Review of Books Sold at Dollar Stores- Part 2

In my last review I wrote about Immortal Blood by James M. Thompson, and was pleasantly surprised by it, having purchased it at a local Dollar General. So I moved on to read my next $1.00 purchase Tempt Me Twice by Barbara Dawson Smith, an author that has written 9 other books including this one.

Tempt Me Twice was published in 2001 by St. Martins Paperbacks, and the cover has a picture of a treasure chest on the front. Like Immortal Blood, I was not impressed by the cover of this book, but for a dollar, I could not resist buying it.

The story starts out in England in 1808, with a young girl the age of sixteen, Kate Talisford. Her father is not a wealthy man by any means, but is a scholar and has an adventurous spirit. He finds an equally adventurous friend in Lord Gabriel Kenyon, who comes to work with him on his studies to look for a lost civilization in Abysinnia.

The young Kate is devastated to find out that her father will be leaving with Lord Gabriel to go off on an adventure to find the civilization, and is terrified that he will never return. She sets out to seduce Gabriel in an effort to keep her father home where he belongs, but he is older and wiser and shuns her efforts. Kate's father and Gabriel soon leave, much to Kate's dismay and she immediately hates Gabriel for taking him away.

Four years later, after her mother dies from illness, and word has come that her father was murdered, Kate has to learn to fend for herself and her younger sister. Lord Gabriel then shows up, appointing himself Guardian of Kate and her sibling, much to Kate's refusal and dismay. As much as she dislikes Gabriel, he is the only one who can help her recover the priceless artifact that was stolen from her father when he was murdered.

On a quest to find the murderous villain, Kate and Gabriel realize that their true feelings cannot be hidden, no matter how hard they try to discount them.

Tempt Me Twice was a wonderful read! It was adventurous, sensual and funny all rolled into one. Barbara Dawson Smith is a wonderful storyteller, and makes the characters in her book likable. She has a very smooth way with words that keeps you coming back for more.