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Hawthorne Family #1

The Temptation of a Good Man

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Can true love be found after one night of passion?

Celeste Burton goes out with her girlfriends to celebrate turning thirty and winds up spending an unforgettable night with the man of her dreams. One week later, as a favor, she attends a wedding with a friend as his date and is shocked when she sees Roarke again.

Roarke Hawthorne despises cheating. Cheating tore apart his family years ago. When the physics professor sees the woman he spent the night with show up at his sister’s wedding on the arm of his brother, he knows he should keep his distance. But because of the night they set fire to the sheets in his hotel room, he can’t resist the urge to be close to her–nor can he resist the temptation to have her back in his bed.

Word count: 30,700

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2011

130 people are currently reading
704 people want to read

About the author

Delaney Diamond

103 books9,770 followers
Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of more than 60 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, and dozens of romance short stories. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not spinning tales of romantic fiction, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale.
She enjoys learning about time management and ways to increase productivity and shares her recommendations on her For Authors page at delaneydiamond.com. She also offers self-publishing consultations, leveraging her extensive experience to guide and support authors through the publishing process.



-Website: www.delaneydiamond.com
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5 stars
444 (48%)
4 stars
291 (31%)
3 stars
134 (14%)
2 stars
32 (3%)
1 star
12 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
Profile Image for Lady Raven RAVE!.
1,824 reviews1,506 followers
October 19, 2011
http://www.romancenoveljunkies.com /for readers & book lovers.

BRIEF SUMMARY
Celeste is celebrating her 30th birthday with her friends when she met Roarke. The night she met Roarke things heats up and a little conversation and celebration turns into a hot steamy night. Both Roarke and Celeste hasn't seen each other since that night and later meets again at his sister's wedding and she is with a date.

THOUGHTS
This was a nice story for me. I liked getting my feet wet with the first book and getting to known the characters the author introduces us to. Roarke's science brain along with his physical description was a joy to read about. Celeste was a single parent working hard as well as an attractive woman. The opening scenes were likable with the characters getting to know each other,  but once their chemistry intensifies it took the story  a step further. Meeting the rest of the Hawthorne family consisting of Matthew, Cassidy and Derrick, the black sheep was interesting. We didn't get too much information about them but I look forward to Matthew's story. The other assisting characters the author gave us were close friends of Roarke and Celeste. Janet, Gwen, Xander and Lucas. When they were together they brought out the funny, mainly Lucas. He isn't apart of the Hawthorne family but his character was a bit strong to me that it got me interested in him and makes me want to read more about him more than Matthew and Derrick.

I thought the ending was ok and although I liked this book I don't feel it was the author's best work.

Story: FAIR to GOOD
Intimacy: GOOD
Enjoyment: FAIR

*************************
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Profile Image for Whit.
3,660 reviews52 followers
June 22, 2023

Sweet & Sexy!

It may have been Celeste Burton's birthday but Dr. Roarke Hawthorne received the "gift"!

After a hot, sizzling hook-up, Celeste is embarrassed and quietly slips away. Imagine Roarke's surprise when the next time they meet, it is at his sister's wedding and Celeste is there with Roarke's brother!

Surprise!
Profile Image for Tamara.
279 reviews41 followers
July 5, 2018
Family Over Everything!

3.5 stars - This was a good, quick read about real family, fake relationships and true love! Roarke and Celeste survived it all to make it work.

Looking forward to the next one in the series.
Profile Image for Shan ~A~.
3,397 reviews66 followers
November 19, 2024
Roarke Hawthorne & Celeste Burton

This was a pretty good start into the dynamics of the Hawthorne family. However, I have read better book by Delaney Diamond, so I'm rating this book 3 stars.


Celeste meets Roarke while out for her 30th birthday and the have a wonderful night together. They didn't really have plans to see one another again, although they were both thinking of the other.

Then Celeste's friend asks her to be his fake girlfriend at his sister's wedding, and who happens to be there. No other than Roarke. Who is told that the woman he can't stop thinking about is dating his brother. Which means she cheated with him. A man who despises cheating after it tore a hole in his family's foundation.

My main reason for not giving this book 4 stars was because of the way Derrick treated Celeste while they were there for the wedding. His behavior was uncalled for when it came to her (and Roarke), but I would have understood the way he treated Roarke, I just could not get past his treatment of Celeste. Buddy boy she was doing you a solid and you treat her like sh*t.

As soon as he started acting like an ass, I would have stopped having his back, no matter what our agreement had been.


Profile Image for KBeautiful1.
690 reviews66 followers
July 24, 2016
I expect nothing less from the extraordinary author Delaney Diamond!!! She writes her stories with such gusto and passion I love it.

Dr. Roarke Hawthorne is a tenured professor, help to raise his brother and sister when his parents died. Now that he is older, he is looking to settle down and have some children. He agrees to hang out with his two best friends, so he comes into Atlanta and is presently surprised by meeting the unexpected. Celeste Burton is divorced and a mom to her daughter Arianna, her mom convinces her to go out for her birthday and have a great time for once. She reluctantly goes and meets up with her two best friends, what she thought would just be a night out with her friends turns into the unexpected meet up.

Roarke meets Celeste and the fireworks fly, not only in conversation but behind closed doors. What Celeste thought would be a one night stand, sneaks out leaving a sleeping Roarke to wake up alone and desperately trying to find her.

Celeste friend Derrick Hoffman needs a favor from her, he asks her to be his pretend girlfriend to his sister's wedding. Celeste agrees albeit reluctantly but she wants to help her friend out. Unbeknownst to her, the man who has stolen her every sleeping and waking moment is at the same wedding, and it is his sister who is getting married and her pretend boyfriend is his half brother.

Lawwddd you can't even begin to imagine what she felt coming face to face with Roarke again heck (I thought I was going to pass out for her LOLLL!!!). This is what I am going to leave you with, I won't go any further or say anything else. Ok last thing, I will say this, if you haven't read this one please do. It is actually a series called "Hawthorne Family" I am definitely going to get the rest of this series that is for sure.

Well Until My Next Review Ciao Bellas!
Profile Image for Alina Neacsu.
873 reviews15 followers
January 17, 2016
it was very interesting. I can say that this was a book didn't bore me and every time it brings something new for us :)
Profile Image for Judy Hubbard.
Author 16 books62 followers
October 3, 2011
Roarke Hawthorne and Celeste Burton meet up one night in a bar where Celeste is celebrating her birthday with friends. The attraction is instantaneous and the passion is too. The chemistry between Roarke and Celeste is hot! After a night of hot lovemaking, Celeste leaves in the morning without a word not wanting to place more importance on what she and Roarke shared than he may be comfortable with, although their night was very special for her. Celeste agrees to accompany a friend to his sister’s wedding and pretend to be his “lady”; there, she and Roarke are reunited and she is shocked to learn that her friend, Derrick, is Roarke’s half-brother! The tension and anger flies and Roarke (who hates cheaters because of his father) believes Celeste slept with him while being involved with his estranged brother. The remainder of the book takes place during this weekend.

The book starts fast and ends that way too—which is the only complaint I have. The ending felt too rushed. I would have liked to see more of what happened between Celeste and Roarke after the wedding weekend and wanted to see Roarke integrating into Celeste’s family life with her mother and daughter. Also, the resolution of Roarke’s relationship with Derrick would have been nicer had it been allowed to develop more. However, this was a very enjoyable book and I recommend it for a fast read (it’s about 82 pages).
Profile Image for Karen.
1,451 reviews110 followers
October 15, 2015
3.5 stars

Originally posted at For What It's Worth on 10/13/15 - http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2015/10/mi...

This was a freebie novella on Amazon and pretty darn good. Roarke came on a tad too aggressively for my tastes but when you’re a single mom turning 30 – why not go for a night of passion with a really smart, hot dude? Happy birthday Celeste! lol

Despite their connection and hot night of smexin – Celeste panics and bolts the next morning but they meet up again after she agrees to be the fake girlfriend at a family wedding for a friend of hers, Derrick. Of course drama ensues when it’s revealed that Derrick is the brother of Roarke.

Drama ensues, of course, but I really liked how it all turns out – even with Derrick. As with most novellas, I wished for a little more. Especially when it came to Roarke and Celeste's daughter. They’re both science geeks and I think it would have been cute to see their relationship blossom instead of being told. Even so there was a nice resolution and epilogue.
Profile Image for J.L. Sapphire.
Author 31 books27 followers
September 28, 2015
Awesomeness

OMG, this was such a great book. I came across it by chance..I saw it posted on another authors page as a freebie, and I'm so glad I clicked it. Delaney Diamond has a new fan. I loved the writing style, the detail in which she described things ..she made me feel as if I were Celeste...as if I was experiencing the sensual, passionate way Roarke made love to her; she made me want to be on the island, watching the dolphins while on the tour of the lighthouse. And I felt like one of the guests at the wedding. There was just enough drama...excellent storyline. I will definitely read the rest of this series, and all of her books. As an author myself, I say kudos. I wish I could rate higher than 5 stars.
Profile Image for Tanielle.
Author 0 books38 followers
June 19, 2014
Celeste and Roarke met on her birthday at a club and had a one night stand. She decided to go on a weekend trip with her friend, to her surprise she meets back up with Roarke and the two can't stay away from each other even under their circumstances. The family situation Roarke is way deeper than normal and Celeste finds herself in the middle of it. The two still find time to get to know each other and their feelings deepen. The story is good it could've been a little bit more exciting but I'd love to read more about them.
Profile Image for Dee Cherry.
2,945 reviews68 followers
January 16, 2015
Great love story

This was a beautifully written romance novel by Delaney Diamond. The characters as well as the storyline was realistic, captivating & to the point. Celeste was lucky to find a man that possessed the attributes & qualities that Roarke presented. Even after conflict came into play, they were able to turn a somewhat negative situation into a positive one. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Rose.
2,016 reviews1,094 followers
February 22, 2025
Initial reaction Forgot to say I finished this and loved it. I'd give it a solid 4 stars. Celeste and Rourke had piping hot chemistry. It's a 1NS with a fake dating situation that is misinterpreted. Some of the roughness hit my gut, but the overall payoff was good.

Full review:

So this isn't the first book by Delaney Diamond that I've read, but it's definitely the first one in a while, and I listened to this on audio. "The Temptation of a Good Man" was a very short read (novella), and the first in the Hawthorne Family series. I've been told its one of the best, if not the best book in the series. And I was mostly pleasantly surprised by this one. The story revolves around Celeste Burton celebrating her 30th Birthday, ends up in a one night stand with a handsome stranger (Rourke, a physics professor). Celeste leaves early, not wanting to make too deep a commitment. She's invited to be the +1 at a wedding by one of her best guy friends, but agrees to be in a fake dating relationship with her platonic friend so as to not cause drama at the wedding.

Turns out to be anything but, because when Celeste goes for the wedding, she runs into Rourke again, and the drama ensues. Roarke is livid because he felt he had a connection with Celeste, but assumes that she's in a relationship with his brother-in-law. He feels strongly against cheating, but can't deny the attraction he feels for her. So this short read has them navigating the roughness and coming to terms with how they feel for each other.

There were some things in this book that made me mad/gut punched me, not just on the insinuated infidelity angle, but also how Roarke treats Celeste when he assumes (incorrectly) that she cheated on his half-brother with him. Those parts had me cringing more often than not for how they played out, but I understood the sentiments of all the characters and why they felt the way they did. And there were many moments that I really liked the closeness between Roarke and Celeste when they were together. The resolution of this felt sweet and satisfying (airport run declarations/reunions get me every single time) and had me rooting for the couple by the end, so I can't take too much away from it. Ended up loving the overarching journey. I would read this again, probably skip the parts that didn't sit well with me. The audiobook narration by Nia Surge was well done.

Overall score: 4/5 stars.
1,415 reviews13 followers
April 2, 2021
Good book!

I absolutely loved the intensity of Roarke’s and Celeste’s relationship. The attraction between them just leaped from the pages. Their passion for each other was unmatched. However, just as it started, it ended. The ending of the book felt rushed. It was too brief. We didn’t even get to enjoy them as a couple. One minute, she’s with Derrick then the next she’s not and it’s the end of the book. Ms. Delaney worked so hard to draw us in and pull us into the many layers of the characters only to just drop us without warning. A love this deep needed more pages to let us just bask in it. With that being said, I’m sure as I read the rest of the books in this series, we’ll get some updates of my new favorite couple.
Profile Image for Mary Calton Gerard.
1,216 reviews6 followers
August 16, 2020
Great story!

I enjoyed reading this book and have gotten the next three in this series. The "Love Unexpected" series was better, in my opinion, that is my reason for four stars. Liked the storyline.
55 reviews1 follower
March 24, 2022
warm and fuzzy ending

As always Ms Diamond delivers and amazing story with an ending that gives one the warm and fuzzy feeling. Beautifully structured and steamy scenes makes for a hot page turner. Bravo Ms Diamond
Profile Image for KarynReads.
626 reviews19 followers
March 25, 2024
Oh my! This little sweet slice of Heaven here! This was a true romance read. It’s quick as it states it’s a novella. It gave heat, sex, romance and those feels when you know the characters are about to fall in deep. This was well written. A true romance. Book 1 in the Hawthorne Family Series.
Profile Image for Bianca.
993 reviews5 followers
January 1, 2025
I enjoyed the read but was frustrated that Celeste was in doubt about this man when she was the one who decided to leave the next morning without talking to him. Then she was willing to let a good man go to keep a ruse going, like woman are you insane?
134 reviews
July 18, 2025
Temptation

Pretty good read. Roark was the perfect man and Celeste was the perfect woman. Each was perfect for the other. Delaney brought forth the family dynamics, its complications and a future of togetherness.
Profile Image for Frances Perkins.
19 reviews1 follower
June 13, 2018
A good man

When a have yo raise his sister and brother his a good man and they are far in between to fine
Profile Image for Malaika.
870 reviews4 followers
June 19, 2018
Love conquers all

Love heals and this story is a testament to that. Roarke and Celeste were made for each other. Great story.
Profile Image for Ava Smith-forrest.
870 reviews2 followers
November 20, 2018
Temptation

True Delaney Diamond style fast moving entertaining strong family love and conflict and a Hawthorne always gets the love 💘of his life.
Profile Image for Tigger.
1,495 reviews7 followers
February 8, 2020
How have I not read this book or the series

Loved it!

Profile Image for Felicia Brown.
327 reviews18 followers
May 24, 2023
Enjoyed

A nice short reading now on to book 2
Grab a glass of wine and let's read this series together so we can talk about it
Profile Image for Sabrina.
153 reviews1 follower
November 8, 2025
Enjoyable sexy read

Loved Roarke and Celeste's story. Great character development and plot. Spicy scenes and chemistry. Derrick is a mess but looking forward to his story.
Profile Image for D.lee.
203 reviews14 followers
July 15, 2012
I don't know why I waited so long to read this story. I loved Roarke and Celeste together. The chemistry between them was off the charts, however somehow it just flowed naturally. Its true, sometimes you know and it doesn't hurt to throw caution to the wind.
The relationship almost died before it even had a chance, thanks to Derrick. Derrick is Roarke's half brother and Derrick takes sibling rivalry to another level. I just don't understand, how Derrick felt he was the only affected victim of the selfish acts of his mother and Roarke's father. He really needed to grow up and get past the pity-party. Always looking for a way to upstage Roarke, Derrick inadvertently brings the one person who pushes Roarke beyond his normal restraint. Celeste and Roarke had met a couple weeks earlier and had memorable night together. Due to missed signals and a lack of communication, their memorable night was almost to relegated to a one-night stand, when Celeste shows up on Derricks arm. Some things are meant to be and other times no matter how you try the heart overrules the mind. This seems to be one of those time. Loved this story and can't wait to read the next installment. Its definitely a Must read in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews

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