The Problem with Seduction by Emma Locke (The Naughty Girls Series #2)
February 13, 2013
Historical Romance
Self Published

Reviewed by Mandi

Elizabeth is a wealthy former courtesan who has an infant son. She was mistress to Captain Nicholas Finn who is the father of the baby. The problem is, Finn demands the baby come live with him and his wife, leaving Elizabeth devastated. So she comes up with a plan. Lord Constantine Alexander is a penniless fourth son in a family that can barely scrape any money together. He has already been to debtor’s prison (his twin brother has a huge gambling problem in which Con takes the fall for often) and he needs more money to not only cover his brother’s debts but also some failed investments he has made himself. When Elizabeth offers him ten thousand pounds to publicly declare himself as the father of her baby, in front of Finn at the local club – he eagerly accepts. And after nervously going forth with the confrontation, Finn has no choice but to return the baby to Elizabeth. But he isn’t going down without a fight and vows revenge.

Con now feels protective over Elizabeth. She is estranged from her parents and doesn’t have any other family. Also complicating matters is the fact that after Con publicly admits he is the father, his close knit family including his brothers and his parents demand to meet the baby. And Elizabeth, terrified she will lose Oliver again, tries to stands in his way.

The first book in this series was just okay for me (this can be read as a stand alone) but this one feels like a much more focused, tighter book. By all accounts our hero Con starts off as a bit of a ninny. But don’t let that scare you away. I really like Con’s characteristics. He is poor. He makes horrible business decisions. He doesn’t have much of a backbone, always taking the fall for his twin brother’s gambling problems. He has a deep, deep fear of going back to debtor’s prison. He takes Elizabeth’s money but then gets in this situation with her where he becomes dependent on her. He has to hold up this pretense that Oliver is truly his, but he actually falls deeply in love with the baby. He starts to rely on Elizabeth’s advice on certain matters. it’s really a different take on a hero. He isn’t alpha, yet he still comes across sexy and protective of Elizabeth and Oliver. He becomes her friend first, as the romance very slowly develops. He is overall just a good guy, who gets involved in a confusing situation.

“Don’t go.” HIs arms tightened, holding her against him. “Just a moment longer.”

Her heart melted for this man who liked babies and hugging and, for some reason, her. Bit by bit, she worked her hands around his waist and clasped them at his back. He’d done so much for her. If all he asked for was a few minutes’ embrace in return….

Who was she fooling? This felt wonderful.

Then he gets a boner which totally made me laugh. *ahem* anyway….

For Elizabeth’s part – family and babies are all so new to this former courtesan’s lifestyle. She has to learn how to love a man for who he is, not seduce him with her former tricks. She has to learn trust, which is a hard lesson to learn. She also has to come to terms with the fact that her parents are truly against her and will not stand up for her. But the idea of not living with her child horrifies her. In all honesty, Finn is the father and sometimes I felt bad for him that he gets to play the part of the villain. Yes, he handles the situation badly when he forcefully takes the baby away from Elizabeth, but I felt pity for him at some times. There is resolution to this at the end of the book. It might have been a bit too easy of a way out or too much of a turnabout for Finn…but at least things are resolved. The ending isn’t perfect but not a poor ending either.

The author does a really nice job with building up the romance and playing out the conflict.. Looking forward to another book in this series for sure.

Rating: B

Recent Reviews:
Adria’s Romance Reviews – 4/5
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