When supposedly confined to her room, Susan Stanton nearly
drowns in the icy Thames. This being far from the first time
her actions have brought notoriety to her family, Susan
finds herself exiled to her distant relative's sea-side (and
crumbling) Moonseed Manor in Bournemouth. Susan is biding
her time, waiting for any opportunity to return to the
glitter of the society she loves when she senses all is not
as it should be. Something about her near death sparked a
disturbing new ability, one that has her seeing and talking
to the dead. The surface appearance of the seaside community
of extremely rude inhabitants is very different from the
tales the dead can tell. What has happened to her cousin
Lady Beaune, and why did she ever marry such a thug as the
man who currently rules over the manor house? And who is the
handsome young man who is hanging about with the thug? Could
he have the answers she seeks, and even better, could he be
her way back to society?
Evan Bothwick has played around with his life one too many
times skirting disaster as he seeks to relieve his boredom
with ever increasing danger. This time, he was not the one
to suffer the consequences. His (mostly) innocent brother
Ethan has disappeared while seeking to accompany Evan in his
most recent venture. Evan's current business partners,
pirates and smugglers all, deny any knowledge of Ethan's
fate. Ethan would never have been in danger if not for the
heedless selfish choices made by Evan, and if Ethan has been
harmed the responsibility lies squarely on Evan's shoulders.
While seeking news, Evan encounters the bewilderingly
nonsensical Susan and fights his attraction while doing his
best to evade her. He feels she wants only to dilly dally
wasting his time when he has a much more important task, to
save his brother.
TOO SINFUL TO DENY is one of the most unique historical
romances I have read. Erica Ridley has incorporated a
multitude of cunning plot twists in this humorous gothic
tale, guiding the two main characters ever closer to the
truth, and to each other. The framework of the plot is a
fascinating one with the rough and tumble atmosphere of a
smuggler's coast portrayed with more grit and honesty than
usually found in a romance, and the tarnished hero and hidden
villains made the final outcome a deliciously unexpected
surprise. I look forward to more of Ridley's books, and plan
to pick up a copy of her previous book Too Wicked to
Kiss. She also has some free novellas on her site:
http://www.ericaridley.com/.
One look at the towering ocean-side manor that is to be
her new home, and exiled socialite
Susan Stanton knows: This is a place haunted by secrets,
and riddled with menace.
For Susan, there is no escaping it. At best she can stay
clear of the most dangerous element
of all—dark-haired smuggler Evan Bothwick, a man whose
shaded countenance cannot hide
his wicked intent.
But Susan has a secret of her own—a special gift that
renders her privy to the darkest
mysteries lurking within the walls of the manor and in the
labyrinthine cellars beneath. And
the only man who can help her make sense of it all is
Evan, the very scoundrel and rogue
she would do anything to be able to resist.
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