I will agree that how to address those who hold titles of British nobility may be confusing, but there are plenty of reference sources. So there is simply no excuse for the many errors that are found in Temptress.

• The hero, Lucien St. Cyr, Earl of Berwyn is referred to as St. Cyr through most of the novel and sometimes even as Lord St. Cyr. This is very wrong. He should have been referred to by his title and called Berwyn, or Lord Berwyn. Family names were not often used as forms of address among the nobility.
• Lucien’s father is Edward St. Cyr, Marquess of Ansley. He is addressed as St. Cyr and Lord St. Cyr. This is not right at all. He should be addressed as Lord Ansley – his proper title. At one point his wife is referred to as Lady Katherine. No, she is Lady Ansley. Lady Firstname is used for the daughter of a Duke, Marquess or Earl.
• The heroine of the book is Rosaleen and her father is a viscount. At one point he introduces himself as Reginald Fleming, Viscount of Howland and his wife as Lady Elinor. No – his proper title would be Reginald Fleming, Viscount Howland (without the of) and his wife would be Lady Howland.
• Finally, even the form of address used for the clergyman in this book is wrong. The clergyman’s name is Basil Whitmore. At one point, he is addressed as Pastor Whitmore. Unless he is a Lutheran (not probable in Regency England), that form of address is wrong. He would have been The Reverend Mr. Whitmore and addressed as Mr. Whitmore.

Rosaleen Fleming, daughter of Viscount Howland, is a pretty and intelligent young woman who is the constant target of gossip by spiteful old biddies in the ton. Rose’s mother was a former courtesan and her father had been a client. Rose’s parents have been happily married for years and are devoted and faithful to each other, but to Society, Lady Howland’s past is not to be forgiven and Rose is presumed tainted as well. One day Rose meets Lucien St. Cyr, Earl of Berwyn. Luc is an upright and decent young man who does not hold Rose’s past against her and treats her with friendliness and respect. They are both attracted to each other.

At a Society function, Luc finds out that he is not the natural son of his parents. Luc’s mother had had several stillbirths and his father feared for her mental health. When she had another, Luc’s father conspired to pass off a healthy baby as the one she had just given birth to. That baby was Luc. In reality, he is the son of one of the biggest rakes in the ton. Luc’s reaction is to cut loose and go on a big debauch.

In the meantime, Rose is on the continent doing the Grand Tour. When she returns, she is surprised at the change in Luc, but their attraction remains. As they grow closer, they are drawn into a mystery. Some prominent courtesans are getting threatning letters and a few are being killed. Rose’s mother has received a threat and when Luc is observed kissing Rose in a carriage, she too receives a threat on her life.

Temptress had some elements that could have made it an exciting book, but for me it fell very flat. The constant misuse of titles had me gritting my teeth in irritation. Rose was a nice girl, but she and Luc were a very bland pair. Even the descriptions of Luc’s debauches lacked passion. There was no tension, no spark and no sexual fire at all between Luc and Rose and they began and ended as a very one-dimensional pair of lovers.

The secondary charcters had no dimension at all. There was potential for angst and brooding and blame with Luc’s parents, but this reviewer’s emotions were never engaged. My eyes glazed over while I waited for the book to catch fire – it never did.

Temptress didn’t even have some good cheesy purple prose to make it at least a fun read, and the identity of the villain was obvious to me – and I am usually clueless about guessing identities. All in all, Temptress was quite forgettable.