Review of The Art of Sinning

The Art of Sinning (Sinful Suitors #1)

Amazon       B&N

by Sabrina Jeffries
4.5 of 5 Stars

Description:
American artist Jeremy Keane refuses to return home and take over his father’s business. He’d much rather sample bevvies of beauties abroad, in search of a model for the provocative masterpiece he’s driven to paint. When he meets Lady Yvette Barlow at a London wedding, he realizes she’s perfect for his work—and determines to capture the young heiress’s defiant spirit and breathtaking sensuality on canvas.
No stranger to scandal, Yvette agrees to be Keane’s subject—in exchange for his help gaining entry to the city’s brothels he knows intimately, so she can track a missing woman and solve a family mystery. But when their practical partnership leads to lessons in the art of sinning, can they find a bold and lasting love?

Review:

The Art of Sinning was a wonderful start to the new Sinful Suitors series by Sabrina Jeffries. Ms. Jeffries is one of my go to historical authors. All of her books are light, romantic, and fun reads, but this one had a little something extra.

Jeremy Keane isn’t interested in taking over his father’s business. He’d rather advance his career and skills as a painter. While searching for the perfect model for his risque work, he meets Lady Yvette Barlow. Enthralled by her spirit and beauty, he peruses her

Lady Yvette and her family aren’t strangers to scandal. It seems to follow them around like a shadow. When she learns that her brother has an illegitimate son living in a brothel, she agrees to pose for Jeremy, if he helps her locate her nephew.

I really enjoyed the banter between the main characters. You really see them start to evolve and connect. Jeremy was the typical fun, handsome rogue, but he had depth and dimension, which can be lacking in this genre. Lady Yvette was strong and very commanding as a character, far from the simple Miss, which is refreshing. Both characters were refreshingly original. They seem to understand the social restrictions of the time period and try to avoid scandal if possible, but they aren’t going to let it stop them from doing what they believe is right.  The romance was slow to build, though appropriate for the characters, it did leave me wanting a little more.
The Art of Sinning was a great read and is now on my list for top historical romance novels. I’m really looking forward to the next installment within The Sinful Suitors series.