Great romantic read with low drama. Fast paced novel with a great build world. Perfect read for an afternoon. Arc provided by Netgalley

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tempting Bella by Diana Quincy is book two of the Accidental Peers series. Having read a few of Ms Quincy's current books I was "tempted" to check out her earlier work. This story was originally published in September 2013. Historical romances tend to age well if the writer has a pleasing style and doesn't use words in the mode of Shakespeare. Ms Quincy's work has aged just fine.

I mentioned Shakespeare because this plot has a strong sense of The Taming of the Shrew. Sebastian "the saint" Stanhope was, at the ripe old age of 19, married to a 13 year old girl. Her father owed his a huge gambling debt. Sebastian is written as a truly honorable man, faithful, and trying to do the right thing. He left his child bride after the ceremony so she would have a chance to grow up. Alas, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Six years later he's at the opera and is poleaxed by a gorgeous young woman. Turns out she's his wife! Oh dear, this mild mannered guy is in for a fight.

Mirabella "Bella" Wentworth was married and deserted on her very wedding day. The lout hasn't contacted her since. Bella's father gave her away without another thought and that's a rotten childhood. When she meets her "husband" again she's still pissed and resentful. I found Bella to be brittle and stuck in the emotions of a teenager. Sebastian tries throughout the book to prove himself and Bella continues to pitch toddler-like temper tantrums. I do understand how this could have stunted Bella's emotional growth but it still grew a bit old. I enjoyed the story but was just a tad aggravated throughout. On to book 3. Happy reading.

#DianaQuincy #Netgalley #TemptingBella #AccidentalPeers #EntangledPublishing

First time author for me, this is a good story, with well developed characters and a plot that keeps your attention throughout .

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

A romantic story of two people, married young, then being years apart and eventually coming back together. Could you even image marrying at 13 to a boy 19? To settle a gambling debt, Sebastian's father made a deal with a Duke for his daughter, Mirabella, to marry Sebastian and he would receive a large sum of cash. Sebastian would take over the Dukedom one day until he had a son and he would not make his marraige "official" until she was 17.
London, six years later. Sebastian had let Mirabella grow up and do as she liked, but now it was time to actually meet her again. But fate steps in when is at at the Opera and sees a beautiful girl and find's out it is his wife!
Thus begins the adventure or rather push and pull as she tries to thwart him at every turn! What I loved was that Sebastian was such a true gentleman and had acted honorably. He had stayed true to her over the years and his friends called him "The Saint". This would not have happened with many men and he was so sweet to her.
Mirabella on the other hand was so stubborn and very suspicious of him. He'd married her for her money and title, hadn't he?
Prepare to be enchanted as you read this wonderful story and just sigh as you turn the last page!

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This book serves as a good reminder of why I need to do more thorough investigating when I request books on NetGalley or when publishers offer ARCs. Why is that? Because if I had done so, I would have realized that this is not my kind of book, which should explain my low rating.

The premise sounds good—Bella and Sebastian were basically forced into marriage at 13 and 19, respectively, by their fathers. However, they spend the next six years apart and don’t even recognize each other when they meet again (they had only met for their wedding). She resents him; he kind of dreads her because he feels guilty about what happened. But it should be a fun book about them getting to know each other and falling in love, right?

Wrong. Well, sort of. There is actual story, but it feels more like it’s secondary to the romance element of the book. Perhaps that was the point, and I’m sure there are readers who love to read books like this one. But I was disappointed. Again, if I had done my research, I wouldn’t have requested the book. My fault.

Let me just comment on the, uh, “romantic” parts of the book for a moment. I’m sorry, but it was almost comical. Honestly, that’s all I can really say about it, and I wonder how people don’t burst out laughing when they read about things like quivering creamy mounds (breasts) and the like.

Sebastian and Bella could have been such interesting characters, but they fell flat, and I really think it was because they were stuck in a romance novel. In the sections of actual story, they had personalities, thoughts, intentions, and flaws. But then a love scene would approach, and Sebastian became this weird alpha male, while Bella turned turned into . . . I don’t even know. Not herself. What woman is going to go to her husband with accusations of infidelity and then be intimate with her him while she makes those accusations?!

As a side note, I believe something was wrong with the digital file I was given. Every "fi" and "fl" combination was missing. So the word "floor" was always written "oor," "official" was "of cial," "confident" was "condent," etc. Every time.

Note: This is a romance novel—I don’t think I need to explain beyond that. (less)

Two people thrown together early in their lives. Then parted just to reunite 6yrs. later. Bella is very headstrong and very untrusting. Sebastian is all things good. Both have issues with their upbringing. Together they learn to over come and trust and end up with a wonderful love for each other.

The blurb is what sold me on this book and as per usual I started the series with book two (thankfully all the stories in the series are standalone.) Typically I like my historical romances to be set in the Highland and don't venture to Regency category. However, I am complete convert now. I am in love with the series, the story, and Diana Quincy! 

Sebastian is forced to wed a very young Mirabella to settle a gaming debt. Sebastian is a true gentleman that tries to make the best of the situation and let's his child-wife grow up without his presence around. That is until he runs into a woman at an opera years later and just can't seem to stay away. As luck would have it... it is his long estranged wife!

Watching the pair make a go of it was a hilarious venture to read through, what with her being so head strong and some very interfering friends and family. The laughs is not the only thing I enjoyed but their sweet chemistry and courtship. I swooned so many times I ran out of my smelling salts.

The story does have some nice twists and revelations to spice the story up. That and the fantastic fast paced storyline made it a one day read for me. Lovers (or potential lovers) of historical romance should really look into this series!

As teenagers, Mirabella and Sebastian were forced to marry. While Sebastian is the third son, Mirabella is a Duchess in her own right. Sebastian spends the next six years growing her estate so her father can't bankrupt it. While Bella runs wild on the continent with a group of friends. She is finally forced to come home and be the wife to a man she has grown to despise. At the opera, Sebastian meets a mysterious beauty. He is thrilled to learn that she is his wife, yet she is unaware of who he is. Will they be able to make a forced youthful marriage work?

I absolutely adored Sebastian. He is nicknamed "the Saint" because he abstains from drinking and affairs. Bella was a little harder to get to like At first, she seemed quite the spoiled brat. When more of her story was revealed, it was easier to understand her "fight or flight" panic when having to become the wife of a man she didn't like. I like how Sebastian took things slowly and allowed the love to grow.

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

Tempting Bella by Diana Quincy is book Two in the Accidental Peers Series. This is the story of Sebastian and Mirabella 'Bella'. This can be a standalone book. Sebastian and Bella were forced to marry when she was around 13 and he was 19. Sebastian felt bad for their situation, so he left to allow her to grow up and have her freedom. Now all these years later they happen to meet again neither not sure of the other or who they are. Really enjoyed their story.

I read this as a second chance title. I would have expected it to have been an well edited version but it was full of misspellings and formatting issues making it difficult to read.
I couldn't give it a higher than 2.25 of 5.0 stars.
Even an unedited version of most books is better.