For years, Melisande Fleming has loved Lord Vale from afar . . . watching him seduce a succession of lovers, and once, catching a glimpse of heartbreaking depths beneath his roguish veneer. When he’s jilted on his wedding day, she boldly offers to be his.
TO THE ONE WOMAN HE MOST DESIRES
Vale gladly weds Melisande, if only to produce an heir. But he’s pleasantly surprised: A shy and proper Lady by day, she’s a wanton at night, giving him her body—though not her heart.
IS HIS DEEPEST NEED . . .
Determined to learn her secrets, this sinner starts to woo his seductive new wife—while hiding the nightmares from his soldiering days in the Colonies that still haunt him. Yet when a deadly betrayal from the past threatens to tear them apart, Lord Vale must bare his soul to the woman he married...or risk losing her forever.
My Thoughts:
My only regret is waiting so long to read the second book in the Four Soldiers series. I really do believe that allowing so much time to lapse between book one, To Taste Temptation, and To Seduce A Sinner caused me to have an awful time in the beginning. I kept trying to remember how the hero and heroine fit into the last story, what Jasper and Samuel had figured out about Spinners Fall, etc. Once I realized that Melisande was Emmeline's (heroine from TTT) friend and that Jasper was indeed the former fiancee to Emmeline I let everything else go. I figured it would come to me as I read deeper into the story. I am happy to say that most of it did come back.
Melisande has been in love with Lord Vale, Jasper, from afar for years. It almost broke her when her best friend became engaged to him and she did not have the courage to do anything more than stand idly by and watch the love of her life slip through her fingers. Now she must go and watch him wed someone else, only this time the young lady practically leaves Jasper at the altar. Melisande finds the courage to approach Jasper and ask him to marry her. Jasper knows that he should remember who she is, he knows that she is Emmeline's friend, but can't remember her name. Sad really because Melisande was showing more courage than some men standing in front of a firing squad.
Both Melisande and Jasper have secrets that they wish to keep. Melisande is so in love with Jasper but she is afraid that if she allows him to know of her true feelings he will hurt in the end, when he finally gets his heir and turns away from her. Jasper is dealing with his demons from Spinner's Fall and is still on the hunt for the traitor who gave their location to the French. Neither realize that these secrets are going to be the very things that bring them closer together and ultimately bind them together in a very strong love.
I love how Ms. Hoyt always includes bits of a fairy tale at the beginning of each chapter. I believe she has done this with every one of her books that I have read. The fairy tale always lends a little something extra to the story.
Another awesome book by Ms. Hoyt... and this time I won't wait so long before reading the next book in the series!
Rating 4.5 stars
