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katyanaish's review against another edition
3.0
Well, this is my first swing-and-miss with Crusie. It's okay, though. It had to happen at some point.
Here are the problems I had.
1. Amy is The Worst.
I mean, holy shit. She is so fucking horrible that probably 2/3 of my highlights in the kindle were calling out her douchebaggery. Look, the selfish younger sister is a trope that annoys me in books, in general, but usually they annoy me in a secondary way, rather than actually ruin the book for me. But no joke, this book loses an entire star for Amy. She was so horrible, across the board - the most stupid, selfish, entitled piece of shit sibling, who never at any point cared about Sophie. First she's pressing Sophie to end her relationship with the therapist, and then she starts trying to throw a wrench in the relationship with the hero because god forbid Sophie ever actually get something she wants, and not give 100% of her attention to Amy. Then she is the biggest dumb fuck I can even imagine over the Zane thing. Like literally, for a 15 year old character I'd get that level of stupidity - maybe - but for a, what, 25 year old street smart chick who was raised by con artists? Give me a fucking break. This chick doesn't have the intelligence to con a toddler.
This all after she strong-arms her sister into using her life and relationship to write porn for her, something Sophie really doesn't wan to do (and yes, it badly undercuts her otherwise awesome character that she just lets her sister use and bully her, constantly).
And the kicker is when, after someone has been fucking murdered,
What is hilarious is that this bitch is constantly demanding her siblings do what she wants because they have to put family first... when Amy never ever ever puts anyone first but herself. Ever. Period. I was so sad that she didn't die that I actually shed a tear. Angry tear, but it counts.
2. I never bought that Phin really cared for Sophie.
At no point, to me, did she ever move beyond "that chick I am shamefully in lust with, and just can't quit."
I mean, ... it just isn't there. He seems to begrudgingly accept her into his life. At the 76% mark, we get this beauty of a POV from Phin, after Sophie has said she loves him:
And really, it never feels like it changes from there. I kept waiting for some big moment, but instead Sophie is just constantly busting her ass to get him, and he kind of gives in. It was so horribly one-sided. I don't like it. Sophie is freaking awesome, and deserves so much better.
3. So wait,
They never tell anyone about Victoria? She's never arrested? Also, it's pretty heavily fucking implied that she DID kill Phin's wife, Diane. Are we really doing nothing about that? What the actual fuck?
It's unfortunate, because I really liked Sophie. And I actually really liked Davy - he seemed like a great brother - but I literally cannot bring myself to read the next book in the series, because if Amy is in it I may actually light my Kindle on fire.
**2.5**
Here are the problems I had.
1. Amy is The Worst.
I mean, holy shit. She is so fucking horrible that probably 2/3 of my highlights in the kindle were calling out her douchebaggery. Look, the selfish younger sister is a trope that annoys me in books, in general, but usually they annoy me in a secondary way, rather than actually ruin the book for me. But no joke, this book loses an entire star for Amy. She was so horrible, across the board - the most stupid, selfish, entitled piece of shit sibling, who never at any point cared about Sophie. First she's pressing Sophie to end her relationship with the therapist, and then she starts trying to throw a wrench in the relationship with the hero because god forbid Sophie ever actually get something she wants, and not give 100% of her attention to Amy. Then she is the biggest dumb fuck I can even imagine over the Zane thing. Like literally, for a 15 year old character I'd get that level of stupidity - maybe - but for a, what, 25 year old street smart chick who was raised by con artists? Give me a fucking break. This chick doesn't have the intelligence to con a toddler.
This all after she strong-arms her sister into using her life and relationship to write porn for her, something Sophie really doesn't wan to do (and yes, it badly undercuts her otherwise awesome character that she just lets her sister use and bully her, constantly).
And the kicker is when, after someone has been fucking murdered,
Spoiler
she insists Sophie wander in the dark forest alone to see who is spying on them, because god forbid she has to stop filming her shitty porn movie (illegally) for 5 damn minutes. And when the murderer tries to kill Sophie - and nearly fucking succeeds - their brother says that Amy is telling everyone it was SOPHIE'S idea to go. So, not an ounce of concern about the sister who nearly died, nor an ounce of remorse. Just more selfish, lying bullshit.What is hilarious is that this bitch is constantly demanding her siblings do what she wants because they have to put family first... when Amy never ever ever puts anyone first but herself. Ever. Period. I was so sad that she didn't die that I actually shed a tear. Angry tear, but it counts.
2. I never bought that Phin really cared for Sophie.
At no point, to me, did she ever move beyond "that chick I am shamefully in lust with, and just can't quit."
I mean, ... it just isn't there. He seems to begrudgingly accept her into his life. At the 76% mark, we get this beauty of a POV from Phin, after Sophie has said she loves him:
The last thing he wanted to do was explain why he didn’t love her back although he cared about her, of course, more than any other woman he’d ever known, but not “I love you,” not after only three weeks—was she insane? They had such a great thing going here, and it could lead to commitment in a couple of years, maybe when Dillie wasn’t so vulnerable and his mother got used to her, and until then they could keep things going if they were just careful, didn’t expect too much, but no, she had to say it. Christ, women.
And really, it never feels like it changes from there. I kept waiting for some big moment, but instead Sophie is just constantly busting her ass to get him, and he kind of gives in. It was so horribly one-sided. I don't like it. Sophie is freaking awesome, and deserves so much better.
3. So wait,
Spoiler
there's no punishment for the crazy asshole who tried to kill Sophie twice? Seriously?They never tell anyone about Victoria? She's never arrested? Also, it's pretty heavily fucking implied that she DID kill Phin's wife, Diane. Are we really doing nothing about that?
It's unfortunate, because I really liked Sophie. And I actually really liked Davy - he seemed like a great brother - but I literally cannot bring myself to read the next book in the series, because if Amy is in it I may actually light my Kindle on fire.
**2.5**
cardinalgirl75's review against another edition
4.0
What can I say about this story? Well, it's crazy and fun, and very hot--Sophie and Phin's chemistry sizzles off the page (even when they're having lousy sex--I got a kick at Sophie ready to call it a night and Phin saying, "hello, I'm the guy inside you, how can we liven things up," and then doing just that), the antics that go on around them are hilarious, Phin's daughter Dillie is delightful, and although it seems crazy to think of how far someone would go to win a small-town mayoral election...in today's world, it doesn't seem crazy anymore. The only small fly in the ointment is the whole Rachel/Leo plot line--the age difference is a bit of an ick factor before you take into consideration what he does for a living, but throw in the fact that they're throwing out "I love you" at the end without any real explanation as to how they got there, and I'm like...yeah. Sure. That's going to last. Looking forward to revisiting Sophie's brother Davy in the next book.
heidisreads's review against another edition
3.0
In Welcome to Temptation, the Dempsey sisters (Sophie and Amy) are headed to a small-town called Temptation to shoot a short movie. However, they run into trouble when they find themselves in the middle of typical small-town gossip (which can be as simple as 'who chose the color of paint for the water-tower?' and escalate to 'who is sleeping with his wife?!') In a small town, you have to be prepared for anything!
laurenjodi's review against another edition
5.0
Welcome to Temptation
4.5 Stars
Invited to Temptation, Ohio to shoot a short film, Sophie Dempsey wants nothing more than to finish the job and get out of town as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, events and sexy mayor, Phin Tucker, conspire against her. Before she knows it, Sophie is embroiled in a multitude of mayhem including blackmail. adultery and murder.
While this is a delightful small town romp with well-developed characters and an engaging storyline, it is also a product of its time (the early 2000s) in terms of the portrayal of and expectations from women in a small town.
Sophie and Phin's opposites attract romance is very appealing and they have fantastic chemistry. The only issue here is that he sometimes comes across as a preppie jerk who needs a good kick in the pants, but he does grovel quite well when necessary.
The murder and mayhem plot is reminiscent of a good British who-dun-it ala Midsomer Murders. There are numerous suspects as almost everyone in town wanted the victim dead, and the entire scenario is laigh-out-loud ridiculous.
All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon and the book is recommended for fans of Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
4.5 Stars
Invited to Temptation, Ohio to shoot a short film, Sophie Dempsey wants nothing more than to finish the job and get out of town as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, events and sexy mayor, Phin Tucker, conspire against her. Before she knows it, Sophie is embroiled in a multitude of mayhem including blackmail. adultery and murder.
While this is a delightful small town romp with well-developed characters and an engaging storyline, it is also a product of its time (the early 2000s) in terms of the portrayal of and expectations from women in a small town.
Sophie and Phin's opposites attract romance is very appealing and they have fantastic chemistry. The only issue here is that he sometimes comes across as a preppie jerk who needs a good kick in the pants, but he does grovel quite well when necessary.
The murder and mayhem plot is reminiscent of a good British who-dun-it ala Midsomer Murders. There are numerous suspects as almost everyone in town wanted the victim dead, and the entire scenario is laigh-out-loud ridiculous.
All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon and the book is recommended for fans of Rachel Gibson, Victoria Dahl, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
jessicaslibrary's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sassenak's review against another edition
5.0
Cette romance est une de mes favorites. Eh oui, si j’adore les romans d’horreur ou post-apocalyptique, aussi bien que les polars bien tordus et sanglants, je suis aussi à même de fondre devant une bonne histoire d’amour ! J’avais lu ce livre en 2004 et j’en avais gardé un excellent souvenir et je voulais donc un peu changer de genre de lecture. Mais ce n’est pas obligatoirement le côté romance qui suffit : il faut que ce soit un ensemble créant un contexte favorable. Et avec Welcome to Temptation, tout est réuni. Les personnages sont attachants et les méchants sont aussi savoureux dans leurs travers car ils restent humains, l’auteure se contentant d’amplifier les défauts souvent présents chez de nombreuses personnes, moi y compris. Et donc, dès le début, Sophie, une jeune femme avec une famille particulière car spécialisée dans l’arnaque, est quelqu’un que j’aurais envie de rencontrer en vrai. Ensuite, il y a la petite ville de Temptation, avec ses habitants et comme toutes les petites villes, les gens se connaissent, parlent, s’espionnent, font courir des ragots, portent des jugements sans preuve, comme dans ce genre de ville mais ils sont aussi capables d’entraide. Cela crée un contexte sympathique dans son côté confortable et familier malgré ses défauts. La relation entre Sophie et Phin, qui paraît évidente dès le départ (on est dans une romance moderne avec des aspects conte de fée), m’a paru naturelle et fluide, avec un départ prévisible de tension entre eux, suivi d’un attrait sexuel (et quelques scènes un peu chaudes) et bien sûr des sentiments. J’y ai trouvé une certaine magie, un écho qui réchauffe, même si il n’y a aucune surprise. Disons qu’avec moi, cette relation fonctionne et fait rêver comme il se doit dans ce genre de roman. Il ne faut pas oublier un certain suspense qui va survenir avec une mort suspecte et qui permet de lorgner vaguement vers un aspect « histoire policière ». Et puis, chose probablement la plus importante, c’est la présence de l’humour ! Des petites phrases savoureuses, des bons mots, des réflexions piquantes et des moments rocambolesques émaillent les pages et m’ont souvent fait rire. C’est enlevé, pétillant, amusant, sympathique, léger. Et comme un bonbon délicieux, j’ai pris mon temps pour le savourer et le faire durer le plus longtemps possible ! Mais j’ai un autre titre de cette auteure qui fait aussi partie de mes lectures favorites et je compte bien le relire sous peu !
katietapestry's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent chick lit! Murder, sex, small town politics... what more could you want.
cherylcroshere's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5