The male lead in this novel is named Sin. It might be short for Sinclair, but you just know that with a nickname of Sin this book’s gonna be steamy.
What’s it About?
When Sinclair Darling, the Earl of Chilton, is suddenly tricked into marrying, he’s beyond furious, even though the girl is known as the Incomparable Queen of the ton because of her beauty. Taken aback by his new wife’s spoiled behavior and seeming cold-hearted selfishness, Sin desperately tries to hide that he’s not the unwilling husband she thinks him to be — he has admired her from afar for years. In the eyes of polite society, Lady Charmaine de Vere has it all—beauty, wit, and now marriage to the heir of one of the wealthiest dukedoms in England. But behind the shiny exterior a dark secret lurks, a secret she would do anything to save her sister from–even sacrifice her one chance for marital bliss.
First Impressions
If I had ingested a shot of tequila every time Charmaine was referred to as “the Incomparable Queen of the ton”, well…I probably would have died of alcohol poisoning half-way through the book. We get it, she’s pretty. Let’s move on. Charmaine literally tripped Sin into marrying her. That’s tripped, not tricked. She timed it perfectly so that they would be discovered right as he fell on top of her in bed. Then she acts like a cold-hearted bitch so he’ll leave her alone. Why did she do it? Although she holds back her motive from her new husband, we as the readers discover it was to escape the unwanted attentions of her step-father, as well as to keep an eye on her sister Penelope. I’ll admit that at times I was a bit confused over the histories of her sister and other members of the Darling family, which were obviously introduced in previous novels of the series.
Damn!
For a historical romance, this book was downright sexy at times! Definitely unexpected, but absolutely welcome. Sin and Charmaine exchange naughty whispers, flirtatious suggestions, and there’s even a few instances of clothing being torn in a fit of passion. The build-up and foreplay was titillating, but oddly enough the act itself was glossed over pretty quickly. Come on, give me details!
Overall the sexual dynamic between the two characters was all over the place. Sin has always admired Charmaine’s beauty, and is disappointed to find her personality so cold. However, neither can deny the sexual tension and chemistry building between them. Once they finally come together I thought that would signal a positive turning point in their relationship where Sin could finally admit his true feelings for his wife, but instead they pull apart to become even more distant. It was kind of confusing.
Flackinshookin!!
Sin and Charmaine’s hostility, yet underlying connection, was a captivating aspect of the first half of the book. Unfortunately, in the latter half Charmaine irritated me to a point beyond frustration, and I was filled with an all-consuming rage. Let me explain. Charmaine’s stepfather has always been obsessed with her, and for the last few years he’s set his sights on marrying her. I can understand why she didn’t tell anyone about his behavior. It’s not exactly something you want to shout from the rooftops.
But when he says he’ll kill Sin so they can be together, and she barely warns Sin of this threat to hide the secret longing of her creepy stepfather, I was pissed. When Sin is shot and goes into a coma, and she still doesn’t tell anyone it was her stepfather, I groaned with frustration. When her loving new family eventually finds out about how creepy her stepdad actually is, and shows her nothing but the utmost compassion and support, yet she thinks the only option is to lie to them and run off with said stepdad so he’ll leave them alone, well what in the actual f*ck is wrong with this woman?! Let them help you already!
*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*
Series: The Royal Family, book 3. I’d recommend you read them in order.
Should you read it? I think I would have had a much better impression if I had read the previous books, but because I hadn’t I was confused to multiple references of other characters and past events. Also, I kind of wanted to slap some sense into Charmaine towards the end.
Smut Level: Surprisingly detailed foreplay for a historical romance. I wish some more time would have been given to the act itself though.
Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.61 Kindle Price. The Wild Rose Press, Inc. 324 Pages.
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