To Taste Temptation

Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Hoyt

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Even the most refined lady craves an untamed man to release her passion.

Britain’s high society—le bon ton—loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they’re giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. What le bon ton doesn’t know, though, is that Samuel is in London because of this massacre. He believes his regiment was given up to the enemy and won’t rest until he finds the traitor.

Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated by Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother. Samuel suspects that the person responsible for her brother’s death is Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale, a family friend since childhood—and Emeline’s fiancé. Despite Emeline’s belief in Vale’s innocence and her refusal to break off her betrothal, she and Samuel begin a passionate affair. But can their relationship survive the fallout from Samuel’s investigation?

©2008 Nancy M. Finney (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Hoyt…is firmly in control of her craft with engaging characters, gripping plot, and clever dialogue.” ( Publishers Weekly

“4½ Stars Top Pick! Hoyt’s new series, the Legend of the Four Soldiers, begins with destruction and ends with glorious love. She begins each chapter with a snippet of a legend that beautifully dovetails with the plot and creates a distinct love story that will thrill readers.” ( Romantic Times BOOKreviews)

“ To Taste Temptation is book one in Ms. Hoyt’s new series, the Legend of the Four Soldiers, and it’s an auspicious beginning. With its vividly drawn characters, neat plotting, and heated romance, it’s sure to satisfy.” ( Romance Reviews Today)

What a fun series!

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed every bit of this series. Third is the best, the second the weakest. And this one, the first one,starts it all off great. Those reviewers that want more realism historically . . read nonfiction. I want to have fun, I want the hero and heroine to fall quickly. Hoyt's characters are unusual but still sexy. And there is none of that "mistaken understandings" that part the couple so stupidly. I had fun listening.

The battles after a war

18th-century, romance, PTSD, England, erotica

Read this years ago and felt it was worth rereading. entwined throughout the main story is a relevant folk tale. The main story is that of an American Colonial who had PTSD relevant to a massacre during the French and Indian War and has come to England to investigate the quiet rumor that the massacre was the result of betrayal by an Englishman. He meets the fiance of another survivor of the incident and thence begins a love story.
Narrator Anne Flosnik is at her usual dramatic best.

Emmaline was a snob

Samuel Hartley, a self-made American, has traveled to England to find the traitor responsible for the massacre of his regiment. He seeks the aid of the beautiful Lady Emmaline Gordon, widowed sister to a victim of the massacre, in introducing his young sister to London society. Thus begins an explosive and forbidden love affair.

This is only the second book I've read from Elizabeth Hoyt. It was not as good as the first, The Raven Prince, but still an enjoyable read. She starts off each chapter with a passage of a fairytale, getting the whole story by the end of the book. I'm not sure if this is something she does in all of her books but it has been in both that I've read. It adds a little something extra to the story and I like it.

I really wasn't a fan of Emmaline, hence the 3 stars. She was a proper English Lady. In other words, an uppity snob. She came of as shrewish and kept picking little fights with Samuel. Usually just to get a reaction out him in the form of bruising kisses and the like.

Verdict: Not my favorite but I will definitely be reading more from her.

Enjoyable

Who was your favorite character and why?

Samuel, he was a strong and determined man. He knew what he wanted and went after it. As a survivor of war the hardship of dealing with that, the nightmares he could not shake made him the man he is in this book. He even doubted his own actions. There was an undeniable attraction between him and Emeline and he knew it. He was not going to ignore it but he recognized the class distinction and this was one more thing he needed to deal with.

What about Anne Flosnik’s performance did you like?

Anne did okay with the different voices, however, her voice kinda gets to you after a while and for me I had to stop listening, to pick up later.

Any additional comments?

Emeline got on my nerves. However, I understood her as well. She had this strong attraction to Samuel and she didn't like it because she felt out of control. She didn't want any man to have control over her feelings. The book helps you to see why. She had to recognize what was important, her independence or her feelings for Samuel.This book is the first of the series and there is a villain, one who betrayed the soldiers to the Indians which caused so many deaths. Samuel wants to find out who it is.

Two stories in one! Great treat.

The Legend of the Four Soldiers and the personallity of the main male character is great and what is even nicer is they both end. First book I've listened/read by this author and was not disappointed the story was great the male lead excellant but the Lady was a bit annoying. I totally enjoy listening to Anne Flosnik which is why I purchased this audio book. Can't wait to listen/read the next installment.

Wonderful

Another excellent novel from this talented author. Well written, historically correct, unusual plot and endearing characters. Very romantic too!

Played non-stop

Played this practically non-stop today while driving, walking, in the shower, and while cooking. Some parts put me to sleep, others made me sit-up to listen more closely.

The things I liked:
- American hero in a historical novel set in England. It's usually rich American heiress looking for titled husband.
- rich back story, especially of the hero Samuel
- class differences were highlighted, giving one of the main conflicts realism
- Sam
- Danny (I almost always like the kids)
- Rebecca and Gil
- Iron Heart although it was confusing at the start

Things I didn't like:
- Emeline. She’s snooty and treated Sam horribly. I didn't like it that she didn't break her engagement with Vale before having sex with Sam.
- some of the early kisses bordered on non-consensual
- Sam addressing Tante Christine as Mademoiselle
- the narrator's voice sounds too old for Emeline. Good for the aunt, but not for the heroine.

I’ll take a break before reading book 2. This was a long one.

Love the moccasins wearing American

The hero is such a likable character. He is sweet, thoughtful, kind and certainly persistent to be in a relationship with a heroine that clearly sees herself as superior to him socially. She is very selective in who she is associated with and sticks to the Ton’s standards. It was hard to like her as the heroine so I found myself imagining how harsh the society must have been at that time and focusing on her inner struggle with it’s standards in order to find something redeeming about her. It was very nice to see her put all those standards aside to just be with the hero even if it meant leaving England and everything else behind. She just put up a good fight to get to that point. I admit I still liked the story very much. It was real and not all sugared up and fluffy. So if you like outwardly sweet characters with no flaws this book is not for you. On the other hand if you enjoy reading about how someone raised with strict superiority mindset freeing herself from those chains that bind her for love, then this is the book for you.

Fun story

This is a great book and well worth your time and credit. The narrorator was not perfect, but darned good. The character, Samual Hartley is fun becasue of the way he lives life on his own terms and how he takes what he wants. He also makes me proud to be a "Yank".

A lovely story

I loved the main characters of this book. Sam has good humor despite all his past demons; he is strong and determined with a wonderful sense of wildness. I enjoyed the interactions between him and his sister as they tried to navigate their distanced relationship; Hoyt is great at creating families that are relatable, loving but not perfect. Emmaline is a crisp and proper English lady, a woman with many defenses, but at her core, caring and passionate. Her interactions with her son really helped to humanize her, allowing her to show a side of kindness and silliness. The two main characters were matched perfectly and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them break down each other's walls and fall in love.