What I am reading this week
This week I’m reading To Seduce A Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt. It is book #2 in the Legend of the Four Soldiers series. One of my favorite books by Ms. Hoyt.
Rating
Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Loveability: 💗💗💗💗
Heartbreakability: 💔💔💔
Why I chose this book
46:3
This book is part of my TBR Roulette. When I asked for random sets of numbers, my friends came through for me. Thanks to Pauline Connolly for this week’s read. To Seduce A Sinner is book #3 on page 46 of my nook library.
About the book
Book two of the Legend of the Four Soldiers series, To Seduce A Sinner tells the story of Jasper, Viscount Vale, and his Lady Wife, Melisande.
Jilted at the altar, Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale, is rather annoyed. Not at the fact that he was jilted, mind, but that he must now spend months choosing a new bride. Until, that is, a stranger shows up with an offer to be his bride. Melisande Flemming has loved Lord Vale from afar for years. When his intended runs off the day of his wedding, she takes her chance to be his wife.
But marriage takes them both by surprise as they learn about each other, from Melisande’s passionate nature, to Vale’s military service. When a mystery from his military days threatens Melisande, Jasper must decide what is more important: discovering the truth about his past, or protecting his new bride.
What I enjoyed about it
Elizabeth Hoyt is a master of characters. There is always some part of each character that the reader can relate to.
For Melisande, it is her shy, reserved nature. She’s not comfortable in crowds (which I totally relate to), but she feels passionately about the things she cares about. With Jasper, it’s his apparent dismissive nature. Laughing and making jokes about the most serious of events–including being held-up by highway men. They both hide their true natures behind their public personas.
They are also keeping secrets from each other, but not in a bad way. Both Jasper and Melisande are what would be considered “damaged characters”. Something happened in their past that plays a significant role in the actions they take in the story. For Jasper, it is related to the war in the colonies. Discovering who betrayed his regiment is an integral part of his persona, and drives many of his actions. One of Melisande’s secrets is directly related to her broken engagement and the fallout from that. That is the easy one admit to, that she was engaged before, but confessing her love to her husband is nearly impossible.
I love when the truth comes out, though. They are so loving and accepting of each other’s quirks and past. Melisande in her quiet way is exactly what Jasper needs. She doesn’t judge him over his actions. I adore those moments between them, when his gregarious, playful mask falls away to reveal the tender-hearted man he truly is.
While this is book #2 in the Legend of the Four Soldiers series, it can be read and understood as a stand-alone. The overarching mystery is not resolved at the end, but it wraps up satisfactorily for the end of this story.
Is this an author I’ve read before?
Oh, yes. This is the first of the Four Soldiers series I’ve read, but I am a huge fan of Maiden Lane.
What keeps me coming back for more?
The characters. The story. There is something compelling about a series of books. Even if the focus is on a different couple each book, the other characters make appearances, which makes this reader extremely happy. I love revisiting with favorite characters. :)