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New Release Review: A LESSON IN TEMPTATION by Audra North (A Stanton Family novella)

I’m so excited to be a part of the A LESSON IN TEMPTATION and ONE NIGHT IN BUENOS AIRES joint tour today!
My review of A LESSON IN TEMPTATION is below; find my interview with ONE NIGHT’s author Amanda K. Byrne and my review of her book here.

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A Lesson in Temptation
by Audra North

Book blurb:

Adam Harkness pulled himself out of poverty to become one of the world’s most respected Finance professors, but at the cost of his personal life. When a well-meaning friend gifts him with a dance course, Adam decides to attend one class out of courtesy, but no more than that. He has work to do, after all – or at least, that’s what he tells himself.

After being bullied in high school, Julie Stanton took refuge in her studies. But now that her hard work has paid off and Julie has found success in her job, it’s time to focus on finding the same happiness in the rest of her life.

When Adam walks into the same tango class that Julie signed up for, she recognizes him immediately as the professor whom she had a crush on in college. Both Adam and Julie have proven themselves to be excellent scholars. But when the attraction between them turns into something more, will they be able to open their hearts and learn a new lesson – how to love.

 

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Review:

I was about a quarter of the way into this one when I clicked over to Amazon (darn you, one click!) and bought the other three titles in the series. Fifteen minutes after finishing this one, I started on Healing Her Heart. No doubt the other two will follow soon (what? They’re novellas. I can squeeze them in somewhere!)

Some of my favorite parts of this one were the times we were inside poor Adam’s head. He tried so hard to stay focused on his goals and keep Julie out of his mind. Fortunately for us–and Julie–it didn’t work.

This one had me laughing out loud at the dinner table–it’s their dance instructor, giving them one of their first directions in the first class period and Adam’s response:

“Now, all of you, face your partner, and walk toward each other with your center leading. When you reach each other, walk backward to your starting place. With intention!”

Christ. First he was paired with the sexiest woman he’d ever known, and now he had to walk toward her with intention. If he intended anything more toward her, he’d be thrusting into her by the end of the class. Couldn’t he walk toward her with a vague interest instead?

Here’s a little later in the same lesson:

Dancing while trying to suppress an erection was about as fun as it sounded.

They were still walking together, all the couples moving in a big circle. He had one hand just along Julie’s rib cage, and the other was pressed against her palm. His mind would not let go of that image of her open and ready—for him, and the contact was killing him. This close, he could see how perfect her skin was, and she smelled so good—

“Oops!” Another couple bumped into him from behind. He tripped forward into Julie. For a brief moment, they were pressed full-body against each other, breasts to chest, hip to hip, and…his cock almost jumped with relief at the feel of being pushed against her sweet, soft heat.

“Oh!” Her eyes flew wide and he jumped away, bringing them both to a full stop while the offending couple danced around them, completely unaware of the awkwardness that they’d left behind.

Just act like nothing happened.

He nearly laughed out loud. Julie Stanton had just felt his erection and his advice to himself was to feign ignorance? Moments like these made him question how he’d ever won that Fulbright Scholarship.

See? Poor Adam. And poor Julie, because she’s only got a little over a hundred pages to convince this guy that he does, indeed need to loosen up–at least enough to let her in.

Fortunately for them both, she manages it nicely.

A Lesson in Temptation is a short, steamy read with laugh-out-loud moments. You don’t have to have read the others in the series to enjoy it, but after this one you’ll definitely want to. 😉

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

Buy Links:  Goodreads:Amazon:Barnes & Noble: Entangled

 

Excerpt:

Julie turned and looked at Adam. He was still wearing that little smile, but he hadn’t relaxed at all.

“Everyone, spread out into a circle,” Ivana called, gesturing with her arms around her body. “Spread, spread,

spread!”

Next to her, Adam groaned quietly. “Not only is this a dance class, it‘s a cheerful dance class.”

She grinned in response. “I assume this is the first time you’ve taken dance?”

He looked confused for a second, as though he hadn’t realized he said that out loud, then shrugged. “This kind of thing isn’t really my cup of tea.”

True. A dance class was the last place she would have expected to see him. Maybe he was trying the same thing she was—to get out a little more and remind himself what life was really about. He’d been a workaholic even when she was in college, after all. But before she could ask him why he was here, the instructor clapped her hands again. “Now, gentlemen! Turn to your right and face the lady closest to you. Ladies, turn to

your left and face the gentleman closest to you.”

Their eyes met and held, and for a moment, everything else fell away as she and Adam looked at each other. It was like the past few years hadn’t even happened. That same intense attraction she’d always had toward him was still there, pulling her forward. It was too much, all of a sudden, and she had to look away before she did something stupid, like throw her arms around his neck and try to kiss him. No way was she going to get into a situation where she’d only be rejected again. This class was supposed to be fun. Maybe once it started, she could politely excuse herself and go flirt with Trent again.

At that moment, Ivana announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, the person you are now facing will be your primary partner for the next six weeks.”

 

Audra North’s Bio:

Audra North fell in love with romance at age thirteen and spent the next twenty years reading as many romance novels as she could. Even now, after having read over one thousand of them, Audra still can’t resist the lure of a happily ever after, and her collection continues to grow. She lives near Boston with her husband, three young children, and a lot of books. Visit her website at audranorth.com or find her (way too frequently) on Twitter

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