By far the best of the trilogy, in my opinion (obviously). Once again your favorite characters return (the living ones at least) and the Lytton family drama is in full force. The books seem to focus specifically on three distinct generations while keeping the other ones fresh on the surface and not letting them get too far away. No Angel of course focused on the original Lyttons in their prime such as Oliver, Sebastian, LM and of course Celia. Then Something Dangerous added a little more focus on their children. Of course you can guess that Into Temptation held a stronger spotlight on that third generation of Lyttons. Though, throughout the novels, two characters break down that generation gap and continue to steal focus, two of the strongest and of course my favorites: Celia and Barty.One thing I felt made this book a little stronger was that all the stories were so interconnected. Something happened to someone or they did something and it causes a ripple effect. The other books had a touch of that, but the stories seemed to only be tied together as they were happening to members of the same family. Of course I enjoyed the other books, but the fact this one had more of a linear storyline and things were caused by the decisions and actions of other made this story flow so much more and a lot more interesting to read. More interesting to read because even though you may be following a character you're not quite as fond of, you want to know what's happening to them because of what a character you love did. Does that make sense?My only problem with this book in general was it still held a very old fashioned quality to it, it did not seem like it had entered into the latter half of the 20th century, those years following WWII, even though that was the time it was supposed to be in. Also, the Americans (the actual Americans) seemed very British to me. I thought Vincenzi would have taken more opportunities to show the differences of cultures and generations. She occasionally did it with the generations, but not so much with the cultures. Perhaps she was focusing on so much to begin with that adding that in may have been a little too much.Overall though, I loved this book. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic trilogy. And it ends in such a way that you know the stories will continue... just maybe not in writing.
For an extended review of this book and more, please visit http://fortheloveoftheread.blogspot.comThe blurb for this book makes it sound as if Barty is the central character, but as with all of Vincenzi's other books, there's really no such thing. This book does jump into the fact that Barty now holds a considerable amount of Lyttons in the palm of her hand, and she now has boatloads of money, thanks to her secret marriage to Lawrence. This plays a role in her developing relationship with Charlie, a widower father of a friend of Barty's daughter, Jenna. The girls spend a large chunk of the book pushing Barty and Charlie together.Celia takes center stage once again in this novel by announcing her retirement and marriage to someone new, after Oliver's passing. She also takes advantage of the opportunity to start to fine-tune Lyttons in such a way that she feels confident about the future that she's building for the company. Sometimes this means interference on her part, and sometimes it means going out on a limb for newcomers. Her relationship with her new husband is also developed throughout the book.Pretty much every character gets a fair amount of development in the book because it is the last installment in the trilogy. The author does a decent job of wrapping things up, although I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel incomplete at the end. The last scene in the book is interesting, but I was left wanting more. There was a character in the book that drove me absolutely bananas and I wanted him to get his comeuppance, but he never did.I do, of course, recommend this book, like I have the others in the trilogy. I can't express how much I enjoy diving into Vincenzi's novels, and the Lytton family was an addiction for me. I do think it's important to read this trilogy in order, although I think any of them could be picked up and read as a standalone if you choose.
What do You think about Into Temptation (2006)?
Ok, I am finally finished with the third book of the trilogy. Meaning I have now read 2100 pages about the Lytton family. While it was enjoyable, it was not up to the standard of the first two in the series. I have to admit that reading the two last books back to back might have been too much...and had I given myself a break before jumping into this book I might have enjoyed it more. However, I just don't feel like it really lived up to the quality of the first two. There was not as much research about the history of the times, not as much interesting detail. I am ready to move on.
—Robin Nicholas
This book really impressed me because the characters are so wonderfully written and beautifully characterised. Packed with romance, trust, passion and a bit of betrayal. I think Into Temptation is actually my favourite book because it's very romantic, quite funny, and very stylised. It's basically set in London and New York, it's really wonderful. Penny has a way of doing a lot of research and she really cares about the plot.My favourite characters are Barty, Jenna, Charlie and Cathy because they're quite funny...but in the middle of the book, Barty and Charlie get married. That's when the problems occur, they have silly arguments about money, travelling and about what to do with their children. Jenna is an American beauty like her mother anyway. She's funny and i like her ways of speaking. She makes friends easily. Charlie, on the other hand, he's funny as well. But sometimes, he can get on my nerves a little bit, he's a little bit arrogant and a little bit self-centered as well. Charlie runs his own business - a Real Estate agency and is a bit afraid of losing money as well as being bankrupt. He is nice and very polite when he is in conversations with other characters in the book. He has a daughter called Cathy. Cathy's mum died of alcohol because she was fond of the drink a bit too much. Cathy is younger than Jenna, so she looks up to her as a role model, really. Cathy is a wonderful and beautiful character; she's a charmer, but she and Jenna like keeping secrets from their parents. I think Penny has created unbelievable characters and given them a past. Good idea.
—Rula
The third and final book in the Lytton Family Trilogy. Penny VIncenzi finished with a bang and I enjoyed every page to the end of this book. I was a little surprised at how she finished up some loose ends and left some still hanging, but all in all, an excellent trilogy. I would highly recommend it for some light, but worthwhile, summer reading.This book continues on with the Lyttons who have moved to New York, the Lyttons who have stayed behind in London, and the one's who are floating between the two places. The twins are now in their 40's and Cecilia is on the brink of retirement, but still running Lyttons. The end of this book is by far the most exciting part, with the discovery of Cecilia's life journals. These end up in the wrong hands and all of the Lytton family secrets are on the brink of discovery. I enjoyed the way this book finishes out Cecilia's life. I really feel that as a character, I know her inside and out. And I even find myself thinking about her, so I would say that's the sign of a well developed character. Some of the others are less than developed and pretty basic, but all in all, it all tied together nicely.
—Becky
