THE STUDY OF SEDUCTION is book 2 in Sabrina Jeffries' Sinful Suiters series. I am an avid reader of historical romances, and Sabrina Jeffries is an auto-read author for me. This Regency series follows the men in a club for gentlemen who are looking out for their sisters or cousins, in order to protect them from bad suitors such as fortune hunters, gamblers, and rakehells. What a fun concept! Edwin Barlow, Earl of Blakeborough, is one of the founding members of the club. Edwin's sister married the other founding member, Mr. Jeremy Keane, in book 1. As I predicted after reading book 1, The Art of Sinning, this second book follows Edwin's charming fall into love.

Warren Corry, the Marquess of Knightford, is a member of the gentleman's club and Edwin's best friend. When Warren asks Edwin to watch out for his cousin Lady Clarissa Lindsey and squire her about the season's events after Warren is suddenly called out of the country, Edwin can't refuse the request. Edwin has decided it's finally time he marries in order to sire an heir, but Edwin is such a gruff and unsocial man that Warren argues Clarissa can help better socialize him so Edwin can catch a wife, all the while protecting Clarissa from an unwanted suitor's attentions. Clarissa has been frightened into hiding by a scarily ardent suitor who won't accept her demurrals, and she has a history that rightly leaves her frightened of men.

There's a mystery wrapped up in the creepy man's attempts to woo Clarissa, which enlivens the story and makes it more than a romance. Edwin concocts a story of a secret engagement to Clarissa to protect her from her stalker, and the dangers escalate to the point that Clarissa must marry Edwin for her safety. But can this marriage of convenience blossom from safety into something more fulfilling? I adore a good marriage of convenience story, and THE STUDY OF SEDUCTION is well crafted.

I like the story overall, although I have a few complaints that keep this book from being a keeper for me personally. My main issue is that, while sensitively handled, I don't believe Clarissa's recovery from her previous trauma would be as rapid as it is portrayed. Despite a few niggles, overall THE STUDY OF SEDUCTION is very enjoyable. I eagerly await the next gentleman in the club and his love to come! Jeffries's THE STUDY OF SEDUCTION is a charming Regency tale with plenty of danger and a slow buildup of romance to the Happily Ever After we are all rooting for.