Having survived a murder attempt and marooning in the Caribbean, Captain Samuel Breedlove is finally returning to the fiancée he left behind two years prior.  The only problem is, Annabelle Bailey, his fiancée, is on the verge of marrying another man; and not just any man, the Earl of Raventhorpe – the man who tried to kill him and left him for dead.  Samuel is determined to win back Annabelle before she marries a monster, and to do that he’ll need the help of the only person who seems to be willing to listen to him – Annabelle’s wedding planner.

Priscilla Burke knows just how badly a poor marriage can damage a woman.  After being disowned over her choice of husbands, then left with nothing but debts once she was widowed, Cilla wants to be dependent on no man.  That’s why it’s so important that Annabelle’s wedding to the earl go off without a hitch – it will jump start Cilla’s career as a wedding planner.  But when the dashing American captain arrives with tales that make out Annabelle’s intended to be a monster, Cilla knows she cannot allow the young woman to make a possibly deadly mistake in choosing a husband.  As Cilla works to uncover the truth, she’s finds herself more and more drawn to Samuel.  But love between a socially disgraced Englishwoman and a wealthy American captain could never be possible…could it?

Love, desire, danger, and friendship fill the pages of the charming Tempting a Proper Lady.  Debra Mullins has created two protagonists that are incredibly easy to like because of their sensibility, maturity, and innate goodness.  It was easy for me to become invested in Cilla and Samuel’s story because they were both kindhearted people who deserved to find happiness with one another.  Both have had their hearts broken in various ways in the past, so I admired the special kind of courage it took for them to open their hearts once again.

Tempting a Proper Lady is the first book in Ms. Mullins’s Brides of Nevarton Chase trilogy and I confess I finished Tempting a Proper Lady incredibly eager to read the next two books.  I am hoping Annabelle’s story is one of them, for she is a bright and loving character that quickly endeared herself to me.  As to who her hero would be, I could not begin to guess, but I cannot help but not-so-secretly wish it is either Samuel’s mysterious best friend or a certain dashing highwayman whose brief appearances in Tempting a Proper Lady intrigued me greatly.  Tempting a Proper Lady is a highly enjoyable story and I guarantee I’ll be back for more with the next Brides of Nevarton Chase book!