The Price of Temptation (2024)

the price of temptation appears to be elephantiasis of the testicl*s.

^^HMMMM JUST CHECK OUT THAT COVER^^

More of my reviews and thoughts on my blog PANTS OFF REVIEWS

THE COVER- I know what you all are thinking, “what the hell is in his pants”? Well truthfully, I have no idea, but I really do love the cover. I love his stance and the other guy kneeling at his feet. I find it to be very sexy, and makes me wanna say, such cheesy lines like “Is that a flashlight in your pants or are you just happy to see me”, or “Is this a stick up and are you here to take my clothes”. The possibilities are endless and his breeches are nice and snug, another squeeze my balls a leggo my ankle pants.

What I really loved about this book is that it reads like a true historical romance. It was sweet, sexy, and had a certain innocence, which increased the sexiness like by 36%. It offers the handsome and sexy rake, the innocent but tough virgin, and the vile villain. I love historical m/f romance and it no surprise that I loved this one.

Stephen is gay and has always been gay, he does not hide who he is and also has an expensive kept man, in other words a mistress man. He is struggling to make ends meet, but you gotta keep up appearances for the infamous “ton”. His household is barely getting by but he has a few loyal servants who won’t leave his side. Until Jamie arrives looking for a job and then all hell breaks loose.

Jamie has arrived from the country to the city, promised a job by an earl he thinks he has it made. Until he meets Stephen the man he is to serve, and the on who tempts him so much. Jamie’s job is to get Stephen out of the financial dumps and help him bring money in. Jamie can’t help falling in love, and will succumbing to Stephen mean that he will become a kept man?

Let me tell you about this book, it pissed me off. Stephen is such a man; he sees his mistakes but he just does not pay attention to them. He wants Jamie but still keeps his whor* of a man, and he is one whor* of a man. He is a bad little gay slu*t. Though there are faults with Stephen character, he is likable and very caring to Jamie. I enjoyed Jamie; he was tough, yet gentle, innocent but not stupid. He wanted more than sex and was willing to leave the man he loved, because he would not just settle.

Real Talk- I read a lot of m/m books, and there is always something about size and precum. Like the slippery trail of precum, and the leaking tip and precum everywhere. On someone’s chest, a puddle on the floor, in someone’s eye etc…… This book has none of that, and if it did; it would have entirely changed the tone of the story. Did I miss the precum? Mmmm not really, it was a welcomed break.

I was really happy with this book, I loved the fact that everyone knew of Stephens preference for men, and label it folly of the youth, but god forbid he falls in love, then he is depraved and disgusting. What can I say people are ridiculi. I give it 5 stars for the authenticity of the historical genre, and his nice package in those breeches. I wonder how the ride on a horse would be, something to ponder.

3-3.5 stars – A pretty fun historical romance. Fans of m/m regencies may especially like this story of poor Jamie, who has come to London with his last few coins to take up a position as a tutor for a Lord’s children, only to find that the Lord and his family had died in a terrible accident and the household was now run by the rakish brother. Fortunately for Jamie, he gets a job as the house’s new secretary. Even though he finds Lord Stephen overspendy and irresponsible, and Stephen finds Jamie mousey and unappealing, especially compared to his foppish actor lover, but they slowly start to realize the other’s good qualities and how much better they feel when they are together.

The parts I liked: I really dug the first half--it was full of delicious regency/historical fun times as Jamie got acclimated to his new life and did the push-away/come-closer dance with his attraction to Stephen. The side characters who peppered the story, the servants and Stephen’s awesome Aunt were also a lot of fun to read.

Pearson’s writing style was also highly readable, and I loved all the period details she flitted into the story, making each scene easy to picture, whether it was Stephen’s library, Jamie’s forever-cold upstairs room, or an amazing indoor picnic at his Aunt’s mansion.

What was harder for me: Somewhere around 63%, the big Misunderstanding happened, and then the MCs separated for Emo Separation Time, and were apart for the next 30% of the book. During this time, intrepid Jamie tried to find work, but ends up in the villainous clutches of Stephen’s jealous actor lover (WHO IS SUPER EVIL). Stephen is very emo and mopey, and decides that moping with his Evil Lover is fine since Jamie left him, which made me feel a lot less sympathetic towards him.

Thankfully, Jamie is rescued during a drawn out climax which was almost comical for how long it took to get people to rescue him. (I was skimming at this point. “Get to Jamie, you imbeciles!”) FINALLY, they are together, and have a 3-5% or so for a quick reconciliation and ILYs/sex, etc. I felt a little apathetic by this point, and wished Stephen was a way better person for Jamie. There definitely wasn’t enough realization on his side.

The story has a fun classic feel to it though, so if you like historicals, you may totally dig this. For me, I loved the energy of the first half, but I wish the separation time had been shorter in the second, or the reconciliation was longer.

I think the old/original cover is the TOPS though. It’s so pulpy and lovely and makes me think of trashy dime novels, and I just totally dig the feel of it.

I’m sad that the new ebook version doesn’t have that cover. (And is that guy on the cover supposed to be Jamie?? That guy's haughty face makes me think of terrible villain Julian WHO IS TERRIBLE.)

In the end, a fun read. I’ll definitely check out more from this author since even though this one fizzled a bit for me in the second half, I love that she went all Super-Regency and I’m psyched to try her other historicals.

** This has new cover but I'm sticking with the original. Because look at his package! **

I am having quite a difficult time rating this actually...

I give 2-stars for Stephen Clair, Earl of St. Joseph, that idiot earl that left me fuming throughout the book.

I give 3-stars for the whole story (it started rather strong, but then meandered in the middle, and picked up again, then ended!).

I give 3.5-stars for the darling Jamie Riley, the timid, shy, kind-hearted virgin (!) secretary who stole Stephen’s heart.

So where does that leave me?

Okay, let’s start with the story first, shall we? Lately, I have a fondness towards choosing historical/regency MM because it offers me something that I’ve been missing from contemporary MM romance. Namely “courting”. I’m not a seeker of the shy young virgin and dashing haughty duke/earl/lord situation story – because it reminds me too much of why I got bored with MF romance. However, I realize that in MM, it provides a progression in the relationship, a courting, and I don’t have to worry about instant attraction, instant love, or the wham-bam-thank-you-Sir sex fest in the gay club situation.

Oh, and NO “BABY” as an endearment! *lol*

That was why I decided to pick this one. It started quite strong, with Jamie Riley, a shy young man who arrived at Earl of St. Joseph’s house to take a position as a teacher for the Earl’s children. Only to find out that the Earl died along with his family and his brother has taken the title. Jamie ended up as Stephen’s secretary. I enjoyed the immersion of Jamie to the house, with its colorful staff who came to the household with their own ‘scandalous’ background.

But then the story became a bit too dramatic for me. Probably because of the STUPID Stephen Clair and his penchant for the extravagant life, and his idiotic perception of keeping a lover like Julian Jeffries (VERY EVIL actor!). Seriously, I thought Stephen was a character that dragged the whole thing!! I disliked him immensely. I never really believed that he was able to change his ways. I was hoping that Jamie could find a better lover than Stephen. I mean, during a very critical moment where Jamie left the house (we got a huge misunderstanding moment, dear readers), Stephen became all mopey and emo, and returned to the embrace of Julian. I mean, WTF Stephen?!? Stupid IDIOT Earl! I wanted to kick him to the curb!!

Anyway, I’m rambling … uhm, yes, so the story went back on track. I actually loved how the rest of the St. Clair’s staff was putting their heads together to save Jamie (it was kind of fun!). Including Stephen’s Aunt, whom I thought KICKED serious ass! Although the ending after the rescue was rushed and again, it didn’t make me believe in Stephen’s attempt to be a better man.

So it was quite enjoyable, despite the weak second half, and the stupid character that I had to endure.

"The Price of Temptation" is M. J. Pearson's first published gay historical romance. It's set around 1815 and tells the story of Stephen Clair, Earl of St. Joseph, and his secretary Jamie Riley.

Jamie Riley becomes the secretary of Earl of St. Joseph. Stephen is a good-hearted man who collects misfits but at the same time, he can't keep two coins together. And so, Jamie helps his new Master sort his accounts... and falls in love with him. Stephen is determined to seduce Jamie because he grew tired of his current lover Julian, who is the flirtatious, experienced but dumb and greedy sort of a man. But Jamie's mother was a kept woman and it destroyed her life and so Jamie is determined never to be someone's play toy. One night, Stephen makes love to Jamie but in the morning, thanks to a terrible misunderstanding, Jamie runs away and finds himself coin-less on the streets of London...

This is a very cute story similar to various het historical romances set around the same time - mostly it reminds me of the het stories of Julia Garwood: there is plot, intrigue but a good dash of humor too. The funniest thing is probably the ensemble of Stephen's house that ranges from a gay valet to a cook that can't cook and a female coachman. And it's also very touching how the household learns to like Jamie quickly and they do whatever they can to get him and Stephen together. Another thing that's quite cute is the nickname Stephen chooses for his little secretary: Mouse. A little grey Mouse :)

Pearson's strong points are the cute beginning and the strong middle of the story. Until Jamie runs away from Stephen, the story is very engaging and really holds the reader's interest. But then, Jamie's life on the streets and Julian's revenge, the dungeons under Madam Novotny's brothel... It feels dragged-out and rushed at the same time. It's really strange. And especially the ending is rather abrupt. Stephen saves Jamie from the dungeon and wham, two pages later it's The End. Suddenly, the whole thing feels emotionally underdeveloped. Jamie escapes rape and torture but it has almost no effect at all on him :(

Should I compare this book to "Discreet Young Gentleman", another book by M. J. Pearson, I would say I liked the second one better. But this one is still very good and offers a nice gay historical romance - there is not enough of them out there (at least of the ones that have a happy ending). I would give it four stars out of five.

Look at that cover & package! It's like Disney's Beauty & the Beast does m/m!

I won’t say I didn’t enjoy this, because I did. It was possible to unhinge my research head and treat it as a “romance novel” with all that that genre implies. Brooding hero, delicate (but rather stubborn) hero who isn’t going to let said BH get into his pants unless it’s true love – not if he can help it! (all whilst being swept along by his own desires)

So yes, it’s an enjoyable romance read. I liked the characters in the main. The BH (Stephen) was suitably brooding and sufficiently dissolute to make me happy. His kept man (Julian) was nicely venal without being a cardboard cut out and the hero (Jamie) was all right, although far the weaker of the main characters in my opinion.

Characters

I liked Stephen a lot. He was a product of his time and circ*mstances. He’d lost his family and was drifting further and further into dissipation and was more than ripe for True Love to Redeem Him. As much as I liked him he certainly deserved The Wet Fish Clue Slap around half way through, because he wouldn’t shake off the wastrel Julian he was hanging around with for the lack of anything better), he struck me as a very true man – being led around by flattery and his libido – and like a lot of rich men, he had lost the ability to tell whether affection was real or bought.

Jamie I never quite connected with, he held many of the attributes of the good romantic hero(ine), he was Good. He was self taught, (no education other than some old vicar in Yorkshire, but he could read Greek and was a published historian) He stepped into the running of great house and went from personal secretary to librarian to house steward, taking over Stephen’s budget and starting him on the road to solvency with a speed (the book encompasses about 3 months) and an ease that would have impressed even A Woman of Substance. But he didn’t impress me, I was a little bored with him – I never quite felt I knew him, perhaps it was his lack of flaws. He just started to get interesting towards the very end of the book, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that.

But overall, he was just a bit too passive for my liking, I have to admit.

There are many other secondary characters, which make for lively interaction. My favourite was Stephen’s Aunt Matilda.

Period Feel

It owed a healthy nod more to Heyer than to Austen, which was more obvious to me, (and to be honest I wouldn’t have been able to stomach), if I had not been reading my first Heyer at the same time as I was reading this, and therefore understood more clearly where the jargon came from.

The thing that jarred me is that really, the characters seemed to me to be modern day characters in a period setting. Their language vacillated from Heyerisms to Modern Day – “Jesus!” and “f*ck” are used as swear words, and someone says that they’ve “blown it” – another says he “needs to get laid” at one point, Jamie has a cute nose, and so on.

The household is so liberal it’s unrealistic – Stephen is not just casual or fraternising with his staff, he treats them as his equals, near enough, from the scullery maid upwards. (He’s an EARL) They all give him advice and he sits and chats and plays cards with them. I also couldn’t manage to believe that, in a society where buggery and sodomy was punishable with such regularity and fanaticism, that Stephen would get away with being a self proclaimed sodomite in 1816. Granted, being rich and influential, he might have been able to side step any conviction, but he would have been prey to blackmailers, scandal mongers and certainly ostracised from all polite society. He’d get away with it once, but not in a serial fashion in the way he does. Not without some other prop to sustain him – a great wit, a playwright, a bosom friend to Prinny, a huge and powerful family or something like that.

I did notice other small anachronisms and some sayings that are (as far as my research goes) only attributable to Heyer – but I only noticed them because of months of research into the same period so they won’t spoil the book for the general reader, and it will enhance the enjoyment for the Heyer-philes as they will find it familiar. There were however, some nice true details – the fact that the Elgin Marbles were in the British Museum in 1816, waiting for the Duveen Gallery to be built, good solid research into where Hanover Square is in relation to other streets in London.

However, as I say, it’s a decent enough read, although all in all I felt that it was all a little rushed and at 200 pages, it could easily have extended to 250-300 without harming the book at all, just to give us a deeper insight into the characters.

If you like m/m and you like Heyer, you’ll probably like it, but the anachronisms kept the rating down.

3.5 stars

Jamie Riley has traveled from Yorkshire to London with the promise of a tutoring job from an Earl and his Countess. But there is a new Earl, Stephen and Stephen has no children. He also has a flamboyant male lover. His valet encourages him to hire Jamie as a secretary. Jamie is quite successful in organizing Stephen's household and Stephen begins to find him more than just a "mouse". The household staff makes for entertaining secondary characters and I thought the descriptions of the workings of the household held up to historical scrutiny. The acceptance of Stephen and Julian was a bit more unbelievable and the turn the story takes into melodrama took the story down a notch for me. But this was as entertaining as any m/f historical I've read and I did like Jamie.

I loved this book! I haven't read a good historical, well any historical, lately and I didn't even know I was missing it. I enjoyed the twist the story took near the end and the unexpected actions of the bad guy. I also liked that Jamie made Stephen work for it and didn't just roll over and give in. This book also had a fantastic and deep cast of side characters that were wonderful and three dimensional. 5 stars!

ETA: I just bought this book with the new cover (borrowed it upon first reading) and used calibre to convert it so I could add in the awesome old cover! :D

An incredibly charming, funny and irreverent read, The Price of Temptation is one ebook I’d love in print. Following reasonably traditional historical romance lines, minus a heroine, this was very entertaining and I cannot wait to read Discreet Young Gentleman.

Stephen is such a likable rogue, one cannot help but want someone to take him in hand. He’s rather flighty and not remotely interested in anyone other than himself. Or so he’d like you to think. Underneath this raffish exterior he has odd moments where his generosity of spirit shines through. Apart from these isolated instances, he seems to spend the rest of his time looking at his new secretaries arse or swanning off with his paramour. He’s a bit of a sh*t. Poor Jamie doesn’t really know what’s hit him! I’ll give Stephen credit, he does try to stay away from his delicious new secretary, but the lure of what is beneath Jamie’s gentle, sweet breeches and frock coat is just too much. heh.

Despite being a historical novel, it did not fall into the trap of making it all about how their love has to be hidden away and kept on the down low. It’s there, but not in your face and making one feel maudlin. The characters were believable and engaging and I found myself, with fingers crossed, hoping the bad guys would get their comeuppance. The tension builds beautifully and the ensuing smex is glasses fogging good. There is something inately grubby about sex written in this era, or maybe it’s just me. O-o I really enjoyed the secondary characters too, they were well fleshed out and I liked the cook and Charles the valet a great deal. They provide lovely depth to the story.

On an aside, the original cover by Sean Platter rocks! LOTS!! The new ebook cover is very nice, classy even, but for me the original is super cool and rather naughty.

A gorgeous historical read and an author I cannot wait to read more of.

http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2009/10/...

This is one of those books that as you read along, you notice that you are smiling. This isn't action packed, angst driven drama, just a steady sweet love story that makes you happy.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters in this book and they completely breathed life into this story and made it so fun to read. The end reminded me of one of those old school capers, where everyone is involved in taking care of the situation, no one is left behind and everyone wants to be a part of the action.

Truly enjoyable read!

Not quite as good as Discreet Young Gentleman, but still a lot of fun to read. And look at.

“If I see something I don’t like, I try to make it better”!
James “Jamie” Riley seeks a position as a Tutor but accepts the job of a Secretary to handsome, wayward Earl Stephen Clair and an unexpected relationship develops. I was surprised by how good this historical Regency tale was based on the erotic cover. It has interesting MCs, a predictable but still interesting enough premise, and a motley crew of side characters. An honorable mention goes to Julian as the despicable antagonist. There is a lot to unpack with this tale: a murder plot, a derring-do rescue, public humiliation, seductions, plotting servants, and sexy bits. What’s not to like?!

I shelled out thirty bucks for a small paperback from a used book store for this. Was it worth it? No. It's the cover, folks—that's the only real reason to purchase this book. The author has a great cover designer, but that's where my plaudits end.

The book could easily have been a short story because, quite frankly, it just dragged on. Poor Stephen: rich, and clueless, but I had to take my hat off to him because he's willing to be who he is: a man who likes having sex with other men. And then there's Poor Jamie: poor in the real sense, with an inner torment and too much pride. The handwringing that goes on is a little over the top: Stephen loves Jamie but doesn't know how to express it; Jamie loves Stephen but has too much pride. OK, in truth the story's a bit more complicated than that, but not much.

But let's get back to the cover: you'd think all that mouth-watering innuendo would give you a clue that there must be some good sex inside. Don't bet on it. Although the story is about men who have sex with men, there is, quite simply, almost no sex in the book. There's not a shred of a description of genitalia, and when on the occasions when Stephen is having sex either with Jamie or with his actor-lover Julian, you might as well take a nap because there is no description—the paragraphs just fade out.

So here's my basic complaint: if you're gonna create a book with such an enticing and suggestive cover, it should contain equally enticing prose. It doesn't. The book cover may be rated R, but the story is strictly PG. Oh--one more complaint: Just about every word in the book that ends in -ly is hyphenated. Any decent proofreader knows (or should know) that adverbs that end in -ly (e.g., lovely, peacefully, forcefully, etc.) do not—nay should not—be hyphenated. Words that end in -ly automatically modify the word that follows.

I’m deeply regretting to have not read this book before, this is exactly like one of those historical romances I eagerly read when I was a teenager and so loved. There is the dashing scoundrel, and as often it happens he has a wise old aunt who is holding the purse strings; she deeply love her rake of a nephew but she wants for him to settle down for the good of the title but above all for his own happiness. There is of course a vain lover, more interested to that purse than to the gentleman, and there is of course the innocent soul who happens to step into the mouse’s trap totally unaware. And in this case mouse is the appropriate definition since this is like Stephen, the Earl of St. Joseph, nicknamed Jamie, the shy historian who was supposed to be his nephews’ tutor before the tragedy of losing them and their parents to a shipwreck. Jamie insinuates not only in Stephen’s house and in the life of all the household, but with his good heart and innocent behaviour, also in the heart of the handsome earl, even if the man has a lover, Julian, the Golden One, that is way prettier than the little country mouse Jamie.

As often it happens, there is also a secret in Jamie’s past that makes him probably more suitable to Stephen than Julian, and if this wasn’t an hom*osexual affair, it would have probably ended in Stephen marrying Jamie, but as it’s, what we can expect is for them to live happily, and scandalously, ever after in sin. How that is possible in England at the end of the XVIII century? (the date you can guess from a reference to the madness of King George and the taking of the throne of the Regent) the answer is simple: wealth and nobless. Not only Stephen has a title, his aunt is also one of the wealthiest women of England and manage the purse strings of more family other than Stephen’s; when the ton tries to ostracize his nephew, she is ready to emulate Jesus Christ and his “who sinned cast the first stone” speech, letting the people be aware she knows secrets and she is ready to spread them.

Once you overcome the hom*osexuality is illegal issue, what remains to the author is two men and their love story, mostly played inside the walls of Stephen’s house, and so in a safe environment. It’s true that Jamie entered that environment unaware of Stephen’s particular bed choices, but the author is also ready to let the reader know he is not so against the idea; now don’t get me wrong, Jamie is completely, totally innocent, and he wouldn’t dare to face Stephen with his sexual preferences, but upon witnessing Stephen’s encounter with his lover, Jamie remembers how he had feelings for a young seminarist, feelings that were quite similar to what he should have felt instead for a young girl. With such realization slowly comes also another epiphany, he can easily fall in love for mylord, if only that was not an impossible dream: Jamie doesn’t want to end being the plaything of a lord, and if he loves a man there is no other chance.

I really enjoy Jamie’s character but also Stephen; he was not your usual scoundrel, he didn’t redeem only for the sake, of the chance to fall into bed with Jamie, Stephen was already a good man, enough to look at his strange household, made up from castoff of other noble families or worst, from the streets. Jamie fits well among them since he basically assumes the role of the lady of the house, a role he fulfil perfectly in each aspect if not the one of sharing the bed of the lord of the house. Role even Stephen starts to wonder why it’s not covered by the lad, so that he starts a slow, but steady work of breaking down the young man’s defences.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0971708932/?...

Before I hit the halfway point of this story, I was working on a very different review. You see, up until that point, I thought I was reading at least a four star book and possibly a five. Stephen and Jamie were both likable, bringing out the best in each other, and there was so much romance and seduction in just a few kisses and some flirting. (And there was some delightful matchmaking going on.)

Then, a little past the halfway point, they slept together for the first time (is there some kind of template for M/M romances? Because I am beyond sick of this) which led directly to The Big Misunderstanding. It was stupid, could have been eliminated if these two idiots could have had one short, honest conversation with each other - but, worse than all that?

It led to over seventy pages of them not speaking to each other or even being in the same house. There was kidnapping, sexual assault, rape, threats of torture and murder. And, after all that, what did we get for our trouble?

Four pages for Stephen and Jamie's reunion.

Four pages. And that's including the rescue. Four pages after the absolute heart wrenching, annoying, dragged out previous seventy.

Bleh.

One star because I finished it. Second star for the first hundred or so pages.

Well, Jamie is an idiot lmao. Stephen is an ass and so was Julian.

The scene jumps weren’t executed well and it left you confused as hell not knowing which character was talking now and when one scene ended and the other one started.

The first “sex” scene was horrendous. Stephen accosted and harassed Jamie until Jamie gave up and allowed for Stephen to just finger him when suddenly Stephen pulled down his pants and shoved his dick inside Jamie even when Jamie said no multiple times. That wasn’t a “hot sex scene”. That was sexual assault. It doesn’t matter that Jamie started to enjoy it, he had said no and was clearly freaking out. Stephen just kept pushing.

The ending was the icing on the cake. What the f*ck was that??? So many god damn questions unanswered?? What’s going to happen with Julian? What’s going to happen with Jamie and his bastard status?? What’s going to happen with Cosgrove?? Is he ever captured or did he just escaped forever after killing god knows how many women/men and almost Jamie??? Did they ever recovered Jamie’s mom photo after it was stolen??? Jamie never checked the local pawn shops and that photo was emphasized multiple times as very important to him for the thing to just disappear like that. Ugh. This was a mess.

Books like this keep forcing my further and further out of the Romantic Closet. I'd prefer to be known as a grump, thank you very much, but this story makes me melt. For one thing, it does not apologize for having two male leads, nor does it have to - it's all so matter-of-fact, so natural in this world that it makes one almost believe that this IS the way it was back in the Regency era, and society has deteriorated since then. Stephen's household full of loving misfits speaks right to my heart, and I love scenes where people band together to use their own unique talents and whatever characteristics they bring to any given table to defeat the foe and overcome obstacles. M.J. Pearson does this very well, I thought.

Also, Stephen's lesson to Jamie - if it's convex, suck it; if it's concave, lick it - is titillating, and has come in handy as well.

I enjoy Pearson's fond homages to classic bodice-rippers and historical mf romances, but, unfortunately, I didn't think this one was as good as either Discreet Young Gentleman or Helpless. Especially egregious were both of the MCs -- MC Stephen was much too weak and vacillating to get much sympathy from me, while MC Jamie was too much of a Mary Sue to grab my interest.

I believe that this was Pearson's first novel, which would explain why it is not as good as the others I've read. Read the other two before this one.

Erastes does a good job of pointing out more problems with the book in her review.

First impres­sions are every­thing. This is espe­cially impor­tant with book cov­ers. I know, don’t judge a book by its cover. Name me an avid reader that doesn’t and I’ll start eat­ing pages from my copy of this book. We all do it because aside from the blurb, it’s the first thing that where a reader can get an idea on what the book is about. So when I see this book cover my reaction is “AWW HELL!”. Seriously, I swear my glasses fogged up there for a moment. So what about the story? It was good. Not super but I feel trully enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged pretty much from beginning to end. As for the characters, I love Jamie. He is my favorite. He is a good man, smart, sweet and he does not take Stephen sh*t with easy and gives as good as he gets.

More like 1 1/2 stars.
This is the first gay romance novel from this writer. Her second book, Discreet Young Gentleman, is much better. This one is like a gay Barbara Cartland romance. Every single cliché is there up to the young, innocent love interest chained up in a dungeon at the mercy of a very dark villain. I was laughing and not because it was funny. The book cover is so bad and as predictable as the plot of this story. Better only read her second book.

This is the other MJ Pearson novel I totally love. I've read it at least three times and keep coming back to it when I want Regency romance. It's original, engaging and honestly, quite believable. Too often you read these romance novels and after the first two chapters you're over it because it's so unbelievable. Pearson knows how to write a story that flows from chapter to chapter and she never once makes you think you're reading something that couldn't happen. It's really the perfect example on how to tell a story. I think this is a great m/m romance and one of the best Regency stories available. It comes highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Not as much as Discreet Young Gentleman, but still, it was well written. It's a bit clichéd, you know; young ingenue improves the life of worldly older man and then falls in love with him, but it's a cliché we know and love. I never really connected with any of the characters, but I did love Aunt Matilda; that woman was awesome. My one major sticking point with this book is that the entire plot relies on a series of misunderstandings and coincidences and I'm none too fond of that, but Pearson gets away with it. It's a solid read.

3.5 stars

A fun Recency romance romp with a great cast of characters. The plot and characters were pretty flat and I skimmed chunks in the last quarter but this was a well written and rather nostalgic read, a fond nod to the trope I adored back in the day- the bluestocking and the rake.

the first part is enjoyable but it got ridiculous at the end. kept wanting to hit stephen on the head the entire time

I am SO. FRIGGING. HAPPY I finally got to reading this book!

5 stars! The character development, the period details, the editing - THE. EDITING! Rear find, this book is, where it comes to editing! And have I mentioned EDITING? It's perfection!

And now, minuses:

-1 star. Yep. This is happening. Why? Because Stephen, Jamie's boss and lover is not a lovable or even likable person. He is inconsiderate and spoiled. He is also insecure and spineless.

The L word that popped up in Jamie's head relatively early in the book was unexpected; it was way way too soon, especially considering Jamie's history and Stephen's behavior.

Even as the book was ending, I worried about Jamie living with Stephen. People don't change on a whim. Jamie has hard work laid out for him.

-1 star. Yep. It's happening again. Why? Because The Ending, that's why. It's not tight enough.
We still have a few characters whose future was left for us to guess and the loose ends are dangling shamelessly.
- Jamie, whose family on his father's side still has to claim him - or not. The motion is sorta kinda set, but barely. We never find out.
- The villains are left running around loose. All of them.
- A sequel or a short story is an order. Oh, who am I kidding! It's never going to happen :( An epilogue then? Pretty please?

In the end I am giving "The Price of Temptation" 3.5 stars and rounding them up to 4. Because:
- I felt involved.
- I loved every character, or in the case of Stephen endured him pretty well.
- I could not put the book down.
- The cover! THE COVER!!!
- Editing. Haven't I mentioned? ;)

I HAD to read it because of the cover. I mean, i thought i was going to cringe/laugh from the start riiight to the end, but surprisingly it was not the case. But book is nothing extraordinaire, pretty common plot, not badly written either. It's also not a long read, very light and spicy here and here but overall good. The three stars are there because the end is somehow super rushed and cuts right before the central scene for both protagonists, leaving the fate of like... At least 3/4 people out like they didn't meant anything at all. I mean, they are secondary characters/villains, but i still wanted to know how they were dealt with and all that stuff, not just have the happy ending.
And speaking of happy, even that is rushed. They basically f*ck, say i love and the book ends. And i was "wait what? That's it? That's the ending?" it was pretty unsatisfying to say the least.
Still, the ending doesn't ruin the whole book in my opinion, and again the cover lowered so much my expectations that reading the actual thing was more pleasant than i thought. Can't really recommend it, but it's a good read if you are bored of have no great expectations.

This Regency romance is a gem. It is the story of an impoverished young clerk, Jamie Riley, from the hinterlands who journeys to London and falls in love with the roguish young earl who has unexpectedly inherited the title, Stephen Clair. Stephen, like all great Regency rakes, has debts, gambles, drinks to excess and has a formidable ederly aunt feared by the ton. Jamie, like all great Regency protagonists, is a virgin with a secret. And, as with all great Regency tales, there is a misunderstanding. The household is populated by a group of misfit characters who all love Jamie and dislike the earl's current paramour, Julien. When Julien sees a chance to permanently get rid of his rival, the members of the household rush to save him before it is too late. M J Pearson wrote many funny scenes that will make you laugh out loud. This book by the defunct Seventh Window Publications is hard to find but worth the effort, especially for the cover. Highly recommended.

I need a book about Charles & Sam!!
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The story was good. Stared very well but the ending was fast. wish it was better. My favorate charecters was the badass unt and Charles.
-------------> I may get back te give better review!

4.5. Lot of angst, liked the jealousy. Read on iBookz