Is it adultery when it’s not a secret? When there are rules? Can you be unfaithful to someone who’s given his permission?
A while ago I read my first Megan Hart book, Broken and it is one of the best books I’ve read. I then went on to read Dirty and Stranger (I must space her books out, they take so much out of me) and I enjoyed them. Dirty was really, really good. Stranger – I didn’t like Sam as much, but Jack completely stole my heart.
By chance, I had Tempted in print sitting on my bookshelf, I had found it at a used bookstore awhile ago. So I picked it up a few nights ago, intending to read the first chapter before bed. Ha! Three hours later, I was an emotional wreck and stayed up half the night with anxiety. See, somehow Megan Hart writes words that seem more powerful than other books I read. I can’t explain it. Her characters are flawed and realistic. Things are not always sunshine. In Tempted, James and Anne have been married a few years. They are happy. They have a good sex life. As always, her sex scenes are edgy and an integral part of her storylines. But as you read, Anne isn’t 100% head over heels in love with her husband. Oh she loves him, and respects him and has found friendship with him. But I think at one point she says something to the effect, she “chose” to fall in love with James. She didn’t free fall into love with him. In your standard romance book, this would never be the case. You would never look upon your spouse with any doubt. But Megan Hart writes gritty. And I thank her for that.
James’s best friend from college who he hasn’t seen for many years, comes home from overseas and needs a place to crash for a few weeks. James is ecstatic to reunite with his friend. Anne is not so sure. James and Alex have a very interesting past. It is hinted that Alex has fooled around with men. He comes off as a charming playboy. James can’t get enough of him. (as a friend)
All of a sudden, the three of them end up together in bed, with James’s permission, Alex is allowed to basically do anything he wants to Anne except have sex. But even without the sex, feelings become confused. And here is where Megan Hart shines. It’s probably the most realistic ménage I’ve read.
Until he gave me Alex, I hadn’t realized something was missing but until he gave me Alex I didn’t know I wasn’t the only one who missed it.
James misses and falls for Alex, just as much as Anne does. And it’s not necessarily sexual with James and Alex, although Megan Hart rides that fine line real hard. They stand too close sometimes. It’s always in the back of Anne’s head. Does her husband really want Alex? It’s not over done, but stressed just enough.
And Anne realizes, Alex instinctually knows Anne better after meeting her for a few days than her husband recognizes her needs after years of marriage. Confusion blooms. Doubts come to the forefront. Feelings of love and anger start to grow. It gets realllll messy.
At the end, there is peace, but as I like to say – it is a Megan Hart type peace. It’s not a perfect end – as in everyone is riding a unicorn and there will never be a bad day again. But it is a perfect end – as in, feelings have been hurt and now there is peace to rebuild a future.
I have one niggle. At the very end. I’ll put it under a spoiler tag but it may be talked about in the comments section.
So Broken and Tempted devastated me (in an amazing way). Dirty and Scandal hurt me almost as much. I think I’ll try Naked next and I also want to read Pleasure and Purpose. Okay, I will eventually get through her entire back list. But I need time to recover!
Tempted at Goodreads and Amazon.
I love Megan Hart. I think Broken was my favorite. I always feel emotionally rung out by the end, I have moments when I want to throw the book across the room, my heart pounds and yet I can’t put it down.
Yes, Megan Hart writes powerful words. Very good way to put it. :)
*****Spoiler Discussion******
I remember wondering the same thing about the ending of Tempted. Hart’s books do take on complex situations.
After thinking about it awhile, I decided that it was perfectly in keeping with the way Megan Hart’s universe works. The interlude between the two characters is bittersweet because it can never be repeated. However, the unresolved tension if it had never taken place would have overshadowed the rest of the characters’ lives.
Plus, Alex goes on to star in another story, Naked. He wouldn’t have been free to commit his heart to another person if his attraction to Anne had been left completely unresolved.
I also had the feeling that the consummation of the relationship was necessary to restore balance between Anne and James. He had strayed emotionally, if not physically, And he’d been unable to fully reconcile that with Anne. Somehow it seemed that the Fates required the freedom for Anne at least to taste what being closer to Alex would be.
Finally, I think that as an author of erotic fiction, Hart simply couldn’t leave her readers hanging. There was so much heat between Anne and Alex that no erotica writer could walk away from it. And in the end, I’m grateful that she didn’t.
Finally, I think that as an author of erotic fiction, Hart simply couldn’t leave her readers hanging. There was so much heat between Anne and Alex that no erotica writer could walk away from it.
I agree with that. In my head, Anne and James were ready to move on. Alex as a character, was still hurting, and maybe sleeping with Anne helped him move on….but it was Anne who made the move on him. I don’t know. Maybe after it sits with me for awhile I will feel differently. I’m going to read Naked next to see what happens with Alex :)
Glad you do enjoy them so much Mandi, I still don’t think I will be reading them anytime soon. Perhaps when my boundaries have shifted some.
Just wait till you read Naked. *thud*
Yea, I told her that too! I didn’t like the heroine in this one, but I’m curious about one thing…gonna email you. Too spoilerish.
I read Broken, cried like crazy and ordered everything she wrote…
The usual labels on Megan Hart work just doesn’t feel wright… She is class on her own.
I’m not fan of menage books- it just doesn’t work for me, but it’s Megan Hart and I was tempted (no pun intended) to dive into one. It’s intense, it’s smart and it kills me too, Mandi. Her books feel so real, about real men and women with flaws and regrets… I can’t recommend it enough. I would go with Naked next; it’s continuation of this story and I loved it.
Cant wait for September and The Space Between Us… It’s love triangle and it sounds so great….
Oh The Space Between Us..wants!!!! Looks sooooo good
I had a long comment planned but Mzcue said it all. It was closure in a twisted Megan Hart way. Maybe when you read Naked it will make more sense… Great review!
I’m so glad you are loving Megan Hart! Her writing style really is in a class all it’s own. I love how she crosses the lines and makes me think. I didn’t love Tempted as much as you did; I think I expected things to go another way. Then I read Naked and thought all kinds of other things that didn’t go the way I thought they would. She keeps me guessing and I just love that about her! I think you’ve now read the four that are the most emotional. I can’t wait to see if Naked does the same to you.
She definitely keeps us guessing. I never know how things are going to work out!
I agree with all of the above statements. Broken was my 1st Megan Hart book as well, and it is one of the best bools I’ve ever read. I ugly cried to that book. I too have to space out the reading of her books. They have a tendency to devastate completely & I need time to recover (unless I’m feeling crazy masochistic.)
I liked Stranger but I really don’t like Sam at ALL. I am, however, crazy in love with Jack. MOAR Jack please!
As usual, I thank (and blame! LOL) you Mandi, for introducing me to these intensely emotional stories. I also think this is one of the most perfect paragraphs ever written re: a Megan Hart novel: At the end, there is peace, but as I like to say – it is a Megan Hart type peace. It’s not a perfect end – as in everyone is riding a unicorn and there will never be a bad day again. But it is a perfect end –as in, feelings have been hurt and now there is peace to rebuild a future.
I was really disappointed with Sam – maybe it’s because Jack completely overshadowed him in my opinion. I need Jack to have a HEA. No, really. He needs one. I worry about him ;)
I am dying for her next release!
i dont think i could read these books, not because they arent well written, but because i’d be to upset for days after, the emotion that is in the books seem so powerful. id be thinking about them and be annoyed with myself
I adore Hart’s books but yes, I really need to have them spaced out as, like you, they take a whole lot out of me. Broken was my first and though I’ve really liked all of her books that I’ve read (haven’t read them all…yet) that one was my favorite.
Broken is amazing. For me, Tempted brought out the same type of feelings.
I hope her book in September is just as good!
SPOILERS
Broken is my favourite Megan Hart, but I really did like Tempted (I generally don’t like menage books).
With respect to Anne and Alex at the end, I think that Anne had to do this to move on with James – James had set up the whole menage scenario with Alex and made the rulse without any discussion aboout whether Anne was O.K. with his decisions. To me Anne going to Alex just that once at the end was part of her taking back control of herself and her desires.
You might also want to try the short Everything Changes – which is Tempted from Alex’s perspective.
I just read Everything Changes last night – very glad I did. I needed some from Alex’s POV – and Alex and James together.
Plus Alex in the backseat of a car with random dude was verra nice ;)
<*bites nail and wishes she had a book by Hart*
Mandi,
Great review!! I love when you said “It is a Megan Hart type peace”. That is a perfect way to describe her books!! I think she is a fantastic author. I read only one of her books and I can’t remember
the title because it just about emotionally killed me and I don’t like to think about it!! LOL I like books with HEA and her books are just too much for me to handle.
I loved Dirty and Broken and Stranger, but I didn’t like Tempted (or Naked for that matter) as much.
Tempted, left me unsatisfied and I didn’t believe that Anne and James would be okay at the end, too much was left unresolved for me. There is a Spice Brief which I havent read that tells Tempted from Alex’s POV so maybe if I read that I would have understood better what was going on.
I felt like the experience with Alex had soured Anne’s relationship with James and I didn’t see them coming back from that so I wasn’t sure they were okay at the end.
And, James and Alex never really resolved anything between them either.
Megan Hart writes kind of hit or miss for me. When she’s hits, I’m a wreck after!
In a way, I like that things aren’t perfect between Anne and James at the end because I think it shows a realistic portrayal of what it does to a marriage bringing in a third person. I feel like there was enough peace at the end for James and Anne to have a shot of rebuilding…but there is room for failure too. This is why I love her writing so much. I can’t read a book with this type of ending all the time..I do love my solid HEA’s..but I like this type of ending too. It fit the story better than a solid – omg I love you forever.
Hi Mandy ^>^
I’m from Brazil and I loved your review. Now I wanted read all the Megan’s books…
I don’t understand what is “HEA’s”… LoL Sorry, it’s because is a abbreviation.
What does this mean?
Tks
Kisses
Oh I’m sorry! That is my bad.
HEA = Happily Ever After – which means, at the end of the book, will the characters be together for the rest of their lives?
Sometimes when I finish a Megan Hart book, I don’t always think the characters will stay together.
oh, now I got it!
Thank’s
=))
Sounds emotionally exhausting. But good enough to check out.
You might want to read the novella “Everything Changes” which show the events in “Tempted” from Alex’ POV. There are a lot of unresolved issues between Alex and James. I don’t like James that much as he is kind of emotionally dishonest. And very good at lying – mostly to himself. One thing “Tempted” does very well is showing how a menage sounds so glamorous and exciting in theory and how it can be in reality such a powder keg of confusion and lead to a lot of upset and pain.
Alex oh Alex. Such a sexy man. Such a troubled man. (I have read “Naked” last year.) Probably my favorite of Megan Hart males, along with Joe from “Broken” and Dan from “Dirty”.
I am actually not convinced that Anne and James are going to make it in the long-term as a couple. I would lay much better odds on Elle and Dan.
I read Everything Changes last night – I feel a little bit better about Alex. Maybe. I don’t know. LOL
I guess I need to read Naked…..I’ll do it soon.
So far, Dirty probably has the best HEA ending I’ve read by Megan Hart. The others leave me…unsettled. In a way , I kind of like that about her.
I absolutely loved Colllide. Very cool ending, I thought. She is an interesting author. Her books stay with me for a long time after I finish them in a way so few others do.
I fell in love with dirty. I felt such a strong connection between the characters and understood Elle’s pain. It’s quite an amazing book, I honestly don’t think I’m ready to read Broken as yet (n.b. i get very caught up with books and their stories and it causes me to look at things so differently) I love Megan Hart books, she has a real talent! I recommend bachelor number four as cheesy as the name sounds it was funny witty and very realistic. Again emotionally touched by Megan’s writing. Less of emotional taxing books I read by her were indecent experiment and a perfect fit, although not as powerful they were very well written. I plan on reading collide and taking care of business next. Happy reading!
I still haven’t made it through her back list because each book drains me so much. So I totally understand waiting on Broken. She really has an amazing voice.