A Matter of Temptation by Stacy Reid

 

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I enjoyed reading Mina and Simon’s amazing story in A Matter of Temptation by Stacy Reid. From the start I couldn’t put this book down. The heroine and hero meet when she cunningly takes the place of her twin brother, clad in gentleman’s clothes and her hair hidden, in a duel against the hero. Miss Wilhelmina “Mina” and her twin brother Anthony, Viscount Crawford, have been living in terrible conditions for the past few years. Anthony is desperate for funds. With two outstanding loans, he is turned down for a third loan since the bank has no faith in his future prospects, both in him marrying an heiress or switching from farming to manufacturing. When he attempted to cheat at cards one night, Anthony finds himself facing a duel the next morning with Simon Loughton, Earl of Creswick. Mina knows she’s better at fencing than her brother so she sneaks away to take his place, and meets Simon. After winning the fencing duel, Simon offers “Anthony” a job working with him as he’s quite impressed. However, when he realizes his opponent was a woman, he again offers her the job. Being quite sharp and needing the money, she negotiates an even better deal with him for more pay and to be compensated for occupational hazard; in the chance he might feel tempted to ravish her.

While working as Simon’s secretary, Mina witnesses how passionate Simon is about politics and the social reform he is working towards. Simon is a very blunt, direct, and unapologetic hero who comes off as cold and starchy. He has never experienced such feelings as he does when Mina shows up in his life and falls deeply for her. Mina has a secret; being reckless when she was younger, she is seen as ruined in the eyes of society. She knows there is no possibility for a future with Simon until he shows her all she could have and work towards.

 

Mina was a strong, fierce heroine and Simon was a man with hidden depths; watching him discover he  can feel emotions and own them was amazing. Simon was determined once he fell for Mina to move mountains and not take no for an answer when making her his. Simon may not have been interested in intimacy before Mina, but as a scholar and he proves that a little research can go a long way. The steam in this story was sizzling hot and the chemistry between these two was off the charts.  The inclusion of timely politics along with the intellectual conversations and discussions about politics between Simon and Mina added so much to the story. The Married Women’s Property Act of 1870 and the Reform Bill are focused on a lot and I liked how this played into the story.

 

Ms. Reid wrote an emotional, love story that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, sizzling chemistry, secrets, wonderful dialogue, and engaging characters giving Simon and Mina a chance to have a forever love. I highly recommend A Matter of Temptation to other readers.

 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.