Alexander Sinclair, the Fourth Earl of Falmouth, has a reputation for revelling in vice. But his taste for wine, women and dice is only a fraction of the dangerous truth, for the Earl is the force behind a powerful gang, smuggling contraband between France and Cornwall. Never afraid to get his hands dirty and with an abiding love of living recklessly, Alex leads many of these runs himself, until … himself, until one fateful night when the Revenue appear. Forced to sail into a violent storm, the ship is lost and Alex is washed ashore, barely alive, close to the French port of Roscoff.
Innocent beauty, Célestine Lavelle, has lost everything. The daughter of a noble French family forced to flee during the Revolution, she has been forced to work in the kitchens of the local whore house, where her future is shrouded in sin. Desperate and completely alone, the discovery of a half drowned English smuggler on the shore will lead her heart in directions she never dreamed of.
Determined to save his beguiling rescuer, Alex plans that her future should be full of everything that is good and honourable, but will the temptation to take her as his own be too hard to resist?
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Emma Leech delivers again! The Earl of Falmouth is a tough nut to crack, but Celeste has his number from the start. The Comtesse is a very different heroine, she is an innocent who is not completely innocent. sShe is a loving, genuine, honest character and strong in her own right (I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to read about a strong female lead! No wishy washiness here.) I spent the bulk of the book routing for them to be together, for him to wise up. I could almost feel his anguish when he nearly loses her. This relationship is not a fly by night, it develops and expands over a period of time which is much more realistic.
The Villain is a very nasty character but vaquished quickly by our hero – who is the true antagonist to the heroine and himself because he thinks he does not deserve her. I love this series. Scandal’s Daughter, here I come!
Celeste is a character I hope never to cross, because Alex Sinclair is about to find out. It takes this man almost two years to realize he can’t live without Celeste. I guess being over or near forty made him lose his mind, and a stubbornness about being old enough to be her father. The age difference in this story was not uncommon during this time period, so I don’t know why Alex had a hard time with it. He never thought of Celeste as his daughter, but as a woman. As Alex found out, a very formidable one.
I loved it, Emma has a way with all of her books that I have read (and that is almost all of them so far) to make it so easy to fall into the setting of the theme and become one of her characters. I love the way your emotions will just come out as you read each chapter. I definitely recommend this book to read! And don’t forget the Series..
The Earl’s Temptation is a fabulous historical romance by Emma V. Leech. Ms. Leech has provided readers with a well-written book loaded with amazing characters. Celeste was left on her own after Maggie, her mother’s old servant, dies. She goes to work, cooking and cleaning in a brothel. Alex went down with his ship and Celeste found him on the shore and nursed him back to health. Alex and Celeste’s story is loaded with drama, action, sizzle, humor and suspense. I enjoyed reading The Earl’s Temptation and look forward to reading more from Emma V. Leech in the future. The Earl’s Temptation is book 2 of the Rogues & Gentlemen Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
This era is one of my favorites and it felt good to redeem a title to an innocent victim of the French Revolution. It wasn’t just the peasants to suffered from this.
If you read Historical Fiction this is the book for you! I loved the characters and how they overcome obstacles. A great read.
It was really good.
I loved this story. I would like to read more of this author.
I thought it a great book want more like it an a. great author
A book you can’t put down. Unpredictable.
Loved it. I would strongly recommend it. Couldn’t put it down.
A good read. Entertaining to the end!
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the story and the characters. It will be one of those books that I re-read and know that I will enjoy it again, when I do.
Not a bad story. A few sad moments. But eventually they get the their happy ending.
pre martial sex
I enjoyed the story – I had a little problem with the age difference even though it was common back then. The characters, Alex, Celeste, Aubrey, Lawrence, Henri (Lawrence & Henri from Book 1 The Rogue) and the Aunts were all well developed & sucked you in to their daily lives. Alex, the smuggler Earl & orphaned/homeless Celeste, the French Contesse of Varley makes for a romantic, witty & fun read. I did feel the editing needed improvement – especially asking the jeweler to show/sell him Sapphires (the color of Celeste’s eyes) & then buying Emeralds but then presented Sapphires to her. I wished we would have seen some kind of action by Alex regarding Sindlaton’s conspiracy with Alex’s ex-mistress. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading Book 3 Scandal’s Daughter.
This book has a good plot, is a tad too dramatic and is longer than it needs to be.
Not very good.
Good edition to the rogues and gentlemen series
Good read