“The second book in Elizabeth Hoyt's The Legend of Four Soldiers, TO SEDUCE A SINNER follows the quest of the survivors on who betrayed them at Spinner's Falls. Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale continues the search for the traitor while adjusting to his new life as a married man. As a member of the peerage, Jasper must marry and produce an heir. But finding the next viscountess Vale proves to be an ordeal. Imagine, being betrothed twice just in six months but never really getting there...?
Enter Melisande Fleming. She's an ordinary looking woman who has love Jasper for ages. She offered herself to him just after seeing him dumped on his wedding day, hoping that he would say yes to her preposterous proposal. Surprisingly, Jasper said yes, thus began a love story where the two characters are trying their best to hide themselves (unsuccessfully) from one another.
Even though there's no scars to prove of the horrors that he experienced during the massacre at Spinner's Fall, Jasper is a changed man. He created a jolly, devil-may-care facade to mask the pain, guilt, and sorrow of Spinner's Falls. Instead of sleeping comfortably in his king-sized bed, he opts to sleep in a pallet, beside the wall, with all his provisions because he still couldn't shake the ghost of the past. The traitor is still on the loose and Jasper is on the hunt, determined to finally put to justice the man who is responsible for the death of many.
Although, Melisande is already married to her beloved, she vows to never let him know her true feelings. She's scared of rejection, a lesson she learned in a very hard way. She hides her love for Jasper with a composure as firm as a steel. Her uptight facade is what makes Jasper mad with desire and curiosity. How come she's so wanton at night while being so stiff by day? What makes her a seductress, driving him with lust? Jasper is really desperate to find out... which he does, in a very sensual way...
I liked it! The love scenes are steamy but also because Melisande and Jasper deeply cares for one another. Both of them helped one another to reveal who they really are. Melisande is very frustrated everytime Jasper leaves her after making love but when she learns of his trauma, she makes an arrangement that caught Jasper in a surprise - in a good way. Meanwhile, aside for her love for Jasper, Melisande has another secret. When Jasper learned of this, he didn't get mad at Melisande and accepted it as a part of her past.
Elizabeth Hoyt has become one of my favorite romance authors because of her ability to tell exquisite stories. I can't wait to read TO BEGUILE A BEAST, the third installment in the series wherein the most visibly scarred among the victims of Spinner's Fall fell in love with a beautiful mistress disguised as a housekeeper... And yes, the haunt for the traitor still continues! ”
