Tempt Me Not

by Susan Napier

Through circumstances, Victoria West was an innocent compared to most women her age; and her soft feminimity was a magnet to Lucas Grey.

He believed her to be a widow, and his sexy tender wooing frequently made Victoria blush, even while she laughed. But her family's surface appearance was deceptive, and when Lucas found out the truth he felt used - how could they go forward into marriage now?

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Hqn, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1991

About the author

Perhaps being born on Valentine’s Day was an omen that Susan Napier would become a romance writer. This New Zealand author has written over 30 Mills & Boon category romances since 1984. Napier and her husband Tony Potter met when they both worked at the Auckland Star newspaper. After they married, she left the newspaper to work for a film company where she learned the art of dialogue. After the birth of her sons, Simon and Ben, she was a freelance scriptwriter for documentaries. It was soon after that she decided to try her hand at writing the romance fiction she dearly loved.

She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 1 out of 5]

The heroine's first marriage squicked me out. She's a year younger than her oldest stepson. She stepped in to fill the mother's shoes from her role of housekeeper at age 18. Among the brood of five the h had to cook and clean and care for was a special needs child who died a year or two after the mother died. The husband decided that the heroine should have a child of her own, so at 20 or so they moved the twin beds out and the husband got a docile body in his bed as well as a drudge around the house. (No orgasms for the heroine until a ONS with the hero - great husband) Now our perpetual martyr heroine doesn't see the situation that way - they were her adored family - smart and beautiful and educated. (No education for the heroine, though - she dropped out at 15 to care for her dying father) Her husband was a professor at the same university as her father and she thought he was wonderful.

Now husband is "dead" - it's in the blurb, I'm not giving away spoilers - and the heroine is 25 and wants a part time job since everyone has moved out of the house except for her two step sons.

It's the hero's stepfather she will be a companion to - and to add to the incestuous overtones - her stepson works for the hero and dates his sister. Got that? Oh, and it's a deep dark secret that the h's husband is not dead - just in a coma for three years. It's a secret because the eldest stepson can't deal with his guilt because he was driving when the accident occurred.

We don't know that (unless you read the blurb) and it's puzzling how protective the stepson is of the heroine when he sees how the hero is looking at her. Heroine is in La La land most of the time (must be the cleaning fumes) or she's patting herself on the back for being such a good martyr.

When the husband finally dies, the heroine has a ONS with the hero. He finds out the next day she had been married all of this time. I don't blame him for being angry - that's a big lie of omission. Then the hero parades of bunch of different women in front of the heroine and it's all so ridiculous.

After a few weeks away and a new haircut the heroine has decided to live for herself - until the hero proposes marriage. She accepts that offer over the offer of a trip around the world for six months. I think I would have taken door number two, Carol Merrill.

I hated everything about the first husband. I don't care how "nice and kind" he was. He got a free housekeeper and a warm body in his bed that he didn't bother to pleasure. The heroine had no authority in that household and all of her stepchildren treated her like a poor relation or a half-wit who needed protection. The eldest stepson was so condescending to the heroine that I wanted to slap him. And finally, it was a crime this heroine had no education or training except for pleasing people.

I felt bad for the hero who thought he was flirting with and lusting after a single woman. He deserved better.

[boogenhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re Tempt Me Not - this book doesn't hold up quite as well on the reread as it does on the first one.

The h is twenty five and supposedly widowed - she is the step mother of five children, one of whom is actually a year older than her. The h herself is really only qualified to do childminding and housekeeping and nurturing duties.

First for her elderly professor father who died when the h was sixteen and she dropped school to care for him. Then she moved in with another older professor and his wife and their children as their housekeeper. When the wife died, the h then married the devastated professor whose big love of his life had just died and left him with several children to manage, including a special needs child with spina bifida that died a few years later.

It was a non consummated marriage until the older husband realizes that he had no way to tie the h to his family once she wised up to the continual indentured servitude she was bound to recognize eventually.

So in keeping with HP rule #14, the h can't enjoy the lurve mojo with anyone other than the H, older professor decides to dispassionately impregnate the h with yet another child - fortunately he gets into an accident before the h can conceive. To compound the story's continual pathos of grief and mourning, the h's older professor husband isn't really dead.

The oldest son and he got into a car accident with the oldest son driving, it left the older professor husband in a coma - tho no one can tell anyone that the husband is still alive, cause the sewer slurping, ego ridden and really condescendingly patronizing little snot toad that is the oldest son can't handle the guilt and has a neurotic obsession with keeping the h in her housemaid and low status place.

When the book opens the h has been invited to attend a big fancy dinner with the oldest stepson's boss - whose sister also happens to be his girlfriend. In what was supposed to be amusing, the equally snotty and patronizing oldest stepson girlfriend, the H's sister, accuses the slime swilling step son of bringing his mistress to her family home.

As the H is escorting both the h and Priggish Toad Boy Stepson into his vast mansion, he sends Toad Boy off to confront his supposed fiancee, the sister, while he makes vile tart shaming accusations to the h. The h is pretty befuddled and confused by the whole thing, but she is a peacemaker at heart and tries to soothe things over.

Then we all find out that the Snot Sister thinks the h is Toad Boy's mistress. Toad Boy explains that the h is actually his step-mother and snot girl gets even snottier as she questions the h about the baby who died. This subject clearly disturbs the h, tho she tries hard to soothe things over, but Snot Sister is pushy and soon the whole backstory is revealed except that the father is still alive in coma somewhere.

Toad Boy has a condescending hissy fit when the h has dirty and cut hands cause she had to change a tire on the way to the dinner, the H offers to help the h find the bathroom and some antiseptic. The h reluctantly follows the H to get herself fixed up, she wants to leave and let the Snots and Toads slime each other up in peace, but there is twingling in her lower regions as the H offers his personal services as a finger nail painter - even tho toenails are more in his area of expertise.

The h is not as easy a mark or as fragile as her Snot Toad family believes, so when the H is having risque banter with the h in his bathroom, she quite easily puts him in his place. Tho she is interested, she also knows she isn't free and has no desire to go there with the H.

We get plenty of H POV in this one and the H is thinking the feeling the h arouses in him is very like the one he had at fourteen for his very attractive lady maths teacher - tho the H admits that this time around he is far more likely to see that interest consummated and in fact soon determines that the h will be his for the taking. His thoughts don't stray much from that line for most of the book either.

So after the H and h finish up their banter and the H paints the h's nails passionate plum, we all go downstairs for dinner. Where the h seems to know the man in the wheelchair that is waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. We don't know the connection yet, but the man is introduced as the H's stepfather, Scott.

We soon find out that the h is tired of indentured servitude, has no desire or aptitude to get an education and with the youngest boys soon ready to leave the nest, she decides to go out and get a job and get a life.

She is very good at domestic engineering, so she starts answering want ads. Eventually she is hired as a 'part time wife to a cantankerous cripple who also knows how to play a good hand of poker' helper to the man in the wheelchair and soon Toad Boy has all sorts of comments about the h and her new independent decision makings.

The H's stepfather is soon put in the know as the h explained her situation over dinner the night before, (after she inadvertently snagged the H's seat at the head of the table next to the H's stepfather, our h is a bit awkward at times.)

We find out that the H's step father had some difficulties of his own - he was partially paralyzed ten years earlier, but manages to do most of his care himself. He had to hire a helper cause the H and Snot sister kept foisting bossy Nurse Ratchet types on him and refused to believe he was capable of managing his own life.

To be fair, the H's step dad had been depressed after his wife died, but really the grief was normal and the step dad had to be horrible to the nurses to run them off, so he decided to hire the h to take things into his own hands. So the two of them both have to deal with interfering and managing relatives and it gives them lots of common ground. Tho somehow the H's step father makes it seem that he too is interested in chasing after the h, to the H's great consternation when he overhears the step-father exclaiming that he can't stop wanting the h. (The step father means in an employment sense.)

That little faux pas is cleared up the next morning, when the H calls to offer the h the job with his stepfather officially. The H explains that his step dad Scott tried to commit suicide a year earlier and that meeting the h is the first sign of being his old self that he has shown, so the H really wants the h to work for them. The h accepts and starts working at the H's home, tho there are plenty of battles with the H's real housekeeper, as the h has to soothe bruised egos there as well. And eventually the h moves in with the H and Scott, when the housekeeper has to go to hospital for a bit.

Toad Boy isn't happy tho and the h believes it is because of his overwhelming guilt about his father, mostly it really seemed more that Toad Boy hadn't evolved past his terrible two's and wants to keep the h mired in a family that isn't really hers and accept the scraps they throw her.

As the book progresses, the H becomes more persistent in chasing the h and Toad Boy gets more and more snarly - the H asks several times about what the problem with Toad Boy is, but the h is determined to keep the family secret. The H and Toad Boy are soon playing off each other as rivals about who is going to manage the h, as neither one respects her enough to manage herself and various step children drift in and out as well - all getting upset that the h is gradually shedding her personal maid tendencies around them.

Eventually the h's husband dies after the h has his ventilator turned off so his organs can be donated and she gets a little tipsy after the funeral, which allows the H to semi forcibly seduce her later on the afternoon of the funeral. Toad Boy finds them both in the aftermath and the whole secret comes out when Toad Boy goes on a tart shaming adulterous wife verbal beratement rampage.

The H is understandably furious over the deception, tho I must confess I believe that even had he known the true situation, he would have chased the h and seduced her anyways. Considering how aggressive this H was in his chasing the h tactics, nothing short of having to trek across Antarctica barefoot was going to stop his pursuit of the h, and Antarctica probably wouldn't have stopped him either. However, he displays his ire with the h via a series of OW he brings home to have the h wait on them, she is still working out her notice at this point.

The h, who has a little money of own now, takes herself off for a well earned rest and gets herself a makeover. She returns to find the H has moved into Toad Boy and sibs family home - the professor husband left it to his kids and not the h- and is waiting to declare his true lurve for the h , (and hide a need for a full time housemaid and bed toy for his amusement that the H considers an h-acquiring side bonus.)

Scott, the H's stepfather, asks the h if she would like to travel around the world with him instead, but the h, whose martyrdom knows no bounds, is determined to tie herself to yet another man in indentured servitude and declares her love for the H. So the two of them decide to marry and we leave everybody lurved up and happy for the big HEA.

Unfortunately, this return voyage to HPlandia wasn't as great this time around, as the subtle insults to the h became more apparent from practically everyone in the book except for the H's step father - at one point I thought it was kind of a shame that he was so much older than the h, he was certainly the only one who treated her with any respect. While the h probably should have mentioned that she wasn't a widow, I did not hold that against her for a few reasons.

For one, Toad Boy was the one who made that decision and I considered that to be his prerogative, it was his father and his career with the H's company that would be impacted the most if the h spilled the secret. Like it or not, the h was devoted to her chosen family and so I understood her hesitation to tell the H.

The other reason is that the h really doesn't want to be chased by the H, she knows she is married, she tries to discourage him and in any other place but HPlandia, the H's pursuit would be the worst kind of sexual harassment. I make HP allowances, but she does tell the H NO several times and he just doesn't listen - so he kinda has to take those consequences.

I was actually concerned for the HEA in this on this last reading in a way I did not notice the first time. Mainly because of all the male characters and their manipulations of the h. One of the traits that every single male character in this book shows is a fierce focus on the achievement of their wishes, especially in regards to controlling the h and the other women in the story aren't much better.

Toad Boy is fanatical that the h does what he wants, the H's step father Scott is just as fanatical, tho much more charming and easily the most likable, and the H, who is innuendo and roofie kisser central, isn't much more amendable than the other two. When it comes to the pursuit of the H's goals, he is shown to be the most ruthless. The h handles it well, but I really feared that the h was getting into another situation where she would be exploited, tho at least this time she will get some physical pleasure out of it.

This H disturbed me the most tho, cause who is he really to involve himself to the extent he does over the h's personal situation, just because he lusts after her. The h was not a doormat, she would have stood up for herself eventually against Toad Boy after his father died, and yet the H manipulates things to his advantage so much that the h is practically forced into marrying him to keep her self respect.

This H also has a tendency to get focused in whatever has his attention at the time, he is an engineer type and likes to get really lost in his work. He even fails to chase the h due to his work vision at a crucial moment near the end. I had visions of the h being ignored and relegated back to domestic martyr status, once the H's passion for the h's body burned out, but this time she will have to put up with the H, Snot sister and the H's bullying invalid housekeeper to boot.

However, parts of this book are extremely funny and the h gets in some great one liners, she seems to be happy in her domestic engineering roles, and the power dynamics between Toad Boy, the H and the stepfather were very well done. All in all it wasn't a boring venture for a repeat HP outing and don't be afraid to give it a shot if you run into it.

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan, Susan, Susan! You are 2 for 2!
Ms. Napier can write quite the charming romance. Her heroine's a quaint and sweet, and her heroes get in over their heads and are all in. Let's face it, a hero that adores our tiny h's makes a heart go pitter patter.

At 25, Victoria is the step-mother to five children. She has accidentally applied for a job at the house one of her stepson's girlfriend lives. Victoria will be the companion to the step-father of the house. Yes, lots of step-siblings abound; they kind of come and go.

Bottom line, Lucas the apparently very hairy and uber attractive and alpha male son of the house, is more than smitten by Victoria. She is attracted to both him and his sunken bed that sounds so 70s although this was published in the 90s, but not only is she mourning her husband but number one son is concerned about her new job and the "new" friends she is making.

Describing the plot is a lot more complicated than it actually is although keeping up with all the step-relatives is a little confusing. There is a shocking plot point that I will not divulge.

Bottom line: Victoria is a sweet, kind of bumbling heroine. You get a better feel for her due to the way the other characters react to her: she does what needs to be done, is sweet and giving, but is not quite a doormat. Luke is a devil which means he is charming, deadly attractive and more than a little conniving.

Example: At their first meeting, her fingernails are spoiled due to changing a tire. He offers her his sister's nail polish to hide the grease. She does such a bad job of it he takes it from her and does it.

" I suppose you're an expert at painting women's fingernails?' she said sarcastically as he uncapped the bottle again, splaying her fingers with his.
'Actually toenails are more in my line,' he replied mildly. 'But I'm sure the technique is the same.'
'You've worked in a beauty parlour?' Victoria said foolishly, watching him rapidly accomplish what had taken her long minutes of painstaking care. Too late she realised the extent of the intimacy she had permitted him, and not only physically.
'My services have been on a more...personal basis,' he
said, his brief hesitation making Victoria go hot inside. She had no difficulty at all picturing the personal ser- vices involved. She could just see him lounging in that sunken bed next door, pampering some nude odalisque with sinful little personal luxuries, smoothing lotion over her glowing skin, brushing her thick brown hair with slow, sensual strokes and painting her toenails, prettying her up for their mutual pleasure. He would probably be nude, too, and she wouldHe is a man truly over his head despite making some stupid mistakes along the way.

More a 3.5 than a 3.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Tempt me Not" is the story of Victoria and Lucas.

Plot: The heroine is a stepmother to five grown up kids. She decides to spread her wings and apply for a job to be a companion to an elderly & disabled Scott, despite knowing that she might face opposition from her kids.
At the same time, her oldest stepson David's girlfriend Gabrielle enviously mistakes her for OW, and at a party held by Gabrielle's brother Lucas; she is almost thrown out, until David pulls her in and announces her as his mother! But the man who appears to be most fascinated by her is Lucas- who soon turns out to be Scott's stepson! How can she work for her son's girlfriend's stepfather? But Lucas is not letting her go easily..
Phew- that's the gist of it. Got it?

Conflict: The problems are aplenty in this book. The h's family do not want her to work. The h soon ends up being the housekeeper to the H when their cook falls sick. There is insane attraction between the h and H, who is hell bent on pursuing her. Oh, and the h and her family are hiding a big secret..regarding her "dead" husband!

Resolution: A sexy lovemaking marathon between our MC's. Some drama when the secrets are revealed. Some jealousy, passion and a sweet ending.

Highlight: The hero is definitely the star of this book. If you like insanely obsessed and in love heroes, who genuinely care for the heroine (ie the scene where he applies polish on her nails), takes care of her needs (ie when he takes her to theater by deceiving her), treats her as his equal (ie when he takes his family to the kitchen when she refuses to eat meals with them) and is very, very attracted to her (the detailed lovemaking involving his hairy body or the scene where he walks nude to her like a furry tiger). Yes, he does get angry at a point, but I honestly believe the heroine was at fault because of all her secrets- yet it is him yet again that pursues her and grovels. The heroine was really sweet and innocent with a lot of capacity to love.

A good read with moments of facepalm and unnecessary drama, especially because of the heroine and her family. I wouldn't mind rereading just for the hero.

Safe
3.5/5

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of Susan Napier, but I find this is one of her better books. However, it just didn't hold up on a re-read. The "ick factors" were a bit too much to overcome and the interesting twist which added an element of interest and shock factor to the story doesn't carry the same impact on the re-read.

Downgrading from 4 stars to 3 stars. Read St. Margaret's review. She captures the issues very well.

_________________________________


Interesting twist.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars! ~ It was an odd situation Victoria found herself in. The man she married had been in a coma for the past two years, and his very grown-up children were rather protective of their generous stepmother. But now that the girls were out of the house, and Jason the youngest is in law school, Victoria yearns for a bit of a life for herself; after all she’s only 25. So Victoria applied for a job as companion/helper for an older gentleman confined to a wheelchair. Lucas Grey wants only the best for his sister and his stepfather. Lucas approves of David, the young man his sister may marry but he’s astonished and perplexed at the relationship David has with his extremely young and beautiful stepmother. Further to Lucas’ surprise is that his stepfather Scott, has hired Victoria to be his companion. The attraction between Lucas and Victoria is very strong, but Lucas is curious as to why this beautiful widow has lead such a quiet life and runs from any attempt he makes to get close to her. Victoria’s loyalty to her stepson means she cannot reveal that her husband is still alive and she feels such tremendous guilt every time she looks at Lucas and feels the magnetic attraction.

Very well done! I understood why Victoria remained loyal to her stepson, though some readers may disagree. Lucas is a good man, but a man very much frustrated with Victoria’s inability to let go of a husband he thinks is dead. Victoria is a strong woman and determined to find her own way. Through the course of the book, Victoria discovers who she is and Lucas’ pull ignites her passions. The humourous moments of early in the book, lead to more emotionally intense scenes as Lucas and Victoria’s attraction sparks. This is one for the keeper shelf

[EeeJay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books which contains insights on what the hero is thinking. Victoria was married to a guy who was quite old and has plenty of step children (some as old as herself). After her husband has an accident, she takes to the care of her family and finally realizes that she's young enough to want to do what she wants herself and gets to work for a crippled man whose son is her stepson's boss. She has a secret and doesn't let herself open to him but he's determined to rid her of the burden of her family so he can have her for himself...

The dilemma is that once he knows her will he still want her?

[María · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victoria spent her life taking care of his husband and his daugthers and sons. But now, after years of mourning because of her husband death, she want to have a job and she felt that she was capable to take care of and lovely old man. Her stepson, Peter, tried to dissuade her but she was ready to start live again.
She assure him that she was still keeping his secret. And she was ready to do so but then she met Lucas, the stepson of the man she was looking after.
Lucas never met a woman like Victoria, so beautiful and kind but she had barrers he coudn't traspass and he felt frustrasted of her lack of response to his seduction because he really felt something for her. Why she didn't let herself be loved and love him back?
Victoria felt veri atracted to Lucas but she coudn't live happyly after because of that one secret...

[Taliskesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite harlequin of all time and made me search fervently for all Susan Napier’s books. I have a precious copy which I reread from time to time. I remember reading this book as a teenager and the nostalgia keeps me returning. Lucas is a wonderful alpha hero who falls head over heels and doesn’t know what to do with himself. I love that Victoria neatly upends all the stereotypes. It’s such a sexy and heartwarming love story. Ms Napier is a legend and I only wish she wrote more books.

[Roub · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun, light n very nice read. where it lost 2 stars ? it was slow n very archaic. it seemed older than the 90s

[Annarose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Victoria is 25 years old and yearned for some actual work other than taking care of her stepsons and stepdaughters after she became a widow. She dreaded the reaction of her stepsons, especially David, who is one year older than her and was way too protective of her! Luckily, David was showing great interest in his boss's sister, Gabrielle, and wanted Victoria to meet her, her brother and her father as soon as possible so he asked her to attend a party in their house! Unfortunately, when she met Lucas, Gabrielle's brother, she was in a very compromising situation and he thought them were lovers! Later, when the misunderstanding was corrected, she discovered that not only Lucas was the son of the man she accepted a job from as a companion, but also he had relentlessly decided to seduce her from day one in her job!

The first two chapters were really promising and intriguing, but when we discover that her husband was still in coma and she never reveals this tip of information to the hero and was not willing to say it at all, the story loses its spark. I really did not get the logic she and her stepsons had in hiding such a crucial thing to people close to them, for example David's fiancee! Not the best of Susan Napier.

[GenevieveAudrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember now why I stopped reading M&Bs. They're just not what I like reading.

[DamsonDreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I do love a Susan Napier. Her Hs are always so deliciously earthy. And sometimes a bit geeky and sometimes a bit medallion manny but funny and generous hearted. In this one computer guru Lucas is employer of the h's stepson David (who is tempestuously courting the Hs business partner and sister Gabrielle)and the H is stepson of the h's wheelchair using client/patient,Scott.(Yes it's a set of complicated families)Victoria is a young widow and very young stepmother to grown children. It's all about her coming out of her shell and seizing her own pleasure. I really enjoyed this on reread.

[MBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Tempt Me Not by Susan Napier

Rating = 4.5/5

Seal: AMAZING READ!

Review with quotes goes live at 00:00 hours MVT on June 28,2013.

[April Brookshire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh . . . could've been better

and I was tired of hearing about her freckles

[Pravana · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book!!! I've read it many times and each time I come away with new respect for Susan Napier.

[RomLibrary]

Through circumstances, Victoria West was an innocent compared to most women her age; and her soft feminimity was a magnet to Lucas Grey.

He believed her to be a widow, and his sexy tender wooing frequently made Victoria blush, even while she laughed. But her family's surface appearance was deceptive, and when Lucas found out the truth he felt used - how could they go forward into marriage now?

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Last part was better than the first two third.

[More Books Than Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Nanooka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Victoria should have just told the truth and not kept her stepson's secrets. I understood her loyalty but hey, she deserved a happy life too and her stepson should have recognized what a spot he had her in.

Another emotionly love story. I love Susan's sense of humour!

[Hopefulpuffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So that was unexpected. Based on the blurb, I expected the comatose husband to be around from the beginning. But he wasn't. At least not really. To the point that I had go back to the blurb to verify it was the book I thought it was.

I will say the premise of this was out of the ordinary. Really, seriously out of the ordinary. Unfortunately I think the book went on about 20 pages too long. There was a fair bit of repetition and unnecessary drama. The whole Iris appendicitis thing was too much - surely Victoria didn't have to actually move in. And maybe I glossed over it but was there something in her contract granting her several hours off each afternoon?

I don't enjoyed Lucas significantly more than Victoria. Considering the importance of morals in her life, the glaring lie of omission she engages in is pretty unforgivable. And don't get me started on David.

Once things get going it's PG-13.

Available on openlibrary.