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"a wonderful Victorian historical"
Reviewed by Cynthia Meidinger
Posted July 30, 2002

Simon Belleview grew up in poverty in London. He witnessed his sister's rape, a crime from which she has never recovered. Simon is half-Jewish. His mother had been a Jewish maid in a wealthy household, and the only son of the house had married her, earning his family's disapproval. Read more...

"Good reading experience"
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted August 9, 2002

Simon Bellville knows poverty first hand having grown up in the worst possible place. Though almost two decades have passed, Simon remains haunted by his failure to protect his sister from the rape that destroyed her mental state and eradicated her smile. By 1867, Simon had become legendary Read more...

"Wonderful Emotional Historical"
Reviewed by Sheri Melnick
Posted September 23, 2002

In London in 1867, Simon Belleville is somewhat of an enigma, a truly self-made man, and no one acquainted with him would guess at his auspicious origins. Only in his mid- thirties, he gained his fortune through hard work and clever investments, a far cry from his poverty-stricken childhood. Read more...

Summary

"My Fair Lady" meets "Pretty Woman" in Hope Tarr's Tempting

Simon Belleville should have taken the poor prostitute straight to Newgate Gaol. As the head of Her Majesty's Morality and Vice Commission, he's supposed to be closing down brothels--not consorting with the "ladies" who work in them. But one glimpse of Christine Tremayne's sweet, innocent face, and he is enraptured. Instead of locking her up in a gaol cell, he enrolls her in finishing school--hoping against hope that he will be able to put her out of his mind. Now that he has a chance to win a seat in Parliament, the last thing he wants is a scandal. But the lovely Christine proves to be a woman unlike any other--charming and intelligent, deeply mysterious and deliciously witty. And Simon has never been so intrigued-- or so tempted...