Lisa Jackson’s Temptress is a medieval romance where the main focus is on the suspense plot, while the love story almost seems like an afterthought. I’m not a reader who minds when a romance novel is actually more suspense than romance, so that wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. But while it is a reasonably efficient pageturner, it’s also too uneven and underdeveloped to be a satisfying one.

In her brother’s absence, Lady Morwenna oversees Castle Calon and runs the keep, so when a badly beaten man is found outside the castle walls, the guards immediately notify her. The man is so battered he’s barely recognizable, but he’s wearing a ring with the crest of Wybren and bears a certain resemblance to Carrick of Wybren, who’s been missing for some time. Years ago, Morwenna loved Carrick, but no one has seen him since the Christmas Eve when the rest of his family perished in a fire at their castle. Most believe Carrick set the fire before running away, since his body wasn’t found among the others. Those around her urge Morwenna to confine the man to the dungeon until his identity can be verified. She refuses, since he is near death and unable to pose any serious threat to anyone, and sets him up in a room near her own, with a guard stationed outside the door.

As she waits for the man to awaken, Morwenna is drawn to him, even as she doesn’t know whether he’s the old love who hurt her in the past or a complete stranger. The reader receives glimpses into the mystery man’s thoughts as he slips in and out of consciousness that are no more conclusive and only heighten the mystery (Yes, he has amnesia). Meanwhile, she must contend with strange circumstances at the castle. Her longtime servant Isa, who has clairvoyant abilities, warns of imminent danger. It isn’t long before the warnings come to pass. What Morwenna doesn’t know (but the reader does from the start) is that a crazed lunatic who calls himself the Redeemer is lurking in the castle. He’s the one who set the fire at Castle Wybren, and, obsessed with Morwenna, he will do anything to have her.

This is a fast, energetic read that moves at a good clip. Jackson has a smooth storytelling style, and it goes down easily. There are some moments that really stand out, particularly a showdown between the hero and a nemesis at one point that’s perfectly tense and dramatic. It’s not a bad way to pass a few hours. But it also feels like the author is trying to do too much in too few pages, and the end result seems rushed and underdeveloped.

As I mentioned, the love story is not the main focus here. There isn’t much interaction between the main characters. The mystery man is unconscious for much of the early sections, and later events keep them apart for a while. In the end, I simply didn’t believe they were in love, and I actually had to reread the final passages to confirm that they even were supposed to be. It’s worth noting that the book ends not by giving the love story a convincing conclusion, but by setting up a future book starring Morwenna’s sister. Too bad the sister spends much of this book being so annoying.

The suspense plot is more effective. Sure, The Redeemer is cliched and over-the-top, but the author does a good job sustaining the tension and keeping the reader guessing about the mystery man’s true identity. Overall, though, the story just feels undernourished. The plot is kind of sprawling and all over the place, losing focus at times with the abundance of secondary characters. Morwenna has a fiance who perhaps was supposed to be a source of conflict, but he disappears for a large chunk of the story and it’s too easy to forget about him. There isn’t much period detail, so the setting never quite comes to life the way a good historical should. The characters really aren’t developed very much and seemed two-dimensional. The ending of the suspense plot is also very rushed, leaving me underwhelmed.

Temptress had no trouble holding my attention for the few hours it took me to read it, but it really wasn’t developed enough to make a lasting impression. My search for a good medieval romance will have to continue.