Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Paula Quinn - Lord of Temptation - Risande Trilogy 2

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A sinful handsome warrior determined to tempt her and a bold slave decisive to resist him, let the game begin...

With his coal black hair, pale grey eyes and radiant smile Lord Dante Risande has never come across a woman he could not seduce. But behind his carefree and charming attitude he is consumed by guilt. He blames himself for his sister’s death and has only one thing on his mind, revenge. Then he meets Gianelle, a beautiful slave, who seems to be immune for his charm. When she is blamed for the murder of her master he cannot sit back and do nothing, but if he wants to proof her innocence he has to buy her. Although she is grateful for his help, she still refuses him flatly. Now isn’t that a challenge for a fierce warrior who is not used to lose on the battlefield or in the bedroom.

Gianelle Dejiat has been a slave all her live, she only wants to be free and independent. She wants nothing to do with men, they have treated her cruel and unkind her whole life. But she is in real trouble, she is accused of murder and every piece of evidence points in her direction. The roguish warrior is her only hope to escape the destiny of a murderer, therefore she can do nothing else then put her faith in him. Yet she soon discovers that Dante is nothing like any man she met before, for he treats her like an equal not a servant. But is she willing to surrender to the man who owns her and give up her own dream to be free at last.

This is the second part of the Risande trilogy and it only took a couple of pages before I was fully immersed in this dazzling story. This sensual and breathtaking story drew me in and would not let me move until I finished the last page. It left me in awe and I felt completely spellbound. This story toyed with my emotions and touched my heart in so many ways, I cannot help but feeling this book was a perfect read for me.

Paula Quinn not only does extensive research, steeping her story with an abundance of medieval flavour, but also created strong, well-written characters with immense depth to them. Gianelle is this strong, beautiful woman, she is loyal to her friends, speaks her mind though she is a slave and sometimes rebels against the nobility. As for Dante, he is heavenly sexy! He is strong, handsome, honourable, seductive, witty, always says the right things and you cannot get enough of him. How can you not like such loveable characters!

The cast of secondary characters play a great part in this story but they do not dominate the story. Casey and Balin are lovely personalities and you will like them immediately, they only add more of a good thing. Another character that caught my eye and made me laugh, is the almost blind James, he is hilarious with his chicken obsession! Just like in Brand’s story the dialogues sizzle from the pages and are first class. As for the plot, it is rich, thrilling and anything but predictable, it will keep you flipping the pages.

Dante to Gianelle and vice versa:

“Walk with me outside later when your work is done.” “Non.”

“I will remain silent, and you can ‘interrogate’ me.”

“But my lord.” She raised her eyes to his. “There is nothing I want to know about you.”


Lord of temptation is the perfect blend of passionate romance, chivalry, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, humour and radiant conversations. Dante Risande has become one of my favourite heroes! This is one of those stories you can read over and over again till your book falls to pieces due to extensive reading. For me, Paula Quinn has penned down the perfect classic medieval story with Lord of Temptation.

This story is addictive and a sinfully sexy read!

5 stars