I realise that I haven’t done a book review for a while, so I thought I’d address that by posting this review today. The rest of the Racism in Romance responses will continue tomorrow.

Without further ado, here’s my blurb for Midnight Temptation:

Raven Remington has had the hots for his secretary for over two years.

Vanessa Kaye has had the hots for her boss for the past two years also.

Raven and Vanessa are both aware of the other’s feelings, but secrets, familial issues, and a reluctance to open her heart to possible hurt, has always stopped Vanessa from giving in, and getting horizontal with Raven, even though she desperately wants to.

Raven has no intention of getting involved in anything other than a straight forward affair. Marriage, babies, and picket fences are the last things on his mind. That is until Vanessa finally says yes, after saying no for so long.

He thought it would take just one night to rid himself of his disturbing need for her, but Raven learns that one night spent with Vanessa is nowhere near enough, and now he has to persuade this beautiful woman to take a huge leap of faith with him.

Will Raven be able to persuade Vanessa, that her heart is safe in his hands? And will Vanessa be able to confess to the secrets that keep her awake in the night?

Find out in the next episode of The Bold And The Beautiful – Erm sorry, I couldn’t resist. (g)

My Verdict

Dee, I simply love the way you write.

I’m always impressed with a book that hooks me in within the first few pages. I love the anticipatory feelings that rush through me, when I get through an amazing first chapter, happy in the knowledge that I’m in for a treat.

I’m sure every author knows that first chapters are very important to a reader, but as we all know, they don’t always deliver within that brief time-frame.

Well, Tenorio delivered, and how.

From the first scene, I knew that I was going to like Raven and Vanessa.

I loved the chemistry between these two characters, and every time they were together in a scene, the pages fairly sizzled.

I couldn’t get enough of them together.

Raven was a loner who was at odds with his family, after taking over the family business.

His relationship with his brother is stilted at best, and although it’s obvious the love is there, the gulf between the two of them seems insurmountable.

Raven’s relationship with his mother can be best described as prickly. Distrust and suspicion mar their mother-son relationship.

Raven’s past actions have been the cause of the current disconnect between him and his family, and now he’s struggling to make things right with them.

What I liked about Raven was his tenacity. He wanted Vanessa, and he wasn’t going to let her self-doubts and secrets come between him and his desire. He didn’t always play fair, but I think this was one of the characteristics that made me take to him straight away.

I love imperfect heroes, and Raven was as imperfect as they come.

What I liked about Vanessa, was her strength when it came to dealing with Raven. She didn’t let him ride roughshod over her, as he was used to doing with other people. I liked that she was able to stand up to him as an equal. Although it has to be said, if a man offered to buy me a Mercedes so that I could get to work safely, my principles would go straight outta the window, and my legs would have been open without a second thought.

Unfortunately, Vanessa was far too honourable for such skanky behaviour. Damn her anyway.

What struck me about Midnight Temptation was that it wasn’t just a romance. It was essentially, a story about family values. You know, the ties that bind and all that.

Half-way through the book, the mood seemed to shift, and Tenorio started to further explore the different relationships, and the dynamics between Raven’s and Vanessa’s loved ones, to a greater degree, than she had previously.

Unfortunately, at times the familial element took over the book somewhat, and made me yearn for further interaction between Vanessa and Raven. I got a little annoyed at the number of times I had to wade through scenes with secondary characters, when all I was basically interested in was the hero and the heroine.

Having said that though, there were several scenes with Vanessa and her sister that were fairly humorous, as well as heart-breaking. The same could be said about Raven and his brother, or should I say Raven, and his brother’s children. This is where I see shades of the Tenorio humour that was so prevalent in Betting Hearts come to the fore.

I totally loved the class and body in Tenorio’s prose. She really was able to draw me into the story by the time I’d read the second paragraph. I love it when an author is able to display such talent. Talent that leaves the reader wanting more.

Midnight Temptation was a beautiful story, and whilst it didn’t blow me away in the same way that Betting Hearts did, it still had the soul and the emotions that made BH such a fun read.

Had I had more Vanessa and Raven time, I think this book would have been flipping amazing, however I still loved it, and this is a testament to Tenorio’s ability as a writer.

If I had to sum up this book, I’d probably use one word to describe it. Poignant.

If you want to pick up a copy of Midnight Temptation, it’s currently available at Samhain Publishing, in both print, and e-book format.

Dee Tenorio’s website can be found, here.

Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful new babies Dee!