A REPUTATION AT RISK
What woman in her right mind would say no to marrying the dashing Duke of Sedgemoor? Miss Penelope Thorne, that’s who. She’s known Camden Rothermere since they were children-and she also knows she’d bring nothing but scandal to his name.
Cam can hardly believe Penelope turned down his proposal. But if she wants to run off to the Continent and set the rumor mill ablaze, he can’t stop her. Then her brother’s dying request sends him to bring home the one woman he thought he’d finally gotten over.
The only way they’ll both get back to London without their reputations in tatters is to pretend they’re married during the journey. That means kissing like they mean it and even sharing a bed-until it becomes hard to tell where the game ends and true desire begins . . .
Other books in the Sons of Sins series:
This is one of those stories that I liked, but lost me due to a secondary romance plot. Which tells me I enjoyed my read, but didn’t get lost in it. So, let’s evaluate what I liked:
Sexual-tension. The attraction and building relationship between Cam and Penelope is definitely one of the highlights of the story. Campbell once again demonstrates her knack for writing sensual interactions with plenty of emotion on both sides. Both the hero and heroine have a past, one that ties them together in the best and worst of ways.
Strong Wills. Cam is every bit the haughty, arrogant Duke and I love my dukes. Penelope is equally formidable, unbiddable, and a little too carefree. This causes a few eyebrow raises and a couple battle royale’s, but I loved Penelope’s ability to stand up to those wishing to belittle her or make her less than herself. She’s also got balls of steel.
Pacing and plot. Campbell always does an amazing job with pacing. Stories flow and flow well. There’s plenty of conflict and even though the plot can usually be predicted, the outcomes aren’t always easy to see.
What I didn’t like:
Secondary romance. Cam and Penelope’s developing relationship and coming to terms with one another is overshadowed by a secondary romance plot between Penelope’s younger brother and another young women. While, their romance plays into having an effect on Cam and Penelope jumping out of Cam and Penelope’s heads into the head of the younger brother threw me off and made the story less enjoyable.
Quick Resolution. Campbell, in the past, has drawn out the resolutions for her characters. I love her previous books for that very reason. She makes me wait to see if they hero and heroine will find a way to make this work. In the case of Cam and Penelope they resolved their problems in the course of one scene. There was nothing to draw it out, nothing to make me suspect they may not make it. No second guessing.
Overall, this is a decent book with a couple of characters I really enjoyed. I just wanted more of them and less of Penelope’s brother; who I wanted to hit by the way. I still admire Campbell’s tortured heroes and love her writing style, but for me this wasn’t my favorite.
Reviewed by Landra
Heat Level: Hot
Kindle | Nook | iTunes | Kobo | Google Plus