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Temptation #1
Temptation
Kyla and Jefferson Blake count their 16 years together as a wonderful blessing from God. Their marriage is passionate, their daughter is a joy, Jefferson's medial career is prospering and they have loyal friends. Kyla knows her newly divorced and lifelong friend, Jasmine, is desperately unhappy and no amount of prayer or encouragement seems to help. But what Kyla doesn't know is that Jasmine has a plan to move her life forward with the type of man she feels she should have married in the first place. A man like Jefferson. Alexis Ward, Kyla's, best friend, is single and successful and willing to wait for the right man for all the right reasons. But, when "Mr. Right," Dr. Brian Lewis, finally appears she finds herself facing a new challenge. Does she really have to walk away from what she believes in order to have a man in her life? As people who love God, Kyla, Jefferson and Alexis discover, each in their own way, what happens when they truly allow God to be first in their relationships. Full of contemporary characters who struggle to keep their strength, friendships and daily lives framed by the Word of God, Temptation is a novel no reader will soon forget.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2000
73 people are currently reading
930 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Christopher Murray
51 books2,487 followersVictoria Christopher Murray is the author of nine Essence bestselling novels, including The Ex Files; Too Little, Too Late; and Lady Jasmine. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female).
She has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being a pioneer in African American Fiction. Since 2007, Victoria has won nine African American Literary Awards for best novel, best Christian fiction and Author of the Year — Female. After four nominations, Victoria finally won an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground.
Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington DC.
She has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being a pioneer in African American Fiction. Since 2007, Victoria has won nine African American Literary Awards for best novel, best Christian fiction and Author of the Year — Female. After four nominations, Victoria finally won an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work for her social commentary novel, Stand Your Ground.
Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 13, 2013
This was my introduction to Victoria Christopher Murray. When I read the back blurb, I said NO WAY! When I read the book, I was so caught up in the story, that I actually thought I was watching a movie and this is where we all met Jasmine. This is an amazing book and will remain one of my top ten books that I will always re read.
October 22, 2019
⭐️⭐️/5️⃣ stars —> I rate this 2 out of 5 stars! There were so many problematic things with this book that I don’t even know where to begin. There WILL be SPOILERS with my review so be prepared now.
Temptation is about a perfect Christian black couple Kyla and Jefferson who met in college, married for 16 years and have one daughter. First of all, the way the author went on and on about how seemingly perfect this couple was already let me know that their marriage was bound to crumble. It was all such a predictable storyline. And just as I predicted, Kyla’s unsaved sinner best friend Jasmine ends up sleeping with her husband Jefferson while Kyla is out of town. The author portrays Jasmine to be this jealous, soul searching, unhappy divorcee who thinks Kyla’s life is perfect and doesn’t deserve happiness (blah, blah). Kyla then goes away to visit with her parents who seem to be disappointed yet very understanding of this whole ordeal, and yet again as I predicted it was because her dad also cheated on her mom at one point.
The whole story was contrived and completely false in my opinion. I HATED how the author didn’t allow Kyla’s friend Alexis to give her the safe space or the permission to be angry with her cheating husband when she was venting and downloading to her about the situation. Kyla’s friend Alexis kept encouraging her to go and be with her husband Jefferson, to forgive him, to move past his transgressions, to seek God, to pray, to speak to her husband about how she’s feeling, which I understand all that. HOWEVER, it’s as if the author didn’t want to portray the real emotion of infidelity and I felt she tried to normalize it by mentioning how several saved marriages are under attack and these things happen and it’ll make your marriage stronger. What kind of message is that?
I also HATED how contrived the best friend Jasmine’s character was. She kept living in this fantasy world as to how she would win over Jefferson’s love for her, and how she was so sure she’d leave Kyla for her, and how she basically was stalking him. It all was just too much. Then towards the end she suddenly and RANDOMLY found salvation and wrote Kyla and Jefferson an apology letter. Get real!!! Not saying that unsaved people can’t or don’t suddenly come to Christ, I just didn’t care for how it came so suddenly when one day she was plotting to get rid of Kyla, then 8 hours later she was suddenly sold out on Jesus. Get real!
I felt like the author was trying to teach and show lessons of forgiveness, but it was executed poorly. She made it seem so simple and shallow, when really something like this is complex and painful. She didn’t allow a safe space for Kyla to be angry, BUT allowed the space for Jasmine to be a hoe pretty much. I also didn’t appreciate how the author made it seem like saved women can’t be friends with unbelievers as if they’re all going to sleep with their husbands or they’re all bad friends which is simply not the case. Saved women can be snakes too.
In the end Jefferson and Kyla are now more in love than ever before. Her friend Alexis also found the love of her life and is getting married, and now Jasmine has found Jesus and wants nothing but great things for Kyla and Jefferson. Forgiveness was brought up so much in this book that it was all too one-sided. I can forgive and still choose not to stay. AND we can’t just teach to forgive the husband, but she didn’t bring up the fact that she needs to forgive Jasmine too. This book was such a disappointment and it irritated me so much as you can tell. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! 👎🏾
Temptation is about a perfect Christian black couple Kyla and Jefferson who met in college, married for 16 years and have one daughter. First of all, the way the author went on and on about how seemingly perfect this couple was already let me know that their marriage was bound to crumble. It was all such a predictable storyline. And just as I predicted, Kyla’s unsaved sinner best friend Jasmine ends up sleeping with her husband Jefferson while Kyla is out of town. The author portrays Jasmine to be this jealous, soul searching, unhappy divorcee who thinks Kyla’s life is perfect and doesn’t deserve happiness (blah, blah). Kyla then goes away to visit with her parents who seem to be disappointed yet very understanding of this whole ordeal, and yet again as I predicted it was because her dad also cheated on her mom at one point.
The whole story was contrived and completely false in my opinion. I HATED how the author didn’t allow Kyla’s friend Alexis to give her the safe space or the permission to be angry with her cheating husband when she was venting and downloading to her about the situation. Kyla’s friend Alexis kept encouraging her to go and be with her husband Jefferson, to forgive him, to move past his transgressions, to seek God, to pray, to speak to her husband about how she’s feeling, which I understand all that. HOWEVER, it’s as if the author didn’t want to portray the real emotion of infidelity and I felt she tried to normalize it by mentioning how several saved marriages are under attack and these things happen and it’ll make your marriage stronger. What kind of message is that?
I also HATED how contrived the best friend Jasmine’s character was. She kept living in this fantasy world as to how she would win over Jefferson’s love for her, and how she was so sure she’d leave Kyla for her, and how she basically was stalking him. It all was just too much. Then towards the end she suddenly and RANDOMLY found salvation and wrote Kyla and Jefferson an apology letter. Get real!!! Not saying that unsaved people can’t or don’t suddenly come to Christ, I just didn’t care for how it came so suddenly when one day she was plotting to get rid of Kyla, then 8 hours later she was suddenly sold out on Jesus. Get real!
I felt like the author was trying to teach and show lessons of forgiveness, but it was executed poorly. She made it seem so simple and shallow, when really something like this is complex and painful. She didn’t allow a safe space for Kyla to be angry, BUT allowed the space for Jasmine to be a hoe pretty much. I also didn’t appreciate how the author made it seem like saved women can’t be friends with unbelievers as if they’re all going to sleep with their husbands or they’re all bad friends which is simply not the case. Saved women can be snakes too.
In the end Jefferson and Kyla are now more in love than ever before. Her friend Alexis also found the love of her life and is getting married, and now Jasmine has found Jesus and wants nothing but great things for Kyla and Jefferson. Forgiveness was brought up so much in this book that it was all too one-sided. I can forgive and still choose not to stay. AND we can’t just teach to forgive the husband, but she didn’t bring up the fact that she needs to forgive Jasmine too. This book was such a disappointment and it irritated me so much as you can tell. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! 👎🏾
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2018
Listened to on Audible
Decent plot, missed opportunity with execution, no character development, the story is extremely wordy and lulls in places. This was truly a bible study lesson & showcased how the bible can be used to badger you into being compliant.
Random observations
6/16/18-In this installment it's been 18 years since Scandalous, Jasmine is in her 40s and I have no idea who she is...She has done a complete 180 from the person who was presented in Scandalous. I take that back, she was shallow, materialistic, narcissistic & selfish, but not treacherous on the level that has been displayed in this story. I'm curious as to how this 40 yr old Jasmine became who she is? It could not have been from the 18yrs of unfulfilled marriage and being the cause of a stalkers death (scandalous) I'm hoping this will be explained at some point.
Kyla while perky, loyal with an air of determination in Scandalous -at 40 in this installment - she is naive as a 20 year old? I found that hard to believe. She made several naive statements i.e. if he loved me he couldn't be in bed with another woman. I think any woman in her 40s knows that sex and love are not dependent on each other. Her dialogue is unnecessarily repetitive. I didn't get the impression that she could not think or make decisions for herself, but that was who she was in this book.
Alexis was rigid , close minded & very unlikeable.
The push for immediate forgiveness was a bit much. The victim in this story was badgered into submission. You almost felt sorry for her. In 24 hours, she was expected to find her best friend in bed with her husband, accept it, forgive, forget and move on and be a dutiful wife. There is forgiveness and then there was this story. It didn't leave me with a good feeling about the overall message.
Decent plot, missed opportunity with execution, no character development, the story is extremely wordy and lulls in places. This was truly a bible study lesson & showcased how the bible can be used to badger you into being compliant.
Random observations
6/16/18-In this installment it's been 18 years since Scandalous, Jasmine is in her 40s and I have no idea who she is...She has done a complete 180 from the person who was presented in Scandalous. I take that back, she was shallow, materialistic, narcissistic & selfish, but not treacherous on the level that has been displayed in this story. I'm curious as to how this 40 yr old Jasmine became who she is? It could not have been from the 18yrs of unfulfilled marriage and being the cause of a stalkers death (scandalous) I'm hoping this will be explained at some point.
Kyla while perky, loyal with an air of determination in Scandalous -at 40 in this installment - she is naive as a 20 year old? I found that hard to believe. She made several naive statements i.e. if he loved me he couldn't be in bed with another woman. I think any woman in her 40s knows that sex and love are not dependent on each other. Her dialogue is unnecessarily repetitive. I didn't get the impression that she could not think or make decisions for herself, but that was who she was in this book.
Alexis was rigid , close minded & very unlikeable.
The push for immediate forgiveness was a bit much. The victim in this story was badgered into submission. You almost felt sorry for her. In 24 hours, she was expected to find her best friend in bed with her husband, accept it, forgive, forget and move on and be a dutiful wife. There is forgiveness and then there was this story. It didn't leave me with a good feeling about the overall message.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2013
Jefferson and Kyla has been married for over a decade. Their commitment towards each other is nothing short but amazing and friends look at them for inspiration. Alexis Ward a good friend of Kyla looks at them as role models and searches for guidance in her own love life. Although Jefferson and Kyla relationship is admired by many, Jasmine is envious of Kyla happy marriage. Numerous times she tried to intervene in their life and is bitter about how happy they are. Jasmine still stop at nothing to trap them in the life of betrayal & deceit.
Meanwhile, Alex is starting to grow close to a doctor Brian Lewis. Alex has made a vow to God to stay celibate until marriage but Brian is starting to make it harder for her. Brian claims that he wants to honor her decision but he can't keep his hands off her. Soon they both realize that if they don't put up barriers in their love, their love for each other can easily turn to lust. Alex is doing her best to stay committed but she is having a hard time meaning what she ways.
After Jefferson betrays his wife in the most awful way, Kyla must decide if she is willing to give him another chance. Kyla faith is tested when Jefferson does the unthinkable and now she is torn between forgiveness and bitterness.
I really enjoyed this novel, it was a very authentic and faith themed book.
Meanwhile, Alex is starting to grow close to a doctor Brian Lewis. Alex has made a vow to God to stay celibate until marriage but Brian is starting to make it harder for her. Brian claims that he wants to honor her decision but he can't keep his hands off her. Soon they both realize that if they don't put up barriers in their love, their love for each other can easily turn to lust. Alex is doing her best to stay committed but she is having a hard time meaning what she ways.
After Jefferson betrays his wife in the most awful way, Kyla must decide if she is willing to give him another chance. Kyla faith is tested when Jefferson does the unthinkable and now she is torn between forgiveness and bitterness.
I really enjoyed this novel, it was a very authentic and faith themed book.
December 16, 2021
Wow, I'm utterly speechless... Phenomenal.... As I was reading this book, my heart was pounding with excitement, as my head with filled with anticipation, as I highly want to know what will happen next.
The characters, Kyla, Jefferson, Jasmine were so well defined and designed in such an emotional in-depth background, that I fully felt that I knew them personally. I want to hug and cry with Kyla throughout this entire book, I felt painfully attached to her. I was really mad at Jefferson, but I was glad that Kyla never gave up on him. As for Jasmine, I wanted to get her mental help; she was so emotionally thoughtless, disrespectful and unbelievabely cruel. I enjoy meeting Alexis, Brain, Lynn, Winston, Nicole and Pastor Ford.
I love how the author was able to use of themes of the Church and Bible verses in this book, repeatedly, to demonstrate how God can help us throughout everything, in our daily lives.
As always, I highly recommend this book and any other books written by Ms. Murray....
The characters, Kyla, Jefferson, Jasmine were so well defined and designed in such an emotional in-depth background, that I fully felt that I knew them personally. I want to hug and cry with Kyla throughout this entire book, I felt painfully attached to her. I was really mad at Jefferson, but I was glad that Kyla never gave up on him. As for Jasmine, I wanted to get her mental help; she was so emotionally thoughtless, disrespectful and unbelievabely cruel. I enjoy meeting Alexis, Brain, Lynn, Winston, Nicole and Pastor Ford.
I love how the author was able to use of themes of the Church and Bible verses in this book, repeatedly, to demonstrate how God can help us throughout everything, in our daily lives.
As always, I highly recommend this book and any other books written by Ms. Murray....
May 10, 2017
#1
The 1st book in this series laid the foundation of Jasmine's evil ways, thought processes, & distorted views. Her jealous ways made her a very unlikable character. I thought Kayla was a true Christian to ever associate with Jasmine for so long. The content was what the title implied. The storyline had good build-up, held my attention throughout & has me ready to read the next book.
The 1st book in this series laid the foundation of Jasmine's evil ways, thought processes, & distorted views. Her jealous ways made her a very unlikable character. I thought Kayla was a true Christian to ever associate with Jasmine for so long. The content was what the title implied. The storyline had good build-up, held my attention throughout & has me ready to read the next book.
May 31, 2013
Three ladies, Two friends and the ultimate betrayal!!!!!!
Kyla Blake has it all. A beautiful daughter a wonderful husband and most of all God. After being married sixteen years they married has been great. Jefferson has started a new business and Kyla has her own committee at church but when you are winning the devil is watching.
Jasmine has an agenda of her own. After divorcing her husband she has been lonely every since.Trying to fill a void of being alone she has turned to married men but that doesn't stop the lust she has for best friend husband.
Alexis Ward is the perfect example of waiting on God. Saving herself for marriage has ran plenty of men away but when she meets Dr.Brian Lewis she is scared of the new challenge she will face.
This story is all about forgiveness trust and depending on the Lord.The characters will have you in a ball of emotions. Even though it was a slow story it held my interest and got better towards the end.
Kyla Blake has it all. A beautiful daughter a wonderful husband and most of all God. After being married sixteen years they married has been great. Jefferson has started a new business and Kyla has her own committee at church but when you are winning the devil is watching.
Jasmine has an agenda of her own. After divorcing her husband she has been lonely every since.Trying to fill a void of being alone she has turned to married men but that doesn't stop the lust she has for best friend husband.
Alexis Ward is the perfect example of waiting on God. Saving herself for marriage has ran plenty of men away but when she meets Dr.Brian Lewis she is scared of the new challenge she will face.
This story is all about forgiveness trust and depending on the Lord.The characters will have you in a ball of emotions. Even though it was a slow story it held my interest and got better towards the end.
February 7, 2018
I'm curious to see how the series of Jasmine progresses since this is technically book one. I haven't read any christian fiction in a long time so this reminded me why I like it so much. You get a good story and have characters that know the Word. However, for me this story was just alright. The temptation happened pretty early on. There wasn't much buildup at all so I feel that that took away a lot from the story. Then it proceeded to drag of course and not much happened after that which left me a little bored. The ending was also a bit predictable .
February 5, 2013
My final thought after reading the book is if Kyla was the one who cheated would the marriage have survived? Hell no! Jefferson would not have been able to forgive his wife for screwing his boy in their bed. Sometimes I think we expect too much of women but forgiveness is a must for your own sanity. Jasmine is the perfect example of how women do not respect one another.
May 7, 2013
This christian fiction book addressed the infidelity issue and the never ending struggle to successfully hold a marriage and relationship together based on Godly principles. The author presents the importance of forgiveness to those who damage relationships. Only God can fix whats broken.
December 28, 2020
This was OK, but I’m not hooked enough on Jasmine to follow the series past this second book.
March 18, 2019
Great read!
September 12, 2019
The ending was more of a fairytale but I got the message 😂
August 26, 2014
This was a wonderful book, it was a christian read and it's plotline fell with the scriptures. I had only one issue with the book and that was that technically no one really gave her time to grieve, everyone was all about her immediate forgiveness....and catching your best friend in your naked in your bed, your bedroom reeking of sex and your husband in the shower.... I cannot say that anyone would have walked out of that house without medical attention....but after that betrayal i think she suffered another from her other friend who constantly tried to get the husband back in her good graces. Having been in that situation (different scenario) I am pretty sure neither of them I would consider my friend (even the good one) as I would expect my friend to comfort me....listen to me..let me scream, grieve and freak out.....and I do not think just because you are a christian that reigning down bible verses to shame someone into a faster forgiveness would work. He was horrified by his behavior, but he did it..he should have been... and he should suffer for it... but in the day of aids and the lack of morals by the other woman (and he is a doctor) the fact he committed adultery with the fallen woman as well as did it without protection was a aids / pregnancy expectation
SPOILERS : it was not either.
The pastor as well as her mother (whom also had been thru this to the heroines shock) encouraged her to resume the marital relations fast (I was confused as it was they thought he would cheat again or if they wanted her to recommit quicker) but to resume marital relations that quickly... would never work out well.... it would be like sharing a cell with Charlie Manson with a knife and praying "good thoughts" I did want her to forgive him and there is a HEA.... but I would have given the heroine more leeway to grieve the loss of her marriage before shoving her back into the same bedroom and bed that the HERO slept with the OW..... yeah.....
SPOILERS : it was not either.
The pastor as well as her mother (whom also had been thru this to the heroines shock) encouraged her to resume the marital relations fast (I was confused as it was they thought he would cheat again or if they wanted her to recommit quicker) but to resume marital relations that quickly... would never work out well.... it would be like sharing a cell with Charlie Manson with a knife and praying "good thoughts" I did want her to forgive him and there is a HEA.... but I would have given the heroine more leeway to grieve the loss of her marriage before shoving her back into the same bedroom and bed that the HERO slept with the OW..... yeah.....
October 19, 2015
I went to a book signing at a local library with this author and nearly everyone in attendance was raving about the Jasmine Series. I knew then that I had to read it! This first book was one that will definitely have you looking forward to book two! I adore the love between Kyla and Jefferson, the dynamic leading couple. After a one-time affair with Kyla's best friend, Jasmine, Jefferson will do anything to regain the stability and trust that was once the basis of his marriage. Jasmine really had me questioning her sanity! More than just scheming and conniving, her mental stability was a little off-kilter at some points. The budding romance between Brian and Alexis, best friends to Kyla and Jefferson, was also a nice addition. A story of faith, love, friendship, with a good mix of trial and tribulations, this was a wonderful story. I am glad that I picked it up!
July 21, 2021
Waaaaaay to much religious stuff. Two things I found quite disgusting. Friends and pasted pushing her - forcing her- to go back immediately to the cheater. How about some understanding of her pain? That she needs time? That she needs support, not guilt thrown on her because she needs time. I’ve heard real life stories where the church has actually turned on the wide/victim, because she needed time. What a great support crew to make her feel guilty for not forgiving him quick enough!
The second, that according to this, all you have to do is believe in god and all sins are forgiven. Right. So I can screw my best friends husband, then find god and now I can feel good about myself again. You know what that says to me? Cop out. Hey, go kill someone then find god and that’s ok. That’s fine. This makes me VERY angry.
The second, that according to this, all you have to do is believe in god and all sins are forgiven. Right. So I can screw my best friends husband, then find god and now I can feel good about myself again. You know what that says to me? Cop out. Hey, go kill someone then find god and that’s ok. That’s fine. This makes me VERY angry.
September 18, 2007
This story rocked! It drew me in to the drama from page one. Even though I have plenty of other books to read I kept wanting to read this one. The characterization is fabulous and the emotion is deep. The marital stuff is very well done and the temptation is believable. I particularly enjoyed the spiritual element of this novel. It was very detailed and comprehensive, yet it perfectly fit the story without feeling like a sermon. Probably because the main characters were all Christians. There were some POV issues, but the realistic and emotional depth in this story made up for the small stuff. Highly recommended.
March 7, 2014
Temptation is a story of love, faith, friendship, and forgiveness in spite of mistakes that a person may make through the course of their life. Temptation tells the story of Kyla and Jefferson and their picture-perfect marriage and their commitment to one another and also to God.
Through bible scriptures and words of love and faith, Murray writes this book in a way that will make you re-evaluate your life and your relationships with others and also with your inner spirit. This is a definite read for anyone who's ever faced temptation or one who has been placed in a situation in which someone else needed your forgiveness.
I recommend you add this book to your list of books to read
Through bible scriptures and words of love and faith, Murray writes this book in a way that will make you re-evaluate your life and your relationships with others and also with your inner spirit. This is a definite read for anyone who's ever faced temptation or one who has been placed in a situation in which someone else needed your forgiveness.
I recommend you add this book to your list of books to read
May 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. It was a book about true forgiveness. I’ve always considered myself as someone who easily forgives. However, before I got married I told my soon to be husband that cheating is a deal breaker! There’s no coming back from that type of hurt. To watch Kyla deal with the struggle of forgiveness was so real and raw. I closed the page on this book asking myself could I be as strong as Kyla?
June 1, 2023
VERY preachy. Not one single person in h life validated her feelings. They pressured her to move on and forgive her scumbag cheating husband.
Let’s remember that God didn’t write the bible. MEN did. Men who most likely cheated and needed a get out of jail free card.
Let’s remember that God didn’t write the bible. MEN did. Men who most likely cheated and needed a get out of jail free card.
May 30, 2013
Very good Christian Fiction book.
November 14, 2013
Every woman married or not should read this book. Awesome, God sent!
February 10, 2017
This was the first book I ever read by Victoria Christopher Murray. I fell in love with her writing, and have been following her ever since.
March 1, 2018
Temptation is book #2 in Murray's Lady Jasmine series. (Scandalous was written much later but is a prequel to Temptation). Temptation is a tale as old as time. Man is tempted to sleep with wife's best friend. Kyla and Jefferson are happily married. I'm talking unicorns and rainbows happy. Why then would Jefferson risk it all? That question is not answered, which I think is true to life. Sometimes we do stupid sh*t for no justifiable reason other than the opportunity presented itself lol.
In Temptation, we see relationships built, ruined, and re-built. It is a rollercoaster with the most tragic of them all being the relationship between the two best friends- Kyla and Jasmine. Kyla is the God-fearing wife and mother whose only problem until the affair was her and Jefferson disagreeing on Kyla returning to work full-time. Jefferson question why Kyla couldn't be happy with being a wife and mother. In fact, his words were "was being a wife and mother not enough"? After the affair, Kyla would be asking him the same question. Jasmine is NOT the hooker with a heart of gold lol. She is a hot mess and was in need of a good a**-whooping. I am excited to see how her story plays out over the next 9 books. Hopefully, there is an a**-whooping in there somewhere :).
About 3/4s through this book I was saying to myself, "Dag! Either forgive him or not." But then I thought about it. The amount of turmoil a spouse would go through after such a betrayal is immeasurable. A person really has no idea how devastating this would be unless they had gone through it AND came out of it with sanity still intact. Murray does a terrific job of keeping readers in the thick of it with these characters. They are all relatable and realistic.
In Temptation, we see relationships built, ruined, and re-built. It is a rollercoaster with the most tragic of them all being the relationship between the two best friends- Kyla and Jasmine. Kyla is the God-fearing wife and mother whose only problem until the affair was her and Jefferson disagreeing on Kyla returning to work full-time. Jefferson question why Kyla couldn't be happy with being a wife and mother. In fact, his words were "was being a wife and mother not enough"? After the affair, Kyla would be asking him the same question. Jasmine is NOT the hooker with a heart of gold lol. She is a hot mess and was in need of a good a**-whooping. I am excited to see how her story plays out over the next 9 books. Hopefully, there is an a**-whooping in there somewhere :).
About 3/4s through this book I was saying to myself, "Dag! Either forgive him or not." But then I thought about it. The amount of turmoil a spouse would go through after such a betrayal is immeasurable. A person really has no idea how devastating this would be unless they had gone through it AND came out of it with sanity still intact. Murray does a terrific job of keeping readers in the thick of it with these characters. They are all relatable and realistic.
May 10, 2018
Trial, tribulation, temptation. Though each sin is counted the same by God, we often categorize sin as 'this one is worse than that one', and infidelity is often seen as the unforgivable sin. In Temptation by Victoria Christopher Murray, we meet Kyla and Jefferson Blake who have their daughter, their church, and their friends. Everything seems perfect, but it is always at that point that life throws a curve ball.
Imagine finding your best friend naked in your bed while your husband is showering in the adjoining master bathroom. This sets up the rest of the book as discussions of love, relationships, and true forgiveness. The story is fast-paced without glossing over the hard-to-talk-about affair and how a couple forgives and rebuilds as they recommit to their marriage. There are parallel lines as another set of friends begins to fall in love into a serious relationship. Though each couple is at a different place they still find ways to keep their friendships going. This is a sweet tale of temptation, remorse, and forgiveness that I would highly recommend for anyone contemplating a more serious relationship or anyone who has experienced the heartbreak of infidelity and wishes to rebuild their relationship.
Imagine finding your best friend naked in your bed while your husband is showering in the adjoining master bathroom. This sets up the rest of the book as discussions of love, relationships, and true forgiveness. The story is fast-paced without glossing over the hard-to-talk-about affair and how a couple forgives and rebuilds as they recommit to their marriage. There are parallel lines as another set of friends begins to fall in love into a serious relationship. Though each couple is at a different place they still find ways to keep their friendships going. This is a sweet tale of temptation, remorse, and forgiveness that I would highly recommend for anyone contemplating a more serious relationship or anyone who has experienced the heartbreak of infidelity and wishes to rebuild their relationship.
October 24, 2017
Victoria Christopher Murray always tells a great story and Temptation is no exception. She writes about situations to which we can all relate. But she also let's us know that there is no problem too large, or any situation so "hopeless" for God to handle.
Kyla and Jefferson have a sixteen year marriage that is the envy of many. Only their love of God is greater than their love fore each other. But when the love they share, and the harmony surrounding their relationship is shattered, will their love for each other and their faith in God allow them to weather this storm?
Kyla and Jefferson have a sixteen year marriage that is the envy of many. Only their love of God is greater than their love fore each other. But when the love they share, and the harmony surrounding their relationship is shattered, will their love for each other and their faith in God allow them to weather this storm?
August 11, 2019
This book started out great, but quickly became a snooze fest. The characters were forgettable and the drama lacking. Jasmine, who happened to be the "villain" was the only entertainment. However, even her story line seemed safe and dry. I was going to read the 2nd part of this book, but I will pass.
June 16, 2022
We all fall short!
I love this book! So many people say they are Christians. They take the word and sometimes twist it for them. I love that this couple withstood. With the help of their Pastor, their friends, family, each other and most importantly God they fought for their marriage. Great read again!
I love this book! So many people say they are Christians. They take the word and sometimes twist it for them. I love that this couple withstood. With the help of their Pastor, their friends, family, each other and most importantly God they fought for their marriage. Great read again!
February 6, 2025
This book was cringe to read. I can only remind myself that authors are people and people are stupid. There's so much wrong with this book. An entire culture of people are judged by this nonsense and that disgusts me. If you're a so-called feminist this book is for you. If you're not a deranged feminist this book will have you cringing, rolling your eyes and saying "WHAT" and "GIRL BYE" a lot.
August 30, 2017
Enjoyed
My heart went out to Kayla. She was stronger than most women because I would be in divorce court. Sometimes it's not easy to forgive such a sin. This is a story that should be read by you. Great job Ms Murray. God Bless You.
My heart went out to Kayla. She was stronger than most women because I would be in divorce court. Sometimes it's not easy to forgive such a sin. This is a story that should be read by you. Great job Ms Murray. God Bless You.
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