REVIEW & RELEASE: Tempting Eden by Celia Aaron
Jack England Eden Rochester is a force. A whirlwind of intensity and thinly-veiled passion. Over the past few years, I’ve worked hard to avoid my passions, to lock them up so they can’t harm me—or anyone else—again. But Eden Rochester ignites every emotion I have. Every glance from her sharp eyes and each teasing word from her indulgent lips adds more fuel to the fire. Resisting her? Impossible. From the moment I held her in my arms, I had to have her. But tempting her into opening up could cost me my job and much, much more. Eden Rochester When Jack England crosses my path and knocks me off my high horse, something begins to shift. Imperceptible at first, the change grows each time he looks into my eyes or brushes against my skin. He’s my assistant, but everything about him calls to me, tempts me. And once I give in, he shows me who he really is—dominant, passionate, and with a dark past. After long days of work and several hot nights, I realize the two of us are bound together. But my secrets won’t stay buried, and they cut like a knife.
REVIEW
Now, I should confess, I've not read Jane Eyre but I know the plot (film :D) so even though this is a modern day retelling, I was just hooked on story regardless. Eden is the modern day Mr Rochester and performs perfectly as "byronic" heroine when she first meets Jack. He stays cool and composed, as though nothing affects him, but it soon becomes apparent that Eden affects him in the best way.
I loved the way Jack's character was portrayed, he lets everything Eden throws at him just roll straight off him. He's brilliant at his job and one of the few assistants that can handle Eden. At first I thought Eden was just down to be rude to everyone, even Jack, but as you learn more about her, you start to understand her more.
The tension between the two of them was everything I want in a romance. Jack seems like a sweet and relaxed man, seemingly controlled around everyone, but with Eden his dominant side breaks out and my lord is it HOT!
The secrets the two of them have are juicy as!! I was gripped by the retelling of Jack's past, the decisions he made and Eden's troubles as she tried to decide how to judge. I was still rooting for Jack the whole way through. He is EVERYTHING!!! Eden does do questionable things and it is AMAZING to read a story where the gender roles are flipped. Even though we hear both points of view and Jack at no point seems like a heroine role, Eden is very much the one who takes on the more masculine romance novel role. It's refreshing!
This book is one that needed to happen and I hope more like it come out following this. Celia writes in her author note at the end about the prejudice she and her husband have met in her own life, so the fact that this is a mixed raced romance which switches up a Bronte classic makes this a book you CANNOT afford to miss! Perfectly written as we've come to expect from Celia Aaron, this book is a genius re-working of a classic with lots of added heat.
Kudos to Celia for taking your typical romance novel and flipping it on its head. We just need more books like this that challenge the stereotype and add variety to an otherwise repetitive romance formula. Sign me up for more of this!!
