The Art of Sinning (The Sinful Suitors Book 1)

There was a time when I bought Sabrina Jefferies' books without reading the reviews, knowing I was in for an enjoyable read. Having not liked the book prior to this one, I actually did read reviews for The Art of Sinning. Out of 101, not a single negative review. Surely I'd love this one. Nope. I struggled to get to 50% where I quit reading. It was at that point when I came to the conclusion that I didn't care about these people or their motivations.Yvette was so whiny (for the first half of the darned book at least!), always in her head about not being dainty enough or pretty enough. Surely the erection she feels against her can't be because he is attracted to her, and so on and on and on. Jeremy (on the cover) is pretty yummy, looking smolderingly over Yvette's shoulder and that's all I liked about him. His obsession with wanting to paint his "Juno" in what would be a scandalous manner got old for me. Other reviewers seemed to feel chemistry between the H/h. I didn't. Sure, he was horny for her from the instant he sees her and is always struggling against his desire, blah blah blah. I need more than sexual chemistry in my romances. Yvette requires assistance to get into the whorehouses that her brother Samuel frequented to find a nephew she's not sure exists. So, they make a deal in which they help each other out. I suppose they bantered some but most of the dialogue was thin and trite. I saw no reason why they should like each other (other than the lust, of course). It all fell flat. So many silly contrivances to put them together in sexual ways. They were all over each other within 2 or 3 days. The one person I did like was Jeremy's apprentice and I enjoyed the cant expressions. Disappointed.

I love the idea of this series! Brothers and guardians starting a club to marry off their sisters/wards while trying to keep scoundrels and fortune hunters away from them - especially when most of them are scoundrels themselves - Love it!This story centers on Jeremy Keane (Zoe's American Artist cousin)and Lady Yvette (Edward's sister) The book opens at Dominick and Jane's wedding. Where Edward and Jeremy meet on the terrace and not knowing who the other is, start talking about the trials and tribulations of trying to marry off their sisters. Jeremy had noticed Yvette immediately and then lost her in the crowd - he must find her, because he has decided that she is the perfect model for his masterpiece.Jeremy learns that she is the earl's sister and comes up with a plan to paint her. He convinces Edward to let him paint her portrait - so he can marry her off. He then makes a bargain with Yvette to pose for his masterpiece. He agrees to help her find her brother Samuel (the villain in Jane & Dominick's book) son in a Covent Garden brothel.I really liked the chemistry between Jeremy and Yvette, they both have secrets that make them wary to totally love or trust another. But they are so drawn to each other that their best intentions seem to fall to the wayside. Yvette has been burned by a scoundrel in the past and Jeremy has some very dark unresolved family issues that cause him to run from attachments.The book is very well written, with Edward as a secondary character and cameos by Tristan and Zoe. We also meet some new players, who will presumably get their own stories - I have to say I am looking forward to a hero named Warren (don't see that name often in romance books) and I will admit that I am half in love with Edward.So why 4.5 stars and not 5? Well, that is purely personal - I felt like the book got a little too angst-laden too close to the end. It is pretty quickly resolved - but it really brought me down and even the very sweet ending and epilogue were not enough to cheer me up.I would however happily recommend this book and am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!**I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review**

Jeffries begins her dynamic new Sinful Suitors series with Jeremy Keane’s story. He was introduced in The Duke’s Men series and demanded a book of his own. Coming from America to escape family responsibilities and paint topics more suited to his exotic tastes, he runs into another obligation. He’s heir to vast lands and a fortune if he elects to take it. All he wants to do is paint. Jeremy is searching for the perfect model apart from the prostitutes he generally uses when he spots Lady Yvette Barlow across the ballroom at a wedding he’s eager to escape. He’s coerced into an arrangement with Yvette and her older brother before he can paint her portrait. They’re unaware he has something else in mind entirely.Yvette has an agenda of her own. Despite the fact that she’s drawn to Jeremy, she tries to ignore the feeling as she needs him to gain entry to the brothels of London. She knows she cannot do that without his help as he has a reputation for knowing them well. She’ll only agree to his “masterpiece” if Jeremy consents to her requirements. Although her brother Edwin, Earl of Blakeborough, has given his consent for the painting, he keeps the pair under his watchful eye. This makes their attempts to visit the brothels almost impossible.I really like Jeremy and Yvette as a couple. They constantly spar off one another in a way that’s pleasing yet not too hostile. Their adventures lend suspense to the story while their budding romance is believable as it advances. Secondary characters are both familiar and new, with Edwin being the most prominent of the new ones. Hopefully he’ll get a book of his own and give readers something to anticipate.Readers should enjoy The Art of Sinning as it is fast-paced, character-driven, and well-written. I know I did.

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.This is the first in the series & is a spin off from The Duke’s Men series (which I’ve not read but now intend to)A good start to the series, Jeremy & Yvette are both strong characters but have known sorrow & Yvette has come close to ruin so they suppress their emotions. However the attraction between the pair can’t be denied.Yvette’s brother Edwin, Earl of Blakeborough appears to be very strait laced & dour & one evening whilst drinking brandy Edwin & Jeremy devise the St. George's Club, where guardians conspire to keep their unattached sisters and wards out of the clutches of sinful suitors. We also meet Jeremy’s sister & other members of the St Georges Club so setting out characters for further books.

It is a lovely read, most enjoyable. Will read more from this author. Read it, you won't be disappointed. Enjoy.

Ticks all the boxes of what you want from a Regency-or-there-abouts romance novel. Not as clever as Sherry Thomas or involving as Tessa Dare, but if you liked those authors, then you'll be happy with this book.

Good read.

Really enjoy Sabrina Jeffries books.