This is the 5th book in the series and can be read as a stand-alone. Athena broke up a wedding six years ago and even though it worked out for her brother, its humiliated Robert. When she is staying near his home, she decides to go an apologize. Robert is surprise by the woman before him, he only remembers her as a young girl. Sparks are flying between them and when they are trapped together during a blizzard, will he discover he wants her for his own? Fast-paced historical read with loads of drama, suspense and steam. Great characters with lots of depth and emotion. I liked it.

Miss Athena Townsbridge, 22, and her family have been invited to spend two weeks of December at the estate of the Marquess and Marchioness of Foxborough. Their daughter, Abigail, is married to the Roxby’s son, James.

Athena enjoys being around the large family. She would have a family of her own had she not caused a scandal in church when she was 14 by declaring that the bride, Bethany, loved Charles, not the man she was marrying. Her reputation is shot, but she still feels that she did the right thing.

The Foxboroughs are considering hosting a ball to which Robert Carlisle, the Marquess of Darlington, spurned bridegroom, and neighbor, should be invited. Athena wants very much to apologize to him for her outburst, especially when she learns that he still has a lot of anger with her and the family. Instead, she decides to go to his estate and offer an apology.

Robert Carlisle has worked had to repair the debt his father left when he died. He is shocked at the arrival of Athena and meets her apology with anger, claiming she ruined his reputation. Not to be dismissed by him, she offers to restore his reputation in exchange for his forgiveness to which he finally agrees. As she is leaving to return to Foxborough Hall, a heavy snowstorm forces her to stay.

Their few days together shows an innocent but fun Athena and Robert finds himself smitten with her. After taking her back to the Hall, he asks her father to be allowed to court her, to which he agrees.

Sophie Barnes has created the perfect duo in Athena and Robert. I loved Athena's feistiness and how Robert loved her for it. The story is one of fun, and true love. Perfectly done! Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Six years ago, fourteen year old Athena Townsbridge broke up a wedding. This worked out well for her brother Charles and Bethany the lady he loved, but Athena has never forgiven herself for what it did to Robert Carlisle. No one has seen him since he fled the church in humiliation, so when she learns of his estate’s proximity to the property she is staying at during a family visit, she sets out, determined to make amends. When Robert, Marquis of Darlington, is reunited with Athena, she’s no longer the troublesome girl he remembers, but rather a fully grown woman. Trapped with her when a blizzard sets in, he rediscovers her playful side, the laughter and joy she can bring to his life. But it is her willful nature that tempts him, both with the need to tame her and with the dream of making her his.
This is the final book in the series & a lovely finale it is too. Athena is the buckskin wearing hoyden who adores her nieces & nephews but also finds herself at a loss when she’s apart from Robert. Robert was humiliated when his wedding was halted especially as his first fiancée ran off with someone else but it's a case of third time lucky until illness nearly upsets the apple cart. A well written, fun entertaining read with a lovely epilogue that beautifully rounds off the series

☘︎︎ will the past taint their future ...

While I have read this series from book 2, sadly I missed the first, which sees its conclusion in this very one.
And while it can perfectly be read as a standalone, you might (as I) more appreciate it with the first book in mind, but the author does a great job bringing all the necessary details to fully enjoy this tale.

Athena is quite a character, sunny, passionate and boisterous, she also tends to act first and think second. Why she often finds herself in messy situations.
And how she created a scandal of a magnitude size. And while she is happy with its result, and does with being labeled a vicious hoyden, she also knows she has caused great hurt to the man wounded by her ill-timed way of taking matter in hand.
Robert after his second aborted attempt at matrimony retired from the marriage mart and its society. He had greatest challenge to see after when upon his father’s demise, he had to find a way to clean his inherited debts.

So when Athena crashes once more in his life, his first reaction is to have nothing to do with her, she is disaster in the waiting.
Yet when circumstances present him with no other possibility than to offer her shelter, he remembers the little girl she was, the willful and lively young being he liked. And in this now full grown woman, there are the same sparks with enticing curves, all the more to make him fall hard, faster than a lightning to strike.

I just loved Robert, he had every rights to be angry at her, and to stay this way as long as he was willing. But the good man in him, understands the why behind her harsh deed. And while he sees where her actions could hurt her, he does not want to stifle the lively and vivid creature he believes she is. Just to give her guidance to avoid pain. He wants to be the one walking by her side, when she will spread her wings as a full grown woman, not any more a kid to be admonished for her silly ploys.
Why he does not hurry his courting, preferring to analyze her reactions, giving her time to come to terms with own body responses. He just plants the seed of himself as a possible suitor by a slow assault of her senses. All the while giving her space to comprehend the storm raging all around her inner core, at first she fights it like she is infested by bug when it is only her heart surrendering to an even more powerful affection, a heart sickness, a disease of the soul affecting her whole body and mind.

What a delight it was to read this unconventional wooing, Robert is such a sweetheart offering Athena time to embrace her heart.
5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

The last of the Townsbridge children

That is unwed, Athena is now a very sheltered young girl, who is considered a feisty hoyden no man will have because when she was fourteen, she interrupted a wedding. Now, at twenty, six years have passed since she broke up Robert's wedding. It was his second jilting. He's harbored resentment toward Athena since then but hasn't seen her since.

Now, Athena barges into Robert's life to apologize and refuses to leave until she can attempt to make amends. Robert is not happy with her at first, but he very quickly notices how nicely Athena has grown up and its instant love for him (though they did know each other very well from before when she was a child).

Robert is sweet and understands Athena and just a dream. Total hero material.
Recommend.

After the previous two disappointments in the Townsbridge series, I found this one just ok…but more perhaps that after forcing it out of attachment to the author, I’ve found her style doesn’t really suit my reading tastes anymore.

Of the three books in the series I’ve read, this is definitely the most normal by historical romance standards, with the rambunctious heroine and the hero whose marriage to her sister she broke up so the sister could marry someone else (possibly a component of one of the first two books I haven’t read?) And in theory, it’s fine. I like that he does ultimately accept her for her.

It was also really jarring to see him go into lust-mode super quickly because she’s suddenly super beautiful after all these years. I hate when heroes think with their cock instead of their brain, and this is such a great (horrible!) example of it.

Clearly, this is a case of “ymmv,” as I’ve more or less given up on her due to how many times I‘ve been burned, but she does still have a lot of fans, and understand why they still read her, and if you like her style, then you’ll like this one.

Sophie Barnes delivers a delightful wrap-up to the Townsbridge series that wraps up loose ends and sees all of the family together in their happily ever afters!

How can the last Townsbridge, Athena ever find herself a husband when she is forever linked with the scandal she created as a young girl in order to procure a love match for her brother… six years later, Althea has the chance to reach out toe the man she wronged and broker peace between them.

For Robert Carlisle, the architect of his humiliation, Althea Townsbridge was the last person he wanted to become snowed in with… that is until the storm lifts and she turns out out to be the only woman able to tempt his heart!

What a wonderful reunion of enemies turned lovers! Fate brings this tow together to find happiness for one and all in the Townsbridge brood! I loved seeing how the quirky and free spirited Althea seeps into the cracks in Roberts heart pouring in life and a new love that finally eases his wounded heart. As Roberts’ heart starts to beat anew, he gently introduced Althea to a love she has never known.

This a sweet tale that wraps up the series perfectly!

An Unexpected Temptation by Sophie Barnes is scheduled to release December 8th, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from author Sophie Barnes through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#AnUnexpectedTemptation #SophieBarnes #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. An Unexpected Temptation by Sophie Barnes is the fifth and final novella in her The Townsbridges series. A child of fourteen when the series began, Athena Townsbridge is now all grown up at age twenty and has decided that she needs to make amends to Robert Carlisle, Marquess of Darlington, for standing up at his wedding six years ago and announcing that the bride and her brother were in love with each other, causing him to be left at the altar a second time. Visiting close by his country estate, she creates an opportunity to sneak out and ride over to make her apologies in person but ends up trapped there by a snowstorm. At first reluctant to accept her overtures, Robert comes to realize that she’s grown from the child he once knew and that perhaps it is time to put the past behind them because he finds himself enchanted by her now. A reasonably low angst story with medium steam, this one is my favourite of the series. Publishing Date: December 8, 2020. #AnUnexpectedTemptation #SophieBarnes #HistoricalRomance #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #NetGalley

This was an amazing novella and I hated when it ended. I loved the characters of Robert and Athena. Athena was a young woman that marched to the beat of her own drum. Robert was her brother's best friend. Athena had humiliated Robert by standing up at his wedding and announcing that the bride loved her brother not Robert. After six years, Athena attempts to apologize to Robert only to be stuck at his house in a blizzard.

I enjoyed this second chance at romance.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

I thought this was a fun quick, read. Sometimes novellas are the perfect thing to cozy up & read. Athena was a lot of fun, full of gumption & tenacity. Robert was very much a classic brooding hero. I didn't buy into the "heroine has never, at the age of 20, experienced desire before, so she thought she had a stomachache" portion of the book. Though I understand it was a different time, and people come to their sexual awakenings at their own pace, I felt that Athena would have been much more aware of her appetites, because of the vigor with which she went about the rest of her life.

A quick, surprisingly uncomplicated despite this main couple’s complicated past connection romantic read is how I’d sum up this new regency romance by the talented Sophie Barnes. You pretty much get exactly what the synopsis states in this 114 paged novella sequel to the series. Having only read books 3 and 4 seemed inconsequential since Athena and Robert’s story took a life all of its own, and details about the previous couples were drizzled into the mix. It only took a sentence or two to get the gist of why Robert’s feathers were still riled after six long years.

Robert may have overreacted harshly when Athena showed up on his doorstep, but all things considered, things run smoother than I expected in the long run. I especially liked the fact he might have told her to leave more than once but offered her tea, food, shelter, and dry clothes as necessitated to ensure her safety and comfort. He also didn’t morph into a reluctant knucklehead. No, this soon smitten leading man recognized his attraction for Athena and grabbed what he felt was their destiny with both hands. He patiently let her and time catch up with him and his unexpected new found goal of making her his wife.

Athena was a tad too embarrassing overly innocent to the point it took her a while to recognize the physical and emotional stirrings and symptoms of love and the passion that derives from it. I took exception to Robert and her dad’s repeated notion it was going to take a firm hand to teach her not to be so impulsive. At least Robert said he loved her free spirit and wanted her to continue being herself. If she was such a simpleton, people, maybe she wasn’t mature or old enough to get married right now after all. You might be guessing right now I'm not overly fond of a "Yes, dear" heroine.

I breezed right though this short novella, folks. It played out like fate itself decided not to put up any barriers between this “something clicked between them” now sweet on each other main couple. I am especially thankful Robert felt no other woman he’s ever fancied held a candle to Athena. In fact, the privilege of marrying her now made all he's ever endured worth it

Title: An Unexpected Temptation, Series: The Townbridges (Book 5), Author: Sophie Barnes, Pages: 114, pub date: 12/8/20, stand-alone but part of a series, 10 year older hero soon smitten hero, impulsive, means wells, virgin heroine, only a little steam near the end, no OW/OM drama, no cheating, no love triangle.

Book 1 - When Love Leads to Scandal
Book 2 - Lady Abigail’s Perfect Match
Book 3 - Falling for Mr. Townsbridge
Book 4 - A Duke for Miss Townsbridge
Book 4.5 - Once Upon a Townsbridge Story
Book 5 - An Unexpected Temptation

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, NetGalley, or PR firm.)

Another sweet short story of the Townsbridges. The impetuous Athena and the broody marquess. Poor Robert, would he ever find somebody? Of course he did. The dynamics of this family is so wonderfully portrayed in this series. Athena is such a force to be reckoned with that I can hear Robert say “you complete me”. A wonderfully romantic ending to this series.

Six years ago, Athena had stood up in front of the congraution and announced. that her brother and the bride loved each other and wanted to marry. She was still her hoyden self but now she seemed much more. He was Robert Carisle, Marquess of Darlington who use to be her brothers best friend. He couldn't believe how lovely she was now. He forgave her and tried to take her home but the snow was to deep. When he finally got her home, he explained to her family what had happened and that he would like to court her. This was a delightful story. It was
light and bright. The characters were happy except for that one incident, and fun. It just flowed so well and was easy to read. I liked the way he forgave them although he was the victim.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.

What a fun romance. A young girl taking the risk of a lifetime to save her brother. Leads her to her own happy ever after as an adult. Loved this happy read.

Athena is a charming young woman, but everyone else sees her as a talkative, can’t sit still, and does not think first before she blurts out her comments. When she was only 14 years old , she ruined her brother’s best friends wedding by standing up in the middle of the ceremony and announcing that the soon to be bride and best man her brother were in love. The groom, Robert was embarrassed and for six years refused all contact with the family and any overtures of apology.

Athena decided that she was going to end this barrier of silence and invaded Robert at his estate. When she showed up , he refused her admittance, but she entered anyways and ended up stuck there for several days because of a surprise blizzard.
Can the two of these adversaries come together and make peace?

This is a lighthearted, short read, but will keep you amused. I love Sophia Barnes books, but this one left me feeling like I was missing something.

I personally would have loved if the book was maybe even 30 pages more and it would definitely been more cohesive. I just felt it was rushed to cram so much in a short storyline, if there was less time spent on dinner or the amount of time on her visit. He did spend a lot of time contemplating on how he would definitely be able to be able to take her in hand and guide her which I know that was the demeanor in that time.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

An Unexpected Temptation by Sophie Barnes is the last (and fifth) book in The Townbridges series. Athena Townsbridge was outspoken and sometimes acted before she thought. Athena stopped a wedding that included Robert Carlisle and he seemed to disappear after the horrific happening.

Robert Carlisle is now the Marquess of Darlington. While he is not a recluse, his life was changed when Athena Townsbridge broke up his wedding. He has never really forgiven her and her family. Athena shows up at his home (while visiting nearby) to apologize. She refuses to leave before Robert hears her apology.

Then the snow started and didn’t stop. Robert and Athena were trapped together forcing them to deal with each other. Suddenly Robert realized that Athena was right for him, an unexpected temptation. Sophie Barnes ended this series with fun characters and an interesting storyline. An Unexpected Temptation is a quick reading novella, that is really hard to put down.

Let me offer you a word of warning – DO NOT start reading this book in the evening if you wish to get a full night’s sleep. Once you begin reading, you won’t put it down until you’ve finished. Luckily it is a novella so you might get a few hours of sleep.

I have wanted to read Robert’s story since the first book of the series, When Love Leads To Scandal. I knew his perfect match had to be out there somewhere – and she was – she just wasn’t anybody he would have ever expected. After his best friend, Charles Townsend, betrayed him, and Charles’s sister, Athena, brought life-altering scandal to his door, Robert was thoroughly and completely through with the Townsbridge’s. Well, he thought he was through with them until six years later when Althea showed up at his door begging for his forgiveness – which he was totally disinclined to give. However, after talking to her for a bit and realizing she was no longer that fourteen-year-old girl who’d ruined his life, then REALLY noticing that she was no longer that fourteen-year-old girl – well, maybe a little forgiveness was in order.

I absolutely adored the romance of this. Robert decided he wanted to woo and win Athena’s heart. He didn’t want her forced to wed him – as could have happened after she visited his home unchaperoned and was caught there for several days during a blizzard. He also didn’t want to change her – he admired her for who she was and couldn’t believe other men didn’t see her the same way. Oh! Yes! I absolutely adored Robert.

If you have ever read any of my reviews, you’ll know how much I love epilogues. Well, this one had an absolutely wonderful epilogue. It was the perfect way to wrap up this series – and I just know the author wrote it with me in mind – NOT.

I highly recommend this novella. I think it is the best one on the series and I just know you’ll love it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Miss Athena Townbridge had many regrets but there is one that continues to follow her, a mistake that she had done when she was young. Athena had announced to the church that her brother was in love with his best friend’s bride while she was trying to get married. Ever since that fateful day men have avoided Athena and she feels that no one will want her. Athena plans to apologize to the Marquess of Darlington, Robert Carlisle the man she has wronged in the church, and the jilted groom. Athena decides to go to his place and atone for the misunderstanding. Whether Robert will forgive her is another matter entirely. Athena is not willing to take no for an answer. When Robert starts to feel something for Athena their history could destroy the budding relationship between the two.
What a wonderful regency story told brilliantly! This might be the last in the Townbridge series the tale isn’t hard to follow and can even stand alone without any problems. It wouldn’t hurt though to read the previous books not just understand the main characters but the side ones as well. Ms. Sophie Barnes writes with such feeling and quite beautifully that of course it’s hard not to get caught up in it. The story moves and flows nicely making for such a pleasant enjoyable read. Athena the feisty willful stubborn heroine is charming and is so likable that it would definitely make any dull moment into an adventure! Athena is also real and relatable she doesn’t know how charming she truly is. Robert seems harsh at first but as the novel progresses he’s easy to fall for and a great guy overall. He makes a marvelous book boyfriend too. It is definitely a satisfying novel from beginning to end!

Sophie Barnes’s Towbridge series is one of the more humorous and quirky regency series out there today, and An Unexpected Temptation is no exception. Can longtime frenemies resist an unexpected attraction, or are some grudges simply too hard to forget? Read on if you enjoy light romances with engaging plots.

I just wished this book was a lot longer or a novel because I really think the characters would be fleshed out well if so. The premise is interesting, however, I find that I wanted more from this book that it did not deliver. It is a very fast read though if one wants to read something very light and finish in one sitting.