The Art of Sinning (1) (The Sinful Suitors)

THE ART OF SINNING by Sabrina Jeffries is a fabulous and exciting start to her new Sinful Suitors historical romance series. I loved everything about this sinfully sexy novel, from the humorous and affectionate secondary characters to the intriguing subplots and the steamy and sweet love scenes. Jeremy Keane is one hot, bad boy of an American blond artist, and his love interest Lady Yvette is an independent, striking brunette, a Juno of a goddess and a Circe of temptation, with an unusual hobby of collecting street cant for dictionaries. Jeremy left America and his responsibilities to his family business in order to avoid his feelings and memories of both his wife who died in childbirth and his stillborn child. He came to England to find a model for his latest, controversial work of art. When he sees Yvette at a ball, he knows she's the one. He's powerfully attracted to her at the same time, but he believes that he has an empty heart and that Yvette deserves better and more from a man. The attraction goes both ways. Yvette has a weakness for flirtatious rogues, but she's been burned in the past and doesn't want to get involved with a man who can't make and keep promises. She doesn't want to fall in love with Jeremy, because she's afraid he'll break her heart. Yet, she can't ignore her longing for him. He is sexy and naughty and talks a little dirty when they're alone, but underneath his roguish façade he's a gentleman with integrity. Jeremy and Yvette both have to overcome the hurts of their past to fall in love and have a future together. I loved their intelligent and witty banter, strength of character, and passionate pairing. And I loved that Jeremy isn't the caveman type of alpha male and doesn't have a possessive and violent nature. He's not the kind of man that resolves conflict by beating up other men and challenging them to duels. He's soulful and smarter than that. So far, THE ART OF SINNING is my favorite Sabrina Jeffries' historical romance, and smoldering alpha Jeremy Keane is my favorite of her heroes. I look forward to reading more novels in this sinfully sexy, promising new series. *This review is based on an eARC I received from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

FINAL DECISION: Strong characters make this an intriguing read. I was somewhat disappointed by the rushed resolution of Jeremy's story. THE STORY: Jeremy Keane is an American artist in England who won't return home to take over his father's business. Jeremy is a rake who is running from his past and is obsessed with his art (which isn't your portraits or pastoral scene but rather is dark and seedy). Jeremy is looking for a model for a work that is his current obsession. Across the room he sees Lady Yvette Barlow and is determined to make her his model. Under the cover of doing a sedate portrait, Yvette agrees to be Jeremy's scandalous model in exchange for Jeremy giving her ability to search for a woman in London's brothels. OPINION: The story of two wilful people who are determined to use one another for their own purposes but slowly peel away one another's secrets. Yvette needs Jeremy in order to accomplish her mission but knows better than to trust a rogue. Jeremy is fleeing from his past and knows that he can only offer a good woman like Yvette misery. I enjoyed this story because of its characters. Character and emotional based stories are my favorite and this book provides intriguing characters not only with Jeremy and Yvette but also the supporting characters who also seem vivid and intriguing without taking over the book. The story takes some time to spin out and I was completely along for the ride until the big reveal happens towards the end of the book. After all the grief and buildup, I was somewhat disappointed at the quick resolve. It seemed to me that Jeremy should have had to do more groveling. The resolution had me dropping my rating slightly. WORTH MENTIONING: This book gains some liveliness by meshing English and American sensibilities. CONNECTED BOOKS: THE ART OF SINNING is the first book in The Sinful Suitors series. It is also connected to THE DUKE'S MEN series. I haven't read that series so this book can be read without any prior knowledge. STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

Jeffries begins her dynamic new Sinful Suitors series with Jeremy Keane’s story. He was introduced in The Duke’s Men series and demanded a book of his own. Coming from America to escape family responsibilities and paint topics more suited to his exotic tastes, he runs into another obligation. He’s heir to vast lands and a fortune if he elects to take it. All he wants to do is paint. Jeremy is searching for the perfect model apart from the prostitutes he generally uses when he spots Lady Yvette Barlow across the ballroom at a wedding he’s eager to escape. He’s coerced into an arrangement with Yvette and her older brother before he can paint her portrait. They’re unaware he has something else in mind entirely. Yvette has an agenda of her own. Despite the fact that she’s drawn to Jeremy, she tries to ignore the feeling as she needs him to gain entry to the brothels of London. She knows she cannot do that without his help as he has a reputation for knowing them well. She’ll only agree to his “masterpiece” if Jeremy consents to her requirements. Although her brother Edwin, Earl of Blakeborough, has given his consent for the painting, he keeps the pair under his watchful eye. This makes their attempts to visit the brothels almost impossible. I really like Jeremy and Yvette as a couple. They constantly spar off one another in a way that’s pleasing yet not too hostile. Their adventures lend suspense to the story while their budding romance is believable as it advances. Secondary characters are both familiar and new, with Edwin being the most prominent of the new ones. Hopefully he’ll get a book of his own and give readers something to anticipate. Readers should enjoy The Art of Sinning as it is fast-paced, character-driven, and well-written. I know I did.

Wife's favourite author

I have just discovered Sabrina Jeffries . I’m really enjoying her style, the strength and quality of the characters she presents with style and sensitivity, the originality of her storylines. Many books in this genre are two dimensional and repetitive but I’m finding Jefferies plots and presentation vastly superior. I fully intend to indulge my current need for escapism by reading more of this series and her previous series in the future.

I don't like novels that constantly reference what happened in a past series that I have not and will not be reading, if the author does that she should have added it to the original series - I don't understand why the "club " was never set up either though several references to it are made, too - I liked the characters in the story as well as the future main characters in the future stories of the series - I thought that the story was too long for the little action that was going on, it could have used some adventure - a plot about an artist painting seems to be dull as waiting for paint to dry

This is.The first.book in sinful suitors series. The hero is.an American Artist who has left his home.after a.tragedy and a falling out with his father. The heroine is a daughter of an Earl, who has her own tragedy in her.past. He.see.her.and.wants to paint her. There are several plots, unknown scoundrel as a second.brother, a hunt threw the stews to find.a nephew, men clubbing together over.their need.to marry off their sister and.the.main plot.of.the.romance. At little.Too much in places. But still a good read

Once again, a boring book with too much thinking and re-thinking by the main characters and not all that much in the way of an interesting story. It seemed to take forever to get interesting.