Let me start off by saying that there are a lot of people who should avoid this book. If the thought of “wallpaper” history makes you shudder, if the repeated use of a word like “uptight” in a 19th century-set novel induces a cringe, and if you hold fast and firm to all the accepted (and inflexible) notions of Regency-era class and culture, then Tempted is most emphatically not for you.

On the other hand, if you’re ready and willing to accept that a fiercely lower class heroine (there’s no magic appearance by unknown noble parents here – she really is the daughter of a smuggler) and a Duke’s heir can find love, if sacrificing strict historical accuracy for some incredibly likable characters sounds like a fair exchange, and if a few laughs along the way would sweeten the deal even more, then you’ve got a definite treat in store. Since I definitely fall into the latter category, I found the admittedly anachronistic Tempted to be romantic, sexy, funny, and one of the most flat-out enjoyable European Historicals I’ve read in a long time.

The key to the character of Alexander Drummond, Marquis of Warwick, is a simple one: The descendent of a long line of notorious rakes, Alex is firmly dedicated to living down the randy reputation of his family. Working as a revenue commander for the Customs Board, so good is he at his job that the smugglers working in the village to which he is newly assigned quickly decide that drastic action must be taken. Head smuggler Tobias Brown conceives the idea of planting someone on the “inside” to get the real scoop on His Lordship and learn his smuggler-busting secrets. Tobias knows exactly the right woman for the job.

Much to her chagrin and under massive protest, Tobias’s daughter Miss Mary Brown soon presents herself at the Marquis’s lavish London home to interview for the job of nurse to Alex’s illegitimate daughter. This interview, to put it mildly, does not go well. Though the Marquis is appalled at Mary’s speech, her outspokenness (clearly, the woman needs to be taught to respect her betters), and her manners, she does have a mild sort of success with Alex’s obstreperous child. Surprisingly to all concerned, Mary gets the job.

Of course, from the very first moment Mary is gobsmacked by the gorgeous Marquis and the Marquis is equally taken by the beautiful Mary. But Mary thinks the Marquis is a prig (he is) and Alex thinks that Mary needs more than a lesson or two in just how a nurse (and a woman) ought to behave. But as Mary tries to tame the Marquis’s less than charming daughter – all the while hiding her true identity and true purpose – both the reluctant nurse and the equally reluctant employer are forced to acknowledge feelings quite a bit different from their mutual antipathy-mixed-with-lust first impressions.

Right from the get-go, I loved Mary. A lower class heroine who is truly lower class, Mary unapologetically butchers the English language throughout the entire book. But there’s far, far more to Ms. Britton’s wonderfully three-dimensional heroine than a strong sense of self-worth and a knack for saying exactly the right thing to get under Alex’s skin. Mary is strong, proud, funny, incredibly resourceful, and both believably and heartbreakingly scarred by her past. Rejected by her mother, ashamed of her father, Mary has made her own way in the world from the age of 16 in a unique and creative way (though I won’t spoil it for you by giving away how she makes her living) and she isn’t about to jump into bed willy-nilly with any puffed-up Marquis. The dilemma she faces is a big one – no matter what action she takes, she’ll betray either her father or her love – and the choices Mary makes are both brave and noble.

Once you get past both his arrogance and his reticence, hero Alex is just as three-dimensional and just as likable. The author does an especially good job of helping the reader understand exactly why his reputation is so important to him and conveys just as skillfully Alex’s understandable reservations at getting involved with a woman so obviously not of his class. But, this is a romance novel after all, so despite the differences between them and the obstacles in their way, the proud Alex falls slowly and surely in love with the equally proud Mary, a journey that in Ms. Britton’s talented hands is believable, real, and incredibly romantic. Not to even mention, of course, that the virtually continuous sparring between the prickly pair is often funny and pretty much always entertaining.

As for quibbles, with the exception of a historical faux paux I mentioned earlier, I really didn’t have any. I was, in fact, impressed that the author didn’t take The Sound of Music approach to nanny-ing (you know, the monsters turn into darlings virtually overnight) and also respected her choice in keeping her heroine so firmly fixed in her class.

Since I suspect that the author’s primary goal here was to entertain and not to kowtow to historical accuracy – though the author cites several real life examples of 19th century cross-class marriages to show that her story could indeed be a real one – she certainly succeeded handily with me. Though I’ve read and enjoyed Ms. Britton before, Tempted is, to put it bluntly, far and away the author’s finest work to date. It isn’t perfect and it isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a reader ready to be charmed by an appealing love story, then I hope I’ve Tempted you with this review.