Sinful in Satin by Madeline Hunter

Book 3 in The Rarest Blooms series

(is this not the most beautiful cover you’ve ever seen?)

www.madelinehunter.com

Miss Celia Pennifold is the daughter of famed courtesan Alessandra Northrope. Her mother, hoping to provide Celia with a future of riches and luxury, tutored her throughout her young life on how to be the best courtesan London had ever seen. Unfortunately for Alessandra, Celia ran away at 17, wishing a different life for herself. Now, several years hence, Celia has come back to London to settle her mother’s piddling, debt-ridden estate and attend the funeral when she discovers that - along with inheriting a house, she’s inherited a tenant, Mr. Jonathan Albrighton. Jonathan has his own reasons for staying at the house (though he is truly a tenant) that regard an investigation Alessandra’s past.

The writing in this book was fabulous. The dialogue, which can be especially difficult, was flawless. Each character had their own voice, and if you gave me a line from the story I could tell you who wrote it from the tone and syntax alone. Hunter moved herself straight onto my auto-buy list with this work. Good dialogue and prose is hard to write, and this book was exceedingly well written.

Celia is such a beautiful character. I was with her, sympathizing with her struggles, every step of the way. Although at times I felt her a bit too selfless for my tastes (she was practically saintly at times), I liked how realistic she was. It was sad but understandable that she never allowed herself to hope for much. I did love that she held high hopes for meeting her father (showed her last innocence), and wanted to cry with her when they met. I loved her passion for all she did, her realism, her pragmatic nature, and her thoughtfulness. Celia is definitely not rash in her decision making. I also liked that she considered becoming a courtesan when faced with a debt she cannot repay and the man offers to make her his mistress to repay it. I liked that she wasn’t one of those women who refused to even consider selling her body to put clothes on her back, a roof over her head, and food in her mouth. I could sympathize with that too, though I’ve read reviews where the reviewer hated that she would even considered selling her body. Especially since she grew up in a household where that wasn’t wrong, I thought it was consistent with her character. To me she was strong in a quiet, rather than fierce, way and she was very intelligent.

Jonathan is so sexy. From the moment Celia sees him in the attic (by far my favorite scene. Just picturing his naked back, shoulder muscles stretched taught, so defined, with the effort... *drools*) he is an enigma, and a really super hot one. I liked how guarded he was about his job, but how open he could be with her about his feelings. I loved how firm he was with the level of their intimacy. His internal battles made a lot of sense to me and I enjoyed reading about them. I liked that he didn’t make a huge deal about Celia’s virginity. He was understanding, a guiding force and support system for her in her times of trouble. I also loved how he defended her and stuck up for her, but wasn’t overbearing.

The plot that revolved around Jonathan and his heritage, and to a lesser extent Celia and her heritage, was intriguing but didn’t detract from the main romance. It lent an air of mystery to the piece, kept the story going, and gave the character’s purpose while they went about their daily lives. The secondary characters - Castleford, Daphne, Hawkeswell, Marian, etc, - were all amusing and they intruded often enough to remind us that there were more than two characters, but not so often as to be constantly interfering. They also each had excellent development and voice. Hunter does a great job with character development, and this book left me well satisfied. I can’t wait to read all the other books in the series, Dangerous in Diamonds especially. Castleford’s story is going to be a hoot and a half!

Favorite quotes:

“It was generous of you to allow the friendship to continue.” (Jonathan)
“Generous? Allow?” Hawkeswell laughed. “Hell, you don’t know much about marriage, do you?”

“Are you spying now, with me?” (Celia)
He had not expected that. Damnation, she was far shrewder than he had realized. He hid his surprise with a laugh. “You have found me out. The leaders of the nation’s horticultural societies petitioned the Prince Regent to send me to discover the secrets about your plants.” (Jonathan)

“Sexy”ness rating: Sexy and sinfully hot. What else would you expect from a courtesan’s daughter and her handsome, shmexy lover. With muscles. *drools*

Overall Rating: A-

Bottom Line: This book, and I’m guess the entire series, is a must read. Put Madeline Hunter on your ‘auto-buy’ list, Sinful in Satin was hot and deep, with internal and external conflicts that were realistic and impeccably written. Sinful in Satin was so good I couldn’t put it down - it was delightfully enchanting and wickedly sexy. A fantastic read!

Pages: 357
Published: September 28, 2010
Genre: Historical