Sins of a Duke by Suzanne Enoch

Sebastian Griffin, Duke of Melbourne, has alot of duty in is life. Duty to his family, raising his daughter, his fellow (if poor and common) Englishmen, and the Prince Regent himself. He’s been asked to perform a new duty for Prinny: the liason between England and a new Central American country named Costa Habichuela. Sebastian takes it in stride until he meets the princess of Costa Habichuela.

Josefina Embry is hiding something and Sebastian makes it a point to find it out. Fast. Or else he’s subject to falling to her charm like the rest of London has. Whatever she’s hiding, Sebastian is determined to learn the truth. . .or seduce Josefina into telling it to him.

Josefina doesn’t understand why the Duke doesn’t cower to her like everyone else. She’s a princess and that’s what she expects from everyone. When Sebastian kisses her though, how he treats her goes out the window and she wants more of his “interrogation”.

Josefina takes some warming up to. She’s imperious, regal, and basically a snob. Until she does some serious thinking about what’s going on around her and realizes that her path is not the best one. It’s hard for me to get into her character without giving major spoilers, but she does earn respect by the end, even if she’s not entirely likeable.

Sebastian is the star of this one. He’s appeared in the other books in this series about the Griffin siblings (Sin and Sensibility, An Invitation to Sin, and Something Sinful) and readers have been waiting for his story. Or at least I have. 🙂

Sebastian is autocratic, arrogant, and wonderfully sexy. He’s an alpha male at his finest and this book wouldn’t work without him. It’s because of Sebastian that Josefina thinks about what’s going on around her and decides to change things. Sebastian’s desire steams off the page and his sense of duty (though not fair play) gives everyone a happily ever after in the end.

For those that have read the series the rest of the Griffin clan appear, especially Sebastian’s precocious daughter Penelope, or Peep. Even as the story wouldn’t work without Sebastian, there was a bit too much interaction with the secondary characters rather than with Sebastian and Josefina.

I’ve got to say that I’m an Enoch fangirl. She’s excellent at writing flawed characters and making them human, believable and redeemable. Enoch also gives a believable romance and a good story. I just wish that I could have respected Josefina for the whole book, rather than the last half.

Grade: B-