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Season for Temptation (Holiday Pleasures, #1)

Theresa Romain

Start date: October 1, 2011

Finish date: October 31, 2011

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Nov 15, 2011 PoligirlReads rated it did not like it

Okay, so I have to give this book a negative review, but couched in there is a compliment or two, so it's not entirely bleak. On the plus side, there are a lot of good elements to this book: an interesting love triangle, some crazy relatives, and of course, it's set in the holiday season. And who doesn't love a good seasonal book? Well, I may have answered that last one with my rating.

So now, the bad. It is my understanding that this is Romain's debut novel. It shows. And I don't mean that in a Okay, so I have to give this book a negative review, but couched in there is a compliment or two, so it's not entirely bleak. On the plus side, there are a lot of good elements to this book: an interesting love triangle, some crazy relatives, and of course, it's set in the holiday season. And who doesn't love a good seasonal book? Well, I may have answered that last one with my rating.

So now, the bad. It is my understanding that this is Romain's debut novel. It shows. And I don't mean that in a needlessly cruel manner. What I mean to say is that her "voice" isn't readily cemented. At points the book reads like an homage to an assortment of other historical romance(HR) writers. As I read, it was almost like playing a game of who's who in the HR world. I think this is something that can be easily corrected though.

Second: I could go for some more character development. Given the set-up and pacing of the book, theoretically, there should be plenty of time to give us a greater backstory on the three primary characters...or at least for James and Julia.

Third: The romance was creepy. Stay with me on this one. Romain seems to go on a bit about how young Julia is, her small hands, etc. She squeaks and is perpetually wide-eyed about something or another. James refers to her as the "fair-haired girl" and at one point marvels at the fact that the sisters are nearly the same age...yet Julia seems so much more younger. Ugh. I'm squicked out just typing that. The reality of course, is that teen brides were acceptable back then, but let's face it, it's not like the HR genre is exactly worried over selectively altering the facts in order to make a good story for our 21st century sensibilities. That's why there are so many headstrong females and every heroine finds true love. While there are authors who can get away with a younger heroine and not have it be creepy (like Julie Anne Long) it just wasn't working here. As such, I couldn't get into the romance because I kept waiting for child protective services to show up.

But here's the thing, it wasn't a completely terrible book. In fact, I can easily see myself giving her next book a try. There are good elements. I just hope everything is better developed next time. ...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, 2013-reads, holiday-romance

I love Regency romances, but I have found after reading a few of them I quickly bore while reading them. I notice that it seems to be the same plot repeated over and over and over again. Or it seems as if in many of the books the actual romance is overshadowed by the raging hormones of the lead characters. I find that I have to take a break for awhile and read some other genre so that I can come back at a later date and appreciate these romances that I generally do enjoy.

That is why this Regenc I love Regency romances, but I have found after reading a few of them I quickly bore while reading them. I notice that it seems to be the same plot repeated over and over and over again. Or it seems as if in many of the books the actual romance is overshadowed by the raging hormones of the lead characters. I find that I have to take a break for awhile and read some other genre so that I can come back at a later date and appreciate these romances that I generally do enjoy.

That is why this Regency romance by Theresa Roman is so refreshing and fun to read. At face value it seems to be a story like you would find in many other romances like it -- boy needs to get married quickly to save family name, boy finds girl who fits the bill, boy and girl get engaged for practical reasons, boy meets fiancee's sister and gets along splendidly with her, boy and fiancee's sister fall in love. Now what do they do? Seems like a conventional romance novel story, right? However, in Season for Temptation I found a story that was wonderful and refreshing in spite of its plot that might at first seem ordinary. It is far from that. I found myself drawn into the story from the very beginning, enjoying the characters, and impatient to see how this situation would work itself out.

I think that the characters in this story are what helps this book to rise above the ordinary. They are witty, fun, unconventional, and very enjoyable to read about. This story is told in third person, and the two romantic leads of this story take center stage in the story, of course. These two characters were fun to read about because of their ability to connect so well, despite Julia's tendency to say whatever comes out of her head, without filter. It is unconventional in a world where women are trained to be carefully demure in society. I loved Julia's character. She was a loyal sister to Louisa and never set out to fall in love with James, Louisa's fiance -- but I guess that is generally the case in stories such as this one. However, she and James meet in what could have been awkward circumstances as Julia keeps talking and talking to him in her open and unreserved way. They immediately form an easy friendship.

James and Louisa do not have such an easy relationship. Louisa is a great character as well, but she really does not relish the idea of her engagement to James. It was done for practical reasons, but as the engagement continues Louisa reflects and finds that she is unhappy with the thought of being thrust into the society commitments that would come with a marriage to James. For James, he has chosen to get married to save his family's reputation, but he feels no real love for Louisa. It is completely a marriage of convenience, not unusual in those days. However, James is a gentleman, and he treats Louisa with kindness and respect, all the while worrying a bit at Louisa's extreme reluctance around him and her lack of interest in planning an actual wedding date.

So in the midst of this engagement James and Julia find themselves enjoying the easy banter they have with one another. Julia is getting ready to make her London debut and finds that when she thinks of the type of husband that she wants, she thinks that she wants to find someone exactly like James. Although it is obvious that both James and Julia are falling in love with one another, neither of them really embrace this love. They both feel loyal to Louisa and are unwilling to do anything to hurt her in any way. So, of course, they both vow to stay away from one another, and, of course, that never can happen.

James and Julia are both in their element as they speak with one another. Their dialogues were fun to read. They weren't sappy or goofy in any way. It was just fun and easy. I loved that Julia was completely herself around James. He never had to guess what type of girl she was. She showed him her character through her conversation. That seems obvious that that would need to occur in our world today, but in that era it was not common to find a woman who would be so open in her conversation. James was not quite as open in his conversation, but of all his acquaintances, Julia was the one who he truly did open up and reveal the feelings of his heart that were generally hidden from the world. These two characters drive the plot in this novel, and because they are so well-written it makes the book extremely enjoyable to read.

The supporting characters also provide some depth to the story. I loved Louisa and Julia's aunt. She was brazen in some ways, bent on finding an eligible match for Julia, and a top notch gambler apparently. She was a fun character in this story. It is hard to create a somewhat overbearing chaperone character who doesn't annoy the reader too quickly, but in this character it is done. I enjoyed her banter with her nieces and their suitors. I loved her appearance at the party with the outrageous plumed hat. She often brought humor to the scenes she was in. Julia's family was absent for a good portion of the novel while she was in London, but they were fun to read about also. I loved her distractible father and his livestock conversations. I especially loved the conversation Julia had with her mother at the end of the book. I often get so annoyed with characters who refuse to TALK to one another in the midst of conflicts in these romances, and Julia's mom obviously would feel the same way. I appreciated her boldness in her advice to her daughter. And then there was James's family. What a horrible mother! I won't say much more, except that it is amazing that James was produced in a family such as that. However, his mother is not just portrayed as pure evil. There are some reasons for her behavior. I don't think in any way that it justifies her actions at the end of the novel, but at least it provides some sort of balance so that her character seems more real.

I would not have found this novel if it had not been the book of the month for a goodreads book club that I belong to. But I am happy to have discovered this writer. I look forward to reading more of her work as she writes it. This was a book that rose above the pack in my estimation. I think it is a book that I could re-read again someday. The characters are wonderful. The plot moves at just the right pace -- not too fast, not too slow. The resolution of the dilemmas found within the plot comes naturally. It doesn't seemed forced or unrealistic, and, best of all, everyone gets a version of a happy ending (well, except for James's mom, I guess). I loved it! ...more

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Sep 26, 2013 Charlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: rated-not-reviewed, romance, reviewed, regency, series-by-author, holidays, library-to-order, follow-this-series

Very good for this genre. Must read before second book in series to get the background. I am following this series. I liked the three lead characters very much.

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