The Sins of Lord Easterbrook (Mass Market Paperback)

by Madeline Hunter (Author)
Key Phrases: Tong Wei, Madeline Hunter, Miss Montgomery (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Hunter (Secrets of Surrender) weaves a delightful 1800s romance with plenty of steamy passion and opium intrigue. Visiting London for the first time from her home in the Far East, Leona Montgomery is on a mission to secure funding for her brother's trading house and investigate the opium conspiracy that her father believed destroyed much of his business. Leona's lack of connections delays her success until she encounters Christian, marquess of Easterbrook, who was disguised as a commoner when she first met him several years before. He promises to both help her in her quest and sate her most intimate desires, but they both have secrets, and love and passion are fraught with secrecy and suspicion. Hunter has concocted a satisfying tale of desire, deception and privilege. (Feb.)
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Product Description
Journey back to a time of scandal, intrigue, and reckless desire in Madeline Hunter’s sensuous new novel, the tale of a man who will give up everything for the woman he’s determined to possess—even reveal his most sinful secret.

Only a desperate mission could bring Leona Montgomery face-to-face with the scoundrel whose dangerous sensuality once sent her fleeing from his arms. But she has under-estimated Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook. As irresistible as ever, his past swathed in mystery, Christian has his own plans for the woman he has waited seven years to claim. Yet once desire reignites, bringing a dangerous secret into the open, Leona will find herself bound to the seductive nobleman in ways she could never have imagined. Seven years have changed nothing: this man can tempt her to ruin with just one touch. With Leona’s reputation and hopes for her family’s salvation in tatters, she must follow the only course left to her…even as each step brings her closer to a shattering truth and a passion she can no longer live without.…

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dell (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440243963
• ISBN-13: 978-0440243960
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Is Unselfish, March 12, 2009

By	Reba "Romance Reader" - See all my reviews

STOP, CAUTION, Do not read this book until you have first read all the books in this series. They are in order of publication: Rules of Seduction, Lessons of Desire and Secrets of Surrender. While each of these books is a stand alone story,they are a prequisite to understanding and appreciating the hero in this story--Christian Rothwell, Marquess of Easterbrook. While the storylines are not universally appealing in all of these novels, this series stands out as one of the most memorable of any series in this genre easily rivaling the Bedwyns by Mary Balogh,the Mallorens by Jo Beverley and the recent Carsingtons by Loretta Chase. Christian Rothwell easily is one of the most complex and like him or hate him, memorable characters you will ever meet in a historical romance.

Yes I will say it-- he is likeable - despite his many flaws that other reviewers have elaborated upon. He is bossy, arrogant and often rude to others, but there is a humanism about him that can only be observed if you look at him and his actions over the time span of the entire series. Who came to the aide of Hayden and Alexia when they became embroiled in scandal, who stood by his youngest brother Elliott when he became involved with and eventually married a woman polite society largely scorned because of her promiscuity and her innate rebuke of the institution of marriage. Who came to the rescue of Hayden's wife's cousin Roslyn when she was involved in a huge sex scandal. The answer to all these questions is of course Christian Rothwell. No, this character is not unlikeable, he just has to be understood in the context of the time period and the breadth of his actions over a long period of time.

While Hunter does not pull huge amounts of period detail into this story as in some of her others,it is because this is a purely character driven story and what a wonderful love story she has written. This complex hero finally finds or finds again the one mature woman, Leona Montgomery, who is willing to take the time and has the intelligence to see through his arrogant facade. Can any reader doubt his humanism when he holds the first of the next generation of Rothwells (Hayden's Daughter)in his arms.

So poignant and tender in places, this is a story of two people who fall in love but are willing to never marry if it would not be in the others best interest. Lest we forget, true love is unselfish and we see a perfect example of that in these characters especially in Christian. Hunter brings the reader into their emotions as they find not only true physical intimacy, but the deeper intimacy of coming to understand the many layers of each others character.
This is a throughly satisfying love story, but to be appreciated it must be read slowly and carefully or you will miss the many subtle reminders of this couple's developing love for each other and Christians acknowledgement that he could only ever be his one true self and really live when he is with Leona. For Leona she says it all in beautiful prose when she admits to herself "I love you, all that you are. The good and the sins, the brilliance and the curse, the storms that still plague Edmund and the mastery that is Easterbrook. I love all that you are".

Forget the side plots and even the secondary characters and focus on this beautiful love story between a man and a woman -- if you like real romance you won't be dissapointed.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hunter stumbles, January 29, 2009

By	Kathy Kaiser - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have found that Madeline Hunter succeeds in only one in every third book these days. This is one of her weaker novels. Easterbrook is not a very likeable character. He's egotistical and arrogant to a fault. I don't mind a domineering, egotistical hero, but Hunter paints Easterbrook with too strong a brush. He's very oft-putting. The reader doesn't really care for him until 150 pages into the book. And, even then, one never completely warms to him. Her heroine, Leona, is more likeable. But, the story centers mostly around Easterbrook's strangeness, not Leona. He is just plain weird. I never bought into Hunter's characterization of Easterbrook's "gift" and his Eastern mysticism and meditation. She tries to make him mysterious, but ends up making him seem otherworldly. That's not the kind of hero I find attractive. Maybe others will. I hope Hunter tries a different tack and is more successful in her next effort.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seduction and secrets, January 28, 2009

By	Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

What would it be like if you had the ability to know the emotions and feelings of everyone around you; you could tell if they are lying to you, if they're feeling guilty about something, if they dislike you, if they desire you. Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook, has suffered from this problem his entire life and it's caused him to be something of a recluse. But he remembers a young woman whom he met in Macau years before, Leona Montgomery, who was somehow able to shield her thoughts and feelings from him.

Leona has made her way to London in order to try to set up some more shipping deals for her late father's business which her brother has now inherited. However she has a second mission, to try to find out who was behind the intimidation of her father and to expose the trade in opium with which various peers of England are involved. When she meets the Marquess of Easterbrook she discovers that the man she knew as Edmund in Macau is actually a titled Lord, perhaps one of those involved in the trade - especially as she suspects him of stealing her father's notebook.

As Christian and Leona get to know each other again he begins a determined pursuit of her. But Leona knows she will need to return to Macau eventually and that she's not the right sort of person for Christian anyway. But in order to keep Leona safe Christian will have to spend a great deal of time with her and he may find he can't live without her calming influence on his life - even though his secrets may drive her away.

Once again this was another good book by Madeline Hunter, one that had a rather original storyline and whose pacing was very good. Leona and Christian were both slightly unusual characters with Christian using his skills in seduction, as well as occasional imperious pronouncements, to get his own way, and Leona working doggedly to find out what really happened with her father. Christian and Leona both have issues to face in this book but overall it was a very enjoyable read with some interesting detail about the opium trade between England and China.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008