Customer Reviews

Sinful in Satin

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a bias towards liking whatever M. Hunter writes, and this book lives up to that bias. This is another Hunter regency that pulls me into the historical times of its setting, with no silly or TSTL characters, no jarring anachronistic language or behavior, no Big Misunderstandings or unbelievable situations to frustrate me. It has a tender yet sexy romance and a bit of mystery to add some spice to the story.

Hero Jonathan Albrighton is the illegitimate son of a deceased earl and is shunned by the present earl (his cousin) and other members of the family, with the exception of his uncle Edward. Heroine Celia Pennifold is the illegitimate daughter of a well-known courtesan and a father presumably of the peerage but unknown to her. At the beginning of this story, Celia's mother has died and left Celia all her properties, including a lot of debts. Celia moves into the small house in London she has inherited to find that she has also inherited Jonathan as a tenant of long standing in that house.

From there the story moves into uncovering mysteries from the past; for Jonathan it is to find out what part Celia's mother played in wartime spying and with whom, and for Celia it is to find out the identity of her father. Developments along the way turn them at times into allies and at times lead to some misunderstandings (not of the Big variety) and their romance develops beautifully at the same time.

Another enjoyable aspect of the book is that the main characters of books 1 and 2 play secondary yet important roles in this one. Not to mention the character who has been fascinating everyone since RAVISHING IN RED: Tristan, the Duke of Castleford. He's up to his usual debauchery but always manages to be like the Lone Ranger and save the day for everyone in spite of supposedly being sober only on Tuesday of each week. So looking forward to his and Daphne's story, which is coming in May 2011. For Daphne's sake, however, I do hope he is exaggerating his vices so he won't pass on any STDs to her.

While I am counting down the days until I can read about Castleford and Daphne (that has to be the fourth book, doesn't it?), this one about Celia was a great appetizer. I like a bit more angst in my romances, but even with out that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I do like it the best of the three in the series thus far, but not by much over Ravishing in Red. FYI--it isn't necessary to have read the first two books to enjoy this one.

This has been my favorite book of the series, a great comeback after the rather disappointing "Provocative in Pearls". I for some reason had assumed Celia would end up with Castleford, but after reading this story it is evident that Celia and Jonathan were made for each other. Their similar backgrounds have left them little illusions about the world, yet instead of becoming hardened cynics they are both deep romantics at heart and are willing to make huge personal sacrifices for the love they have for each other. At times Celia is a little too perfect and holds surprisingly little resentment for the unwarranted censure and assumptions leveled at her. A previous review commented on the lack of chemistry between the two leads, I completely disagree the characters seems much attuned to each other's needs and emotions and this is the sexiest book in the series, the bathing scene is especially memorable..

When Celia Pennifold inherits the house left to her by her famous courtesan mother, she gets more than just a building. She also inherits its mysterious tennent, Jonathan Albrighton, the bastard son of an earl, whose past includes working for the government in the war against the French. Celia is determined to start a life of her own, a life very different than the one her mother led. Jonathan is also determined. He's on a mission from his uncle to find the list of Celia's mother's "protectors." His search begins to reveal secrets long ago buried and soon the two of them are involved in a search for Celia's father. There's also rumors that Celia's mother might have been a spy, and the possibility that Jonathan's parentage is not as clear cut as it seems. Plus, when an old debt surfaces, Celia is forced to consider taking up her mother's career.

I adored both Celia and Jonathan and did not want this story to end. The romance is superb, the sex scenes are exquisite, and the secondary characters (hero and heroine from both Ravishing in Red and Provacative in Pearls) are a delight. I especially loved Castelford (the hero for book 4- Dangerous in Diamonds) and cannot wait for his story.
Historical romance does not get better than this!

Out of the three books (the fourth comes out in May 2011) in the regency quartet series this one was the smoothest. It was hard to put down, and the ending was better then I expected. It was not necessary to read the first two books but was much easier to feel the relationships between the Rarest Blooms and the four men. Celia is a strong young women with a hard upbringing and a rough title to follow, while Jonathan is an established operative from the war. They both have mirroring family situations and connect on a physical and mental level rarely touched in series.

Celia Pennifold is the daughter of the famed London courtesan, Alessandra Northrope. Celia's mother educates her in the art of pleasure, but instead of following in her mother's footsteps, Celia flees and takes refuge with friends. Five years later her mother dies and Celia inherits all of her property, including a small house on Wells Street, and huge debts. Celia also inherits Jonathan Albrighton. The gentleman is a tenant and dwells in one of the attic chambers. Due to Jonathan's contract, she cannot evict him, yet she fears his presence could completely ruin her reputation - which is tarnished enough already. However, Jonathan only uses the attic chamber during the rare times he must be in London. Since he enjoys his privacy, Jonathan has never even told his friends where he resides and he uses a discreet method of entry to the house. The man refuses to heed her hints that he move elsewhere.

It is an awkward arrangement, but Celia does not have too much time to dwell on it. Celia is in business with her good friend, Daphne. The small house is an ideal spot for transporting, selling, and the deliveries their flowers. Problem is that the debts are still mounting. Celia is forced to consider embracing the profession for which she was groomed. At the same time, she has no idea that Jonathan is conducting a secret investigation into her mother's mysterious activities.



***** FIVE STARS! It is always a pleasure to spy a new story by Madeline Hunter whenever I haunt the local book stores. This is the third title of a quartet. (Somehow I have missed the first two titles, which I intend to rectify shortly, so I can tell you from experience that you do not HAVE to read the first two titles in order to thoroughly enjoy this tale.) The author's creative writing style is so vividly detailed that I could almost see the fashionable people strolling along the street and smell the flowers as Celia arranged them in the front room. The characters are full of life and have well developed backgrounds. Full of humor and clever dialogues, I never grew bored. I also found the spicy romance between the main characters to be as riveting as the investigation plot. An unexpected twist added a bit of surprise as well. Brava! *****


Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Celia Pennifold and Jonathan Albrighten knew each other five years ago when Jonathan was acquainted with Alessandria, Cecelia's famous courtesan mother.

Although trained by her mother in the art of courtesan, Celia Pennifold, chooses a different life for herself and escapes the inevitable and runs into the caring arms of Daphne, seeking solace at the Rarest Blooms. Her mother passes away and Celia inherits a small home and debts and a tenant, Jonathan Albrighten.

My first glimpse of Jonathan was in Provocative in Pearls. When he was introduced as the magistrate, I immediately found him a dynamic character and was intrigued by his character. He is said to be the illegitimate son of a deceased Earl, who arranged for his education. His cousin heads the family and refuses to acknowledge Jonathan, who still has access to the ton, but his status would be much improved if he was acknowledged.

As other's have said in their comments, this story, to me, was the best in the series so far. (Must leave room for Tristan, Duke of Castleford, what a character he is!) Their mutual acknowledgement of one another's desire was accepted yet fought against. When they both became resigned to the heated sensual pull, they gave in to the physical pleasure, which was both dynamic and heartwarming each and every time they were together.

I loved these two characters. Their love continued to grow even more powerfully, after making love. These two characters truly enjoyed one another and made one another happy. There was a depth to their relationship that was endearing, even through the stain of Celia's mother's scandalous reputation and Jonathan's illegitimate birth. I could not help caring for these two endearing characters as they helped one another overcome the past and their hurts.

Highly recommended, seven stars if possible!

First, I must say that Madeline Hunter's writing is as wonderful as ever. I'm a fan! This series of books has been great overall. However, this book was a mixed bag for me. My "hate" of this book was related to the first half which contained lots of conversations/thoughts/comments regarding Celia's decision to become a courtesan or not. Although, she did not want this life, I tired of her teasing comments about it, as well as, comments/situations that arose with other characters in regards to this. Call me old fashioned, but I just don't want to read about my heroines in regency romance contemplating glorified prostitution. For this reason, I did not really want to read this book. But, I felt like I "needed" to read it to complete the series.

Once the "will she or won't she" (become a mistress) was settled, the book picked up for me a lot more and I found more to love. The big mysteries in this novel weren't all that interesting to me. Also, parts of the romance between Celia and Jonathan seemed forced. His feelings for her struck me as more genuine than hers for him. Jonathan just seemed to be more willing to make sacrifices and fight for their love than Celia did. I found that disappointing. However, once I put all that aside, and focused on the romance between them, I found this novel more enjoyable. The picture of a romance between two societal 'outcasts' who find healing, acceptance, and refuge in their love for one another, tugs at your heart. There were issues left unresolved with Jonathan and Celia. So, I hope these are addressed in Dangerous in Diamonds.

Characters from the previous books in this series make an appearance. However, the Duke of Castleford completely steals the show. He is such an intriguing and layered character, that I often found myself wanting to see more of him than Celia and Jonathan. So, I can't wait to read his story. I hate his sexual escapades. But, I love his charm, intelligence, and playful side.

I'm a fan of Madeline Hunter. I love all kinds of books and romance, but I like to have a story along with it (a believable story). I was hooked on this series with the first one Ravishing in Red. She is an excellent writer. I don't think you would be disappointed with any book she writes. Sinful in Satin isn't my favorite of this series, but its so much better than most of the books out there I have to highly recommend it!

This was amazing! It made me laugh, cry and overall believe in the characters. You were never sure what they were going to do until it was done. That is what I enjoy the most about Madeline Hunter