Customer Reviews

Night of Sin

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While Wild Lord Jack waited for the passengers disembarking from the ship walked uphill from the docks, his thoughts of a henna tattooed woman were pushed back from his mind as he watched the typical English whale bone corseted young woman fighting her way downhill through the stormy gale. Jack grinned and thought nothing more of the plain looking non-descript young woman although he noted the tough looking sailor roughly bump into her in his haste uphill. It wouldn't be until later that Jack, too late to save the sailor from being killed in the crowd, discovered that the expected parcel he should have been carrying was not there and he then remembered the young woman with the basket that the sailor had roughly jostled.

Miss Anne Marsh, traveling in from the country arrived at her Aunt's home soaking wet, minus the umbrella that had been blown away by the wind. After pleasantries and sending her basket of foodstuffs from her family to her Aunt's kitchen to be unpacked, was astounded when the maid came back to show her the strange item she had found in the basket. It would be as a result of the strange artifact that much later that evening, Anne would be awakened from her sleep, by an intruder, who would then be attacked by a second intruder - Lord Jack.

Anne, the daughter of a Dissenter minister, was engaged to be married to fine man, yet this strange beautiful man, who clearly was a gentleman of the nobility with his fine manners, was a total enigma to Anne. She was in love with her fiancé, and looking forward to a quiet and companionable marriage. It then came as a surprise to her that she would allow this man, the younger son of a duke as it turned out, who'd burst into her bedroom in the middle of the night, willingly go along and let him lead her on an adventure the like of which she could never, ever have conjured up in her wildest dreams.

*** I have been a fan of Julia Ross' since I first picked up one of her earlier novel, MY DARK PRINCE. Since then, I have purchased each and every one she's written and she has consistently taken my breath away with her exquisite and mesmerizing passionate prose. In this latest novel, NIGHT OF SIN, there is at the center the mystery surrounding the fossil that several have died in trying to obtain, but more importantly are the two main characters of Lord Jonathan "Wild Lord Jack" Devoran St. George and the plain minister's daughter Anne Marsh. While Jack is complex with a very mysterious past, hinted at but never fully revealed until the end, Anne is what she appears but with an intelligent mind and an honest and forthright courage that quite disarms Jack. As they make their way to his home, Anne discovers a passion that he unleashes in her with a sensuality that totally disarms him. Ms. Ross has again delivered another of her most sensually exquisite romances featuring a divinely complex and fascinating hero and wonderful heroine that the readers are sure to find absolutely riveting!! --- Marilyn, for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---

I will admit that I am predisposed to dislike plots like this one, where an adventurous man (in the geographical and sexual sense) falls in love with a plain parson's daughter who doesn't know what sex is. I really resent the notion that after spending years sloughing off the conventions of his homeland, testing himself physically and mentally, and getting to know a lot of women who are openly and skillfully sexual, Jack finds himself losing his heart to an innocent girl who may be capable of making a similar journey, but who is - compared to Jack - a baby.

And Anne's ignorance is a little inconsistent - at one point she appears to be shocked that boys have different bodies than girls *down there* and at another she's making jokes about closing your eyes and thinking of England.

Plus, the whole family drama has it's odd moments. The Blackdowns are really great characters, every last one of them, but a big factor of the plot is Jack coming home after many years and his family is angry at him because he's compromised this girl and they've heard all sorts of rumors about his crazy foreign debauches. So there are long conversations where his mother and brother are questioning him about his sexual practices and I frankly just found that creepy. And then his brother walks in on him having sex with Anne and then they have to talk about it, and then the mother finds out and they have to talk about it too....At some point, the whole thing made me a little uncomfortable.

And then the end is rather wooden. This is the most shocking thing at all because Julia Ross is an incredibly evocative writer; she sets atmosphere like nobody else, and her dialogue is always original and uniquely styled. Yet the last twenty pages or so are really flat and rushed, with lots of declarative statements that push the plot along as quickly as possible.

OK, and now I feel bad about trashing this book because actually I adore Julia Ross and she writes beautifully and it was a great read. With all its flaws, it's still in a class of its own.

I would read a cocktail napkin limerick if it were written by Julia Ross, so it comes as no surprise that I enjoyed her latest book thoroughly. Night of Sin, with its intricate plotting and finely drawn characters, draws from various historical sources, including the story of Sir Richard Burton, who discovered the source of the Nile and wrote the first English translation of the Kama Sutra. By switching from the Georgian period of The Seduction, and The Wicked Lover, to the more socially (and sexually) restrictive Victorian Era, Ross brings a fresh approach to the familiar Puritan versus Rake story. Perhaps most refreshing about Ross's rendition of this familiar plot, is the way in which her characters behave not as cardboard cutouts from a set of Victorian paper dolls, but as individual personalities. This is especially true when it comes to the novel's treatment of Anne's "sprained ankle." Rather than rehash the angry-religious-father-demanding-that-his- daughter's-honor-be-avenged routine, or the angry-religious-father-shuns-his-slutty-daughter bit, Ross has Rev. Marsh react to his daughter's plight with kindness and love. While this would not work with every book, it was a nice break from the expected and did not detract from the historical accuracy of the story. Though I gave it only four stars, because I simply didn't love it as much as The Seduction or The Wicked Lover, Night of Sin is far better than 98% of the historical fiction being written today and deserves a closer look.

Julia Ross writes complex tales of passion and intrigue with fascinating (usually somewhat damaged) characters. This is my *favorite* type of historical romance and I confess that I stayed up all night finishing "Night of Sin". While I suspect that her books are probably not for everyone, readers who enjoy more sophisticated, slightly darker romances and prefer writers (such as Laura Kinsale and Judith Ivory) who are not afraid to break some of the "rules" of the genre likely will love this book.

The story is set in Victorian England (in contrast to Georgian settings of her more recent books "The Seduction" and "The Wicked Lover".) Lord Jonathan Devoran St. George, so called Wild Lord Jack, is the younger son of a Duke who has spent an unspecified number of years traveling in Asia. He is a fascinating, complex hero--tremendously charming, handsome, brilliant and sensual; however, his experiences in the East have left him feeling estranged from his homeland and his family. He returns home to England at the beginning of the novel tracking a rare fossil that already has led to more than one murder. When the sailor carrying the fossil slips it into the basket of innocent Miss Anne March just before he is murdered, Jack must concoct a plan to both protect Anne and recover the fossil.

Anne, a shy, somewhat mousey young woman and the daughter of a minister, has recently gotten engaged to a scholarly young man. When Jack insists that she travel alone with him to his family estate, Wyldshay, for her protection, she reluctantly agrees. On the trip, she finds herself bowled over by Jack's good looks and charm. She develops a serious case of hero-worship for Jack and he finds her honesty and wit engaging. When their enemies and a storm conspire to strand the couple for the night at an abandoned cottage miles from their destination, Anne's sexual curiosity and naivete combined with Jack's misplaced faith in his ability to control his own desire lead to the loss of Anne's virginity.

I agree with other reviewers who thought that Anne's behavior in the cottage was out of character for a quiet, timid minister's daughter who, prior to that episode, did not seem to have a wild side, but Jack was nothing if not *tremendously* attractive and seductive (so really, I don't blame her!) The action slows down quite a bit once the couple reaches Wyldshay and has to face the consequences of their rash behavior--but frankly, I really liked that part of the book.

In summary, this is a beautifully written historical romance full of passion and adventure. Julia Ross weaves a memorable tale of an unexpected love between two very different people who end up being each other's salvation.

An excellent book! Highly recommended!

I am so happy that I came across this delightful adventure on the bargain shelves at my local bricks & mortar bookstore! I had never even read "Romance" as a genre before!

Though I've always been a great fan of Jane Austen, it was indeed a lark that this momentous afternoon deigned fit all circumstances abiding good luck and agreeable happenstance when this novel's premise caught my eye... And one wouldn't even believe what's happened since!

Though this story takes place late in the era, I can reasonably assure all that I've Become A Robustly Ravenous Regency Romance Reader!!

Truly - I am changed (though I haven't determined whether it has been a change that's enhanced my intellectual character, or degenerated it) - Whatever the case, I am certainly more colorful...

Our heroine here, Miss Anne Marsh, is the daughter of a Dissenter Minister, previously engaged to a gentleman with whom she'd anticipated a quiet, comfortable future.... However, our hero Jack appears on the scene, and subsequently, without any design whatsoever, divines quite another future for her. He is the second son of a Duke, and being recently returned from danger and adventure overseas, brings with him all the repercussions, and indeed by happenstance and luck- essentially all the very things destined to disrupt and overturn all prospect of comfortable predictability- into Anne's life. Once back in England, he soon finds himself very quickly obliged to resort to the power of his family name in order to protect Anne's very life -- !

Along the way, they get to know each other even more -- and, again, luck and happenstance intervene, leaving the reader veritably breathless with delight!

All I can say is that Jack is everything one could want in a hero: strength, good looks, and a spirit of adventure -- Anne is eminently likeable: kind of heart and able to stand well on her own two feet!

This is the first in a Trilogy involving the young men in Jack's family. There's another involving his older brother, the Duke's heir, and one for his cousin, Guy, who figures fairly prominently in this story. And now, having read all three, I am more thankful than I can say for my little dalliance with a NIGHT OF SIN!

I absolutely adored this book. Lord Jonathan was the perfect hero - very gentle and kind, a nice change from the haughty, sneering heroes of a lot of these romances. His gentleness towards Anne made him all the hotter. The setting was exquisitely lush and the writing lyrical and beautiful. This one is a keeper.

A fellow reader introduced me to Ms. Ross (thanks M!) and as a result I've found a new historical romance author that I positivly love.

Ann Marsh is a very sensible proper young lady. One rainy day her life changes the moment a seaman bumps into her. She is sleeping in her bed at her Aunt Sayle's house when she is awoken in the night by an intruder. Ann is unaware that she actually has two night visitors and one is the man that will save her and awaken her passion.

Jonathan Devoran St. George is the second son of a Duke and he is a world traveler. A theft of a precious fossil brings him to Ann Marsh. He realizes that Ann was slipped the precious item and that her life is now in danger. Her life is not the only thing in danger after he spends a few days with Ann. His heart's in danger. Will he be able to accept her love and passion or will his past keep him from being happy?

Ms. Ross has a beautiful way of writing. Her prose is very lyrical and adds to the telling of the story. She also pens very sensual reads. Not graphic reads but a story that will pull the reader in and not let go. Even after the last page is read the story will stay with you. I highly recommend Ms. Ross if you are a fan of well written historical romance with wonderfully drawn characters. I look forward to her next effort!

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

For a change of pace I delved into a Julia Ross book and it is so different for me. She really does write a much more mysterious romance, with suggestions about the erotic past of Lord Jack who had spent many many years travelling in the East. Such an unlikely couple Miss Anne Marsh and Wild Lord Jack and at times one is not exactly sure why this couple does in deed come together. I felt somewhat of a connection but maybe not the intensity of other more recent romantic reads. I certainly did feel the Victorian era in this book - maybe that is what Jack was so fighting by living so long in the East. I will say that the sensual scenes in this book rank higher than most - especially the one on their wedding night. I think the perfect Ross book would be one where I absolutley would feel an undeniable connection between the couple but still have the erotic sizzle of this read. I will give this book at least 4 stars though because the mystery was good and you truly had no idea how it would turn out until the end - and that is good!

A baggage mixup brings together a most unlikely couple. Jonathan, a regal scoundrel, and an engaged minister's very proper daughter, Anne. When a thief plants a very valuable fossil in the girl's basket, she becomes a target for murder, as Jonathan learns when a killer breaks into her home moments before he does, and he is forced to rescue Anne, escaping with her into the night. Though they are ill matched, the demure miss turns out to be full of surprises, luring Jonathan into her arms and obligating him to her by the conventions of the day.

** This blatantly illogical move of hers sets the stage for a romance that will ultimately heal Jonathan's darkened heart and soul. If you enjoyed Barbara Cartlandt, but wished it was a bit less "nice", then this book will fulfill your wish. **

I found this book at the local library,and passed on it a number of times. When I finally decided to read it, I was intensely drawn into the characters and story line. So much so that I went searching out her other novels, and purchasing them.