To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book Description:
Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale, has a problem: he needs to marry and produce an heir to the title. All Jasper wants is to find a lady who will put up with him long enough to wed so he can retreat to his life of debauchery - a life that keeps the haunting memories of his past at bay. Knowing that Jasper is under pressure to marry, Melisande Flemming grasps her fate with both hands and volunteers to wed him. Although Jasper is initially only interested in producing an heir, he soon becomes entranced by his wife - prim and proper by day, wanton by night - and vows to learn her secrets.

Melissande, however, is determined to keep her husband at a distance. She has loved, and lost, before, and will do anything to keep him from learning her terrible weakness: she's secretly been in love with him for years. But to her chagrin, her husband pursues her, wooing her as if she were a paramour, not his lady wife. As Melissande and Jasper embark on a passionate game of cat and mouse, secrets from the past begin to resurface... threatening to tear them asunder.

I loved this book, and I'm realizing I'm loving this Legend of the Four Soldiers Series even more than her last Prince Series!  This series follows the paths of four soldiers that experienced a horrible massacre of their battalion while in the Colonies during the French and Indian War near Quebec.  They are convinced that there was a traitor in their midst, an officer among them that set a trap for money, selling secrets of their location.  Hundreds of men were killed and those that were captured were scarred for life due to the horrifying and unspeakable practices committed against them.  No Geneva Convention back in those days!

We previously met Jasper, Viscount Vale in the first book, To Taste Temptation, and I liked him instantly there.  Here he's a much more complex man and I loved him!  Jasper appears to live the good life - an aristocrat with a title, he seems to have everything - a lavish townhouse, carriage, loads of friends, respected by his peers, but all is not right with him.  There is more to him than meets the eye.  He, like the other soldiers that experienced the horrible slaughter and capture at the massacre of Spinners Falls in the Colonies six years earlier, is carrying the burden of guilt.  An officer of the troop, the Indians that captured them tortured and killed many, yet left Jasper untouched.  He was forced to watch, and anytime he flinched or showed any emotion, they would inflict even more horrible mutilations to his men.  Jasper may not show any outward scars from the ordeal, but inside he has many.

Now Jasper is intent on getting on with his life and marrying and producing heirs to his title.  He'd like to forget Spinners Falls - but he can't.  He already lost one fiancee in To Tempt Temptation, and as we come upon him here in To Seduce a Sinner, he's just been jilted at the altar by another!  Melissande Fleming, who was the best friend of our heroine in Temptation takes it upon herself to snatch Jasper up before he asks someone else to marry him!  Melissande has always been a quiet, reserved, mousy brown wren of a young women.  Jilted by a fiance ten years earlier, she is now a spinster living with her brother and his wife.  She wants a life of her own and she takes the bull by the horns and offers herself to Jasper, who she has secretly loved for years.

Jasper is so surprised by the proposition from Melissande - he accepts!  They go through the proper motions, he visits her brother, talk settlements, et cetera, et cetera and voila - they marry!  Jasper has no idea that Melissande secretly loves him, he thinks of this as a marriage of convenience although the more time he spends with Melissande, the more he realizes there's more to her than meets the eye as well!  Unfortunately, their wedding night is nothing short of disappointment to Melissande.  She's expecting the moon and stars and is heady with anticipation and well... Jasper is far from the lover she expected.  But, that does not stop her from setting things to rights.  She is a determined young woman and she is not going to spend the rest of her days in a loveless marriage - she will seduce him!

Meanwhile, he sort of has the same idea in mind.  He's falling for his new little wife and thinks she's some prim and proper spinster that needs seducing as well!  I loved it!  At the same time, Melissande is interested in learning all there is about her new husband and stumbles upon a secret of his that no one knows about that gives her a clue to his guilt and suffering in regard to Spinners Falls.  She hates to think of him carrying such a burden and wants to help - and help she does!  She becomes an ideal wife and they learn to love each other.  It was a pleasure to experience the ups and downs of their brand new relationship, while also following the progression of who was the traitor that led to the massacre and death of his best friend.  I grew to really admire both Melissande and Jasper.  Basically, they got under my skin and I didn't want to say good bye to them at the end of the book!  One part of the book I loved that showed how wonderful Jasper is towards his "Lady Wife" (as he calls her) was when they met up with her former fiance - priceless moment - I felt like clapping!  I felt it cemented things between them, both were glad about who they married by then.

There were a few side characters I enjoyed that are fleshed out and brought to life.  I liked Jasper's valet particularly and Melissande's new lady's maid.  A nice little side story going there.  We meet the mysterious and sad Mrs. Fitzwilliam, the mistress of the Duke of Lister who has two bastard children by him.  Melissande forms a friendship with her.  We also meet our "3rd" soldier who will figure in the next book in the series. 

This was a delightful book, full of romance, a good mystery, some red herrings and a happy ending!   Jasper's tale, "laughing Jack" parallels the fairy tale that is told at the beginning of each chapter.  The laughing man who is really something else entirely beneath that carefree exterior.  Melissande, the little nobody who asks him to marry her becomes a surprising jewel of a wife, nothing as he expected.  Both are hiding their true selves from each other. A real keeper!  I love the settings, part of this was in Scotland where they travel to and mostly London, all during Georgian late 18th century.  The background and descriptions are right on, as well as the language - nothing jarring - all first rate and well researched.  Elizabeth Hoyt is an auto buy for me from now on, I haven't been disappointed by anything I've read of hers - a worthwhile and exceptional romance author you can count on!

4.5/5

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To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt

Book Description:
The ton loves nothing more than a good scandal, and they're giddy with the appearance of wealthy Samuel Hartley. Not only is he self-made, American, and in the habit of wearing moccasins, but he is also notorious for fleeing a battle in which several English gentlemen lost their lives. What the ton doesn't know, though, is that Samuel is in London because of this massacre. He believes his regiment was given up to the enemy and won't rest until he finds the traitor.

Lady Emeline Gordon is captivated with Samuel. Not only does he defy convention with his unusual dress, his sensual smile, and his forthright manner, but he survived the battle that killed her beloved brother. Samuel suspects that the person responsible for her brother's death is Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale, a family friend since childhood - and Emeline's fiance. Despite Emeline's belief in Vale's innocence and her refusal to break off her betrothal, she and Samuel begin a passionate affair. But can their relationship survive the fallout from Samuel's investigation?

I really loved this book, I had no idea what to expect, but I knew I'd probably like it since I loved Elizabeth Hoyt's previous "Prince" series. If this first book in her Legends of Four Soldiers series is any indication of how the rest of it will be, then I think I'm going to love this series!  This was a great story! It had romance, humor, a mystery, everything I love in a book.  Colonial Samuel Hartley descends upon 1760's London in his unorthodox buckskin leggings and moccasins to solve the mystery of what happened during a fateful battle in the French Indian War and who was the traitor that set them up for the massacre in Quebec.  Sophisticated Lady Emeline Gordon keeps insisting she is not attracted to this uncouth man, but she can't deny it - she is lost to his good looks and rugged countenance.  Yet, she's engaged to someone else?  What to do?  I loved this!

Samuel Hartley is not your usual drop dead good looking, take charge, indomitable alpha hero.  Although set during the 1760's pre-Revolutionary War, Samuel reads more like a modern hero.  He's American, or rather a Colonial, since the Revolutionary War hasn't begun yet.  He shakes hands, rather than bowing and scraping.  He wears moccasins and leggings, forgoes a powdered wig.  He wears a queue, no powder.  No dandy, he sticks to browns and black, typical of a Colonial, despite his fortune (in trade!)  Top notch with a gun, no one comes close to him in shooting with his Kentucky Long Rifle.  He has a mystery about him as well, running alone amidst the darkened alleyways and backstreets of London in the middle of the night.  He's a runner. I found this refreshing in an historical novel.  Usually you find this sort of modern persona in independent minded historical heroines, which I find grating and out of character, but with Samuel I found it kind of neat for a change.  Don't get me wrong, he's still very much the Georgian male animal who was a British soldier in the colonies fighting in the French and Indian War.  While there, his regiment was massacred in a crucial battle near Quebec.  He is convinced there was a traitor in their midst - an officer - who knew the plans of where the regiment would be heading.  Ambushed alongside a river, almost all were lost.  Samuel is, what today we would consider, a cross county runner.  Upon viewing the carnage and total annihilation of his troop, he fled the scene and ran to get help - hence why he has been called a coward for running away.  But in truth, he ran miles and miles, destroying his feet until they looked like bloody stumps to get help and notify his superiors of the ambush.

Now, several years later, Samuel is in London to learn the truth and find out who the traitor was.  He systematically investigates all the possible officers that are still alive who could have been responsible.  This is where we meet our heroine, Lady Emeline Gordon.  A beautiful widow with a young son, Emeline is renowned for her respectability and decorum, the top of her class.  Her brother also fought and died in the above mentioned massacre.  Samuel seeks her out to find out whether she may be able to shed any light on the matter, although he does not want her to know what he's up to.   He worries that she will think he is a coward for running from the battle in Quebec as well.  His sister, who is in need of sophistication, is the perfect excuse for Samuel to "hire" Lady Emeline (who has a talent for this sort of thing) to oversee her debut and give her some polish.

Emeline is not the typical heroine either.  I found her refreshing as well.  Not some simpering miss, she is older - though still a beauty.  She has a worldly sophistication about her.   She is at home in London or at a country estate.  The English aristocracy is her fishbowl, and she is a pro at maneuvering her way inside it.  So, when she meets Samuel Hartley - she is a bit taken aback!  He is not what she's used to.  Somewhat coarse and unrefined, he is constantly surprising her with his manners and customs - yet she is drawn to him and soon finds herself finding ways to run into him - it doesn't hurt that he's rented the townhouse next door to hers or that her son has taken an immediate shine to him as well!   The feeling is mutual, Samuel is attracted to Emeline and takes her son under his wing.  The boy needs a male influence badly.  But, did I mention that Lady Emeline is engaged to be married to one of the officer's at the massacre?  Her fiance, Viscount Vale is an old childhood friend.  I really liked him a lot - though he's not meant for Emeline.  He becomes an ally of Samuel's and together they join forces to find the traitor.  I'm sure another book will be about him and (I hope!) Emeline's dowdy best friend!   Emeline is also interested in solving the mystery, for she was close to her brother and wants to get to the bottom of his death (a death so horrible they do all they can to spare her the details). 

Samuel is not infallible.  He cannot bear to be in crowds - the fetid smell of sweat and unwashed bodies haunts him and brings back memories of the war and battle.  It is debilitating and a major chink in his armor.  He's not the life of the party in a crowded ball room to say the least.  He has his flaws and I loved the way Emeline rescues him more than once and doesn't lose her head.  Simply put, they're made for each other, even if they come from totally different worlds.  How on Earth are they going to come to terms with their different backgrounds and live happily ever after?

There are tons of details I'm leaving out, but take my word for it.  This book has everything!  Chock full of rich descriptions of Georgian England, there's a mystery regarding the massacre, some skulduggery and suspense regarding the real villain, plus a cartload of interesting characters with a delightfully unorthodox courtship between Emeline and Samuel.  Their romance builds and builds, stringing the reader along, but if you're familiar with Elizabeth Hoyt's previous books you know she doesn't let her readers down when it comes to sex!  ;)  In addition, each chapter starts off with the "Tale of the Four Soldiers" which parallels the main story.  This one is about the soldier that went into the woods.  Very cleverly done! Read it and enjoy!

4.5/5

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