Once Tempted

Danvers Family (Chronological order) #3

by Elizabeth Boyle

Innocence Lost A notorious rake, the Marquis of Bradstone stole young Olivia Sutton's heart...and then ruined her life. For seven years she has been forced to hide her past behind a false identity. And now the dashing scoundrel has returned a different more handsome, more serious, more desirable...and far more dangerous thanthe cad who brought scandal and shame into Olivia's world. Rapture Found Major Robert Danvers is living a lie—but for a noble cause. Masquerading as his cousin, the late marquis, Robert's secret mission for the crown has led him straight to the beautiful, scheming seductress he believes was responsible for his brother's death. But there is a gentle innocence about this Olivia that belies her murderous reputation—and a passionate sensuality that makes him yearn to hold her forever in his arms. His loyalty to his mission tells him that surrender would be the worst sort of betrayal—yet once tempted, how can a man resist, when his heart tells him here is his one true love?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Regency Romance, Fiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 3, 2001

About the author

Elizabeth Boyle is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 historical romance novels and several novellas. Her upcoming novel, O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, is a mix of women's fiction and historical fiction, with a bit of magic thrown in. This story of friendship and empowerment is already getting rave reviews.

Her first novel, Brazen Angel, won Dell's Diamond Debut Award and the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best First Book. Her books are called "fast-paced," "adventurous," and "funny."

Not sure where to begin? If you love adventure, try THIS RAKE OF MINE or ONE NIGHT OF PASSION.

If you need to laugh, SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE, LOVE LETTERS FROM A DUKE, or THE VISCOUNT WHO LIVED DOWN THE LANE.

Want a little magic in your romance? Try HIS MISTRESS BY MORNING.

When not writing, Elizabeth enjoys knitting, gardening, travel and reading a wide variety of stories. She lives with her family in Seattle.

Sign up for her weekly newsletter, Five Things for Friday on her website. A weekly roundup of books, shows, and things to cook or laugh over, her readers love this weekly laugh.

Reviews

[HR-ML · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Regency in England, Portugal & Spain. I skipped
some repetitive sex scenes. Gave this 2 stars.

Major Robert Danvers worked under Wellington.
Who instructed Robert to impersonate Rob's late
cous., the Marquis of Bradstone. They favored each
other in looks & build. Olivia learned 16 languages
from her late linguist sire. Useful to Wellington?
She knew this Marquis, thought dead, 7 yrs ago,
but he didn't act or look like himself (new version
more muscular). His manners, cultured wit, &
perfect clothing weren't up to his usual standards.
He addressed the h & his own mother so formally.
(Rob claimed he'd sustained a head injury, which
negatively impacted his memory.)

This couple lacked chemistry. They bickered, but
didn't banter. They needed some humor. The MCs
traveled aboard Rob's brother Rafe's ship, & another
ship used cannon fire against Rafe. For safety, the H
suggested the h go below deck. She refused/ insisted
on staying on deck. Did she leave her common sense
@ home? The bossiness of the MCs exhausted me.

IRRC, Ms Boyle wrote a superior book, called "Along
Came a Duke."

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read: 2010
Reread: 2012
ReRead: 9/20/2020

I loved this story! The h is smart and clever. She goes from a naive ugly duckling to a beautiful strong woman. She is tricked by her boyfriend to solve a puzzle. The man (marquis) would have killed her if another spy hadn't stopped him. She's been in hiding for 3 years bc everybody believes she killed the spy.

Now her ex is back in town and she wants justice. Only one problem, the Marques is a different man. He's not the same man. The Marque's cousin is posing as him to find the traitorous woman who killed his brother (the spy). They both learn their mistakes and work together to solve the map.

I enjoyed this fun story! It reminded me a little bit of Indiana Jones.

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the 2 books from Elizabeth Boyle I previously read (different series), the strengths and weaknesses are consistent.
Less character development and deep emotions than fun entertainment with a swashbuckling-type plot. A fair accumulation of syntax mistakes that should have been edited before printing. A fast-paced beginning, somewhat slower middle part and slightly rushed ending.
The plot here lies a lot on miscommunication, misinterpretation, secrecy, lies and deceptions. Those are well justified from the beginning and I'm rather tolerant to those. However it got a bit irritating after a while that they do not try to really clean the air between them.
I already started the next one in this series which I had bought previously.

[Karen Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much cloak and dagger for me. They were always locking the heroine in a closet. The hero had sex with the heroine while believing she shot and killed his brother. I gave it a good run, I made it to chapter 16.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy this author, but this book was a miss for me. The prologue pulled me in and got things going but then things stalled. The heroine tip-toed along the TSTL line throughout the first half of the book. By that I mean she kept thinking about how she couldn't trust anyone and then just blindly trusted even though she had a bad feeling about it. She withheld information for no apparent reason and even the hero who was adamant about wanting answers--every time they began discussing the subject, HE changed the subject without pursuing answers. I got extremely frustrated at the book until about 60% through or so. When I got to the scene where all of the information comes out, I could see why the author wanted it to come out that way and it was a good scene--just a little later in the book than it should have been in my opinion. So if you can persevere (or skim) until they're in Portugal, I thought that scene was (almost) worth it although it could have been a little more fleshed out. The final 30-40% of the book was decent romance novel fare. I did find it a little too convenient the way the villain shows up at the end (although the thing she did with the ring was nice symmetry). It was also, IMO, a little too unbelievable that the heroine so easily solves a puzzle that had stumped the world for seven or eight centuries.

All in all, the book felt like something dashed out just to give Robert Danvers a story and not a book written for the sake of the story. It just felt forced instead of flowing with lots of scenes that gave it length without really adding to the story or characters. I haven't read the previous two Danvers books so the appearance of Colin Danvers and his son and perhaps others will be a worthwhile addition to the story.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia Sutton thought herself in love with the Marquis of Bradstone. When it turns out that he was just using her to translate coded messages and she ends up being falsely accused of murdering a man, she goes into hiding. Robert Danvers, cousin to the Marquis of Bradstone, comes to find Olivia by pretending to be his cousin and get the information that he knows she has about a missing treasure.

I truly enjoyed reading this book, as I have most of Elizabeth Boyle's books. This book could have been well on its way to being 5 stars, but there were a few times when the book fell flat. It is nonetheless an enjoyable and fun read, if not perfect.

[Genrelove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable because the heroine actually gets out of England. After all, there's a war on during the Regency era and you sometimes get shellshocked veterans or war heroes, but the heroine never gets a peek of the action. One thing that kind of bothers me, I see it sometimes in romance novels that the Hero suspects the heroine of having done something horrible, and perhaps to try to resist falling in love with her, refuses to believe that she's been wrongly accused. Personally, I think if you're falling in love with someone, don't you refuse to see the bad things, and want very badly to believe the good things? Or maybe men (and Regency men, in particular) are just contrary.

[Amanda dalon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Delightful book, a few things bothered me , May contain slight spoilers!
First off there are cousins both with the same name and almost identical. Really....how odd and convenient. However one has a scar on the face, which someone seems to overlook at then end. Hmm. Secondly colin addresses Olivia as Mrs. Keaton but later call her Olivia before he knew who she was. Sure there were other possibilities but really. And it seems ppl in this book seems to survive the impossible, and nearly all walk away nearly fine. Hmm. It was a good read, not the best of Boyle's but entertaining.

[Karmen O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Tempted by Elizabeth Boyle, book three of the Danvers Family series
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Cover (stepback): 5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Steam: 🔥 🔥 (+kissing, one scene not count as it was short)
Ending: HEA with Epilogue
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Stand Alone or Series: Could be read as a stand alone. Character cross over.
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England, Regency (1812)
Secret Keeping Captian
Code Cracking Lady
Secret Identity
Treasure Hunt
Loath to Love
Maritime Journey
Revenge Plot
Mystery Plot
Danger & Peril
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This book does take on some darker and traumatic themes, some occurring on the page. While there are brushes of comedic dialog here and there, the overall tone of the book is heavier. While not as perhaps outlandish with darkness as, say, the Maiden Lane series by Hoyt, Boyle does dive right into some pretty twisted themes here.

Even without the romance, this storyline would have been so solid. It is incredibly engaging. This is no lighthearted romance- if you want so easy breezy love affair, this isn't the book for you. This book features quick pacing and an engaging story that passes between fact and fiction, sometimes blurring the line between the two.

Listen, this book reminds me of "Gorilla Twins" (AKA The Earl Takes All by L. Heath) with a family member (a cousin here) pretending to be someone who had passed away. It was interesting to see the characters realize that Robert wasn't who he was pretending to be, with an especially touching scene from his aunt. Olivia *knows* something is off concerning Robert (as Bradford) from the start and learns the truth in a swoony fashion.

Oliva is much like the other heroines throughout this series- clever, stubborn, and resourceful. Robert, like his cousins, is dutiful, crafty, and falls hard for his lady. Both she and Robert are multi-faceted and interesting characters. Through all of the danger and peril they encounter together, they forge a steadfast, deep love for each other despite all odds. Even through the darkness they trudge through, and there is a LOT, when they finally turn to each other, they realize how much stronger they are together versus working on their own.

Pymm! Ridiculous man- an ever-present side character in this series. I enjoyed how something that happened in book one reoccurred in this book. He isn't a jolly fellow, but I can't help but find him so comical!
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As for steam, Boyle uses alluded-to terms, such as manhood, her core, between her thighs, etc. I would describe the scenes in this book as being more on the sweet and tender side. Her scenes are passionate and detailed. There is a kissing scene that will be viewed as dubcon to some readers.
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Read as a physical copy.
Honest review left voluntarily.
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Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
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De*th
Mu*der of brother
G*n Vi*lence
G*n shot wounds
Mention of m*rder of parent
Mention of de*th of parent
Abduction
Dr*gging
Near de*th experience
De*th of spouse
S.A- Implied off page
Threat of S.A.
Pregnancy
Warfare- on page
Ex*losions
Graphic war injuries- on page
Wounds from warfare
Mu*der
Ab*uction
Imprisonment
Decling and untreated mental health issues

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was different and entertaining. It was good to see a heroine who participated in a major event that happened (the War on the Peninsular).
Some things seemed quite implausible. Olivia’s code breaking abilities is one. The fact the Robert and his cousin look so identical is another. It’s all just too convenient to be believable.
It was interesting how the villain doesn’t show up until the end.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t spectacular, but I enjoyed it. The hero was hunky, the heroine was spunky, and the pair of them had great banter. There were all the typical barriers to their relationship and near misses that might have resulted in death before they could get together.

My full review can be found at www.travellingbooknerd.com/once-tempted/

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5💖 mistaken identity, close proximity

I had a lot of hope reading this that it would keep getting better, but after several scene changes, a wild goose chase of a pace for the main plot, and a seemingly way over detailed back story, I cannot abide. Seriously, what happened to the established pace of this plot in the second act?

The prologue story was great scene setting, as was maybe the first half of the book, and a predictable and rushed (for the sake of forcing a whole chapter of back story) 3rd act really almost made me DNF. The back story/tale adds NOTHING to the already fully developed plot and that irritates me.
Very disappointed with this read.

[Abbey Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, if these people would just TALK TO EACH OTHER, it would save us all a long book. But then, I like reading them, so....

Rating: Just okay

[Jo]

DNF at 55%

Insta love between two cardboard, introspective characters who are definitely not living on the page. Not her best work.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book

[Maps · Rating 4 out of 5]

NYPL

[Sara G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just too weird to enjoy, in my opinion. Our hero has an identical cousin who looks just like him, but he's evil. Our heroine is able to decipher a code within seconds that people have been studying for centuries. Everyone goes to Spain to find hidden treasure and fight Napoleon's armies. It was just too implausible. For me, romance should be a character driven genre, and I thought these two characters were just terrible. Even if the plot was better, I wouldn't have liked it for that reason - but this ridiculous plot essentially forced me to read until the end to see if it got better. (It doesn't - it just continues to get more and more surreal, in my opinion.)

[Mey Buentipo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book I read from this author. I have some mix feelings from this book. The plot of the story is nice. The heroine is smart and intelligent. Although the hero is strong and agile physicaly is battle, but intellect the heroine is smarter. I don't know if i liked that. Some part got boring and frustrating. And yet some part got interesting. It took a long time for the villain to appear. Although most of the stories the dead doesn't remain dead. All in all I am giving it a 3 1/2 stars. I liked the witty banter of yhe h/h and there is also hunour in it.

[Jennifer]

Simply put, I got bored. The characters didn't move me and the plot wasn't anything special. I read about 150 pages before I had to return it to the library and wasn't inspired enough to check it out again. No rating since I didn't finish it.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't quite put my finger on why this book didn't wow me, but, still, it was perfectly fine--it just didn't necessarily stand out for me. I did like, however, that this story was more adventure and intrigue geared than most Regencies.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the bit o fluff that I needed. I love a sassy heroine such a relief from the fainting delicate bits o muslin that you sometimes get.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt the plot was trying to hard, although I liked the heroine.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but there seemed to be a little too many near misses

[JenBsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

... digital read, borrowed from the library. Murder, wrongfully accused, mistaken identity. Traveling across Europe during wartime to uncover a treasure. Typical historical romance. 1141

[Susan]

NEED LIBRRN HELP ONLY EBOOK IN VC

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 2 out of 5]

spy plots, villains, and races to Spain. gonzo gonzo gonzo.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Elizabeth Boyle's books. She's right behind Julia Quinn on my favorite authors list. This is one on her earlier books so it's not quite as great as her more current books, but this one is really fun! It's got a great mystery, spunky heroine, and hunky hero!

If you like Elizabeth Boyle's books, don't pass up Once Tempted!