Treacherous Temptations by Victoria Vane

Lord Hadley Blanchard should be an earl and have all the trappings and wealth that affords him but due to his fathers shocking death, he has been stripped of that right and it is his goal to get it back. He knows his father had nothing to do with the South Sea scandal that resulted in the loss of so much money and believes he was used a cover for the real villain behind the loss.  Now, with years of spy work under his belt, he is finally ready to confront the man he knows is the real culprit and is met with a bargain...pay up for the title.  Having no money, Hadley sets about to find some and the wealthy Miss Mary Elizabeth Edwardes happens into his life. Drawn to her before he knows her true identity, he sees it as the answer to his dilemma but finds resistance in his step mother, the woman who has taken Mary under her wing and has her own plans for Mary.  As the feelings grow between Hadley and Mary, Hadley must decide if he tells her the whole truth about his past and future plans or if he just tells her bits and pieces and hopes Mary does not find out the rest. . .

Victoria Vane has such a way with words that she just immerses you in the Georgian time period and makes you feel like you are right there.  The attention to detail, both large and small, is wonderful and exactly what I have come to expect from her writing.  I will admit, I had a hard time warming up to the scoundrel Hadley, but in the end I did feel like his feelings for Mary were genuine and will last.  His journey to redemption is slow and just a bit wicked but that fit with his character.  Mary also grew as the story unfolded from a country girl to a strong, smart woman.  The way she deals with Hadley was well done and I am glad that she did not just bend to his every wish.  The side characters, from Hadley's step mother to Mary's guardian, add a nice layer of wickedness and evilness but their ending seemed a little easy for me.  Overall, another strong writing effort from the talents of Victoria Vane filled with rich, lush detail, wickedness, action, love and trust.  4 stars

Review copy provided by publisher, also purchased