. I want to know what happens next.

[Linda Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

Awesome book. Awesome book Great writer. Wow. What a book 1st book quick read. Whole story in 1 hour read.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, came with its own twists and left me on a.cliffhanger ready to download the next in the series 🤗👌

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rae moves to a small town after divorcing her movie star hubby. And she meets a new man.

It’s too short. It needed to be like 200 pages longer to make a complete story

[Johansi Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give it a try

It took me a bit to actually get hooked on it. I was tempted to give up on it. But ended up loving the end ,anxious to continue reading more !

[Sally Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession: I picked this book solely because of the cover. I mean, just look at it! Sculpted man chest and arm, lounging in the sun, ripe for the picking....

It has been a very long and very cold winter here in the northeast. I didn’t even read the synopsis of this book when I bought it. I just saw lickable man chest and went for it, hopes high for heavy flirting and steamy sex scenes to warm up my snow-frozen brain.

Two words: false advertising.

Our story begins with Reagan, a famous advertising model married to a famous Hollywood director. While at a party she is told by a location scout of a beautiful Victorian “confection” in North Carolina and decides to move there. She moves the very next day, leaving behind her husband and career. Once in NC, she discovers a sweet little town, a magical house, and a hunk of man, all of which she falls instantly in love with.

It’s a sweet storyline with a brutal cliffhanger.

Temptation Road is the first in a novella serial, and on first read I thought Ms. Lee had enough material in this one installment to make it a full-length novel, had she wanted to. I thought it a bit sparse and the storyline jumpy, although I found the premise interesting. I hesitated to overly criticize someone’s work, so I reread the book last night after watching an episode of Sherlock.

If you haven’t watched the tv or movie version of Sherlock, the title character speaks his thoughts in a quick and emotionless manner. A matter-of-fact retelling of facts. That is how Temptation Road is written. It’s a rather important detail I hadn’t caught the first time. How did I miss that? It changes everything.

Reading this book in that matter-of-fact manner of retelling, the story isn’t sparse at all. It is very descriptive, in a concise manner. There is a lot of label naming, which I originally found pretentious but later it seemed fitting and not at all pretentious. However, there are some quirks and such in the writing that drove me bonkers.

For starters, there is an exceedingly excessive number of run-on sentences. A plague of run-on sentences, if you will. Two complete sentences, joined together with a comma. Repeatedly. Maybe it was supposed to add to the ambiance, but it was just annoying. Distracting. At one point I had to put it aside so I could complain to someone about how damn annoying it was.

Then there is the bit about “the Mary’s”.

This house has always been owned by a collection of sisters named Mary. When people speak of the house, they call it “the Mary’s”. Shouldn’t it be “the Marys’” (plural possessive), rather than “the Mary’s” (singular possessive)? Perhaps the author meant it to be singular, as the requirement is the house belongs to someone named Mary, not necessarily multiple people named Mary. I am undecided which option makes more sense, but the reference is used regularly and it bothers me. A lot. I really think it should be “the Marys’”.

Then there is the hunk. The obvious love interest of the story. Sure, he is gorgeous and large, as are most romance novel hunks.This guy, however, takes the “silent, broody type” to a ridiculous level. He doesn’t speak. At all. He hasn’t spoken since some family accident in his childhood, but that is all we know of it. It might not seem that off-putting but when the author has him practically pantomiming it just seems silly. How is pantomiming instead of speaking at all attractive?

On to the cliffhanger. Reagan and the hunk have finally begun to hook up. They are naked, in bed, about to do the deed when they are interrupted. The partycrasher apologizes, then delivers his two-line mood-killing announcement. End scene. End book!

And that was the only sex scene in the entire thing. They didn’t even finish! Worse, Reagan’s man was fixing the fireplace seconds before she jumped him, so his hands had to have been covered in soot. Those hands were everywhere on her, and her clothes, and her bed. Everywhere hands usually go in a graphic, romance-novel sex scene. Covered in soot. Ew. I keep thinking of the infection Reagan is going to get after that.

Overall, it is a decent book but I am not certain I will bother with the next installments in the series. While the story is cute and there are allusions to the house being magical, I am not sure I really want to know why the Hunk doesn’t speak. It seems obvious that he and Reagan will get together and he will eventually speak again. Do I care enough to buy the next books?

Actually, I do. I’m just a little miffed over the lack of sex after that steamy cover photo.

[Coco.V]

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[Leiah Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't write 700 page books padded with useless words that take three chapters to describe a doorknob! – Kimball Lee
Temptation Road and Speaking of the Charmed Life, the two current editions of Lee’s series, speaks to the quoted comment regarding her writing style. This qualifies more as a short story, a novella, rather than a book,only 49 pages. And she attempts to stuff a world into these short pages, a world of mystery and magic which would have been much better served by a writer with a more expressive hand. Given that, there are still things to like about the book, even if I deeply wish that someone else had handled the writing.There is a world of beauty in the thought of the book – one that could create a world of wonder. A beautiful, magical house, wild creatures who wander into the yard and strop themselves against your knees. Hate and love and strangeness.
I will admit, however, that a writer friend of mine will probably love the idea of the novella over a long novel. She has three very small children, a house to run, and books to write, so novellas fit her needs exceptionally well. What I didn’t care for was the choppy delivery, the compression of what could have been beautiful paragraphs into single hard, choppy sentences. The flow simply wasn’t there.
The cover nearly kept me from reading the first book. It has no correlation to the story, instead appearing to be just a stock photo that fits with other books that Lee writes. If I hadn’t read the description, I wouldn’t have read it because the “sex me up” style doesn’t work for me. And those who expect “sex me up” book certainly will be disappointed.
The mysticism in the book is confusing, to say the least, though the good and evil characters are more interesting than most. In the second book, the relationship moves forward rather roughly, with a heavy overtone of punishment that pretty much creaped me out. The inability of Rae, the main female character, to accept the incredible gifts that she is given, instead winding into a whining, baby obsessed wreck, was truly disappointing. Though she is supposed to be more special than one can imagine, instead, she strikes me more as the type of woman who blows things totally out of proportion – spoiled. Meh.
Overall, I really wanted to like it more than I did. However, in many ways the book was oddly appealing. I know, sounds weird, huh? Gripe gripe gripe and yet I found it interesting enough to immediately download the next one and read it. I don’t know. I will get the next one simply because I am interested to see what happens next. I hope I am not disappointed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I would – but will be happy if I am not.

[Gloria Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing but too short.

Too short! I understand that the goal is to pull you in then make you want to read more but the first book is too short!