Tempting the Bride

I didn't like Helena much in the previous book and she's worse in her own book. She should be a good heroine, running her own publishing company and fairly independent, but she's decided she's in love with a milquetoast married man, so her vaunted independence doesn't mean much when she goes along with all his wishes. This includes not having sex since... you know, I don't really know why since they're sneaking around together anyway.
The hero David starts out okay. He's been in unrequited love with Helena forever which means he's the boy who dips her pigtails in the inkwell metaphorically and never progressed past that stage. His inability to grow up wears on the reader after a while.
So we have two meh characters and a fantastical plot. I did like how David cares for his illegitimate daughter, but otherwise, not my favorite Sherry Thomas book. ( )

This was a good read, but I don’t think it should be read as a standalone. Even though we’ve gotten a lot of backstory in the previous books, I still don’t really like Helena as a heroine at all. I’m glad that David’s love doesn’t have to be so horribly unrequited anymore, but it seemed like there was something missing with her that was never found. ( )

It's weird I don't have a jackass shelf, considering the jackass hero is one of my favorites. By jackass I mean in a fond, ridiculous way "selfish and / or immature asshole" *winks at Jack Talent & Joshua Templeman*

Friends, they are my favorite kind. The stupid, immature oddly sensitive yet super defensive heroes. (Or some of my favorite anyway). The ones with their who would die for their beloveds but make her think (or sometimes out of fear I suppose) his head is shoved so far up his ass he no longer makes good sense. Hastings was one of them. In fact, I haven't read many reviews past opening paragraphs, but if there's a problem to be had with the amnesia plot and it manipulation, that's not my problem with the hero. I have more of a problem that he lay in wait for Helena to screw up so he could pounce in the most self-centered way possible. But, I also don't blame him for it. It is his sheer and utter desperation for her-revealed bit by bit that makes you understand how heavy and bright the flame he holds for her is. And she hates him for it. We can understand that too-there were 1,000 different ways to solve a problem, and he took the one that most suited him.

And then she got amnesia. It sounds contrived. It sounds easy. But it most certainly did not feel that way. What it gave them was a clean slate. On that slate, he still drew their history (albeit a simplified version) and remained forthright. And underneath his jackass exterior, he was a marshmallow of a hero who'd been planning for her forever. Kind of creepy when I say it that way, kind of sad when you read how clueless she is and how she always assumed the worst of him (and that was his own doing since the worst is often what her gave her).

The relationships and family really made this book work and made it convincing. In isolation, Hastings wouldn't have come off the right way. And as usual, Helena is to die for-with a different kind of spirit and strength than the heroines of the prior two. In the end, much like the two I mention there above, his tender heart is revealed, and it is wonderful. ( )

Oh this book... I was drawn to the "amnesia" gimmick because I've yet to encounter it in historical romance. And I've so many good things about Sherry Thomas that I thought it'd be a good introduction. Yeah... Not so much.

Now, don't get me wrong. The romantic element and the emotional appeal was there. And of course, as I've written many a time, that's the most important element to a historical romance novel for me. I did enjoy David's dedication to his love, despite her abhorrence for him, and I also enjoyed Helena's learning to love him back during her amnesia trip. I also enjoyed seeing David's dedication to his daughter and Helena's independence as a business owner.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment pretty much ended there. First off, general characterization was just everywhere. Especially in David's case, he seemed to swing back and forth from the cad to the caring all the time, with almost no transition. It almost seemed like two men in one body. And jeez, when was he going to learn that razzing the girl you love isn't going to win her admiration?! Yeah, I could see that as a kid, but as a full grown adult?! Forgive me if I feel that maturity and experiencing the world would have put some of that out of him.

Then there was the over reliance on sex as a story staple. And some of the sexual acts in this book have no place in a Victorian romance novel. They are far too adventurous for a late 19th century book; I couldn't picture either of these two individuals even contemplating, long less participating, in them. It also seemed like sex was constantly on the mind of Helena and David. Not ten pages would go by without some mention of a sexual act or sexual urges. And yes, I know, this is historical ROMANCE and they're known for smutty stuff. But come on!! When it overshadows the story and emotions, it's too much.

This is definitely not the introduction to Sherry Thomas I was looking for. While the all important emotions were there and I did enjoy some of the character aspects, the story relied far too heavily on sex/sexual tension and characterization in general was just horrible. I wouldn't recommend this historical romance to anyone. There are far better romances out there, folks.

Note: Book received for free through GoodReads FirstReads program in exchange for honest review. ( )

3.5/5
Not really Sherry's best book, but I still quite enjoyed it. After some consideration I don't think I'll be reviewing it. After build-up of tension between Hastings and Helena in previous books, the solution to their animosity felt like a cope out, which left me quite disappointed. ( )