Tempting Fortune

Malloren Series, Book 2

By: Jo Beverley

Narrated by: Alison Larkin

Portia St. Claire's brother has gambled and lost, throwing her into the power of ruthless men. Their price for his life is her virtue, to be auctioned off in London's most notorious brothel. To retrieve an incriminating letter, Bryght Malloren once broke into a house where he was greeted at pistol point by a resolute woman - a woman he could swear stands before him, masked and trembling, on a madam's auction block. Unable to leave Portia to such a cruel fate, Bryght turns the private wager into a very public game of seduction, one that confirms his reputation as a shameless rake and keeps all of London society breathless with anticipation. But on a night shimmering with destiny, truth, and passion, those who tempt fortune risk losing everything, including their hearts.

©2013 Jo Beverley (P)2014 Tantor Audio

Critic reviews

"This is romance fiction at its best." ( Publishers Weekly)

To much!

I felt bad for Brite! The heroine (Porsche) in this story was annoying and whined way too much! After everything Brite did for her. It went on a bit too long… “I love him” No I hate him” make up you mind chic. Not really any chemistry on her end. I was a bit disappointed but finished it.

Plot exceptional

Good beginning, great middle, sparkling ending!
Very enjoyable, well written and certainly entertaining. Recommend to everyone

family feuds

I can't say that I liked the heroine. She was an immature brat. To be fair she did have spunk, but I fail to see why anyone was attracted to her. The men didn't behave much better. I may have been distracted and missed it but I'm not sure what the feud was all about.

Only ok

Maybe with a different narrator I would’ve liked it better, but Portia seems like a whiny female who is so busy trying to protect her brother that she continues to cut off her nose to spite her face. I liked the beginning of the book and the confrontation between Portia and Bryght, but can’t really see how his love grew after that since her “bravery” amounted more to stupidity in my opinion. Normally I like Jo Beverley books by this one was not a winner.

Frustrating

It started out well enough and kept my interest. Toward the middle and end I was frustrated with how little communication there was and how stupid she was. The few love scenes were not great either, good I guess but felt lacking. I also felt like there some things left unsaid or unsettled.

Tedious

I wanted to shake the heroine for being such a hypocritical, sanctimonious twit. It was hard to imagine what Bryght could possibly see in her. Hopefully the next in the series will be more refreshing.

Very frustrating

The heroin was very frustrating with her silly decisions. I halfway wanted Brite to just dump her and find someone else. Not too happy with this one.

Hated the FMC

The FMC Portia is consistently stupid. The miscommunication in this book was super frustrating. I have no idea why Bright liked her at all let alone loved her

where's the romance?

What would have made Tempting Fortune better?

Any real romance between the h/h. He wants her and then it is just a series of manipulations to the wedding. It is difficult to like a hero that does not act like one to the heroine. He might like/love her but you never get a sense of that.
The h/h don't have any loving or even warm conversations. He is trying to get her into bed and she is trying not to marry him. There is no real affection or warmth between them so you can't believe in a possible HEA.

Has Tempting Fortune turned you off from other books in this genre?

I never judge all books based on only one and this question is not a good gauge of how bad the book is

What didn’t you like about Alison Larkin’s performance?

It is hard to know if it's her or that the characters are so unlikable that her voice grates on my nerves. She does the best she can with a bad situation.

What character would you cut from Tempting Fortune?

Too many to list. No one in this books seems to be someone you could cheer for .

Any additional comments?

Just glad it was part of the Romance Package and I did not have to pay the member price, it makes me feel a little better, as only time was wasted.