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A Mad Passion (Heart's Temptation Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Scarlett Scott (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 2,448 ratings
A lost love

Seven years ago, the Marquis of Thornton broke Cleo's heart, and she hasn't forgotten or forgiven him. But when she finds him standing before her at a country house party, as handsome as ever, old temptations prove difficult to resist. One stolen kiss is all it takes.

A proper gentleman

Thornton buried his past and his feelings for Cleo long ago. He's worked diligently to become a respected politician with a reputation above reproach. The only trouble in his otherwise perfect life is that he can't resist the maddening beauty he never stopped wanting, no matter how devastating the cost.

A mad passion

Cleo is hopelessly trapped in a loveless marriage, and Thornton is on the cusp of making an advantageous match to further his political ambitions. The more time they spend in each other's arms, the more they court scandal and ruin. Theirs is a love that was never meant to be. Or is it?

Length: Full-length novel

A Mad Passion is the first book in the Heart's Temptation series and can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel or read as part of the series. Each Heart's Temptation book takes place in Victorian England, where passion burns, scandals abound, and love triumphs. From a wicked embrace in a country house maze to a kiss in the rain to a stolen moment in a carriage, these distinctive men and women aren't afraid to give in to the temptation of following where their hearts lead them. Nothing can keep them from a love that lasts forever.


The Heart's Temptation Series
1.A Mad Passion
2.Rebel Love
3.Reckless Need
4.Sweet Scandal
5. Restless Rake
6. Darling Duke
7. The Night Before Scandal
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  1. Book 1 of 7
    Heart's Temptation
  2. Print length
    322 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    June 6, 2016
  5. File size
    2.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 7 books in this series.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"a sexy and heartwarmingtale of love lost and love found" - Kat, Forever Book Lover
"All in all this was a well-written and researched Victorian romance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to reading one of the author's other novels!" - The Romance Reviews

About the Author

Award-winning author Scarlett Scott writes historical romance and contemporary romance with heat, heart, and happily ever afters. Since publishing her first book in 2010, she has become a wife, mother to adorable identical twins and one TV-loving dog, and a killer karaoke singer. Well, maybe not the last part, but that's what she'd like to think.

A self-professed literary junkie and nerd, she loves reading anything but especially romance novels, poetry, and Middle English verse. When she's not reading, writing, wrangling toddlers, or camping, you can catch up with her on her website scarsco.com. Hearing from readers never fails to make her day.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01GQHFPJQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Happily Ever After Books, LLC; 1st edition (June 6, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 6, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 2,448 ratings

About the author

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Scarlett Scott

Scarlett Scott

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Join Scarlett's newsletter ➜ http://eepurl.com/dyJSar

USA TODAY and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author Scarlett Scott writes deliciously wicked Victorian and Regency historical romances with strong, intelligent heroines and sexy alpha heroes. She splits her time between Maryland and Pennsylvania with her Canadian husband, their adorable identical twins, and two spoiled dogs.

A self-professed literary junkie and nerd, she loves reading anything but especially romance novels, poetry, and Middle English verse. When she’s not writing, reading, wrangling kids, or indulging in her inappropriate sense of humor, you can catch up with her on her website www.scarlettscottauthor.com. Hearing from readers never fails to make her day.

Scarlett’s Books:

Unexpected Lords (scorching hot Victorian)

1. The Detective Duke

2. The Playboy Peer

3. The Millionaire Marquess

4. The Goodbye Governess

The Sinful Suttons (scorching hot Regency)

1. Sutton's Spinster

2. Sutton's Sins

3. Sutton's Surrender

4. Sutton's Seduction

5. Sutton's Scoundrel

6. Sutton's Scandal

7. Sutton's Secrets

Rogue's Guild (scorching hot Regency)

1. Her Ruthless Duke

Notorious Ladies of London (scorching hot Victorian)

1. Lady Ruthless

2. Lady Wallflower

3. Lady Reckless

4. Lady Wicked

5. Lady Lawless

6. Lady Brazen

Heart’s Temptation (scorching hot Victorian)

1. A Mad Passion

2. Rebel Love

3. Reckless Need

4. Sweet Scandal

5. Restless Rake

6. Darling Duke

7. The Night Before Scandal

Wicked Husbands (scorching hot Victorian)

1. Her Errant Earl

2. Her Lovestruck Lord

3. Her Reformed Rake

4. Her Deceptive Duke

5. Her Missing Marquess

6. Her Virtuous Viscount

League of Dukes (scorching hot Victorian)

1. Nobody's Duke

2. Heartless Duke

3. Dangerous Duke

4. Shameless Duke

5. Scandalous Duke

6. Fearless Duke

The Wicked Winters (scorching hot Regency)

1. Wicked in Winter

2. Wedded in Winter

3. Wanton in Winter

3.5 Wishes in Winter

4. Willful in Winter

5. Wagered in Winter

6. Wild in Winter

7. Wooed in Winter

8. Winter's Wallflower

9. Winter's Woman

10. Winter's Whispers

11. Winter's Waltz

12. Winter's Widow

13. Winter's Warrior

14. A Merry Wicked Winter

Sins and Scoundrels scorching hot Regency)

1. Duke of Depravity

2. Prince of Persuasion

3. Marquess of Mayhem

4. Sarah

5. Earl of Every Sin

6. Duke of Debauchery

7. Viscount of Villainy

Lord of Pirates (stand-alone novella)

Love’s Second Chance (steamy contemporary romance)

1. Reprieve

2. Perfect Persuasion

3. Win My Love

Coastal Heat (extra steamy contemporary romance)

1. Loved Up

Connect with Scarlett:

Reader group: www.facebook.com/groups/scarlettscottreaders

instagram.com/ScarlettScottAuthor/

facebook.com/ScarlettScottAuthor

Twitter: @scarscoromance

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
2,448 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this well-written book with engaging characters and perfect chemistry between the leads. The story features true love winning out, and customers find it very funny and entertaining. One customer notes it's a perfect read for nightly romance before bed, while another appreciates how the author puts events into context. Customers disagree on the age appropriateness of the content.

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44 customers mention "Story quality"44 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story of the book, finding it well written and entertaining, with one customer particularly appreciating the repartee between characters.

"...There is humor, angst, love and plenty of passion. What a wonderful journey I traveled with Alex and Cleo to their happily ever after." Read more

"...Definitely worth the read; however, because in the right hands this novel could be amazing." Read more

"...Enjoyable and wonderful romantic story of true worth of love! Thank you Ms Scott!!" Read more

"...The characters were great fun to read about, and the plot twisted its way to a fine conclusion." Read more

34 customers mention "Storyline"25 positive9 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of this romance book, describing it as a passionate love story where true love wins out.

"...There is humor, angst, love and plenty of passion. What a wonderful journey I traveled with Alex and Cleo to their happily ever after." Read more

"Good beginning, found it hard to put down. I liked both the H & the h, Alex & Cleo. I enjoyed the subtle humor through out the book...." Read more

"...there were many opportunities to create more interest, the plot ignored them and simply limped along trying to justify an unjustifiable relationship...." Read more

"...Although their situations seem futile, true love can't be stopped! With gate's help, the biggest obstacle in their life was eliminated!..." Read more

17 customers mention "Character development"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development in the book, finding them engaging and appreciating the dialogue, with one customer noting the perfect chemistry between the lead characters.

"...Scarlett writes some of the best characters in this genre. There is humor, angst, love and plenty of passion...." Read more

"...The characters were great fun to read about, and the plot twisted its way to a fine conclusion." Read more

"I liked the characters for the most part, although Cleo was somewhat immature at times. The story overall was a good one, but drawn out and long...." Read more

"While I normally love this writer and find most of her characters engaging. I can’t say this one is very good...." Read more

12 customers mention "Humor"10 positive2 negative

Customers find the book very funny and entertaining.

"...Scarlett writes some of the best characters in this genre. There is humor, angst, love and plenty of passion...." Read more

"...Good understanding of Victorian history and politics. Very funny. Didn't see how it could have a happy ending, but it did. Well written." Read more

"...I liked both the H & the h, Alex & Cleo. I enjoyed the subtle humor through out the book. It's a story of a great romance between the two...." Read more

"...It also has some laugh out loud passages in it...." Read more

10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one customer particularly appreciating the repartee between characters.

"...Didn't see how it could have a happy ending, but it did. Well written." Read more

"...She’s a talented writer who isn’t afraid to give me the sexy too. I like that most of all. I like everything about this read, except the heroine...." Read more

"...The first chapter was well written I was just overly confused on what was happening...." Read more

"...It does have a lot of proper English terms, and the author does a good job of putting them into context." Read more

3 customers mention "Age"0 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's age-appropriate content, with some finding it immature and naive.

"I liked the characters for the most part, although Cleo was somewhat immature at times. The story overall was a good one, but drawn out and long...." Read more

"...Particularly in those moments, she felt very naive and annoying." Read more

"...Scarbrough, was intermittently compelling - pretty and loyal but also immature and fickle...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • book lover 101
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful from start to finish
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I fell in love with Cleo and Alex's story right away. These two were made for each other, and it is all to easy to see that from the very start.

    Once young lovers, Cleo and Alex were torn apart by the lies of others and so, so many misunderstandings. This leads to Cleo entering into a loveless, passionless marriage to another, and he is a horrible man.

    Now, years later, our former lovers are thrown together at a house party. Still irresistibly drawn to each other, they embark on a passionate affair. And passion filled it is.

    The obstacles the two must overcome are very daunting indeed. Alex has an understanding with another woman's family. Although not an official betrothal, he will need to extricate himself from this arrangement. And poor Cleo is married to the worst, crudest, most immoral lout in London. As the author skillfully demonstrates, the laws of the time are not written to permit women their freedom. Divorce is nearly unheard of and always ruins the woman. And don't get me started on Alex's mother and his sister, Bella. What nightmares they are!

    This book does involve an extra-marital affair, of course, but that did not bother me one bit. Given the complete immorality of Cleo's husband - and his role in ripping Alex and Cleo apart when they were young - I would have done the exact same thing.

    Scarlett writes some of the best characters in this genre. There is humor, angst, love and plenty of passion. What a wonderful journey I traveled with Alex and Cleo to their happily ever after.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Ms. Hancock
    4.0 out of 5 stars 👏
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This novel had a lot of up and down moments for me. One moment, I was completely sure I wouldn't keep reading it; but then in the next second, something would grab my attention enough to pull me back in.

    The overall story line was impeccable, I just could not stay hooked 100%. Definitely worth the read; however, because in the right hands this novel could be amazing.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Animal Lover
    5.0 out of 5 stars TRUE LOVE ENDURES!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is fateful romance between Lady Cleo Harrington and Alexander de Vere, Marquis of Thornton. 7 years earlier, these two young people fell madly in love. But both were manipulated by John, Earl of Scarbrough, a drinker, gambler and womanizer in need of her dowry. Cleo, discovering she was with child, thinking Thornton's feeling changed, married the earl - then miscarried and lived alone for most of her married life. Until she and her two sisters are invited to a house party. Alex felt betrayed by Cleo threw himself into his work - politics - with a passion, and is said to become the Prime Minister in the future. Now both of them are together for the first time - and find their love kindled. When Cleo explains why she married the Earl, Alexander is stunned and guilty for falling for the trap set for both of them. He is willing to give up his career and everything as long as he has Cleo. She agrees to leave openly with Alex at the end of the house party and travels to his home, along with her sisters. But life is complicated when his mother invites the girl Alex intended to marry (although he did not yet propose) to advance his political career. Aligning himself with a married woman, even if she can obtain a divorce, would be the death of his ambitions. After a wonderful few days, Alex is called to London as Prime Minister is seriously ill. That is when Cleo decides to leave with her sisters for her childhood home. She cannot take away his dreams for association with her can only bring him down. She loves him too much - but, Alex cherishes her above all. Can they overcome so many adversities? Their love has been tested through the years and survived. Destiny brought them together and their love will endure all trials!! Enjoyable and wonderful romantic story of true worth of love! Thank you Ms Scott!!
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reader
    3.0 out of 5 stars No Recommendation
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Why didn't I read the reviews before buying this book?! Call me old fashioned, but I have a difficult time recommending a book with a married heroine (or hero) having an affair with someone other than her husband. Once I started, I decided to see how the author handled such an inappropriate relationship. Rekindling a romance at a house party after seven years, it seemed that the reestablishment of the affair went on, and on, and on - to the point that I skipped a large section of the book.
    Regardless, I managed to finish it - hence the three stars. Although there were many opportunities to create more interest, the plot ignored them and simply limped along trying to justify an unjustifiable relationship. I cannot recommend this book and do not intend to read the remainder of the series.
    One person found this helpful
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  • S. O.
    5.0 out of 5 stars An involved plot!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This book was an involved example of the well written story. The characters were great fun to read about, and the plot twisted its way to a fine conclusion.
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  • Annglez
    4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the characters for the most part, although Cleo was somewhat immature at times. The story overall was a good one, but drawn out and long. It was necessary for the story being told, but also a bit dull at times. I plan to read the series. I have read most all other books of Scarlett's and enjoyed each if them.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Nancy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I loved the book. Good understanding of Victorian history and politics. Very funny. Didn't see how it could have a happy ending, but it did. Well written.
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  • 2Winters
    5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate romance
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Good beginning, found it hard to put down. I liked both the H & the h, Alex & Cleo. I enjoyed the subtle humor through out the book. It's a story of a great romance between the two. Alex is a very passionate male.

    The book starts with Alex & Cleo meeting at a country house party. They didn't know the other would be there and haven't seen one another for 7 years. 7 years ago they had been madly in love but due to lies and deception they separated with hurt feelings. They are again instantly drawn to one another. Each encounter is intense.

    This is the 3rd Scarlett Scott book I've read. The first two books were okay, rating one a 3.5 and the other a 4. But the 1st was a little crude for my taste and the 2nd had a few too many sex scenes but this one was just right. It was a great romance with quite a bit of steam. I would recommend it except to those who want a clean romance.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Jodie
    5.0 out of 5 stars my new favourite author!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A fantastic story, I loved the language used & the drops of historical accuracy in - yet still a thoroughly modern book.
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  • Peggy Campbell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting
    Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Love ms Scarlett’s characters
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in Spain on January 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Very well written, had you wishing for the correct end. If i could of given it more than five stars I would.
    Report
  • Liz Kuchel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth 5 stars!
    Reviewed in Australia on January 15, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    An extremely entertaining novel. Enjoyable plot which held my interest from beginning to end. Adored the humour, lavishly spread through the book. Appreciated the appropriateness of the language used to place the story in the right time period. Definitely worth 5 stars.
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  • madtrekkie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate!
    Reviewed in Australia on April 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Thornton and Cleo are reunited at a house party.. this is a tale of second chances, friendship like no other, of a manipulative mother, close knit sisters, and a villainous husband. The book so well written the reader drawn into their world! I couldn't put story down!
    Report

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