Veena’s review of Sin With a Scoundrel (The Husband Hunters Club, Book 4) by Sara Bennett
Historical Romance published by Avon 30 Oct 12
Fresh out of finishing school, not only is Clementina Smythe, along with her debutante friends, all set for marriage, but she’s actually one step ahead of her friends because she’s got her husband all picked out. She’s loved him from childhood, only he doesn’t view her as wife material yet, but Tina’s all set to change that. Since finishing school didn’t really teach her the art of seduction, she’s going to seek professional help from someone who’s known to deliver results in this area, albeit he’s never worked with a woman before. So begins the delightful lessons in the art of seduction and the mapping of the path to the “proposal,” but which kind will it be? Marriage or…something else?
As her lessons with Richard Evanston commence, Tina learns the art of dress, expression, and flirting and pretty soon she’s in a completely different world. She finds how little it takes to really attract the male of the species and, hey, she’s actually having fun. Of course, woman that she is, now that she has Gilbert looking at her differently, she’s not sure that she really wants him anymore because its Richard ‘s kisses that really get her juices going.
To further complicate the situation, her parents are on the brink of bankruptcy, so marrying a rich husband is a necessity. Well, Gilbert is rich and titled and Richard, whom she is now attracted to, lives on the fringes of society, barely accepted by her social circle, including her parents. What Tina doesn’t know is that in reality Richard works for the British Government and uses the pose of a scoundrel who tutors young gentlemen in the art of seduction as a guise for hiding his spying activities and her intended is one of his key suspects as the ring leader for inciting domestic terrorism.
Events move from the theater to a dinner party hosted by her parents, and pretty soon they’re off to a house party with Richard, Gilbert, her competition, and all the villains. In the midst of the gloom, there’s a ray of light as her brother falls in love, which is reciprocated by a miss who has a large dowry. So perhaps Tina will not need to sacrifice her happiness to save her family. Plots and counterplots are intertwined and made my brain twirl with all the many villains with their own agendas who come out to play. But all ends well as it should in true romance.
I enjoyed Richard and Tina’s antics as their romance develops, but all in all I am a bit tired off the hero hiding his heroic bushel under a scoundrel-like exterior and the heroine, of course, falling in love despite of the fact that the hero is barely accepted by polite society. I do think the concept of Tina approaching Richard, regardless of his reputation, to teach her how to attract her husband is definitely novel.
Summary:
Sin With A Scoundrel. Book #4 in the Husband Hunters Club series tells the story of Miss Clementina Smythe and her quest to marry her childhood sweetheart. But to succeed she needs the help of an expert in seduction, and that just happens to be the handsome Richard Eversham.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
