ENGAGED IN SIN – Sharon Page
Dell
ISBN-13:  978-0-440-24491-2
November 2011
Erotic Historical Romance

London, England – 1815

Devon Audley, the Duke of March, has hidden himself in his hunting lodge far out of London ever since he returned from the war with the French.  Besides the scars on his body and the never-ending nightmares, he is also blind.  But no matter how much brandy he drinks he still can't drown out the dying cries of his fellow soldiers when he dreams.  He usually ends up sleeping on the floor of his library, and warns all his servants never to come upon him quickly, lest he kill or injure them thinking they are the enemy.  He doesn't even think of his mother and four sisters who are living in London and lived through his service in fear for his life.  Unknown to him, his friend, the Earl of Ashton, has decided what Devon needs is a whore to entice him to have sex again; it's unnatural to be by yourself all the time.  But, someone overhears the earl talking to another whore, and spends all of her money to get to the hunting lodge.  All Anne needs is a protector to save her from certain hanging.

Anne Beddington is on the run for her life.  When she found out her Madame was going to sell three kidnapped thirteen year old girls to the highest bidder for their virginity, she got so mad she hit her with the fireplace poker and is sure she murdered her.  She is fleeing the hangman's noose, and after giving all her money to the girls to return home she is penniless, and only overhearing about the Duke of March at her friend's home while she's hiding out gives her the idea to go to him sight unseen and take her chances on becoming his mistress.  Hopefully, when he tires of her he will give her enough money to leave for America and a new start.  Her lustiness and sex are appreciated by Devon , but don't cause him to want to keep her there; however, the way she deals with his blindness causes him to start to come out of his shell.

When someone comes to kidnap Anne, Devon only knows he must protect her no matter what, although he doesn't quite understand why he is going out of his way for a whore.  Devon knows Anne is keeping secrets from him, but it's apparent she doesn't trust him with whatever it is.  The biggest question is: will Devon decide that whatever Anne's past, it's her future that he wants to share?

Sharon Page has once again ramped up the heat in this engaging story of two troubled people with deep pain in their lives.  Devon has nightmares of his life in the service, and Anne has the nightmares of the slow dip into poverty and having to practically sell her body to Madame Sin, and then selling her body for money.  Who can ever forget that?  Both stories are told from their own points of view, and are delicately handled.  Especially intriguing are the blind man and the fallen woman who is helping him cope with his disability and learning to enjoy life again.

Secondary characters don't join Devon and Anne until the second half of the story.  Devon 's sister Caro plays an important part in helping Anne to feel like a real person and not just a whore; Sebastian is Anne's cousin and took her father's title after his death, and is pure evil.  Mick Taylor was Madame Sin's bodyguard and is now on a quest from Sebastian to kidnap Anne and bring her back to be dealt with as he sees fit.  Devon 's mother and sisters round out this tale with the love they have for him.

ENGAGED IN SIN is a tale that goes in a different direction from any historical romance you are used to.  If you love historicals, you will enjoy ENGAGED IN SIN and its spicy encounters between the duke and the prostitute.  You will like the way Anne shines with her compassion for Devon and other women who have fallen into the brothel system.  Devon eventually realizes what a gem he has and eagerly looks forward to spending the rest of his life with Anne.  This is a sweet and lusty story that anyone can enjoy, so look for ENGAGED IN SIN this month.

Cece Johns