Isabella Bradford has a knack for creating compelling and believable characters. In A SINFUL DECEPTION, she gives us Miss Serena Carew, a woman with a troubled past and a secret that could end her comfortable new life in London, and Lord Geoffrey Fitzroy, a second son more interested in fleeting pleasures than in marriage. The fire between them sparks the moment they meet at a ball, and the more they try to resist, the more fate conspires to bring them together.
The secondary characters are complex as well, from Serena's gruff and changeable grandfather to a down-on-his-luck wounded soldier she encounters in a park. The only one who's one-dimensional is the villain of the piece, who is as vile as they come.
When reading a romance, one knows the couple will live happily ever after, and sometimes the twists that keep them apart could be easily solved by a little honestly. That's the case here, but Bradford has given Serena strong reasons for trying to conceal the truth; it's not hard to believe she would do anything to keep her secret. The final scenes had me holding my breath, waiting to see how the big reveal played out.
I recommend A SINFUL DECEPTION for readers who enjoy Georgian-era historical romance with a splash of Imperial occupation of India. This is the second book in the Breconridge Brothers series, but it will stand on its own.
For fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina
Jeffries: the seductively charming second historical romance
in Isabella Bradfordβs Breconridge Brothers trilogy.
Lord Geoffrey Fitzroy leads a charmed existence.
As the second son of the Duke of Breconridge, he has none of
the responsibilities of his older brother and all of the
advantages, leaving handsome Geoffrey free to enjoy his
rakish pursuits. And pursue them he does, leaving hearts
fluttering all over London. But one night, at a ball
brimming with high societyβs most sought-after beauties,
only one truly intrigues him: the regal, aloof, and
mysterious Miss Serena Carew. Magnificently
dressed and wearing jewels befitting a queen, the lady is
considered the prize of the season: a noble-born heiress
raised in India. But even as Geoffreyβs fascination grows,
Serena deflects his curiosityβand with good reason. Serenaβs
exotic past contains a perilous secret that could destroy
her. Yet her plan to live in safe solitude is thwarted by
her hungry heart, and soon Geoffreyβs passionate seduction
finds her blissfully beddedβand wed. Will her deception
destroy her chance at happiness as Geoffreyβs wife? Or will
the devotion of her new husband bring out the hidden truth
of her undying love?
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