To Tempt a Saint (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

What makes To Tempt a Saint so enjoyable? It's the good dialogue, the determined heroine, the brave hero, the well drawn secondary characters and the interesting story.

Noblewoman Cleo Spencer is rich but has no access to her account which is held in trust by the bank and her greedy, unscrupulous uncle. She has repeatedly requested her money but is constantly turned down and Cleo is in desperate need of her funds. She and her younger brother barely make ends meet, her brother needs to attend school and worse yet; her uncle is threatening to take her brother from her care.

While in the bank Cleo overhears Xander Jones propose to an heiress only to be turned down flat. Cleo is a resourceful woman and realizes she can get her hands on the trust fund if she marries. She suggests that she and Xander wed knowing he only does so for her money.

Xander agrees to Cleo's proposal because he too is in need of quick funds. Xander is an honorable fellow, he was knighted for saving the king's life, he is gentlemanly and he is an illegitimate son of a nobleman and a courtesan. Xander wants to invest thousands of pounds into gas powered streetlights in London's worst slums. His reasons for lighting up these dark streets are nobly minded and also heartbreaking. Xander is searching for his teenaged brother whom he lost in an angry mob three years earlier. Xander is action oriented and he is constantly searching for his younger brother. His other brother Will, a bow street runner, assists him in this endeavor although Will is almost fatalistic about finding their missing sibling.

Xander is a master of keeping secrets from his wife but Cleo is undaunted and persistent. Her main concern though is the safety of her brother and I have to say I enjoyed the relationship between these siblings. Cleo's teenaged brother was protective of her but also open minded. There was no doubt that they were loyal to each other just like Xander and his brother.

Xander and Cleo have an unconventional marriage. Xander keeps his distance emotionally and physically which frustrates Cleo. She wants her marriage to be real in every way and she is certain her dastardly uncle is looking for ways to undo her marriage and take control of her funds again. Cleo is a woman to be reckoned with and Xander learns this first hand. Cleo is both subtle and forceful when it comes to seducing her reluctant husband.

I genuinely liked all the characters in this novel, each was well developed. I enjoyed the symbolic gestures in this novel of bright candles beckoning in windows and lighted streets in the rookeries of London. Often the poor are merely props in stories but Ms Moore recognizes their hard lot and gifted her hero with the noble intent to chase some of the darkness literally from their lives. The only drawback I have with this novel was it was almost too short. Perhaps forty or so more pages could have been devoted to the lead's romance. They spend much time apart as Xander is searching for his brother. Overall a nice start to this series.

They are total strangers. But on the strength of a single chance meeting - and a most unusual one at that - Sir Alexander "Xander" Jones and heiress Cleo Spencer decide to marry for their mutual benefit. Xander is illegitimate but was knighted for saving the prince regent's life. He needs a large sum of money for a vital investment, and a wealthy bride is the perfect solution. Cleo, a baron's daughter who has lived in near poverty for years while her despicable uncle controls her fortune, can finally access her money upon marrying. However, not everything is smooth sailing. Xander is haunted by his past, Cleo is frustrated by the present, and their future is a little fuzzy. Fortunately, true love finds a way.

I liked this story right from the start. The opening scene, where Xander and Cleo meet and a marriage proposal ensues, is a hoot. The mystery and suspense kept me turning the pages, the leads had lots of charm, and the dialogue was clever and often amusing. Cleo's blunt speaking was particularly appealing. The first half was a tad better than the second, promising a bit more than was delivered. There was great chemistry between Xander and Cleo, but more time in each other's company - and a few more intimate moments - would not have gone amiss. Still, their mutual attraction was undeniable.

There was much going on concerning Cleo's uncle and Xander's family that seemingly tied together, and I enjoyed trying to figure it all out. Although Cleo and Xander work their personal matters out just fine, be warned that some aspects of the mystery are left hanging (maybe a few too many?) and hopefully will be resolved in the next book. "To Save the Devil" is due out in October 2010...can't wait to read it!

TO TEMPT A SAINT is a fast-paced, gripping story of the battle between good and evil, with good sadly making only a few inroads. The imagery is beautiful, the story absorbing, and Ms. Moore knows the Regency era and Regency London well.

TO TEMPT A SAINT is Book One of a trilogy about the three brothers, Xander, Will, and Kit Jones, the illegitimate children of aristocrats. The book opens with Xander saving the life of the Prince Regent while someone kidnaps his youngest brother, Kit. Three years later, Xander, now the knight Sir Alexander Jones, along with Will, a Bow Street Runner, still search for the missing Kit. Xander is positive Kit is alive in St. Giles, the dark, dank, thieves' and murders' section of London. He seeks money to buy a gas works to light the gloomy evil of the area and find Kit.

Destitute, twenty-four year old Cleo Spencer lives in poverty with her younger brother because she cannot access her money until she reaches thirty or marries. She proposes to Xander and he accepts in a devil's bargain to solve both their problems.

Against the background of the increasingly desperate search for Kit, Cleo and Xander fall in love. Their quest uncovers the stench of the city's dark underbelly that reaches high to the kingdom's most powerful men, including Cleo's uncle, who aid and abet human misery for their own benefit.

This book is one for my keeper shelf. I loved everything about it, but especially Xander. Xander is they type of hero I love--a decent man who has been kicked around by the world, and it's made him a better man.

I look forward to Books Two and Three.