The third book in The Somerset Sisters series a well written Regency story that kept me turning pages, I will be reading this book again. Lachlan Ramsey and Hyacinth Somerset do not get off to a great start. There is suspense, drama, a mystery, and romance. I want to read more in this series.

I received a free copy of More or Less a Temptress in exchange for an honest review.  This was definitely one of the better historical romances I've read recently.  Anna Bradley did a great job capturing the reader's attention with a family secret on her deathbed.  The characters were well written, and the pace was perfect.  I would definitely recommend this book to friends and family.

This book was fun! I haven't read the other books in the series, so I don't know how it compares in that way. I read this after reading a couple of not so great books, so it was a nice reprieve. Lachlan was a bit of a butt at times, but I felt that he really shaped up by the end. I found Hyacinth incredibly sweet. I also identified with her struggles with anxiety. All in all, a great read with a great romance!

Great story. Lovely characters. Glad to revisit past characters from other books in the series. Recommend

The youngest Somerset sister, Hyacinth, is at the first event of her Season, and causes a huge scandal when she calls a stranger "a murderer". The charges are unfounded and untrue and the affair soon becomes more complicated when the stranger, Lachlan Ramsey, reveals that his brother is her brother-in-law. He has traveled to London from Scotland with his brother and sister and needs to protect them and their reputation from any scandal. It was heartwarming to discover that Hyacinth could stand up to others and claim what she wanted. 

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. It was a pure joy. I loved how Hyacinth broke out of her shell  for love. I loved how Lachlan was a gentle Beast when it came to her. I’m anxious to hear Isla’s story

Somersets don't make love easy, but they sure do keep society interested. More or Less a Temptress is Hyacinth's turn to shine. Instead she stirs up a ruckus that could impact more than her reputation. It could end with her losing her heart. Always bold, never boring and hard to resist, this group of sisters make showstopping fun.

I’ve read the previous books in the series and I enjoyed them, but I really didn’t connect with Hyacinth in More or Less a Temptress. I just think it was her personality that didn't appeal to me and how her family treated her. I did like LachIan a little more. I finished reading the story hoping I would change my mind, but I just couldn’t connect with Hyacinth. I did like Ciaran and Isla and I look forward to their stories. I also like how the author leaves the passionate love scenes towards the end.

Mayhem on the ballroom floor!

When Scotland and England meet on the field of love there's always a bit of ruggedness, duplicity and in romance novels, sweet sweet endings. The surprising Miss Hyacinth Somerset meets Lachlan Ramsay and right from the beginning all goes dreadfully wrong. What with Hyacinth swooning and calling Lachlan a murderer the Ton's all a titter, and it seems the reclusive Hyacinth's debut is doomed from the start. And so are Lachlan's chances to bring his sister into society. So is Hyacinth more ... or less a temptress? And just why did Lachlan leave Scotland?
Once again a delightful regency romance from Anna Bradley.

A NetGalley ARC

This was a fantastic read from a new-to-me author.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

More or Less a Temptress is the third book in The Somerset Sisters. I am a fan of Anna Bradley and the sisters, but Hyacinth did not entice me whatsoever.  The reader is led to believe that Hyacinth's entire life had been muted, uninspired until the arrival of Lanchlan. Where was her validation of self?  Lanchlan changes everything for Hyacinth.  She seems to awaken from a colorless realm, as she falls in love with Lanchlan.  I thought Lanchlan was a fine character, but I did not believe the two made a great match. Although this book was not my cup of tea, I believe fans of the series will still find it interesting to delve deeper into Hayacinth's story.

I was hesitant to read this book with complaints about Hyacinth Somerset and the family that coddled her. While it was annoying how her fami!y assumed Hyacinth to be extremely fragile, it made Lachlan's belief in who she truly was on the inside, all the more enduring. I loved the Ramsey's and the interaction between the siblings. Their brother Finn had the same qualities and I was glad to see him gain an immediate fami!y. I only wish Hyacinth's family showed more belief in her along her journey of self discovery.

Ms. Bradley is one of my favorite historical romance writers.  However, while reading this book I felt disconnected from the main characters. The love interests were flatter than her other novels. The female leads wishy-washyness was annoying. She was just too simpering for my liking as the lead.

Hyacinth Somerset is a delicate female who is incapable of being in any kind of real situation and must be sheltered to the max - At least this is what her family believes. Between her overprotective grandmother and sisters, even if she wanted to attempt full season, they feel she’s not emotionally capable and she bends to their will. Lachlan and his siblings are forced to move from Scotland to England and find the brother they didn’t know they had. When they crash a ball at their new brother’s home, a social disaster occurs and they think they will be turned away. Once Lachlan is around Hyacinth more and more, he sees the strong-willed woman her family has been wilting. 
This was a cute story. Watching Hyacinth slowly come out of her shell was an original and interesting experience. I thought the author painted society a little harsher than is usually seen in these kinds of books, but overall a good read.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

This book is the third book in the Somerset sisters series. I absolutely adored the previous books in this series and had the same expectations from this book. Sadly, I was a little disappointed with the characters and their romance. I had loved Hyacinth's character in the previous two books. She had come across as spunky and brave. But in this book, it took her a long time to find her courage and spine and to come in into her own. She is overly protected by her family and it made her seem a lot weaker. I liked Lachlan's character but the romance between Hyacinth and Lachlan felt a little lackluster. Even though this book disappointed me, I am looking forward to the upcoming book from this author as her romances always leave me swooning and going back in for a re-read again. 

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

3.5 Stars. I really enjoyed Lachlan and Hyacinth's romance. The characters were engaging and came off as very genuine without being over the top. I most appreciated Lachlan's actually seeing Hyacinth as opposed to her family and how they treated her. The story was well written and I will read more from Ms. Bradley in future.

This is the last book in the Somerset Sisters series. This is the story of Hyacinth, the youngest and the quietess of the five girls. She's been babied and over protected, since her parents passed away. She's extremely shy, so making her coming out and being the center of attention is very difficult for her. 
Enter Lachlan Ramsay. He is a big, tall Scot who is escaping his past. He is searching for a brother he never knew existed until recently. He is looking to protect his half brother and sister from his past.  
When Lachlan and Hyacinth meet, at her come out ball, let's just say they cause quite a stir. 
The story progresses from there rather smoothly. I think Anna Bradley has a way of describing the characters, the events, the feelings being felt that engrosses you in the story.
I really enjoyed reading this book.  I think this will probably cross over and be the  start of a new series, The Ramsay family.

Anna Bradley did it again! Just love these characters. Lachlan is a very torture hereo. So if you like torture hero this is a much read. I loved the new Scottish characters that came in he book. I can’t wait for the next book which is a new series with the lachlan’s Half sister Isla!

I usually adore everything that Anna Bradley writes, but that particular book just didn’t do it for me and even if it mostly had to do with the heroin, but not only.

Hyacinth was shy and had always been overprotected, but she wished to show the world in general - and her family in particular - that she could stand up for herself. Yet she took her sweet time to make it happen, I felt it was too much and the way her family reacted around her ? Too much also. I couldn’t believe people who ever react this way. The balance wasn’t well done, even if I could understand where it came from. I couldn’t really relate to her or even much like her.

I didn’t like Lachlan much also, he keeps brooding and scowling. I didn’t like his brother at the beginning, too (« I’m such a martyr, I have the right to complain about everything, just beat me »), but he got better near the end, fortunately.

And the villain ? Oh please, I didn’t believe in this situation one single second ! The blackmail itself ? That the blackmailer chose her as a target of all people ? That he wanted to prevent her from doing the only thing that could provide her with the money ? And the thing that happened near the end to reveal him and *she* knows what that detail means ? Not one single second, I said !

Everything felt forced, the characters, the situation…

However,  I keep my faith in this author : you can’t write good books every time, she has the right to not be good sometimes and I bet the next will be absolutely great !

The Story in 4 Sentences or Less: Reclusive Hyacinth Somerset is set to make her debut at the most anticipated event of the season but within moments of being asked to dance by newcomer Lachlan Ramsey, Hyacinth calls him a murderer and faints. Lachlan only wants to claim his birthright and place in society to secure his sister’s future but with Hyacinth’s accusation ringing in his ear he fears his plans are in jeopardy until he sees that society has labeled Hyacinth a hysteric and her marriage prospects are all but ruined. Now Lachlan wants to protect her but he also wants to protect himself from the feelings for her that are growing with each encounter, all while making sure a secret from his past doesn’t destroy everything he’s worked for.




Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? More or Less a Temptress didn’t quite live up to its predecessors and really the fault lies mostly with its heroine, Hyacinth Somerset. 

She was dull. Especially in comparison to her spirited sisters! To me Hyacinth was the wallpaper of heroines, there just isn’t anything remarkable about her. She’s mousy, timid, and a fainter. I hate fainters! She didn’t have any charm or real intelligence, she seemed like a child in a woman’s body. She let her family coddle her to the point where it was suffocating and they made excuses for her silly behavior at a ball, AND she let them speak for her the majority of the times she was in their presence, do you know how irritating that is? Especially since it doesn’t change until like the last few chapters. Too little, too late. Hyacinth didn’t really grow as a character and what growth she did have seemed forced and unnatural for the person she was in the beginning. She had nothing of her own to recommend her, no charm, no spirit, nothing to make her stand out in the sea of debutantes, much less her sisters. I found her silly and childish.

If it wasn’t her family coddling Hyacinth it was Lachlan smothering her with his protective tendencies which didn’t make him look too good either. Lachlan could have been a ruggedly handsome, charming guy but with all his protecting of his family AND Hyacinth he seemed more like a frustrated dad with a bunch of kids, including the woman he was supposedly falling for. I had to question his taste like “Dude, she’s basically a child who needs an adult to tell her what to do, think, and say, why would you want that?” I liked Lachlan more than I did Hyacinth but I had to ask myself why he’d want a ceramic doll instead of a woman with her own mind.



Honestly, this is the first time I have felt this way about a book by this author. I normally adore her books and even when they aren’t five stars they’re still good, but this one I really had a hard time with. The shining spot in More or Less a Temptress were the secondary characters, Lachlan’s siblings. They were mischievous, outspoken, and full of life where the MCs were lackluster and forgettable. Ciaran and Isla show promise as hopefully future MCs themselves. 

Click It or Skip It? Skip It. If you’re new to this author, start with the first two books and just pretend Hyacinth doesn’t exist. If doll-like heroines are your thing then by all means pick up this book.