Having read Ms. Hoyt's first novel in her Four Soldiers series, and not liking it much, I was captivated by her second in the series To Seduce a Sinner. This novel is deeper and in many ways more complex and passionate than the first.

Melisande Fleming has loved Lord Jasper Vale for years but he has never noticed her and was even engaged to her best friend once. So when Jasper is left at the altar Melisande does something completely out of character from her shy quiet self, she asks Jasper to marry her and to her surprise and delight he agrees to the match. She never shares her love for Jasper when she asks for his hand as she has had her heart broken before and intends to guard it most carefully this time.

Jasper agrees to the match because he is frankly tired of looking for a spouse and Melisande comes from a respected family. He really does not know her at all. She is an extreme introvert, plain and unassuming. I also had the same impression of her; in fact, Melisande was almost boring for the first hundred pages or so of this novel. She wants to fade into the background and did so quite well in the first part of the story.

Jasper, on the other hand is about a hundred times more interesting and this story is really his story. Jasper is searching for the man who betrayed his regiment to the French resulting in the horrific torture of his men by the colonial Wyandot Tribe. Jasper's search for the traitor becomes in actuality a search for his redemption. On the outside Jasper is a carefree, sanguine chap but inside he carries guilt and heartache over the fate of his men. Jasper is truly a nice person and it was easy to see why Melisande fell in love with him.

Melisande never really shines at first except in the bedroom where she is totally unafraid and uninhibited. This is a shock to her husband who expected his wife to have the same reticent personality there as she does in the drawing room. These scenes were earthy, emotional and romantic. Through her passion Melisande lets her husband know how enamored she really is with him and it also gives her confidence to express her devotion outside the bedroom too.

This is a sensuous novel that really shows how beautifully this couple's marriage heals broken parts of Melisande and Jasper's past. Melisande's kindness and patience are just the balm that Jasper needs to soothe his troubled soul and Jasper's upbeat personality and persistence allow Melisande a safe environment to express her love and devotion through words and deeds.

Elizabeth Hoyt has only been publishing romances for a few years, but her work is as accomplished, complex, and elegantly written as those of the masters of the genre (like Madeleine Hunter, Mary Balogh, Loretta Chase, Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, etc.) What's more, her plots, characters, and writing style are all original; her voice is unique; and every book is distinct from the last one. I think those who haven't discovered Hoyt's books yet are in for a real treat.

"To Seduce a Sinner," like all of Hoyt's stories, features a troubled male protagonist, a multi-layered heroine (in fact, Melissande seems to have more hidden depths than any of her other heroines, save that of her first book, "The Raven Prince"), and a plot with dark undertones of loss, betrayal, and rage. In this case, Lord Vale is determined to discover the traitor in his war regiment, a journey that takes him to unsavory places to meet with unsavory people. Melissande, in contrast, is suffering from her unrequited love for Vale, love she attempts to keep hidden, even after they marry and start a sexual relationship. This struggle is surprisingly heartwrenching, and it's easy to identify with Melissande's restrained longing for her husband.

Vale is an extremely interesting character-- much more so than he seemed in the first book of this series. He's a cad with a strong moral code; a lover who seems oblivious at times to basic human emotion; a charmer who is befuddled by the enigmatic nature of his wife. The result is an intriguing love story where even small moments between Vale and Melissande crackle with chemistry.

I loved this story. In fact, I think it's my favorite of Elizabeth Hoyt's books simply because every page revealed something intriging about the characters or the historical period. The dialogue is crisp and witty; the love scenes erotic and raw, as is Hoyt's trademark.

I highly recommend "To Seduce a Sinner."

All authors are gifted. They just give their presents at different times. Ok, ok, Elizabeth Hoyt frequently gives her readers presents, but I must confess I thought the author's previous release TO TASTE TEMPTATION was a little disappointing. However, this time, Ms. Hoyt rebounds and gives her readers a "Neiman Marcus" type present! TO SEDUCE A SINNER is topnotch.

Mini Synopsis:
He was Jasper Renshaw, the Viscount Vale, and Melisande wanted him. He possessed the ability to make a woman feel beautiful and desired and while she stood on life's sidelines, Melisande Fleming had fallen hopelessly in love! Then suddenly her fantasy became a reality. Lord Vale was now her husband! But Melisande understood she must proceed slowly, for never would she allow her husband to discover how deep her love was.

Jasper Renshaw greatly admired his new wife. Although, twenty-eight-year-old Melisande Fleming was not a beauty, she certainly was memorable. The woman had a quick mind and a direct manner and refreshingly, was unlike any woman he'd ever known. However, he knew he would continue on alone, for never would he allow his new wife to discover what a despicable creature he was.

Reviewer's Comments:
Sigh . . . two lonely people slowly gaining deep affection and warm feelings toward one another. Now this is romance! And the best part? Although, the plot's backdrop is painful and foreboding, Elizabeth Hoyt manages to throw in some dandy moments of delicious humor! What a great touch Ms. Hoyt - Sir Mouse, Melisande's little dog, is perfect!

TO SEDUCE A SINNER is a lovely romance, with wonderful love scenes, a great hero and heroine, and just the right blend of humor and sorrow. For a cozy November night, do treat yourself! Elizabeth Hoyt gives her reader a gem. A personal note: TO BEGUILE A BEAST (release date May 2009) is now on my pre-ordered list and that, in itself, says it all!

Okay, Elizabeth Hoyt's ability to write one amazing historical romance after another is beginning to bother me. It's unnatural. I've never read such a consistently wonderful author. Each book is a gem. In some ways, I am grateful. But such talent is unsettling. It breeds dissatisfaction when I finish her latest and must wait months, MONTHS, to read her next offering. The mediocre work of other authors is cold comfort. Can you write faster, Elizabeth? But no, don't write faster! Continue to do whatever it is you do (weird rites by moonlight?) and continue to write such top-notch stuff!
In case you can't tell by my effusive praise, I loved Jasper and Melisande's story. (And how great is it that Melisande and Jasper are names authentic to the period? Ms. Hoyt never saddles her characters with anachronistic names like Ryder and Blaze.)
This book is funny and heartwrenching and sexy as hell.
If you haven't started reading Elizabeth Hoyt, you're in for a treat. Pick up the first two books in The Four Soldiers series, and read them in order. And then read her Prince trilogy. You won't be sorry...until you realize how long you'll have to wait for book 3...

Two secondary characters from To Taste Temptation, Lord Jasper Vale and Melisande Flemming, get their own story in this next installment of the Legend of the Four Soldiers series. I was kind of surprised to find that these two were going to have their own story because they seemed like such side-kick type characters. Surprised but pleased, because one of the things I like best about Hoyt is the originality of her books - even when she seems to adhere to formula, the style of her writing, the way she presents her characters, is different and fresh. Maybe it's something to do with the time period she writes in as well. I think she was daringly original in To Seduce a Sinner - particularly in her choice of hero. He's compared to a Basset Hound I think in the first book, acts a bit ditzy, and certainly doesn't fit the tall, dark, and handsome mold. Melisande isn't quite so different in that she is a plain spinster - but her self possession, poise, and common sense still rang true for me. I think together they had the makings of a great love story. Jasper plays the part of a clown, but his laughter conceals the torment of psychological war wounds. (And I'm a sucker for the whole "ridi, Pagliaccio" feel to his character.) Melisande has loved Jasper for years without his knowing she exists. He plans on a typical aristocratic marriage of convenience that will allow him to conceal how shamefully (in his opinion) he's been warped by his war experience. She likewise hopes to keep all her secrets. All the ingredients for redemption, passion, and healing are there. And I really loved the fairy tale, Laughing Jack, for this book.

I just wish Melisande and Jasper's romance could have been as compelling as the fairy tale. The story never seemed to take off or get to the bottom of their emotions, their love. Nothing's done with Jasper's "dark secret" - Melisande just finds out one day and they barely even comment on it. I particularly couldn't reconcile Melisande's actions. She chases after Lord Vale and proposes marriage to him because she loves him. Once she's gotten what she wants, she's determined never to let him know how she feels, but she's still not happy without his love. Her contradictions didn't make sense, and it seemed like she was just hiding her love for him out of concession to silly formula (the old tale that she was hurt by another man in the past and she'll never let herself be so vulnerable again.) In addition, the mystery element (the ongoing search for the one who betrayed Jasper and his men during the war) is just as awkwardly handled here as it was in To Taste Temptation, but the characters and romance weren't strong enough to make up for it. All the same, Hoyt writes well, and there were some quiet, happy moments in the story that I liked. Not a great book, but I didn't hate it either.

Elizabeth Hoyt has an uncanny ability to write a steamy romance story which still has an intelligent, complex plot. This second in her Four Soldiers series is another feather in Ms. Hoyt's cap. Her first series, the Prince Series, (The Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince, and The Serpent Prince), which should be on the keeper shelf of all romance fans, first brought Ms. Hoyt's wonderful talent to the forefront. The Four Soldiers series, thus far, proves that the author is no one-trick pony.

The opening chapter of "To Seduce a Sinner" introduces a delightfully hungover hero, Lord Jasper Vale, being jilted at the altar by the ninny heiress he was marrying for convenience. Enter our heroine with a proposition: Marry me instead. Jasper thinks, why not? And thereby hangs the romantic tale. Melisande Fleming, the heroine, has been in love with Jasper for years, but has never revealed her feelings. Jasper doesn't really care who he marries, as long as she is of a suitable rank and reputation, and can produce an heir. Neither character mentions love, or even sex. An entire novel could have been written just about this interestingly arranged marriage.

But Ms. Hoyt goes so much deeper into her story, just as she does with all her books. Jasper has been emotionally damaged by the same horrible massacre which darkened the hero's character in the first book in this series. He is determined to discover why and how his regiment was betrayed in a fatal ambush during the French and Indian War in the American colonies. Interweaving this subplot into the love story which begins to blossom between Jasper and Melisande is done deftly. As a reader, I really cared about these characters, and about how they could build a life together while dealing with the emotional ills which beset them.

I highly recommend all of Elizabeth Hoyt's books. She is a very talented writer. Her fans will not be disappointed in this latest installment.

Melisande Fleming had watched Jasper Renshaw- Lord Vale for six years. Watched him take other women to his bed as she blended in all too well, so well, he did not give her much notice at all; let alone remember her name. Melisande saw an opportunity before her to have the man her heart desired, and with all that was holy she took that opportunity with a vow to make him love her, as well as keep the secret from her past buried.

Lord Vale had ghosts of his own past that haunted him nightly. A witness and tortured at the Spinner's Falls massacre, Vale was damaged on the inside while all of his friends had to bear scars on the outside of their bodies. He too had a secret, a shameful one that he hoped no one would ever discover. In his search for the traitor of Spinner's Falls, he can not help falling for his new lady wife. It was she that proposed to him, and every day it seemed she beheld something new and intriguing; he knew he could never give himself fully to her, but he would take all that he could get from her.

Pent up sexual frustrations of a new bride, a man unsure of himself, and blossoming love mixed with secrets and betrayal make To Seduce A Sinner extremely pleasant to read. What two secrets do these lovers both possess that fear could make the other not love them at all? Historical Romance with an erotic flare sends little shivers up your spine. an extremely well written novel, Ms. Elizabeth Hoyt truly shines with this one! 5 Hearts

This book is the second in the Four Soldiers Series and is more engaging than the first. Although the first book, "To taste Temptation" was not as good as this one, it is much better than many other authors best work. It just lacks the magic that Ms. Hoyt recaptures in this second story and can be found in her previous "Prince" novels. I couldn't put this book down and after reading the excerpt for "To Beguile a Beast", I can't wait for the third book in this series. That would be my biggest complaint. Having discovered this author with her first book, I must patiently wait until she completes further work to continue enjoying her writing, although I could definitely reread her previous stories to make the wait less painful. I highly recommend this book as well as all of her previous work! She is one author I purchase without question.

Excellent historical romance, by Elizabeth Hoyt. And it's surprisingly funny and very intense and sensual! It's enjoyable reading the dialogues between Melisande, a girl who has given up hope in love and Jasper Vale, a desired Viscount by many but rejected at the time of the wedding every time he chooses a bride,even though he is a very nice guy. But, don't be fooled. Jasper has his dark side, his afflictions, his soul is torn. He is one of the men who went to the war in Canana in the series "The Legend of the four soldiers". This actualy is the 2nd book in the series. Deep in his heart, he wished to discover and punish the person who betrayed his platoon and ambushed them. Melisand asks Jasper to marry her the last time he is rejected by a bride. He accepts. I recommend you to read it to discover what it comes after. Enjoy! You'll love it!

Lord Vale is dumped at the altar and at a loss for what to do next, when Melisande Fleming proposes something shocking - marry her, instead.

Melisande had loved Lord Vale for years, always knowing he was out of reach, until the opportunity arose for her to finally have him. She had been hurt before, so she decided that while she could have him as her husband and lover, she would never let him know how much she cared about him.

As Lord Vale gets to know his new bride, he realizes her plain exterior hides a fiery seductress. By day, her proud bearing and biting wit intrigue him and at night her body draws him near.

They each have secrets they feel they can't share with each other, but as they learn to love each other to the fullest, those secrets may be let loose.

I thoroughly loved To Seduce a Sinner. I read it in less than two days, even at my desk at work. I was intrigued, excited, amused and enjoyed every page. I wasn't sure what to think when I first looked at To Seduce a Sinner, but I am now an Elizabeth Hoyt fan through and through. I have rarely read a book where the love developing between the characters seems so dead on accurate in how it is portrayed. This book has a permanent place on my bookshelf. I Joyfully Recommend it.

Niki Lee