What do you think?
Rate this book
The Charlotte Society #1
Lord Temptation
What’s a proper lady to do when a gentleman’s charms prove irresistible?
With his unruly black hair and cool gray eyes, Anthony Carlisle, the Earl of Carlisle, was christened “Lord Temptation” the first time he conquered London society. His effortless charm captured the hearts of every besotted belle in Regency London.
But his own heart was captured when he first laid eyes on Lady Caroline Hardage. After he is torn from her arms by battle and betrayal, Tony returns from the war a scarred and embittered recluse who refuses to leave his ancestral home.
Caroline is presented with the perfect opportunity to breach those walls when she and her two closest friends form the “Charlotte Society”, their mission being to adopt a returning soldier and meet his needs. But as Caroline lays siege to Anthony’s gardens—and his heart, she discovers just how quickly a man’s needs can become a woman’s desire…and just how irresistible Lord Temptation can still be…
Book 1 of the brand new Regency series The Charlotte Society... (Look for Lord Dare and Lord Rogue, coming soon!)
With his unruly black hair and cool gray eyes, Anthony Carlisle, the Earl of Carlisle, was christened “Lord Temptation” the first time he conquered London society. His effortless charm captured the hearts of every besotted belle in Regency London.
But his own heart was captured when he first laid eyes on Lady Caroline Hardage. After he is torn from her arms by battle and betrayal, Tony returns from the war a scarred and embittered recluse who refuses to leave his ancestral home.
Caroline is presented with the perfect opportunity to breach those walls when she and her two closest friends form the “Charlotte Society”, their mission being to adopt a returning soldier and meet his needs. But as Caroline lays siege to Anthony’s gardens—and his heart, she discovers just how quickly a man’s needs can become a woman’s desire…and just how irresistible Lord Temptation can still be…
Book 1 of the brand new Regency series The Charlotte Society... (Look for Lord Dare and Lord Rogue, coming soon!)
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2020
About the author
Rebecca Hagan Lee
35 books104 followersRebecca Hagan Lee has had many different jobs, earning her beads of experience on the necklace of life with each one, but her desire to write was constant. After graduating from college, she set out to make her mark in the world of television journalism, but somewhere along the way, she decided she was a small town girl at heart and settled in a town where the media consisted of a weekly newspaper and an AM radio station.
Seeking a creative outlet, she turned to writing romance and began to write stories far different from those in the world of television news, but not that far removed from the hundreds of episodes of Daniel Boone, Big Valley, Gunsmoke and Bonanza she had watched growing up. She decided to create stories where good guys win, bad guys lose, prostitutes have hearts of gold and the heroes and heroines who fall in love and persevere are richly rewarded with incredibly bright futures and happy endings. In her world, heroines don't die or get killed off to make way for the next episode's new love interest. Her heroines get their men and help them become ideal husbands, lovers, friends and fathers.
Rebecca lives in a small southern town with her husband, a miniature schnauzer, two rat terriers, a half dozen barn cats, and two extraordinary horses. She is currently seated at the computer working hard to make her dreams come true, or riding off with her hero into the sunset. . .
Seeking a creative outlet, she turned to writing romance and began to write stories far different from those in the world of television news, but not that far removed from the hundreds of episodes of Daniel Boone, Big Valley, Gunsmoke and Bonanza she had watched growing up. She decided to create stories where good guys win, bad guys lose, prostitutes have hearts of gold and the heroes and heroines who fall in love and persevere are richly rewarded with incredibly bright futures and happy endings. In her world, heroines don't die or get killed off to make way for the next episode's new love interest. Her heroines get their men and help them become ideal husbands, lovers, friends and fathers.
Rebecca lives in a small southern town with her husband, a miniature schnauzer, two rat terriers, a half dozen barn cats, and two extraordinary horses. She is currently seated at the computer working hard to make her dreams come true, or riding off with her hero into the sunset. . .
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 7, 2024
Caroline and Tony, if not the brightest bulbs in the tulip bed, are genuinely a sweet couple. This is a second chance romance where they never fell out of love, but a villain and a war intervened to keep them apart. When the author allows them to come together, prepare for precious moments of sentimental and steamy bliss.
Also prepare for repetitious thoughts and dialogues, and schedule your suspension of disbelief for a 7-point inspection before starting chapter one.
Also prepare for repetitious thoughts and dialogues, and schedule your suspension of disbelief for a 7-point inspection before starting chapter one.
July 8, 2024
This book, the first I’ve read by this author, was a very nice surprise. The writing was thoughtful and elegant, the story was engrossing and handled with care, the two main characters were beyond appealing, a truly malevolent villain was easy to loathe, and the whole thing was blissfully lacking in overblown melodrama and histrionics. What it offered instead was warm and honest conversations between characters, sincerity, and an enduring love. It had a few minor problems: every time a group of women forms a “society” in a historical romance I cringe because they are always too earnest or too silly, usually both, as they were here, and the ending chapters were rushed, predictable, and lacked the emotional impact of the rest of the novel. However, I was impressed enough by this book to immediately buy six more books by this author, so I hope the charms of this one weren’t a fluke.*
*It was a fluke.
Review edit: After reading the next book in the series, I realize the things I found charmingly blunt and tongue-in-cheek in this book weren’t actually meant to be clever. The author was writing them with a straight face. It’s still a decent book, but not as skillful as I originally thought.
*It was a fluke.
Review edit: After reading the next book in the series, I realize the things I found charmingly blunt and tongue-in-cheek in this book weren’t actually meant to be clever. The author was writing them with a straight face. It’s still a decent book, but not as skillful as I originally thought.
July 12, 2022
This is going to sound like a lot of BS that has nothing to do with my review but it’s to let you know my history with the author. So I keep a 188 page word doc of all the books I’ve read, divided into various sections. I have one section that is authors I’ve read in the past, but they don’t have any new books out or haven’t In many years. This is the section Rebecca Hagan Lee is in.
I found her in 2018 and between May and September of 2018, I read all 8 of her books in my genre (she does have 5 in another genre I won’t read) but I hadn't seen anything new for awhile after that. At least a few times a month, I go through my author list and check Amazon to make sure there aren’t any new releases I might have missed. Since a book cover is what initially draws my attention, and I’ve been keeping my books read list for many years, I can tell when I see a new cover or one I don’t recognize. That is how I ran across this one. I obviously haven’t checked her for awhile because this book was written in late 2020 and the next 2 in 2021.
Whew, with all that said, this is my 9th book by Rebecca Hagan Lee. I put in my notes that I really liked her books and couldn’t put them down and sex was pretty damn good. Well she hasn’t changed. I LOVED this book. Don’t know if this will make sense, but I was a bit worried because over the years, I have found that I am a better "reader" than I was even a few years ago and certainly better than I was when I first read her books but I’m so glad she is such a good writer that the years didn’t change how I read or she writes.
I loved these characters, Tony and Caroline so much. Such great depth of characters. I loved their story and their interactions. Just an overall great read. I can’t wait to start book 2. I’m kind of glad I didn’t run across these earlier or I would have had to wait for each one to come out. Now I can read them back-to-back 😊
Definitely recommend this book as well as her others.
I found her in 2018 and between May and September of 2018, I read all 8 of her books in my genre (she does have 5 in another genre I won’t read) but I hadn't seen anything new for awhile after that. At least a few times a month, I go through my author list and check Amazon to make sure there aren’t any new releases I might have missed. Since a book cover is what initially draws my attention, and I’ve been keeping my books read list for many years, I can tell when I see a new cover or one I don’t recognize. That is how I ran across this one. I obviously haven’t checked her for awhile because this book was written in late 2020 and the next 2 in 2021.
Whew, with all that said, this is my 9th book by Rebecca Hagan Lee. I put in my notes that I really liked her books and couldn’t put them down and sex was pretty damn good. Well she hasn’t changed. I LOVED this book. Don’t know if this will make sense, but I was a bit worried because over the years, I have found that I am a better "reader" than I was even a few years ago and certainly better than I was when I first read her books but I’m so glad she is such a good writer that the years didn’t change how I read or she writes.
I loved these characters, Tony and Caroline so much. Such great depth of characters. I loved their story and their interactions. Just an overall great read. I can’t wait to start book 2. I’m kind of glad I didn’t run across these earlier or I would have had to wait for each one to come out. Now I can read them back-to-back 😊
Definitely recommend this book as well as her others.
January 15, 2023
Not bad, and also some funny moments.
June 26, 2024
I liked this book. It’s got an interesting plot with a leading man who is very different. The leading lady is a marchioness who is allowed to be strong, decisive, still with some doubts, but which do not hold her back. I enjoyed every page.
There are a delightful number of characters, including—perhaps most particularly—the supporting, or secondary, characters. The leading man is Lord Anthony Carlisle, Earl of Carlisle. He was a major in the cavalry in the Peninsula campaign, fighting Bonaparte. He is severely injured to the point that he is reported as a casualty because the battle surgeon believed he wouldn’t last the night. He did, but his injuries are extraordinary and severe. He cannot walk, and six different physicians believe he is doomed to die soon – they’ve even given him a date of death (a bit grim).
The leading lady is Lady Caroline Hardage, the widow Lady Blessing, a marchioness in her own right due to letters of patent granted by the king. Five years previous she was a bit of a marshmallow, shy, easily intimidated, doing what was expected, and so on. Because of her father’s (Lord Rushtan, a belted earl) ambition, she was wed to a much older man, Lord Blessing, who was a disagreeable ogre. When he died, he left her wealthy and with a title that no man will be able to take away.
The leading characters have a history. They were to have been married but bad people and bad timing put those plans aside. They meet again when Anthony (“Tony”) has returned and is self-exiled because he cannot bear to have anyone see him scarred, hurt, and bound to a wheelchair.
The supporting characters are delightful. The household servants are given a voice in this book. That is a pleasant circumstance because they bring added life and realism to the plot. Barnaby is Tony’s batman from the army; he is a loyal friend with a wry sense of humor. Gerald is the gardener who aids Caroline (“Caro”) in her project to make life a little easier for Tony. Susan is Lady Caroline’s maid who is outspoken and loyal, two excellent traits. Kirby and Fielder are footmen with personalities that delight. West is Tony’s curmudgeonly butler who has been in the Carlisle family’s service for years. Caroline’s godfather, the Earl of Weymouth, is another character who is long on charm. Joining Charlotte are her two best friends, Lady Phoebe Osborne and Dulcie Tennant, who—one can feel—will no doubt have books of their own.
Caroline, Phoebe, and Dulcie form The Charlotte Society in which each of the three must befriend a soldier returning from the war who might otherwise have no one to care for them. The War Office stands behind it thanks to Caroline’s godfather who is called the “Wizard of the War Office.”
Now…there are some problems. For instance, there are references made to people who are outside the Regency time period. This story takes place in March 1816. Gerald, the gardener, tells Tony, “She’s [Caroline] hired Capability Brown to design the landscaping and John Nash to design the structures.” Well, no. Capability Brown lived 1715 – 1785. He was not alive in 1816. John Nash was a fascinating architect and while he was most definitely alive (he lived 1752-1835), he was far too busy with major commissions from the Prince Regent; he developed Marylebone Park and re-landscaped St. James Park, both in London, during the time of the book and would not have been able to work on a smaller home project, or so one would expect.
The writer tells us, “Recalling something she’d read once, Caroline quoted, ‘You cannot persuade the heart to change course. The heart knows what it wants.'” She’s recalling Emily Dickinson who wrote, “The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care.” It’s a good observation, but Emily Dickinson wrote it in 1862. The story takes place in 1816, before Ms. Dickinson was born (December 1830).
The writer also tells us that Caroline’s mother died suddenly, a “victim of the scarlet fever that had swept through London…” Again, the story takes place in 1816. The scarlet fever epidemic—and it was terrible—took place in London from 1847 to 1880. It had a devastating effect on children, and it often lasted, painfully, over a long period of time. The writer uses an event (the scarlet fever epidemic of London) that has not yet happened.
Another oddity is the Charlotte Society itself. The writer tells us that “Queen Charolotte has agreed to sponsor our charity.” This would be highly unlikely. Queen Charlotte died in November 1818 and in 1816 was living away from court and suffering from dropsy, which caused organ failure. She would not have been available to many people. Her son was now king (George IV) and she kept to herself.
There is also a slight time warp (maybe). The writer tells us about a soldier convalescing at a London hospital. “He was in a Highland regiment fighting in America under Sir Edward Pakenham…” Sir Edward was the commander of British forces during the War of 1812, and he died in the Battle of New Orleans on 8 January 1815. It is now March of 1816. Even given the amount of time it would have taken to travel wounded from the U.S. back to England, that’s 14 months of being a wounded invalid. Not impossible, but in this book, he is in a hospital for wounded soldiers and the fact that he’s held on for more than a year after being severely wounded seems far-fetched. During this period, most likely he would have perished, if not from his wounds, then from the bloodletting.
There seems to be a lot of peer-on-peer and commoner-on-peer thrashing going on. This would have been a very, very, very, very serious offense in Regency times. Jail or worse would be in store for the malefactors.
There are a lot of secrets in this book. Some are left hanging at the end of the book and that strikes me as being unfair to the reader. The only way to discover the outcome is to buy the next book, or the one after that. It feels a little like blackmail. I’ll always buy the next book if a series is well written and interests me. If I feel blackmailed, however, I tend to ignore the next books in favor of books that stand alone, even within a series.
There are mistakes that should have been caught by an editor or by a proofreader:
The writer has Tony on a hill overlooking Quatre Bras, which she tells us means “four houses.” This isn’t true. Quatre Bras is French for “four arms,” not houses, and it means crossroads (in common usage) since the town sets at the junction of two main roads in Belgium.
Quotation marks are sporadically missing. For example: “…he never asked for me. Lord Carlisle had never officially asked her…” Quotation marks are missing after “…for me.” That is the end of Caroline’s words. The next sentence is narrative and should not be included in Caroline’s speech.
In another example, quotation marks are missing at the beginning of a dialogue: Caroline handed it to Kirby. I would appreciate it greatly if you would see that Mr. Barnaby gets it before tomorrow morning…” The first set of quotation marks should appear before “I would appreciate it…”
Two periods are attached to the end of a sentence, between quotation marks: “She’s usurping my authority.”. The second period is unnecessary.
The writer has Caroline quoting the biblical, “Pride goeth before a fall.” However, that is not the correct quotation. It’s Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (King James version) While it is often misquoted, it shouldn’t be here, I think.
A verb tense is used incorrectly: “…he had looked up and saw her hovering…” Both the looking up and the seeing are actions that were completed in the past, so past perfect tense would be used for both verbs, as in “…he had looked up and [had] seen her hovering…” Simple past tense would be fine if the first action, “looking up,” occurred sometime in the past, but the seeing was taking place just now (two different times). However, within context, both actions occurred together, so both should use past perfect tense.
A dependent clause is used as a complete sentence: “The manservant who didn’t flinch at his display of temper.” To make this an independent clause that can serve as a complete sentence, the “who” should be removed: “The manservant didn’t flinch at his display of temper.”
An incorrect word is used here: “Tony flattened his palm again her bottom.” I believe that should read, “Tony flattened his palm against her bottom.”
There is a paragraph break right in the middle of a character’s dialogue. It’s virtually impossible to show spacing errors in the Goodreads’s dialog box, but it occurs in the middle of Tony’s speech.
I rated this book 4 stars. It would have been a 5-star book except for all the errors and issues. The anachronisms are particularly grating. If one writes in a particular time period, then it is incumbent upon the writer to know and understand what happened during that period…as well as what did not happen. Historical accuracy is important in an historical romance. IMHO. I’m equivocating about reading the next book. I like this writer’s style and I especially like the depth of feeling the writer attributed to her characters. I like the way Tony’s incapacity was handled, with sensitivity and no sense of incapability. Very well done. The reason I’m thinking of stopping here, rather than reading the next two books, is because I feel manipulated into buying them and I don’t care for that. Nonetheless, this book is definitely 4-star material and worth the read.
There are a delightful number of characters, including—perhaps most particularly—the supporting, or secondary, characters. The leading man is Lord Anthony Carlisle, Earl of Carlisle. He was a major in the cavalry in the Peninsula campaign, fighting Bonaparte. He is severely injured to the point that he is reported as a casualty because the battle surgeon believed he wouldn’t last the night. He did, but his injuries are extraordinary and severe. He cannot walk, and six different physicians believe he is doomed to die soon – they’ve even given him a date of death (a bit grim).
The leading lady is Lady Caroline Hardage, the widow Lady Blessing, a marchioness in her own right due to letters of patent granted by the king. Five years previous she was a bit of a marshmallow, shy, easily intimidated, doing what was expected, and so on. Because of her father’s (Lord Rushtan, a belted earl) ambition, she was wed to a much older man, Lord Blessing, who was a disagreeable ogre. When he died, he left her wealthy and with a title that no man will be able to take away.
The leading characters have a history. They were to have been married but bad people and bad timing put those plans aside. They meet again when Anthony (“Tony”) has returned and is self-exiled because he cannot bear to have anyone see him scarred, hurt, and bound to a wheelchair.
The supporting characters are delightful. The household servants are given a voice in this book. That is a pleasant circumstance because they bring added life and realism to the plot. Barnaby is Tony’s batman from the army; he is a loyal friend with a wry sense of humor. Gerald is the gardener who aids Caroline (“Caro”) in her project to make life a little easier for Tony. Susan is Lady Caroline’s maid who is outspoken and loyal, two excellent traits. Kirby and Fielder are footmen with personalities that delight. West is Tony’s curmudgeonly butler who has been in the Carlisle family’s service for years. Caroline’s godfather, the Earl of Weymouth, is another character who is long on charm. Joining Charlotte are her two best friends, Lady Phoebe Osborne and Dulcie Tennant, who—one can feel—will no doubt have books of their own.
Caroline, Phoebe, and Dulcie form The Charlotte Society in which each of the three must befriend a soldier returning from the war who might otherwise have no one to care for them. The War Office stands behind it thanks to Caroline’s godfather who is called the “Wizard of the War Office.”
Now…there are some problems. For instance, there are references made to people who are outside the Regency time period. This story takes place in March 1816. Gerald, the gardener, tells Tony, “She’s [Caroline] hired Capability Brown to design the landscaping and John Nash to design the structures.” Well, no. Capability Brown lived 1715 – 1785. He was not alive in 1816. John Nash was a fascinating architect and while he was most definitely alive (he lived 1752-1835), he was far too busy with major commissions from the Prince Regent; he developed Marylebone Park and re-landscaped St. James Park, both in London, during the time of the book and would not have been able to work on a smaller home project, or so one would expect.
The writer tells us, “Recalling something she’d read once, Caroline quoted, ‘You cannot persuade the heart to change course. The heart knows what it wants.'” She’s recalling Emily Dickinson who wrote, “The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care.” It’s a good observation, but Emily Dickinson wrote it in 1862. The story takes place in 1816, before Ms. Dickinson was born (December 1830).
The writer also tells us that Caroline’s mother died suddenly, a “victim of the scarlet fever that had swept through London…” Again, the story takes place in 1816. The scarlet fever epidemic—and it was terrible—took place in London from 1847 to 1880. It had a devastating effect on children, and it often lasted, painfully, over a long period of time. The writer uses an event (the scarlet fever epidemic of London) that has not yet happened.
Another oddity is the Charlotte Society itself. The writer tells us that “Queen Charolotte has agreed to sponsor our charity.” This would be highly unlikely. Queen Charlotte died in November 1818 and in 1816 was living away from court and suffering from dropsy, which caused organ failure. She would not have been available to many people. Her son was now king (George IV) and she kept to herself.
There is also a slight time warp (maybe). The writer tells us about a soldier convalescing at a London hospital. “He was in a Highland regiment fighting in America under Sir Edward Pakenham…” Sir Edward was the commander of British forces during the War of 1812, and he died in the Battle of New Orleans on 8 January 1815. It is now March of 1816. Even given the amount of time it would have taken to travel wounded from the U.S. back to England, that’s 14 months of being a wounded invalid. Not impossible, but in this book, he is in a hospital for wounded soldiers and the fact that he’s held on for more than a year after being severely wounded seems far-fetched. During this period, most likely he would have perished, if not from his wounds, then from the bloodletting.
There seems to be a lot of peer-on-peer and commoner-on-peer thrashing going on. This would have been a very, very, very, very serious offense in Regency times. Jail or worse would be in store for the malefactors.
There are a lot of secrets in this book. Some are left hanging at the end of the book and that strikes me as being unfair to the reader. The only way to discover the outcome is to buy the next book, or the one after that. It feels a little like blackmail. I’ll always buy the next book if a series is well written and interests me. If I feel blackmailed, however, I tend to ignore the next books in favor of books that stand alone, even within a series.
There are mistakes that should have been caught by an editor or by a proofreader:
The writer has Tony on a hill overlooking Quatre Bras, which she tells us means “four houses.” This isn’t true. Quatre Bras is French for “four arms,” not houses, and it means crossroads (in common usage) since the town sets at the junction of two main roads in Belgium.
Quotation marks are sporadically missing. For example: “…he never asked for me. Lord Carlisle had never officially asked her…” Quotation marks are missing after “…for me.” That is the end of Caroline’s words. The next sentence is narrative and should not be included in Caroline’s speech.
In another example, quotation marks are missing at the beginning of a dialogue: Caroline handed it to Kirby. I would appreciate it greatly if you would see that Mr. Barnaby gets it before tomorrow morning…” The first set of quotation marks should appear before “I would appreciate it…”
Two periods are attached to the end of a sentence, between quotation marks: “She’s usurping my authority.”. The second period is unnecessary.
The writer has Caroline quoting the biblical, “Pride goeth before a fall.” However, that is not the correct quotation. It’s Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (King James version) While it is often misquoted, it shouldn’t be here, I think.
A verb tense is used incorrectly: “…he had looked up and saw her hovering…” Both the looking up and the seeing are actions that were completed in the past, so past perfect tense would be used for both verbs, as in “…he had looked up and [had] seen her hovering…” Simple past tense would be fine if the first action, “looking up,” occurred sometime in the past, but the seeing was taking place just now (two different times). However, within context, both actions occurred together, so both should use past perfect tense.
A dependent clause is used as a complete sentence: “The manservant who didn’t flinch at his display of temper.” To make this an independent clause that can serve as a complete sentence, the “who” should be removed: “The manservant didn’t flinch at his display of temper.”
An incorrect word is used here: “Tony flattened his palm again her bottom.” I believe that should read, “Tony flattened his palm against her bottom.”
There is a paragraph break right in the middle of a character’s dialogue. It’s virtually impossible to show spacing errors in the Goodreads’s dialog box, but it occurs in the middle of Tony’s speech.
I rated this book 4 stars. It would have been a 5-star book except for all the errors and issues. The anachronisms are particularly grating. If one writes in a particular time period, then it is incumbent upon the writer to know and understand what happened during that period…as well as what did not happen. Historical accuracy is important in an historical romance. IMHO. I’m equivocating about reading the next book. I like this writer’s style and I especially like the depth of feeling the writer attributed to her characters. I like the way Tony’s incapacity was handled, with sensitivity and no sense of incapability. Very well done. The reason I’m thinking of stopping here, rather than reading the next two books, is because I feel manipulated into buying them and I don’t care for that. Nonetheless, this book is definitely 4-star material and worth the read.
August 24, 2022
4.5 stars
This was such a beautiful love story and demonstrated the meaning of true unconditional love perfectly. This entire story was based on love and what it meant to take care of a love one that was injured and confined to a wheelchair. Caro did exactly everything in her power to make Tony’s life easier by giving him a hot spring so he could soak and get some relief to his horrible injuries. She even renovated a whole lower level of the house so he would have access with his chair. She did everything to make his life better.
Not only did she do that, but she also brought Tony back to life again. He was so depressed by not believing he could do anything or be of any use. He became reclusive. He was lonely. He was tortured by not only the physical scars but the emotional ones. It was very sad, but she made him happy again once they were reunited. The transformation in him was drastic and very easy to see what it meant to him to have the woman that he loved back in his life again. Once he opened up to getting back together, he truly bloomed. It was wonderful.
It did take a while before they romantically reunited, and admittedly it went a little bit longer than I would have liked. I liked seeing the transformation in the house and him but I thought they could have sped up their connection a little bit more quicker. Have them spend more time together because any points it just felt like there was an a lot of them together. I wanted more interaction and a little bit more romance. Even if it was just them hashing out what happened in the past between them and what happened that caused them to be separated for all those years. At least then they would’ve been together and talking things through instead of just focusing on the rehabbing of the house and the gardens and everything else. I just need it to get there a little quicker.
But once they did get together in the hot springs, oh boy did they connect and very passionately. They let their love loose and their passion fly and it was steamy steamy. It was very well done and in a very satisfying manner. Their connection was very much felt as well as their love as they came together once more after being separated all these years. Their physical affection was a reflection of the love they had and the passion reflected all that and more that finally got released. And it was good. I was so happy when they had their first time together and that they could have a satisfying encounter after all this time. Plus his inhibitions about him being in a wheelchair and whether he could perform or not were quickly allayed as soon as he touched her. It was glorious and it was worth the wait at all of the build up provided. They were both happy after years of misery, which made me happy.
Even though I did like the ending, I did feel like the resolution that came was a little too convenient. I would have preferred if circumstances remained the same, and he came to realize that he could be man in a wheelchair yet still give his love and devotion to Caro no matter what because he loved her and that would have been more than enough. It was enough for Caro. I just wish he had the same epiphany and realize he was a man no matter what.
Overall this was pure love story that showed how someone could truly love another person. The love and devotion that Caro had for Tony was just beautiful. I loved how she wanted to take care of him and make his life better and just show him that he could have a satisfying life even while in a wheelchair. Her heart just shone so brightly for him. When they did reconnect on every single level, it was sensual, passionate, and very loving. It was so satisfying to see them come together after all that time apart. It was glorious. What happened at the end was kind of cop out, and I wish that he more accepted his circumstances, instead of it changing it so he would see things as easier in order to be with Caro. Yes, it was a happy ending, but it would have been more impactful if it stayed the same.
This was such a beautiful love story and demonstrated the meaning of true unconditional love perfectly. This entire story was based on love and what it meant to take care of a love one that was injured and confined to a wheelchair. Caro did exactly everything in her power to make Tony’s life easier by giving him a hot spring so he could soak and get some relief to his horrible injuries. She even renovated a whole lower level of the house so he would have access with his chair. She did everything to make his life better.
Not only did she do that, but she also brought Tony back to life again. He was so depressed by not believing he could do anything or be of any use. He became reclusive. He was lonely. He was tortured by not only the physical scars but the emotional ones. It was very sad, but she made him happy again once they were reunited. The transformation in him was drastic and very easy to see what it meant to him to have the woman that he loved back in his life again. Once he opened up to getting back together, he truly bloomed. It was wonderful.
It did take a while before they romantically reunited, and admittedly it went a little bit longer than I would have liked. I liked seeing the transformation in the house and him but I thought they could have sped up their connection a little bit more quicker. Have them spend more time together because any points it just felt like there was an a lot of them together. I wanted more interaction and a little bit more romance. Even if it was just them hashing out what happened in the past between them and what happened that caused them to be separated for all those years. At least then they would’ve been together and talking things through instead of just focusing on the rehabbing of the house and the gardens and everything else. I just need it to get there a little quicker.
But once they did get together in the hot springs, oh boy did they connect and very passionately. They let their love loose and their passion fly and it was steamy steamy. It was very well done and in a very satisfying manner. Their connection was very much felt as well as their love as they came together once more after being separated all these years. Their physical affection was a reflection of the love they had and the passion reflected all that and more that finally got released. And it was good. I was so happy when they had their first time together and that they could have a satisfying encounter after all this time. Plus his inhibitions about him being in a wheelchair and whether he could perform or not were quickly allayed as soon as he touched her. It was glorious and it was worth the wait at all of the build up provided. They were both happy after years of misery, which made me happy.
Even though I did like the ending, I did feel like the resolution that came was a little too convenient. I would have preferred if circumstances remained the same, and he came to realize that he could be man in a wheelchair yet still give his love and devotion to Caro no matter what because he loved her and that would have been more than enough. It was enough for Caro. I just wish he had the same epiphany and realize he was a man no matter what.
Overall this was pure love story that showed how someone could truly love another person. The love and devotion that Caro had for Tony was just beautiful. I loved how she wanted to take care of him and make his life better and just show him that he could have a satisfying life even while in a wheelchair. Her heart just shone so brightly for him. When they did reconnect on every single level, it was sensual, passionate, and very loving. It was so satisfying to see them come together after all that time apart. It was glorious. What happened at the end was kind of cop out, and I wish that he more accepted his circumstances, instead of it changing it so he would see things as easier in order to be with Caro. Yes, it was a happy ending, but it would have been more impactful if it stayed the same.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 29, 2022This is a fun, easy, short read. The entire plot does not sound believable in the least. But, it's entertaining and life affirming. The ending reads like a fairy tale. Come to think of it, the entire book reads like a fairy tale. As a person who had a mere bathtub changed in her twentieth-century home, I would surmise that it takes longer than ten days to accomplish the tasks that the author set the heroine's work crew to accomplish in ten days. I must admit my incredulity is similar to when one is reminded of biblical miracles. It is quite possible that other readers might object to the modern turns of phrase, or the incredible boldness of the female protagonist. It all pales in comparison to the plumbing issues, believe me!
July 2, 2022
Not sure how I felt about this one. Didn’t feel committed to either of main characters, might try the next in series but not sure.
May 17, 2023
Romance tropes: nurse back to health, second chance, forbidden love, virgin widow (rolls eyes)
H proposed to h five years ago, but her father shanghaied him. He was grievously wounded in battle, presumed dead, and h was married off to an old man against her will. Now, h knows that H is still alive, so she decides to rehabilitate him.
This had the potential to be romantic and show that people with disabilities can be hot too, but instead it chose ableism. The book was really repetitive and trotted out the same dialogue and plot points ad nauseam.
H proposed to h five years ago, but her father shanghaied him. He was grievously wounded in battle, presumed dead, and h was married off to an old man against her will. Now, h knows that H is still alive, so she decides to rehabilitate him.
This had the potential to be romantic and show that people with disabilities can be hot too, but instead it chose ableism. The book was really repetitive and trotted out the same dialogue and plot points ad nauseam.
June 22, 2022
More like 4.5 stars, but OH this one was yummy.
December 14, 2022
DNF @ 61%
Extremely slow paced.
Extremely slow paced.
Read
August 4, 2022FREE today (June 24, 2022) on Amazon.
April 14, 2024
Evil old men deny and abuse the couple many years before. The H has returned from war, badly wounded. The h is now a widow after being tricked into marriage. She's decided to help H to gain some freedom from his terrible wounds. Very OTT plot but it's a fun read, with a very likeable couple.
September 19, 2022
Well, this was absurd and ended without enough resolution, and yet it was fairly charming.
June 12, 2022
This is the first book of The Charlotte Society series. It can be read as a standalone, but fair warning these ladies will draw you in and make you complete the series! It has been a long time since I have given any read 5 stars and this one deserves it. This is Anthony and Caroline’s story.
Anthony and Caroline fell in love and were to be married five years ago until her horrible father stepped in and promised her to another for his own benefit. A huge misunderstanding made them both think the worst. She thought he didn’t fight for her and he believed the lies of her father. Now they get their second chance, but they are both different people than they were before.
Anthony is an Earl who has experienced the horrible consequences of war. He did not expect to survive his injuries and is just waiting for the day that multiple physicians told him he would expire. Confined to a wheelchair, he relies on his loyal staff to get him through each day. He resigns to keep his condition hidden until one day a woman he never expected to see again appears on his property making changes and uprooting his garden and his long hardened heart…
Caroline and her friends formed the Charlotte Society to adopt a returning soldier and help him meet his needs. She thought Tony was dead, so when she discovered he was very much alive there was no question who her soldier would be. She was not expecting a resounding welcome, but she knew her Anthony would not reject her. She has changed a lot over the past five years too and has discovered her voice and determination. She is going to make his life better whether he wants her to or not. Now to see if he will also accept her back into his heart because he never left hers…
These two are amazing characters and the way their story is told makes you want to fight for them from the very beginning. I love their connection and undying love for one another. The secondary characters are fantastic also and will draw you in to their story as well. The storyline is fantastic, the characters are amazing, there is love, romance, angst and happiness. I loved this and can’t wait to read on! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Anthony and Caroline fell in love and were to be married five years ago until her horrible father stepped in and promised her to another for his own benefit. A huge misunderstanding made them both think the worst. She thought he didn’t fight for her and he believed the lies of her father. Now they get their second chance, but they are both different people than they were before.
Anthony is an Earl who has experienced the horrible consequences of war. He did not expect to survive his injuries and is just waiting for the day that multiple physicians told him he would expire. Confined to a wheelchair, he relies on his loyal staff to get him through each day. He resigns to keep his condition hidden until one day a woman he never expected to see again appears on his property making changes and uprooting his garden and his long hardened heart…
Caroline and her friends formed the Charlotte Society to adopt a returning soldier and help him meet his needs. She thought Tony was dead, so when she discovered he was very much alive there was no question who her soldier would be. She was not expecting a resounding welcome, but she knew her Anthony would not reject her. She has changed a lot over the past five years too and has discovered her voice and determination. She is going to make his life better whether he wants her to or not. Now to see if he will also accept her back into his heart because he never left hers…
These two are amazing characters and the way their story is told makes you want to fight for them from the very beginning. I love their connection and undying love for one another. The secondary characters are fantastic also and will draw you in to their story as well. The storyline is fantastic, the characters are amazing, there is love, romance, angst and happiness. I loved this and can’t wait to read on! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 29, 2022
Tony & Caroline or Lord Temptation & Lady Blessing
Anthony Carlisle III loved 💘 Lady Caroline From the moment they were teenager. His love with cemented on the years of riding together. When the ask her to marry him and she said yes he was ecstatic. He was going to have a love marriage and build an heir after losing his entire family. His siblings to disease & his parents to a fetal accident. Then things changed.
Lady Caroline Was told that Tony did not ask for her hand in marriage. When she was already betrothed to him. Tony was told that she was not interested in marrying to only be a Countess. She wanted a More distinguished title. All lies by her father To pay for his death and save his name And be more established in society. Lord Ruston paid thugs to beat up Tony and escort hi!to a ship to be in a regiment for the Spanish war. Who went on served his Regimen an men honorably. Anthony lost almost his entire command along with himself if it had not been for his Horse Ajax. Who What is life down By laying on top of his master. When found surgeons wanted to amputate his right leg. It was his 2nd in command Barnaby who demanded they don't touch him. Read what happens when love out ways Pain, Sorrow, manipulation, turn to Sacrifice,Trust & Determination End in happily ever after for these to lover's.
Anthony Carlisle III loved 💘 Lady Caroline From the moment they were teenager. His love with cemented on the years of riding together. When the ask her to marry him and she said yes he was ecstatic. He was going to have a love marriage and build an heir after losing his entire family. His siblings to disease & his parents to a fetal accident. Then things changed.
Lady Caroline Was told that Tony did not ask for her hand in marriage. When she was already betrothed to him. Tony was told that she was not interested in marrying to only be a Countess. She wanted a More distinguished title. All lies by her father To pay for his death and save his name And be more established in society. Lord Ruston paid thugs to beat up Tony and escort hi!to a ship to be in a regiment for the Spanish war. Who went on served his Regimen an men honorably. Anthony lost almost his entire command along with himself if it had not been for his Horse Ajax. Who What is life down By laying on top of his master. When found surgeons wanted to amputate his right leg. It was his 2nd in command Barnaby who demanded they don't touch him. Read what happens when love out ways Pain, Sorrow, manipulation, turn to Sacrifice,Trust & Determination End in happily ever after for these to lover's.
June 25, 2022
Can they recover all they've lost?
As second chance romances go, Lord Temptation is an entertaining and thoughtful read. It is well written by Rebecca Hagan Lee, with just the right balance of clever dialogue,
introspection and action, with a steady pace from scene to scene. I liked all of the characters, and all of the diverse personalities played their respective parts in a believable fashion. The story, which begins in a battlefield, pulled me in from the first page, and the emotional roller coaster kept me truly engaged. My only negative was the epilogue. Though sweet, it and the ending just felt rushed. With a deeper ending, I would have given this book five stars.
Content 411: In addition to secular and religious swearing, this book also contains bullying (by the antagonist), PTSD and descriptive sex.
As second chance romances go, Lord Temptation is an entertaining and thoughtful read. It is well written by Rebecca Hagan Lee, with just the right balance of clever dialogue,
introspection and action, with a steady pace from scene to scene. I liked all of the characters, and all of the diverse personalities played their respective parts in a believable fashion. The story, which begins in a battlefield, pulled me in from the first page, and the emotional roller coaster kept me truly engaged. My only negative was the epilogue. Though sweet, it and the ending just felt rushed. With a deeper ending, I would have given this book five stars.
Content 411: In addition to secular and religious swearing, this book also contains bullying (by the antagonist), PTSD and descriptive sex.
September 8, 2022
I had high expectations for this book given the high rating, and I was sorely disappointed. I found the dialogue to be extremely repetitive and thoroughly uninspired, the characters dull and utterly predictable, the pacing to be off and the scenes jumped from thought to thought in confusing ways so that multiple times I went backwards a page or two to try and figure out what I missed (one moment they’re at each other’s throw and the next laughing about it all?), and the epilogue began immediately where the last page left off and left so many questions still unanswered. I was tempted to DNF a dozen times but I kept hoping it would get better. It didn’t. I definitely won’t be reading anything else by this author.
June 22, 2022
Deep wounds
Returning from the Napoleonic wars, the once of active and athletic lord wishes to see no one. His batman was responsible for him returning to England in one piece, his horse's weight having crushed his legs as the horse fell from a fatal wound. Now, in constant pain from his legs, he depends on laudanum and liquor to get through the day.
The woman he proposed to the day before he went to war married another. She's insistent now that she be allowed to see him, to do anything she can to assist in his recovery. Her unconventional methods will keep you laughing and impressed!
Returning from the Napoleonic wars, the once of active and athletic lord wishes to see no one. His batman was responsible for him returning to England in one piece, his horse's weight having crushed his legs as the horse fell from a fatal wound. Now, in constant pain from his legs, he depends on laudanum and liquor to get through the day.
The woman he proposed to the day before he went to war married another. She's insistent now that she be allowed to see him, to do anything she can to assist in his recovery. Her unconventional methods will keep you laughing and impressed!
September 7, 2022
Charlotte and tony are in love, but her father has other plans for her. Instead of accepting Tony’s offer for her he had Tony beaten and kidnapped and put him in the army fighting Napoleon. Charlotte was married off to a man three times her age. Five years later her husband is dead and Tony is back in England wounded and broken. He is determined to keep to himself. She is determined not to let him.
August 27, 2022
There were a few things I liked about this book. I liked that the hero had suffered severe injuries to his legs and couldn't walk. I liked that the heroine had found her independence and took charge of her, but in so doing found ways to help others. I didn't much like how terrible the father was and all the things he did to ruin his daughter's life. Overall an enjoyable book.
September 20, 2022
Nice story
I really liked the book. However i felt there were many loose ends that needed to find closure unless there is more this book. The grooms who attacked Tony was left hanging or Caro's father or the man he brought for her to wed.. and how Tony ended by in the military sort of details.. but it was a giod read by all means
I really liked the book. However i felt there were many loose ends that needed to find closure unless there is more this book. The grooms who attacked Tony was left hanging or Caro's father or the man he brought for her to wed.. and how Tony ended by in the military sort of details.. but it was a giod read by all means
July 3, 2022
I love this book
If I could give Lord Temptation a higher rating I would. What a wonderful love story and I really like books with strong female characters like Caroline. She never gave up on her dream of the love of her life returning to her. Cudos to Rebecca Hagan Lee.
If I could give Lord Temptation a higher rating I would. What a wonderful love story and I really like books with strong female characters like Caroline. She never gave up on her dream of the love of her life returning to her. Cudos to Rebecca Hagan Lee.
July 27, 2022
Lord Temptation
Rebecca Hagan Lee is an amazing writer. I liked how Caroline took it upon herself to reconstruct Tony's garden into something very useful for his recovery.
I would recommend this book to anyone.
Rebecca Hagan Lee is an amazing writer. I liked how Caroline took it upon herself to reconstruct Tony's garden into something very useful for his recovery.
I would recommend this book to anyone.
Want to Read
May 26, 2022🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/26/2022)! 🎁
June 25, 2022
A really enjoyable read. A talented author.
July 1, 2022
I loved the plot line! Our leading lady is fabulous, she doesn't take shit from anyone!
July 2, 2022
Rounding up from a 3.5+. Ms. Lee is always refreshing in that her characters' ridiculousness is minimal. She tells a straight-forward heartfelt tale.
July 9, 2022
This was extraordinarily good. I look forward to reading more from this author!
July 24, 2022
When Caroline learns the man she loves survived the war she's determined to have him back in her life. She proves to be a determined tactician. Quite entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews