Enjoy heart-meltingly beautiful and toe-curlingly sexy romance in Tempted by Love, an emotionally riveting story about a man who has lost it all and carries a torturous secret, a divorced single mother who has everything to lose, and the little girl who helps them heal. Fall in love on the sandy shores of Silver Island, home to coffee shops, boat races, midnight rendezvous, and the sexy, … and the sexy, sharp-witted Steeles.
In USA Today bestseller TEMPTED BY LOVE…
Years ago, bestselling author Jack “Jock” Steele lost his girlfriend and baby in a horrific accident that drove a wedge between Jock and his family, keeping him from sharing a devastating secret. An aging philanthropist saved him from the brink of despair, and for a decade Jock cared for his ailing friend who became his family. Now his friend has passed away and left him a fortune—on the condition that he publishes another book. Jock is floundering, unsure how to rebuild the life he’d walked away from, much less find his muse, have another relationship with a woman, or even think about having a family of his own. But he can’t get his sweet, sexy new friend, single-mother Daphne Zablonski out of his head, and her adorable toddler must know something he doesn’t, because she wraps her tiny fingers around his heart and won’t let go.
Daphne has been through the wringer with her ex-husband and doesn’t believe true love is in the cards for her. Friends she can handle, but letting a man see her mom bod naked? Especially someone as strikingly handsome and unbelievably sexy as Jock? No, thank you. Besides, she has a toddler to chase after and enough fictional boyfriends to fill her lonely nights. If only her book boyfriends could make her body tingle the way one look from her mysterious neighbor does.
As Jock and Daphne’s friendship turns to something too tempting to deny, their lives take an unexpected turn. Can a man who has lost everything find redemption with a woman who has everything to lose? And then there’s that secret…
More Steeles at Silver Island are coming soon!
TEMPTED BY LOVE (Jock)
MY TRUE LOVE (Jules)
ALWAYS HER LOVE (Levi)
ENTICING HER LOVE (Sutton)
CAUGHT BY LOVE (Archer)
WILD ISLAND LOVE (Leni)
Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster’s writing and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone or may be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance
Snow Sisters
The Bradens
The Bradens and Montgomerys
The Remingtons
Seaside Summers
Bayside Summers
The Ryders
Wild Boys After Dark
Bad Boys After Dark
The Whiskeys
The Wickeds
Sugar Lake
Harmony Pointe
Harborside Nights
“You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that’s fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won’t want to stop reading.” NYT Bestselling Author Brenda Novak
“With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!” NYT Bestseller J. Kenner
“Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!” NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely
“I highly recommend this book to fans of Nora Roberts…and fans of a sweet story filled with heat and heart.” – Tia Bach, author
“Melissa Foster is quickly becoming one of my favorites…reminds me of Jill Shalvis’ books and they are my benchmark for contemporary romance awesomeness.”
“I highly recommend the Snow Sisters all the Braden and Remington books…They remind me of the McCarthy of Gansett series and The Green Mountain series…” – I Love NY, Reviewer
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Jack “Jock” has been struggling with the demons of his past for a long time and when Daphne and her daughter Hadley come into Jock’s life he feels a strong connection to them but can not seem to move forward from his past. Daphne finds Jock handsome and funny but the fact that he can not be around Hadley is a big concern to her. Will Daphne and Hadley be able to help Jock heal or will his demons keep him from happiness? Tempted by Love is the first book in the new The Steeles at Silver Island series.
Melissa Foster truly knows how to elicit every emotion from you while reading. I cried happy and sad tears as well as smiled so big it hurt. The relationship between Daphne and Hadley is amazing, Hadley is too adorable and reminded me of my boys when they were young. I loved the playfulness and chemistry that is between Jock and Daphne and how their relationship bloomed from a friendship into something unforgettable. Another emotionally beautiful story that tugs on your heartstrings. I am looking forward to more of the Steele family.
What a great start to The Steeles of Silver Island series. Jock and Daphne’s story put me in emotional overload. Jock was the perfect moody alpha that his heart melted when he was around Daphne’s daughter. And Daphne might have been broken down but she was stronger then she thought and powered back to life with Jock.
“Love is patient and when the right one comes around it will take your breath away.”
I have to add this book to my “Best of 2020” list. Melissa just added a new level to how amazing her writing is. I say this every time but its always true, I love Mellissa’s books anything and everything she writes.
Every time Melissa Foster starts a further spin-off of her Love In Bloom series, I fall more in love. And who wouldn’t love Jack “Jock” Steele – a man that upon losing so much, began taking care of an elderly man and then upon more loss falls in love with a single mom and her adorable daughter. Jock was a great writer who lost so much and retreated into himself – avoiding life and direct contact with children. Along comes Daphne and her daughter and Jock can’t help falling for the mother and the daughter. Daphne knows there is something special about Jock but his inability to be around her daughter makes her weary. Together the two help each other heal from past relationships and move forward. I can’t wait to read more Steele books.
Tempted by Love tells the story of Jack “Jock” Steele and super sweet, single mama, Daphne and her adorable daughter. Both have some Stuff with a capital ’S’ in their past and need a little bit of healing before they’re going to be able move on. Fortunately, there’s an attraction level there that helps with this healing pretty quickly.
Ranking pretty high on the Spicy Scale, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not listening to this one with the kiddo’s around. It. Gets. Steamy.
There should be a few trigger warnings here, especially for a pretty easy-going romance, including Infant Death / Child Loss and Emotional Abuse from a Spouse. If you are triggered by either of these things, I would recommend skipping this one.
Tempted by Love sets us up for the rest of the series which promises to be lighthearted and quick. If you’re up for a spicy / troubled-past romance, give this one a try.
I thank Melissa Foster and World Literary Books for this galley in exchange for an honest review.
This is easily my second favorite book from Melissa, Call Her Mine is still my #1 (Ben, I love you)! This thick book brings a lot of emotions, truth, realism, friendship, family and so much love.
Jack “Jock” Steele went through things in life that I could never survive and I was glad that the author didn’t take a long time to tell what happened to him, we know from the beginning. He is a broken man, but since he met Daphne he vow to himself to not let his past triggers interfere with his future, because he had to find a way to get close to her daughter Hadley without remember his pain.
Daphne is a divorced (we don’t meet her ex, but I hate him) and single mother to the beautiful girl Hadley, damn I loved her so much, she steals the show every time.
She has her own insecurities with her body, weight and what she deserves in life. But over all of this there’s her baby girl, Hadley is Daphne’s world.
Jock and Daph journey is so beautiful, their chemistry is instant and the love and friendship they create for them grows within every page. They are so sincere with their pasts and fears, that I love them as couple even more when they heal and fortify each other. My heart almost exploded with every interaction between Hadley and “My Dock” (how she called him) and when he finally set his demons free I cried like a baby.
I also loved meeting all the Steele family and can’t wait to read Jock’s siblings books, their interactions were emotional and funny. But also Daph’s family was amazing and I hope the show up in some other books too.
Toward the end Melissa left me on the edge so many times, I’m positive she wanted me dead! This book is what dreams are made of and their dreams all came true! Definitely a must read.
4.5 stars—TEMPTED BY LOVE is the first instalment in Melissa Foster’s contemporary, adult THE STEELES OF SILVER ISLAND erotic , romance series- another spin off from the author’s LOVE IN BLOOM series. This is writer Jack ‘Jock’ Steele, and event planner/single mother Daphne Zablonski’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Jock and Daphne) TEMPTED BY LOVE follows the building romance and relationship between twenty six year old Event planner / singles mother Daphne Zablonski, and author Jack ‘Jock’ Steele. Daphne Zablonski is a single mother whose attraction to author Jock Steele is tempered by Jock’s reactions to her three year old daughter Hadley. Believing Jock dislikes children, especially her daughter Hadley, Daphne struggles with her attraction to a man who may be all kinds of wrong in Daphne’s life until Jock reveals the truth behind his reluctance including the death of his former girlfriend and unborn child years earlier. Having spent ten years lookI got after an aging philanthropist, Jock is lost upon Harvey Fine’s death, another death he struggles to move beyond. Meeting Daphne Zablonski gave Jock thoughts about a new beginning but Jock continued to battle the demons from his past, until a small three year old child fell in love with our story line hero. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Jock and Daphne, and the potential fall-out as history starts to repeat itself.
Daphne Zablonski’s husband left when their daughter was seven days old. A single mother, working as a receptionist, scheduling vacation rentals, Daphne’s heart focused on event planning but when her boss had no plans for expanding his business, Daphne struggled with a direction in life. With her daughter her first priority, Daphne knew it was only a matter of time before something better came along, including the love of a man who continued to star in her fantasies. Jock Steele’s guilt over the death of his girlfriend and unborn child continue to haunt his days and night. Falling for single mother Daphne Zablonski meant having to face his demons in the guise of a three year old child. Slowly, succumbing to the love and spontaneity of Daphne’s daughter, Jock knew he could overcome his previous losses until everything begins to spiral out of control.
The relationship between Jock and Daphne begins as a friendship threatened by Jock’s inability to accept Daphne’s daughter. One year would pass as our couple lusted after one another-from a distance-until Daphne decided she had had enough. The $ex scenes are intimate erotic and intense without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a very large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including both Daphne and Jock’s immediate and extended families, friends, and several of the couples we have met in previous story lines and series.
TEMPTED BY LOVE is a heart breaking and emotional story line of love, loss, acceptance and moving forward. The premise is captivating and impassioned; the romance is seductive; the characters are broken, dynamic and charismatic. Melissa Foster has another hit series in the making .
Melissa Foster brings us another series with the first book being Tempted By Love. The duo we are introduced too is Jock & Daphne. Jock is a writer who is dealing with writer’s block & the loss of gentleman who took care of for 10 years who ended up being a friend as well. He also has been carrying around a secret that has been haunting him for some time. Daphne is a single mom with an adorable 3 year old daughter, Hadley. Her ex husband had left her with a low self esteem & not liking her body, thus, why he is her ex. This duo have been dancing around each other for a year where they met at a friend’s wedding. The vibes they give off could start a fire. The life baggage they have been carrying around keeps them at a distance at first as the tread the waters and form a friendship. And while they are taking things slow, Hadley, Daphne’s little girl, becomes attached to Jock. As things start heating up, they both start sharing pieces of themselves and revealing what they have been carrying around. A. s Melissa unfolds their story word by word, one page after another, we learn what they have been dealing with. You’ll want to smack Daphne’s ex for the number he did on her and you’ll cry & ache for Jock & the pain plus guilt that has been clinging to him. They face their “demons” together and help each other heal along with their family and friends. Such a delightful story. You won’t be disappointed.
Holy man! The Steeles at Silver Island series is off to an awesome start with Temped by Love. Jock, Daphne and Hadley are just….everything! Jock and Daphne have struggles, but they don’t do things on their own and stay closed off. They are a team from the get go and Hadley is the glue that kept Jock on track to learn to handle his past demons. It truly is like Hadley picked him from the start and wouldn’t give up on him no matter what. You have to read this book!!!
What a wonderful start to a new series!! I am a series reader for sure! I love getting to see glimpses of previous characters I’ve met in previous books. Foster did not disappoint in the first book of The Steele’s at Silver Island.
We meet Jock and Daphne. Jock has survived a horrible loss which caused him to pull away from everyone close to him. A once in a lifetime opportunity came to Jock, but it took meeting Daphne and a sweet little girl in order for him to fulfill the opportunity. Daphne is a single mother, trying to overcome all the stuff her ex put her though. Being attracted to Jock was great, but it took Hadley falling for Jock to let Daphne be open to more with him.
Love, Friendship and forgiveness is found throughout this story. A great read! I can’t wait for the next story at Silver Island.
3.5-4 stars.
In this first book in the series, we have Daphne and Jack; they are in really different places in their lives, yet there is a strong attraction between them. She’s a single mother, raising her little girl the best she can; and he’s a guy with sooo many emotions, he simply can’t let himself feel more.
I really liked Daphne and her little girl, Hadley (she was just too precious). They made a great team, even when it looked like everything was against her, Daphne kept going for her little girl. I loved her as a mom. And as a woman, she had a lot of feelings for Jack. I really liked that side, like she let herself be herself for once.
Jack, on the other hand, had a lot of pain from his past. I really wanted to hug him hard. No wonder he was so closed off, to the point of being rude. But one you really knew him, you could understand why. I really wanted him to be happy, after all that pain. Daphne and Hadley were great for him, he just needed to open up his heart again.
Really good and full of emotions, a great start of a new series.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*
I love this book and the characters. I like how the books are connected and read about the previews character. This story was very emotional and I love how the characters worked through their issues. Jock and Daphne are amazing characters and little Hadley is the sweetest girl ever, I hope she keeps making an appearance on the next books. I really enjoy reading this book and can’t wait to read the next book on this series. I received an advance reader copy in exchange of my honest review.
Melissa Foster can create a world like no other. She makes you fall in love……not only with love….. it with a town and all of the characters that live there. This story will keep you reading until the very end to find the HEA but will also leave you with a smile on your face and impatience for the next story to come!
I feel like I have been waiting for Daphne’s HEA forever and it was totally worth the wait! Melissa Foster is one of my all-time favorite authors and this is definitely in my top five favorite books of hers. It is also one of my favorites this year! Daphne, Jock, and Hadley stole my heart from the first page. I couldn’t put it down! It was such a sweet story and I highly recommend it.
Anyone familiar with Melissa Foster’s books knows that they’re tied together in one way or another, whether it be through family or a close-knit circle of friends or a united community. With SO many published titles, I know that the idea of diving in can be daunting, but here’s the thing with Foster’s stories: you can easily start any of the series she has and go from there. If there are any recurring characters from stories past and they pique your curiosity, add the books to your to-be-read list. Seriously, you won’t feel like you’re missing anything of vital importance, i.e. something that may affect what’s happening in the book you’re currently reading. So, with that being said, if you’re new to this author and you’ve been wanting to read something of hers, I’m highly recommending you check out her newest series starter!
This is the sort of story that I must insist you don’t make any assumptions within the first few chapters. Admittedly, Jock’s reactions towards Hadley may not endear him to readers immediately, but trust me, there’s a reason why he reacts that way he does towards kids. And that’s the thing I loved most about this book–I loved getting to know both Jock and Daphne, who are just about two of the richest main characters I’ve had the pleasure of “meeting” this year in fiction. Life has been challenging for these two, yet they have such a strength of character that becomes more evident with each new chapter. I also appreciated that Hadley wasn’t portrayed as some perfect toddler who smiled and giggled all the time but was presented realistically? Tempted by Love is a wonderful five-starred beginning to the new Steeles of Silver Island series.
Can I give this 10 stars?
Jock, Daphne and Hadley are my new favorite Melissa Foster family!!!! I laughed out loud, I puddled up, my heart raced! Every page was a rollercoaster of emotions! I couldn’t put it down!
I am ridiculously excited for the next installment in this new series! You don’t want to miss out on the fun, so grab your copy today!
This was a phenomenal read. I cannot even begin to express how much I loved this book. I found the characters to be relatable and fun. This story has humor, sadness, pain, romance, sexiness, hopefulness and love, so so much love. I laughed, cried and fell in love.
After losing his “girlfriend” (who also happen to be his twin brothers best friend for many years) and baby in a car accident, Jock (Jack) Steele was devastated. He was completely lost. His twin Archer telling him he didn’t want anything to do with him every again did not help the situation. After meeting a sick man, Jock spent over a decade caring for the man and “existing”. Unfortunately, when he passes away Jock is again left devastated and left wondering what he will do now. Luckily for Jock he has some really good and supportive friends.
Daphne is a single mother of a almost 3 year old little girl (Hadley) that does not like to smile but for only a selected few, and never does she just go to people and hang on them. However, from the first time she seen Jock, Hadley always had a very special smile for him. Every time Hadley sees Jocks she runs toward him trying to get him to hold her. Unfortunately, because of Jock’s past he doesn’t do well with kids and actually avoids them at all cost.
Since the first time Jock seen Daphne at their friends wedding last year he has always wanted to get to know her. Daphne noticing Jock at the same wedding would like to get to know him as well. So one night after an incident that happened between Jock and Hadley earlier in the day, Jock seen Daphne outside reading and decided to stop and apologize for his actions. What started out as an apology will become something more than either thought it would ever be.
Read Tempted By Love and see how a divorced single mother falls for a handsome writer that has to learn how to live again. This story is melt worthy. You will be so happy you decided to read it.
Tempted by Love is such a beautiful tale of deep heartbreak followed by the greatest love story I have ever read. Now before we go any further I want to give a trigger warning that this book discusses the death of an infant and a partner.
Daphne and her daughter nearly 3-year-old daughter Hadley loved their town and family and friends, and though Hadley was a loving child she knew her smiles were precious, and therefore only graced a few people with them. Unfortunately, the one person little Hadley seemed to love the most, Jock, couldn’t seem to get away from her fast enough. And Daphne was determined never to allow anyone to reject her child, like her ex-husband had done to them before Hadley was born, if only he wasn’t the one that she was attracted by too.
Jock (Jack) Steele life for the past 10 years has been so full of rage and pain, but after losing his friend Harvey. But after hearing Hadley’s pleas for him he knew things couldn’t continue on, especially as Daphne is the first woman he has been attracted to in forever and he knew it was time to face the past head-on, in order to move forward.
I know I say this about every Melissa Foster book, but Tempted by Love stoke my breath and my heart and reduced me to tears but filled me with hope at the same time. Tempted by Love is an outstanding book that will provoke all your emotions and steal your heart.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump…….Melissa Foster’s new series has just set my heart to racing. Wow, what an incredible story. The first book in “The Steeles at Silver Island” series features Jock Steele and Daphne Zablonski. These characters were introduced in the Bayside series and other characters from the series also appear. Meeting the family and friends of Jock was so endearing. This grief and pain felt by both Jock and Daphne is so well written it is palpable. But the metamorphosis of these characters as they heal is what Melissa Foster truly excels at writing. This is a touching, heartfelt story with a most beautiful HEA.
Oh my goodness! I love this book. This book had me giggle and crying. I love a good emotional story. Jock and Daphne’s story was so well told. It didn’t happen overnight. Jock had a ton of baggage to work through and I wasn’t sure it was gonna happen. And little Hadley was adorable. LOL
I felt the story had a perfect pace and I never felt like anything was rushed. This story is as sweet as it is sexy. Both Jock and Daphne felt real to me and I love when that happens.
TEMPTED BY LOVE by Melissa Foster. Well, what can I say? Ms. Foster has taken my heart and ran away with it. I ADORE this story. I love Jock and I love Daphne and who couldn’t adore Hadley! The book is filled with love, romance, family and friends and so much more. Jock and Daphne both have some turbulence in their pasts. Experiencing them as they deal and muddle through these issues had me sniffling and grabbing the tissues. But Ms. Foster doesn’t leave her readers a slobbery mess as she includes moments of lightness which made me smile and chuckle too. This one is a true winner! (received ARC for honest review)