THE TEMPLAR'S SEDUCTION

Author: Mary Reed McCall ISBN: 0061170445 6/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: 1309 Scotland

Only a lie will save his life . . . Sentenced to the gallows for trying to sell the treasures of the Knights Templar, Sir Alexander de Ashby has one chance for survival. The scoundrel must impersonate the late Earl of Marston, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance, and infiltrate the lord's border castle to earn his reprieve. But first he must convince the earl's beautiful Scottish bride that his rightful place is in her bed. But only love can save his soul. Relieved that the story of her long-absent husband's death was false—and enticed by a wild, sensuous side of him she had never experienced before—Lady Elizabeth cautiously welcomes "the earl" back into her heart, unaware that the breathtaking imposter intends to vanish once his mission is complete. But escape may be impossible even after his secret is revealed. For now Alexander burns for the proud, remarkable lady...and desires nothing more than to live—and die, if he must—for a glorious love born of deception and sin.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

In THE TEMPLAR'S SEDUCTION, Mary Reed McCall has taken the world of the Templar Knights and made it a romantic, beautiful world that takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes.

Alexander De Ashby has been given two options. He can either be hung by an evil English commander or he can infiltrate a Scottish castle, pretending to be the Lord of the castle. All the while he must feed the English army damning information about the strongholds of the castle so that the English may infiltrate it at a later date. It is a horrible job, but someone has to do it, and being that he is a self proclaimed selfish, immoral man, Alex has no problem taking the job—especially if it means saving his own neck.

Elizabeth knows the minute that Alex rides up in her courtyard that something is wrong. Even though her real husband has been gone to war for many years, she senses differences immediately. His kiss is more aggressive, his mannerisms more decisive... but more telling is the fact that Beth is so drawn to him sexually. For the Rob that Beth remembers has never invoked this wild, sensual heat in her—he could never bring her to such an all-consuming fire of desire with just one look.

The sexual chemistry alone in this book is enough to make me want to holler from the rooftops for every romance lover alive to run and buy THE TEMPLAR'S SEDUCTION! Steady and strong throughout the entire book, I would have to be crazy not to have acknowledged it in my review. It practically takes on a life of its own and adds a wonderful spicy heat to the story.

The growth of Alex's character is absolutely beautiful to watch. We start out with a man who is a selfish, uncaring human being, and we end up with a husband who is heartbreakingly in love and willing to die for his woman. The contrast is astounding, and the journey that he took to get to that point is even better.

Elizabeth's depth of character is a great offsetting factor of who Alex is as a person. She makes up for all of the things that Alex lacks in the beginning, and throughout the book, as we watch Alex grow, the two of them become a powerhouse of a couple. My absolute favorite scene in the entire book is when Alex and Beth are before the King, with the Templars (yowza, I love these men) backing them and Alex is confronted about his sins. More than ever, at that point, we see the kind of man that he has become, and the amount of sacrifice that Beth is willing to endure just to love him. Absolutely brilliant.

Mary Reed McCall is the kind of author that you just know will be around for a long time. Her stories are always above the mark and leave me breathless for more. THE TEMPLAR'S SEDUCTION is the perfect book for a great summer read. I am excited to see what Mary Reed McCall is going to have for us next!

Kristal Gorman