Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith – a Review

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Description:
She’s an heiress who needs a husband fast…he’s the brooding, handsome footmen who comes to her rescue…

Lady Venetia Dunham has plenty of money and freedom, until her father dies, leaving her and her feisty grandmother at the hands of her less than noble cousin when he becomes the new earl. Her cousin makes his wishes clear. She will marry a man of his choosing, a man who will split her fortune with her cousin.

Determined to avoid that fate, Venetia and her grandmother flee to a country house party hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devon where Venetia stumbles into the arms of Adrian Montague, a handsome footman with a tragic past.

When Venetia sprains her ankle, she and Adrian are closeted together for a week. The attraction between them is undeniable and forbidden. Their passion could wreck Adrian’s life if they were discovered together. When love blooms between them, it comes at a great cost, and Venetia must choose to follow society’s laws or her own heart.

Review:

Tempting the Footman by Lauren Smith is the 6th book in her House of Devon series. Footman Adrian Montague is going about his daily chores, if he’d known how the day would end, he might have been better prepared. 

Socialite Venetia Dunham is not going to marry some horrid man her cousin has acquired for her! It was bad enough she lost her family home in the country, she’ll be damned if she’ll lose her inheritance to marriage!  She needs to escape or marry a man of her choosing…..

A forbidden love, ladies don’t usually meet and marry the servants, but nothing about this arrangement is orthodox. 

Adrian is technically the son of a lord (but if your father ruins the reputation of your mother and refuses to marry her, then your illegitimate) but as his father refuses to acknowledge Adrian, he has had to make his own way in the world. 

Venetia is quite the spitfire, she knows what she wants and with the help of her beloved Gran, she sets out to do it. 

This short story is part of a series (House of Devon) written by other authors. But you definitely don’t have to read them all. 

I think it was almost love at first sight for Adrian, and when asked to be Venetia’s companion for the week, he jumps at the chance (yes a little unconventional, but it’s a writers prerogative). They form a friendship that turns into love. She wants to know all the secrets concerning a man, she wishes to know their touch and kisses, and she wants Adrian to help her!  But it’s a secret, because if found out Adrian would be given the sack from his job and Venetia would be a social outcast!! But the more time they spend together, the harder it is to hide their feeling for one another. 

And what of her cousin? Has he forgotten that she is to marry his friend? Or will he leave her to live the quiet life in the country? So can Adrian and Venetia find happiness, or will it be just a brief fling?  

If your looking for a short historical read, then you’ll not go wrong in picking this one up. 

Reviewed by Julie

Copy supplied for Review.