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A review by rj921
Tempting Bella by Diana Quincy
4.0
This is one of my comfort-reads and I was very surprised to find out that it does not exist in my Goodreads shelves.
Mirabella was married to Sebastian when she was just thirteen for reasons she is not aware of. After completing her schooling she goes on a tour of the Continent, finally returning to London to pick up the mantle of a wife. To extend her period of freedom by a few more days, she falsely informs her husband that her arrival has been delayed and spends this time exploring what the city has to offer. During this time she meets a handsome man and they are both drawn to each other. Unbeknownst to either of them, that man is none other than Sebastian Stanhope, her lawfully wedded husband.
I usually enjoy mistaken identity tropes and this one was no exception. Sometimes the binds of society and personal prejudices need to be set aside to truly realise the connection with someone. Sebastian was an amazing and compassionate character. Mirabella is a strong-willed woman who had mistaken Sebastian’s attempt to let her have her freedom as a lack of concern and hence she felt like she had no family who cared for her. Upon learning of the deception she is very hurt and thinks that it was a way of toying with her affections and forms a grossly inaccurate opinion of Sebastian’s character, but as they spend time together their interactions make her realise how much he cares about her and others. The tension in the book is mostly about Bella’s hesitation to trust Sebastian, hindered by deliberate misguidance by a nefarious character. There is also a side plot involving Tabitha and Monty, two of Bella’s friends. Since Sebastian is Camryn’s brother, we get to see familiar characters from the previous book.
I am fairly certain I haven’t read book 3, but I can’t completely be sure as I am completely certain I've read book 1 and don’t remember anything beyond the main characters’ names. I like the author’s writing style so I will try and read them both someday.
Mirabella was married to Sebastian when she was just thirteen for reasons she is not aware of. After completing her schooling she goes on a tour of the Continent, finally returning to London to pick up the mantle of a wife. To extend her period of freedom by a few more days, she falsely informs her husband that her arrival has been delayed and spends this time exploring what the city has to offer. During this time she meets a handsome man and they are both drawn to each other. Unbeknownst to either of them, that man is none other than Sebastian Stanhope, her lawfully wedded husband.
I usually enjoy mistaken identity tropes and this one was no exception. Sometimes the binds of society and personal prejudices need to be set aside to truly realise the connection with someone. Sebastian was an amazing and compassionate character. Mirabella is a strong-willed woman who had mistaken Sebastian’s attempt to let her have her freedom as a lack of concern and hence she felt like she had no family who cared for her. Upon learning of the deception she is very hurt and thinks that it was a way of toying with her affections and forms a grossly inaccurate opinion of Sebastian’s character, but as they spend time together their interactions make her realise how much he cares about her and others. The tension in the book is mostly about Bella’s hesitation to trust Sebastian, hindered by deliberate misguidance by a nefarious character. There is also a side plot involving Tabitha and Monty, two of Bella’s friends. Since Sebastian is Camryn’s brother, we get to see familiar characters from the previous book.
I am fairly certain I haven’t read book 3, but I can’t completely be sure as I am completely certain I've read book 1 and don’t remember anything beyond the main characters’ names. I like the author’s writing style so I will try and read them both someday.