Review – If He’s Tempted by Hannah Howell

Lady Olympia Wherlocke has the gift of foresight. When Lady Agatha Mallam asks Olympia to locate her brother so he can rescue her from an arranged marriage, she knows exactly where to find Lord Brant Mallam, Earl of Fieldgate. What happens next is something she never envisioned…

Since his betrothed died, Lord Brant Mallam has drowned his sorrow with wine and women. His dissolute ways have only emboldened his calculating mother. But with the help of the enchanting Olympia, he concocts a daring plan to end his mother’s devious designs for his sister. While each step in their bold scheme works to perfection, the sins of the past could unravel a growing desire that neither Olympia or Brant can control…

This 5th book in the Wherlocke series features one of the other most present characters in the series. I’ll admit, for some reason I wasn’t really looking forward to her story. I don’t know, for all her bawdy conversations, she just felt so spinster aunt-like that I didn’t even foresee her story until I came to it. And it wasn’t even a logical reason, for me, because I like spinster heroines. But I started looking forward to this one once I realized the hero was Brant, who had been so cruelly betrayed in If He’s Sinful.

And then we are in Olympia’s head and she has quite the sense of humor regarding her overt spinster like status, particularly as she is a widow. And I realized how ridiculous my reticence truly was. Which brings me to my trigger warning for this book. Nothing is really described,but there are children in jeopardy and also discussion of past events. Olympia is admirable and also very funny and charming. All I can say is she seems very much like someone I would be pleased to be friends with. And Brant was simply sweet and yummy, and in no way deserved the bum deal he got. I liked them both, and even better I liked them for each other.

There was no real mystery in this, just the unraveling of the villainy of Brant’s mother, but there was plenty of action and intrigue involved in it. And always, family ties are key and were lovely to watch.

There is just one thing that bothers me, and it does so only because of the glom, but I am realizing every single one of these ends with a pregnant woman waiting for the hero’s return. Since none of them relied on the trope of married because of child, I didn’t really note it at first. It didn’t make me like it any less, but I have decided to take a break before the next ones.