Tempting the Devil by Samantha Kane

Lady Harriet Mercer is desperate to be publicly ruined in the hopes that her blackmailer will finally leave her and her son alone.  Already having a loveless marriage she has no plans to enter into another one and if her pristine reputation is ruined, the blackmailer will not accept her and keep her secret just that, a secret.  When she attempts to seduce her old childhood friend, Roger Templeton, she believes she has found the perfect man.  Roger is a devil and has no qualms about ruination...until it involves Harry.  He finds her excuses about who is trying to kidnap her son flimsy and refuses to bed her.  So let the taunting, teasing and plotting begin!  The closer that Roger gets to Harry, the more he sees that something is lurking behind Harry's cheerful facade and he is determined to find out what and help her.  But having been burned in the past by a woman makes him a bit leery of entering into the type of relationship Harry wants and she must find a way to show she is different than everyone thinks her to be.  With the blackmailer closing in, can Harry and Roger find the path to happiness together?

This is the second book I have read by Samantha Kane and it was another enjoyable experience!  I really enjoy her use of subtle wit and smoking heat while dealing with true emotions and putting a fresh twist on a topic used many times before.  Harry was a delightful heroine: intelligent, outspoken, practical, stubborn, shrewd and feisty and she was a perfect match for the kind-hearted, loyal, witty, handsome devil Roger.  Roger is a man with no money and no real connections and sort of makes his way through life on his charming actions but Harry finally makes him realize that he has nothing to offer a woman if he is still searching for himself.  I did think his reasons for trying to keep Harry at bay were a little weak and I wished he would have told her the truth but it all worked out in the end.  Harry, for her part, also could have been more truthful but the truth always has a way of revealing itself in due course and it worked well for this story. Childhood friends to lovers is always a favorite storyline and it was well done in this romance and I am very eager for more from Samantha Kane who has the sizzling, smart, intriguing storytelling down!  4 stars

eARC provided by LoveSwept (Random House) via netgalley

The Saint's Devils
Can be read as standalones but previous characters do appear in following novels

The Damsel and the Devil  Late 2013