Despite her breathtaking appearance at Queen Elizabeth's court, Valentina's innocence was shattered when she discovered that her true father may have been the lusty Sultan Murad of Istanbul. Needing to learn more, she set sail for the East in a dangerous erotic journey toward the truth....
The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.
Fueled by the knowledge that notoriety is better than failure, witty, unconventional Josie does what no proper young lady should--she challenges fate. She discards her corset and flirts outrageously. She attends the horse races and allows an arrogant rakehell to whisk her behind the stables for a surreptitious kiss . . . and is caught!
Susan Stanton was the toast of London society, until she crossed her parents and is banished to distant cousins in Bournemouth, a tiny town along the far coast of England. From the first moment, Susan is plotting ways back home, when she isn't distracted by the darkly handsome Evan Bothwick. Evan must determine who killed his brother, while hiding his smuggling from the local authority. With mysterious dangers threatening them both, flaring passions, and ghosts that demand help, this Evan and Susan must find the answers they seek without losing their lives.
"Too Sinful to Deny" by Erica Ridley is full of promise, passion, and an interesting plot. Unfortunately, it's a little confusing, with unbelievable characters. I initially thought I was missing some chapters in my book since the back story is not fully developed. Evan seems more upset by his attraction to Susan than his brother's death. No one seems upset by the wives that have been mysteriously muted on their wedding nights by the local lord, and the current wife chained up in the basement. If you want a mindless read that is fast-paced, and don't require it to make much sense, you'll love this book.
I wouldn't recommend this book. By the second chapter, it was a struggle to finish it, I only did so because it was one of my review books and I had to. This is the second book by this author that I've read and both of them made me think that maybe chapters had fallen out of my advance reader's copy until I looked at the page numbers. Nope, the chapters were there, plot and character development were just missing!
