Lord Sin

by Constance Gluyas

Beautiful Annaliza Sedgewick was a parson's daughter, as unspoiled and untamed as the wild cliffs of Cornwall.

Lord Jonathan Sinclair was the most handsome and infamous nobleman in eighteenth-century England, with the pick of London's ladies at his feet and in his bed.

Their first meeting exploded in violence, as Annaliza learned the power of lust within her, and Sinclair for the first time felt the seductive stirrings of love. Annaliza fought against her own desire by leaguing herself with a man sworn to destroy her conqueror. Sinclair sought to mock his heart's hunger with orgies of the flesh.

And both were swept up in a mounting whirlwind of intrigue and passion that seemed certain to tear them apart before it could ever make them one...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical

344 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Constance Gluyas was born in London in the lean years following World War I and left school at the age of fourteen to go to work. During World War II, she served in the Women's Royal Air Force and supervised the main switch-board with a direct line to Europe during the Normandy invasion.
After moving to California, where she lives with her husband, Donald, and daughter, Diane, Mrs. Gluyas began her career as a writer.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read: 9/30/25
Setting: 1783 Cornwall, London England
Trope: enemies to lovers, smuggling, third romance
2.5 rounded to 3 stars

This was an okay read.

plot: Lady Sinclair needs to get her sinful son away from London. She devises a plan to visit an old family friend and have her rakish son escort her there. They face one calamity after another. When Sin goes to a private stream to wash the mud off, he sees the Gypsy girl who laughed at him. He knows all about Gypsy women and their loose morals. Sin forces himself on her, but it's okay because the girl enjoyed it in the end. 🙄. Later, he learns that Gypsy girl is actually his mother's friend's daughter, Annaliza. Things have now gotten interesting, and Sin has decided to stay and torment Annaliza.

Annaliza knows she is plain and a tomboy. She's not the ideal wife. That's why she's glad she has Richard. He loves her, but something holds Annaliza back from returning his feelings. Another problem is that Richard is being blackmailed into being the leader of a smuggling gang. Annaliza helps him when she can. If only she could feel the same yearning for Richard as she does for Sin. Sin has to be the most handsome man she's ever seen. Still, this cad has no remorse for the loss of her virginity. He torments her all day.

The next night, Annaliza goes to help Richard. When some of Richard's gang started mistreating Annaliza, Sin stupidly steps in. Now, they are to be ransomed. Richard still plans to marry Annaliza. He needs her respectability in society.

The MC only hope is Sin's Valet and his mother's lady maid. Liberty is smarter than everyone around her. She doesn't approve of Sin's sinful life, but that's her boy, and she will find him! Unfortunately, not in time to prevent an infected bullet wound and Annaliza SA.

The last half of the book takes place during the London season. Annaliza will have her season debut. If Sin doesn't wake up soon, somebody will grab Annaliza for themselves. Can these two put away their pride and confess their true feelings?

This couple also have another problem on their hand. Richard is still alive, and he will have his brutal revenge! He is frightening and motivated.

Like:
1. Sin was so cool. Nothing rattled him.
2. Liberty was the comic relief I needed. She was so prim and strict. Poor Melton is in for a hard life. Still, she was the smartest character.
3. Richard made a scary villain. This guy is beyond horrible! I appreciate the author for not sugar-coating his deeds. So be prepared for some evil scenes.

disliked:
1. Sin was an extra a**hole. He should have proposed after he discovered Annaliza was the Reverend's daughter. Staying for more is a step too far for most Bodice-rippers. I have a threshold. Who knew? 🤷‍♀️
2. Too many romances distracted me from the main plot.
*Liberty and Milton- Liberty is a major b***h, and Milton follows after her like a puppy dog. I liked this entertaining couple!
* Annaliza and Sin (Jonathan)- enemies to lovers. These two fight the whole book, and it takes Sin a long time to realize he's in love.
* Lady Sinclair and Reverend - this was the least interesting couple. Their romance is barely in the book, so why was it needed?
3. Sin did nothing after his kidnapping. He acts like he has a plan to catch the villain, but nothing ever comes from it. It's disappointing for such an intelligent badass.

Conclusion:
This was an okay book! The plot got confusing with so many different POV. The story really needed to focus more on the MC. I hope 3rd romances aren't a theme with this author 🤞

[Vivisection · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer break starts with smut! Going old school here--spirited Cornwall lass meets jaded London rakehell and adventure ensues. Mistaken identity! Meddling servants! Middle aged lovers reunited! Nefarious smugglers because Cornwall! Daring décolletage and a bit of bodice ripping! Hello Summer!

[gottalottie · Rating 1 out of 5]

this bodice ripper was a little too silly, but never funny, with dark events mixed in and 40% of it was spent with a secondary couple who are servants for the MCs

[Kit★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up at Goodwill months ago, because the back-cover blurb sounded interesting and it looked all old-school. I think I was expecting something a little more, I dunno, bodice-ripper-y maybe, based on that blurb and the cover art. This didn't really meet those expectations. Not that it was altogether not un-PC, because there were a couple of rape scenes, don't get me wrong there, I think I was just expecting something different. I've never heard of this author before, but for such a bargain, it was worth a try. I'm not saying it was bad, because it wasn't. It was ok, a nice mellow "meh". A little silly even, in a few places. So, the story is, it's 1783, (not that the author gives a whole lot of details regarding period) and there is this Lord, (Duke, Earl, Viscount, I don't know, I don't think it was ever specified) Lord Sinclair, and he's a rake, y'know, the whole bevy of mistresses, and drinking and gambling too much thing. Not that any of it is detailed. We're just told again and again how wicked Lord Sin is. So... Lord Sin is the bff of the prince, George IV, and one day while accompanying him on the royal procession, a girl in the crowd makes a nasty face at him. Ah, whatever, and he forgets her. But she doesn't forget him. She is Annaliza Sedgewick, only daughter of a widowed reverend from Cornwall, a bit of a tomboy/hoyden/whatever. She's got this beau, Richard Manford, who happens to be the leader of a band of smugglers. But he keeps a nice polite face on, and so she doesn't suspect that he's evil. She thinks he's being blackmailed by the smugglers and forced into helping them. So she volunteers to help too, for him. So anywho, Sin's mother, Araminta, just happens to have been bestest childhood friends with Annaliza's father, and she makes plans for herself and Sin, along with their servants, her maid, Liberty, and his valet, Melton (who both end up being just about as much focus of the story as Sin and Liza) to all go to Cornwall to visit, leaving London, and Sin's temptations behind. The servants get a lot of attention in this story. They're both in their 50's, and poor Melton is in love with Liberty, who is a prim and proper ol' battle-ax. Sometimes they were like the comic-relief, but other times, their role was major. I found this set-up a little strange. A lot of times, Liberty and Melton got more page-time than Sin and Annaliza, who are supposed to be the focus of the romance. So anyway, the Sinclair party nearly arrives to their destination, when Sin sees this wild 'gypsy' girl in breeches dancing around with a group of children. Since Sin's group had been way-laid by a highwayman in the pouring rain, they're all wet and muddy and bedraggled, and the 'gypsy' girl makes fun of Sin's appearance, and makes a big fuss of telling everyone she's going to the stream to bathe, "unlike some dirty people". Well, Sin gets to the inn, and gets directions to the stream so he, too, can bathe, and of course she's there, so he looks his fill and decides to give her a scare... But all that thrashing around in the water gets Sin all worked up, and so he takes her, right there on the bank. At first she fights, but his loverly skills are too much for her virgin sensibilities, and before you know it, she's matching him thrust for thrust, pain forgotten. When it's all over, he tells her, "hey, sorry I kind of raped ya there, but if you come to the inn later, I'll pay you." She's angry of course, but can't quit thinking of his amazing power to turn her on. So, the next day, Sin and entourage arrive at the Reverend's house for their visit. Melton puts Sin in the wrong room, and that night, Annaliza returns to her bedchamber only to find Sin in her bed. Well, Sin realizes that his "gypsy" is the daughter of his host, and somehow they get to arguing, and he ends up pulling her down and giving her a spanking. She raises hell, and everyone comes rushing in... Everything gets worked out, Sin claims it was a mistake, that he thought a thief was in his room. So now he and Liza are at odds, always bickering and such. The next night she goes out to help Richard, and Sin, curious as to where she's sneaking off to in the middle of the night, follows her. She goes into a cave to wait with the other smugglers for Richard. The wait is long, and they start to tell her the truth about dear Richard, blowing her illusions. She decides to go back home, and never talk to him again, but the men won't let her leave. Sin comes in to affect a daring rescue, but then Richard comes in behind him, a shot rings out, and Sin is hit in the shoulder and goes unconscious. Richard hatches a plan to ransom him, and since Liza knows he's bad and hates him now, he takes her prisoner too. The two hostages are taken to a cottage, and a man, Selwyn, is set on guard duty. Sin falls ill due to their poor handling of his wound, and Liza, fearful for his life, stays awake for three days tending to him. On the third day, she goes out to get water from the well, and is set upon by Selwyn. He rips her clothes off and throws her down on the ground. Too exhausted to really fight him off, he succeeds in raping her. Her screams, and the barking of Selwyn's dog (who is fond of Liza and doesn't like Selwyn) wake Sin, and he tries to go and help her, but is too weak, and he collapses in the dooryard. The dog attacks Selwyn, getting him off of Liza, who passes out. Then Liberty and Melton show up and save the day, tying Selwyn up and covering Liza and Sin. They return to the reverend's house, where six weeks pass while they both heal. In this time, Liza has realized she's hopelessly in love with Sin, and is depressed because she knows he'll never love her in return. So back they go to bickering all the time. Araminta decides Liza should come back to London with them, and so she goes, she and Sin snapping at each other the whole time. Araminta buys her a whole new wardrobe and everything. But remember, Richard's still out there somewhere, for he has followed them to London, intent on his revenge. He plans to kill Sin and rape Liza until she is crippled. Revenge for what though really? Yea, his little smuggling operation got interrupted, but it's not like he couldn't have started up again. And yea, Liza wasn't going to marry him anymore, but his own thoughts gave away his dislike for her from the beginning, so it's not like he was in love with her or anything. But, yea, he's the bad guy, so, he's crazy. He spies on Sin's house, and one evening sees a small, slender figure in Liza's favorite cloak leaving the house, alone. Naturally, assuming it's Liza, he snags her up, and takes her to an alley full of abandoned old houses (which I found a little hard to believe, a whole alley of deserted houses adjacent to the posh street where Sin and other unnamed rich people live). He takes her in one of the deserted houses and proceeds to gag her and viciously rape her until she dies. In the light of the next morning, he sees that it wasn't Liza, it was an old dressmaker wearing Liza's cloak. "Oh well," says he, "now I'll just have to shoot Annaliza and Sin both." So off he goes, leaving the poor old woman's body. That evening, Liza and Sin are set to attend an event with the prince, and so they go off, dressed to the nines. Richard decides he'll kill them upon their return. At the party, Sin realizes he loves Liza more than anything in the whole wide world. But, y'know, instead of saying anything to her, or acting nicely, he decides to get drunk and angry that she's dancing with other men. They bicker some more, and decide to leave. Meanwhile, Liberty and Melton are out for a brisk stroll, and find the dressmaker's box with one of Liza's new gowns inside, dropped at the alley's mouth. Liberty suspects foul play has happened, and convinces Melton to help her search the abandoned houses. They come upon the poor dressmaker's body, and seeing the cloak, Liberty quickly makes the connection that the killer was trying to get Liza. She figures it must be Richard, come to get his revenge upon them all for foiling his little plan. Back in the carriage, Sin and Liza are uncomfortable, she sad because Sin only danced with her once and then got all standoffish, and she thinks she's too plain, and yada-yada, Sin could never love her, she was just a conquest... Sin meanwhile is all thinking she doesn't love him because she flirted and danced with the other men at the party, and so on. Just when he makes up his mind to say something about wanting to marry her, the carriage stops, and they're home. They get out, and Sin sends the driver in to warm up, saying he'll take care of the horses, leaving him and Liza alone. Well, of course Richard takes advantage of the situation and makes his attack, leaping from the bushes and firing a shot at Liza, which hits her in the shoulder. Liberty rushes in, whacking Richard unconscious with her formidable umbrella. She stands guard while Melton and Sin get Liza taken inside and send for the authorities. The next chapter has Liza recuperating ten days later, forlorn at the lack of loving attention from Sin. It's the holidays, and soon she and her father will be returning to Cornwall. But first everyone must do the gift exchange thing. Later Sin comes into her room, saying he has another gift for her. It's a ring, and he doesn't propose or anything, just asks her if she'll accept it. She says she can't, and they prepare to argue, and finally he says, "It's a betrothal ring." So then she says yes, she'll accept it, but she wants Sin to say that he loves her, and irritated, he does, all is well, kisses, the end. Liberty and Melton also get married, and the reverend and Araminta have feelings for each other and...sigh... It wasn't a bad story, but it got a little, almost, well, silly at times. There were a couple parts that sort of reminded me just a very little of Catherine Coulter's writing style, which is not necessarily bad. Just an observation. I didn't think the historical details were the greatest, they were a bit lacking, as far as scenery, clothing, the buildings/houses, and etc. If the year the story was set hadn't been stated in the beginning, I would've guessed it to be any vague historical period. However, it was readable, though probably not one I'll think back on and want to re-read. I maybe would give this author another try if I got a good bargain and if it sounded interesting. I think my main problem was I was expecting something a little more Bertrice Small-ish. I didn't think the thrilling steaminess promised on the back-cover was really delivered. Not bad though.

I would be more than happy to pass this book on to anyone who would like to read and review it, and give it another opinion here on GR :)

[Chrisangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was more fun than sin, as the story of the rocky romance of Annaliza Sedgwick, Cornish reverend's daughter and Lord Jonathan Sinclair (Sin), London rake and friend to the Prince of Wales, plays out among a background of smugglers, kidnapping, aristocratic society, and well meaning (though often meddling) servants. There's also the secondary romances, between Lady Araminta, Sin's mother, and Rev. Giles Sedgwick, Annaliza's father, as well as Liberty Hayes, Lady Araminta's maid, and Melton, Sin's valet, that keep this book entertaining. In fact, if it weren't for a few unfortunate incidents, you could almost label this book a historical romcom!

If for nothing else, this book should be read for the hysterical scenes between the righteous, morally upright Liberty and the lovesick Melton, whom she considers a sinner in need of reforming. Liberty's outspoken, brave, feisty, does detective work, uncovers a murder, and knows how to handle herself in any situation, including confronting a few villains, who are no match for her! Melton takes all her well-meaning verbal abuse (and even some physical ones) in stride, so besotted is he by this dour, prim and proper woman who refuses to admit how much she adores him.

As for the H and h (who knew each other as children, when little Annaliza would follow Jonathan around and make a pest of herself), they get reacquainted through a misunderstanding, when she laughs at his disheveled appearance after a carriage mishap, and he mistakes her for a wild gypsy. when he comes across her bathing in a stream, well need I say more?

Then there's the OM, the villainous Richard Melton, whom Annaliza's known for several years and has been seeing, despite her father's disapproval. She believes his phony story of being forced tom join a band of smugglers (when in fact, he's their leader) and even helps out sometimes by helping them hide contraband. She soon learns his true colors, which starts all the drama in the story.

The only OW was a short scene in London, when Sin's actress mistress tried to trap him into marriage, but that whole thing didn't last long. Also, Sn's best friend becomes interested in Annaliza, while his younger sister pursues Sin, but not much was made of that either.

In fact, the usual scenarios are kept pretty lowkey. There's the arguments, hurts, false pride, hidden feelings, etc. but they don't go over the top as in so many HR books. This couple vents their feelings in trading snarky comments and witty insults that will keep a smile on readers' faces. There are only two sex scenes, which are pretty steamy, but don't go overboard. The same goes for when they finally admit their love.

I liked the way the author portrays the budding romance between Giles and Lady Araminta, it reminded me of something you'd read in an Austen novel or one of her contemporaries. Without going into detail, you're left with the impression that there was once more than friendship between them but she chose Sin's father over him. Now, they'll be getting a second chance.

Quite a family it'll be: husband wife who are also stepbrother and stepsister, a son-in-law who's also a stepson, daughter-in-law who's also a stepdaughter, mother-in-law who's also a stepmother and father-in-law who's also a stepfather. And the children...well, let's not go there.

I almost took away a star, because there were two things I didn't like (that happened all too often in HR books from the early 80's days): Annaliza's being raped by one of the smugglers and the rape/murder of the seamstress, Grace. I don't see why Annaliza had to be raped, when it could have been written as an almost attack (but rescued in time) instead. This, to me, was cruel and unnecessary. As for Grace, though it was part of a revenge plot, as well as a case of mistaken identity, she was such a sweet person and didn't deserve that horrible fate, especially the drawn out description that can break your heart. If I knew how to erase half a star, I would do that.

Despite those flaws, this was an entertaining book and worth reading.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book kind of by accident, I read the first few pages and enjoyed the witty dialogue, especially the parts with Sinclair and his mother, so I was hoping it would be a clean and classy romance but of course it was not which I am not surprised by really, one can usually tell by the book cover but I had hoped, I was wrong and it ended up being a trashy novel with trashy writing so not my cup of tea, those who like the trashy romance novels will probably like it. You know, I never did care about offending someone and I'm not about to start now, but sometimes I really wonder what is wrong with women lol I have been dodging boddice rippers and other trashy romances for years, so many books with nice covers all look interesting until I find out they're rippers, they all have rape in them and just erotic scenes with no actual romantic development, like why do women love books with rape so much? why do so many women like erotic scenes more than pure romance scenes? and I've even seen modern books be so much worse, I've heard about ones even with bestiality......modern women what is wrong with y'all? and any women who reads these books has no right to criticize men watching porn, boddice rippers are porn for women.

I personally like classy well wrote romances, ones that are actually about good old fashioned true love, it's okay if there is passionate scenes in them but they need to be wrote well and romantic so I just can't relate to all the women who seem to like the trashy soap opera stuff, I mean being a woman myself I suppose I can understand the appeal if I'm being fully honest but I don't relate and quite frankly I don't want to relate. I like reading books I'm not ashamed of anyone seeing. If you like this books, you like these books which is fine I'm just sharing my views.

[Tapa in lovezone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never thought I would read this book.
But then I did.
I went into this fully knowing that the H is an azzhole.
But it turned out that the h is no good either.
It was okay. Both were too stubborn.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as hot as I thought but a very sweet love story and a little bit of mystery to it . Good sex scenes too. Lord Sin And Annaliza .

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed years ago