Tempted (The Dark Hart Chronicles, #1)

by Alexandra Anthony

[Cocktails and Books]

Tempted is a paranormal romance between Savannah Wood and Nick Hart. The star of this novel is its hero, Nick Hart. I absolutely fell in love with his character. There is just something about a strong man that knows it's okay to let your guard down and allow yourself to be comforted by a woman that you love and trust. That's Nick. Nick Hart is a drop dead gorgeous hunk of a vampire. He has a golden voice which has enabled him to have a very lucrative career as a rock star. Nick is not your typical rock star with a huge ego and a passion for parties and women. He is very introspective, sensitive, vulnerable, and loyal. He sees Savannah Wood and knows that he must explore their mutual though unacknowledged attraction.

Savannah Wood is the product of a distracted father and dysfunctional mother. She has felt the wrath of the press up close and personal. She refuses to allow herself to be in a position that will make her vulnerable to the paparazzi again. She begins working for Nick Hart determined not to let her attraction for him jeopardize her new job and chance to become an agent. However, despite her determination passion takes their relationship to a more personal level. I liked Savannah's character. I just felt like she was immature and childish in some parts of the plot. There were other parts where I wanted to stand up and applaud her because she was a real stand by your man type of woman. I guess that's where my disconnect came in---I never knew whether she would be the strong woman or the confused adolescent.

Alexandra Anthony did a simply brilliant thing by showing the tradeoffs and the compromises that any relationship entails. This is not a fairy tale story where the hero and heroine come together and all is well while they ride into the sunset. This book depicts real relationship issues and power struggles. I absolutely loved reading about the evolution of their relationship. The sex was off the charts hot and there was a multitude of it. There was mystery and intrigue along the way. The book kept my attention and was a quick easy read. The ending was a cliffhanger which I hate. So you will have to buy the next book in the series to see how the relationship evolves further and how the mystery is solved. It would have been so much better to conclude their story and pick up on a secondary romance occurring between Savannah's best friend, Siobhan and Nick's best friend, Malcolm.

Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books