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Three Nights of Sin
Three nights of danger . . .
When her brother was arrested for murder, the ton shut its doors to Marietta Winters. No one would help her save him from the gallows—no one but Gabriel Noble. In exchange for taking the case, Gabriel requests three favors from the desperate young beauty, and Marietta has no other choice but to make a deal with the sinfully handsome devil.
Three nights of pleasure . . .
Searching for clues in the rough underbelly of London, Marietta must masquerade as a shamelessly wanton wench—much to Gabriel's delight. But Marietta swears to herself that her passionate moans are just for show. She could never fall in love with such a maddening, arrogant, seductive stranger . . . could she?
Three nights of sin . . .
Night after night, she satisfies his wicked cravings. But soon Gabriel wants more from Marietta than just three nights of sin—and even a sordid secret in his past won't prevent him from trying to possess her forever.
When her brother was arrested for murder, the ton shut its doors to Marietta Winters. No one would help her save him from the gallows—no one but Gabriel Noble. In exchange for taking the case, Gabriel requests three favors from the desperate young beauty, and Marietta has no other choice but to make a deal with the sinfully handsome devil.
Three nights of pleasure . . .
Searching for clues in the rough underbelly of London, Marietta must masquerade as a shamelessly wanton wench—much to Gabriel's delight. But Marietta swears to herself that her passionate moans are just for show. She could never fall in love with such a maddening, arrogant, seductive stranger . . . could she?
Three nights of sin . . .
Night after night, she satisfies his wicked cravings. But soon Gabriel wants more from Marietta than just three nights of sin—and even a sordid secret in his past won't prevent him from trying to possess her forever.
384 pages, ebook
First published April 28, 2008
48 people are currently reading
1560 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mallory
12 books431 followersSome people have always known they wanted to write. Others fall into it and discover its inherent joy. I’m somewhere in between. As an avid reader, writing a novel had always tickled the back of my mind. There seem to be a lot of people who say, “Someday I’ll write a book.” For me, the feeling tickled, moved into an incessant knocking and finally became a dull roar. All I needed was to make that “someday” into “today.”
I’ve always considered myself a creator, so transitioning to writer was not as grueling as it might have been. From creating two minute stories for people on the street, to creating jewelry, crafts, stained glass, pottery, music, crazy art projects… the list of things I like to create (and buy all the necessary materials for) keeps getting longer amidst my family’s exasperated groans. I love to start something from scratch, and then mold and shape it into a finished project. Writing books provides a challenge I accept with relish (and a bit of hair pulling). Building a world, populating it with characters and giving them a script and satisfying ending - what more could a creative type ask for?
I’ve always loved romance novels, ever since I started sneaking them from my Mom in elementary school. I mean, what’s not to love? Rakish men and smart, feisty women, adventure and mystery, the love and loyalty between two people. Give me a roomful of romances, some Agatha Christie, some Edgar Allan Poe, the Harry Potter series and an armful of other fantasy novels, (and steady meals with chocolate) and I’m in heaven.
And heaven is what I consider a particular cottage on an inland lake in northern Michigan during the summertime. If you are headed “up north” this summer, maybe I’ll see you on the way…
Anne Bytes (or pseudo trivia)
Started writing on September 11th, 2001 as an escape from the day (needed an escape with a happy ending).
Thinks that 11pm is a perfectly normal time to begin reading a 400 page book.
Escaped from Alcatraz (story here).
Got a hole-in-one on a Par 3 and was just happy to have beaten her Dad on a hole for once. After a quick rotating hip dance, she was surprised to see her Dad still looking from the tee to the hole where the ball had bounced once and dropped in. His mouth was hanging open. Anne’s response? “What?” (In coding terms, Anne != golfer. That’s “Anne is obviously not a golfer” for you normal people).
Loves tubing (behind a boat) and roller coasters (Cedar Point, here we come!).
Loves paddleball, especially “extreme” paddleball. In the normal variety of paddleball, she helped score 432 hits with Cousins J and Mg one summer day.
Played at Carnegie Hall and was so excited she launched her violin bow across the stage when she got to the picking section of the piece. Thankfully said bow was recovered in time to start bowing once more.
Saw a Great White Shark in real life (at Monterey Bay Aquarium, thankfully).
Wrote her first (and only until Masquerading) book in sixth grade. It was a thriller/mystery centering around two sixth grade detectives. Her Mom assures her it is still well loved (read: stashed in the attic).
Began Masquerading the Marquess on Good Friday 2002, sold it on Good Friday 2003.
Considers herself a hobby collector. Friends and Family like to call her hobby “pack ratting.”
Can relate to the line in Office Space, “Um, I’m gonna need you to go ahead and come in tomorrow. So if you could be here around nine, that would be great. Oh, oh, yea… I forgot. I’m gonna also need you to come in Sunday too.”
I’ve always considered myself a creator, so transitioning to writer was not as grueling as it might have been. From creating two minute stories for people on the street, to creating jewelry, crafts, stained glass, pottery, music, crazy art projects… the list of things I like to create (and buy all the necessary materials for) keeps getting longer amidst my family’s exasperated groans. I love to start something from scratch, and then mold and shape it into a finished project. Writing books provides a challenge I accept with relish (and a bit of hair pulling). Building a world, populating it with characters and giving them a script and satisfying ending - what more could a creative type ask for?
I’ve always loved romance novels, ever since I started sneaking them from my Mom in elementary school. I mean, what’s not to love? Rakish men and smart, feisty women, adventure and mystery, the love and loyalty between two people. Give me a roomful of romances, some Agatha Christie, some Edgar Allan Poe, the Harry Potter series and an armful of other fantasy novels, (and steady meals with chocolate) and I’m in heaven.
And heaven is what I consider a particular cottage on an inland lake in northern Michigan during the summertime. If you are headed “up north” this summer, maybe I’ll see you on the way…
Anne Bytes (or pseudo trivia)
Started writing on September 11th, 2001 as an escape from the day (needed an escape with a happy ending).
Thinks that 11pm is a perfectly normal time to begin reading a 400 page book.
Escaped from Alcatraz (story here).
Got a hole-in-one on a Par 3 and was just happy to have beaten her Dad on a hole for once. After a quick rotating hip dance, she was surprised to see her Dad still looking from the tee to the hole where the ball had bounced once and dropped in. His mouth was hanging open. Anne’s response? “What?” (In coding terms, Anne != golfer. That’s “Anne is obviously not a golfer” for you normal people).
Loves tubing (behind a boat) and roller coasters (Cedar Point, here we come!).
Loves paddleball, especially “extreme” paddleball. In the normal variety of paddleball, she helped score 432 hits with Cousins J and Mg one summer day.
Played at Carnegie Hall and was so excited she launched her violin bow across the stage when she got to the picking section of the piece. Thankfully said bow was recovered in time to start bowing once more.
Saw a Great White Shark in real life (at Monterey Bay Aquarium, thankfully).
Wrote her first (and only until Masquerading) book in sixth grade. It was a thriller/mystery centering around two sixth grade detectives. Her Mom assures her it is still well loved (read: stashed in the attic).
Began Masquerading the Marquess on Good Friday 2002, sold it on Good Friday 2003.
Considers herself a hobby collector. Friends and Family like to call her hobby “pack ratting.”
Can relate to the line in Office Space, “Um, I’m gonna need you to go ahead and come in tomorrow. So if you could be here around nine, that would be great. Oh, oh, yea… I forgot. I’m gonna also need you to come in Sunday too.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
September 23, 2010
I am really struggling to get my thoughts together for this one. My emotions were all over the place as I read. I have to admit that this had a very different tone than the other two Anne Mallory books I've read. For instance, it was a lot darker. Not just in subject matter, I mean in tone too. It really had a kind of gothic feel to it. The poor malleable miss who's influenced by the dark mysterious man. Bad things happen in the story and the girl doesn't know where to turn or who is good and who is bad. That's the feel this book had. If that's what the author was going for, she succeeded.
For me, this book worked better as a character study on the various victims of a horrific crime than a romance. We get to see the different paths that people take and the ways that an event like this can shape them for the better or the worse. I found it all quite fascinating, even as my heart was breaking for them. I also liked that we got to see some survivor guilt. It all felt very realistic to me.
But the damage done, and the way it continues to control Gabriel's actions, make for a very tall obstacle to overcome on the path to happiness. I really think that everything would have felt more satisfying for me with a stronger heroine. I didn't feel that she challenged the hero enough and he needed that challenge. Anytime she would make the slightest tiptoe toward taking control in the bedroom he practically quivered on the spot. It annoyed me to no end that she kept backing off and letting him play her like an orgasming puppet.
Poor Gabriel was stuck in his role. Even when he sincerely wanted her, he was too afraid to move beyond his mask. In the beginning, watching them have sex was extremely uncomfortable. Gabriel was never fully engaged and Marietta lost any thought in her head the minute he gave her a sexy look or touched her. I couldn't help but be angry with both of them. Gabriel for constantly (and it was constant) manipulating her, and her for being such a dumb cow for most of the book. I don't think I would have been so uncomfortable with him if she had been a stronger more self aware person. She wasn't though.
For a romance novel, this was an extremely NOT hot book. There was one sexy scene at the end where they're finally on an even kilter in the bedroom, but the whole rest of the book left me feeling really uncomfortable as I read the love scenes. I think it was supposed to, but I still wish the change in their dynamic hadn't come quite so late.
I don't really understand what happened with Marietta. She was strong in the beginning. She was bitter and bitchy too, but she could have worked on it. I don't know when she turned into a blindly trusting simpleton incapable of staying sharp to save her family from prison, but I wish she hadn't. Or maybe we could have seen a nice middle ground? That might have been nice... When clarity hit her and she finally realized how blind she was it was almost too late for me. I had almost completely written her off. I think it might have been left a tad too long, because I can't say I ever really liked her, even at the end.
The subjects dealt with in the book... totally ripped me up. I can see it happening so easily, but I hate to think of it too. I'm very, very, very pleased that the author flipped the usual standard and had the man be the victim. Gabriel made a fascinating character. He was destroyed by what happened to him. He built himself back up, but he never really got over it. He became obsessed with control and constantly manipulated people, but he also scorned them for falling prey to it. Especially women. He was extremely dissociative, and for a while there he was extremely creepy.
The bad guy in the end...Why? Why?!?!? I saw it coming, but I didn't foresee how badly it would upset me. When it all came out and I realized the truth, I ached for that person. And then when everything was decided and they took that carriage ride...Totally. Killed. Me. Like I said, I was all over the place emotionally.
While I can't say that I enjoyed reading this, I didn't not enjoy it either. I'm just still very conflicted over the whole thing. I think this might be my one "off book" from this author. I liked her other work so much because of the relationship development and her extremely excellent dialogue. I didn't really find a lot of that here.
For me, this book worked better as a character study on the various victims of a horrific crime than a romance. We get to see the different paths that people take and the ways that an event like this can shape them for the better or the worse. I found it all quite fascinating, even as my heart was breaking for them. I also liked that we got to see some survivor guilt. It all felt very realistic to me.
But the damage done, and the way it continues to control Gabriel's actions, make for a very tall obstacle to overcome on the path to happiness. I really think that everything would have felt more satisfying for me with a stronger heroine. I didn't feel that she challenged the hero enough and he needed that challenge. Anytime she would make the slightest tiptoe toward taking control in the bedroom he practically quivered on the spot. It annoyed me to no end that she kept backing off and letting him play her like an orgasming puppet.
Poor Gabriel was stuck in his role. Even when he sincerely wanted her, he was too afraid to move beyond his mask. In the beginning, watching them have sex was extremely uncomfortable. Gabriel was never fully engaged and Marietta lost any thought in her head the minute he gave her a sexy look or touched her. I couldn't help but be angry with both of them. Gabriel for constantly (and it was constant) manipulating her, and her for being such a dumb cow for most of the book. I don't think I would have been so uncomfortable with him if she had been a stronger more self aware person. She wasn't though.
For a romance novel, this was an extremely NOT hot book. There was one sexy scene at the end where they're finally on an even kilter in the bedroom, but the whole rest of the book left me feeling really uncomfortable as I read the love scenes. I think it was supposed to, but I still wish the change in their dynamic hadn't come quite so late.
I don't really understand what happened with Marietta. She was strong in the beginning. She was bitter and bitchy too, but she could have worked on it. I don't know when she turned into a blindly trusting simpleton incapable of staying sharp to save her family from prison, but I wish she hadn't. Or maybe we could have seen a nice middle ground? That might have been nice... When clarity hit her and she finally realized how blind she was it was almost too late for me. I had almost completely written her off. I think it might have been left a tad too long, because I can't say I ever really liked her, even at the end.
The subjects dealt with in the book... totally ripped me up. I can see it happening so easily, but I hate to think of it too. I'm very, very, very pleased that the author flipped the usual standard and had the man be the victim. Gabriel made a fascinating character. He was destroyed by what happened to him. He built himself back up, but he never really got over it. He became obsessed with control and constantly manipulated people, but he also scorned them for falling prey to it. Especially women. He was extremely dissociative, and for a while there he was extremely creepy.
The bad guy in the end...Why? Why?!?!? I saw it coming, but I didn't foresee how badly it would upset me. When it all came out and I realized the truth, I ached for that person. And then when everything was decided and they took that carriage ride...Totally. Killed. Me. Like I said, I was all over the place emotionally.
While I can't say that I enjoyed reading this, I didn't not enjoy it either. I'm just still very conflicted over the whole thing. I think this might be my one "off book" from this author. I liked her other work so much because of the relationship development and her extremely excellent dialogue. I didn't really find a lot of that here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2017
Noble is a facinating character even though the "sordid secret" of his past that related to the plot was one that usually feels slightly forced and contrived. But, perhaps because of that secret, his lead in the love sceenes was memorizing as he tutored her through her "ravishment" and Once I got to that point, I admittingly couldn't put it down. The book opens with Marietta going to Gabriel in desperation to ask his help in proving her 18 year old brother innocent of a series of Jack the Ripper-like murders. Marietta Winters is on the bare edges of society but even this ends when her younger brother gets arrested as the Middlesex murderer, a maniac who has been gruesomely killing women. Determined to prove he didn't do it, she goes to Gabriel Noble, the best investigator in London, who charges either 10,000 pounds for his services or three favors to be named (if the client can't pay and he finds the case interesting. No, the favors do not involve sex in any form). Marietta is penniless so she agrees to the three tasks deal and the two of them work together to investigate the murders which are less random than they appear. The saying goes that the eyes are the window to one's soul. So when Marietta gazes into the emerald green gaze of Gabriel, she sees a man who can quite possible make all her dreams come true or quite possibly her nightmares. Marietta has come to Gabriel for help, as her brother has been accused of murder. Since the powers that be feel like they have the Middlesex murderer they are not inclined to look any further.
Wow, it is REALLY hard to get my thoughts together on this one. I think this is a hard book to read... but having gotten through the end, and completed the journey that Mallory wanted us to take, seeing the whole picture... I would say the reason it is so hard is because it is almost too real. These people are fucked up. Anne Mallory is one of those authors that really knows how to give us one of those dark intense hero with a mysterious past and a twisted sense of attitude and a haunted past.
You think when he said she owes him 3 promise u think ok... Is he expecting that from her? But as the story moves along u c that he is a decent fellow and that 3 promise could be anything even though he teases her and torments her in his way. Great, three-dimensional characters with depth, super-steamy chemistry between the H/h. Alpha-hero, version: tortured. Strong, willfull heroine à la hidden beauty with questionable reputation to her family. Well written suspense/crime plot, overshadowing the romance sometimes but still captivating and without too much drama/angst and unrealistic development. It took me awhile to get into the plot. Though the novel's premise wasn't particularly original (self-sacrificing girl in dire straits throws herself at the mercy of a powerful man for the greater good of her family), I found that the plot was just dark and twisty enough to keep things interesting. I appreciated that Mallory wasn't afraid to bend the norms and explore the seedier side of the ton usually reserved only for the male gender in this genre. It was a bold choice, but one I definitely think paid off. For me, the highlight of this book was Mallory's leading characters. Definitely not your average historical romance. This book deals with a far grittier reality than that of ton balls and vouchers to Almacks. The protagonists are barely part of society (him) or clinging to the fringe of society (her). I really enjoyed the H/h. Their personalities and quirks and their journey throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the murder mystery and the way in which it was solved. I thought the romance development was great and the intimate scenes were fantastic (in particular, a scene involving a kitchen table). This book was completely not what I was expecting. Based on the title, and the "bodice ripper" front cover I nearly didn't read it, but the reviews were really good, so I gave it a shot. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised. This book was way more murder mystery than romance novel, though there were a few somewhat steamy scenes.
Wow, it is REALLY hard to get my thoughts together on this one. I think this is a hard book to read... but having gotten through the end, and completed the journey that Mallory wanted us to take, seeing the whole picture... I would say the reason it is so hard is because it is almost too real. These people are fucked up. Anne Mallory is one of those authors that really knows how to give us one of those dark intense hero with a mysterious past and a twisted sense of attitude and a haunted past.
You think when he said she owes him 3 promise u think ok... Is he expecting that from her? But as the story moves along u c that he is a decent fellow and that 3 promise could be anything even though he teases her and torments her in his way. Great, three-dimensional characters with depth, super-steamy chemistry between the H/h. Alpha-hero, version: tortured. Strong, willfull heroine à la hidden beauty with questionable reputation to her family. Well written suspense/crime plot, overshadowing the romance sometimes but still captivating and without too much drama/angst and unrealistic development. It took me awhile to get into the plot. Though the novel's premise wasn't particularly original (self-sacrificing girl in dire straits throws herself at the mercy of a powerful man for the greater good of her family), I found that the plot was just dark and twisty enough to keep things interesting. I appreciated that Mallory wasn't afraid to bend the norms and explore the seedier side of the ton usually reserved only for the male gender in this genre. It was a bold choice, but one I definitely think paid off. For me, the highlight of this book was Mallory's leading characters. Definitely not your average historical romance. This book deals with a far grittier reality than that of ton balls and vouchers to Almacks. The protagonists are barely part of society (him) or clinging to the fringe of society (her). I really enjoyed the H/h. Their personalities and quirks and their journey throughout the book. I also really enjoyed the murder mystery and the way in which it was solved. I thought the romance development was great and the intimate scenes were fantastic (in particular, a scene involving a kitchen table). This book was completely not what I was expecting. Based on the title, and the "bodice ripper" front cover I nearly didn't read it, but the reviews were really good, so I gave it a shot. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised. This book was way more murder mystery than romance novel, though there were a few somewhat steamy scenes.
June 9, 2024
He was like a sexy Sherlock Holmes and she was a reluctant Watson >>>
The end felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic but I love her writing and craft so much.
The end felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic but I love her writing and craft so much.
December 29, 2022
⭐⭐💫
2½ stars.
➕ What I liked :
Tall/tallish heroine.
OK chemistry and romantic build up.
Some parts were interesting and some parts were mysterious and heart wrenching.
➖ What I disliked:
Some parts were muddled and jumbled.
Too dark.
(sexual assault, abuse, victim blaming, PTSD etc.)
Awful past. (hero)
One of the villains did not get their comeuppance.
The ending felt kind of rushed and incomplete.
2½ stars.
➕ What I liked :
Tall/tallish heroine.
OK chemistry and romantic build up.
Some parts were interesting and some parts were mysterious and heart wrenching.
➖ What I disliked:
Some parts were muddled and jumbled.
Too dark.
(sexual assault, abuse, victim blaming, PTSD etc.)
Awful past. (hero)
One of the villains did not get their comeuppance.
The ending felt kind of rushed and incomplete.
June 5, 2010
I was worried this book would be too, um... scandalous for me. The cover, the title, and the back cover blurb made it sound like the heroine was selling her body in order to 'pay' for the hero to clear her brother's name of murder. If that had been the actual plot, it so wouldn't have worked for me. I would have thought the hero was an ass and the heroine a whore. Fortunately, I read a number of reviews saying this was a really good read and decided to give it a shot.
This ended up being exactly the book I was looking for. Gabriel has connections and influence and is able to help people with their problems. In return, he charges ten thousand pounds or three favors. And, no, they're not *that* kind of favor. Marietta is desperate to get her younger brother out of prison. He's been arrested as a serial killer because he was standing over the body of the last victim. Marietta has no money and is being shunned by the ton, so she's given Gabriel's business card. He's the only one willing to help her.
The first half of the book reminded me a little of Jeanine Frost's HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE in that Bones had to teach Kat how to not cringe or give herself away when someone kissed, flirted, or seduced her. Gabriel did the same thing with Marietta since they had to go to some tavern's and play the part of a man with his 'shop girl' (which I'm pretty sure means whore?).
Anyway, this was a good paced read with great interaction between the characters. I was a little thrown off by who the bad guy ended up being. I suppose it was a surprise, but the author left clues indicating it was this other person, and honestly, I think it should have ended up being that person and not the other seemingly random guy who actually did do the killing.
The other thing that bothered me - and this is the problem with being a writer and wanting to put my own ending on the story - is the way the 'three favors' thing played out. I wanted the favors to be part of the plot. Honestly, I wanted the second favor to be for Marietta to forgive Gabriel for something and the last favor to be for her to marry him. That would have been SWEET. But instead, we just get one last line saying "Now, about those three favors..." I would have ended the book my way, but then, it's not my book. :-)
I'll definitely be trying more books by this author. I read it in a day, couldn't put it down, and the words seemed to disappear on the page. It didn't feel like I was reading; it was more like I was remembering. I don't know. It's hard to explain, but I'm very glad I picked up this book.
This ended up being exactly the book I was looking for. Gabriel has connections and influence and is able to help people with their problems. In return, he charges ten thousand pounds or three favors. And, no, they're not *that* kind of favor. Marietta is desperate to get her younger brother out of prison. He's been arrested as a serial killer because he was standing over the body of the last victim. Marietta has no money and is being shunned by the ton, so she's given Gabriel's business card. He's the only one willing to help her.
The first half of the book reminded me a little of Jeanine Frost's HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE in that Bones had to teach Kat how to not cringe or give herself away when someone kissed, flirted, or seduced her. Gabriel did the same thing with Marietta since they had to go to some tavern's and play the part of a man with his 'shop girl' (which I'm pretty sure means whore?).
Anyway, this was a good paced read with great interaction between the characters. I was a little thrown off by who the bad guy ended up being. I suppose it was a surprise, but the author left clues indicating it was this other person, and honestly, I think it should have ended up being that person and not the other seemingly random guy who actually did do the killing.
The other thing that bothered me - and this is the problem with being a writer and wanting to put my own ending on the story - is the way the 'three favors' thing played out. I wanted the favors to be part of the plot. Honestly, I wanted the second favor to be for Marietta to forgive Gabriel for something and the last favor to be for her to marry him. That would have been SWEET. But instead, we just get one last line saying "Now, about those three favors..." I would have ended the book my way, but then, it's not my book. :-)
I'll definitely be trying more books by this author. I read it in a day, couldn't put it down, and the words seemed to disappear on the page. It didn't feel like I was reading; it was more like I was remembering. I don't know. It's hard to explain, but I'm very glad I picked up this book.
September 19, 2022
I wish this was called something else! I feel like anyone who wants to read a book with this title will not get what they want and I imagine it might turn a lot of people away!
cw for sexual assault, not between the couple and not on the page
But after I read For the Earl's Pleasure, I pretty much immediately clicked with Mallory. Something I talk about a lot is that I tend to read a lot of books by an author at once--I think it sets me up for enjoying their books more because I like the sort of rote, predictable aspects of romance novel authors' styles. Not necessarily in that stereotypical "the same things happen in every book" but I feel like most authors don't switch their values (emotional values, narrative values) greatly between stories (Julia Quinn is the exception I immediately think of and it is my big frustration with Bridgerton). And I like that!
Because of that, I also like to read a couple books by an author before I pass judgment. Even sometimes more than a couple books--usually until I can articulate what I think their philosophy is, I try not to dismiss the author because until I drill down to that core value system, I don't feel equipped to talk about what isn't work for me on all the smaller, more personal stuff (style, characterization, structure). And sometimes, I'll be pleasantly surprised by other output! This happened for me with Kleypas and Balogh notably, where I did not like the first book I read by them and then came around and can confidently talk about what I enjoy and what I don't. I'm still contemplating returning to Elizabeth Hoyt after four of her books that I don't quite get! And there are other authors that I found the first book I read by them either so stilted or I tap into a belief that I find centrally unromantic (The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and My Darling Duke) that makes me really uninterested in continuing the author's project.
This is all to say: the opposite has happened with Anne Mallory and it just emphasizes that all of the stuff that we love to talk about when it comes to romance novels (tropes! POV! even writing style!) kind of goes out the window when the romance is written well.
I felt very similarly to Laura Kinsale and Sherry Thomas--they love to push the edges of form and expectations.
Here, Mallory writes a really inequitable dual POV. As I was reading it, I was almost wondering if it would be single POV. And it wasn't quite, but I think it might have been a 80/20 split between Marietta and Gabriel. I love a dual POV! I talk a lot about how I think it is a great distillation of one of the core values of a romance novel (watching two people experiences the mechanics of a romance) and I think if it is abandoned there has to be a really good functional reason for it. I think here it works so well because of Gabriel's layers of deception extend so deep that the Big Truth of his perspective actually come from moments when Marietta is *reading* his face to him. What begins as a game or a test on his part becomes this show of intimacy that he isn't quite ready to explicate on his own from his POV.
The other thing I noticed that Mallory does that is different then anything I have ever read (even someone like Thomas!) is her characters' sort of nonplussed attitude towards sex. The heroines in both books by her I had read are virgins, but she avoids any moment of fretting about "taking virginity" by either partner. There isn't also discussion of pulling out to avoid pregnancy or "I'll do right by you if you're pregnant, let me know about your courses" that mark...nearly every author that I have read. Maybe this would come off as wallpaper-y to some readers (I just learned this word at the Loose Cravat this month!), but I found it really refreshing.
I realize that the first book I read neatly avoids this by having the hero be a ghost. But it isn't like Marietta and Gabriel don't talk about sex. He just trusts her to make the decisions about what she wants to do--there's no Kleypas hero "I won't take your virginity, but you'll have a good time" discussion. For Gabriel, he doesn't brook half-measures, but lets Marietta articulate her desires and then trusts them.
And when virginity is mentioned again (by Marietta, in kind of a vindictive way, about "giving it to him"), Gabriel's response is one that I wish was more present in romance novels and in life in general: virginity is a construct that he is pretty uninterested in assigning meaning to, instead invested in other things that have passed between them.
Some more errant comp reviews: how Gabriel talks about how and why he is attracted to Marietta (her mutability) reminded me of Joel and Camille in Someone to Hold, the emotional weight given to the hero's past reminded me of Tessa Dare (Mallory and Dare really do not have a lot in common, but I do feel like they both have stuff in common with Amanda Quick? like they are cousins on the romance novel family tree, not sisters), and the sex scenes reminded me of Cecilia Grant (I don't hate a demure heroine, but I hate the idea that to be historically accurate, a heroine has to be mostly uninterested in sex, until the hero convinces her, especially in books where the conceit is not really trying to be all that historical. I am...thinking again of Tessa Dare).
One last thought: the scene where they talk about the importance of will and giving it over to each other! And the redemptive power of effort towards another person/toward grace and forgiveness. That part! reminded me of The Irishman because I have brain damage about what is considered romantic.
cw for sexual assault, not between the couple and not on the page
But after I read For the Earl's Pleasure, I pretty much immediately clicked with Mallory. Something I talk about a lot is that I tend to read a lot of books by an author at once--I think it sets me up for enjoying their books more because I like the sort of rote, predictable aspects of romance novel authors' styles. Not necessarily in that stereotypical "the same things happen in every book" but I feel like most authors don't switch their values (emotional values, narrative values) greatly between stories (Julia Quinn is the exception I immediately think of and it is my big frustration with Bridgerton). And I like that!
Because of that, I also like to read a couple books by an author before I pass judgment. Even sometimes more than a couple books--usually until I can articulate what I think their philosophy is, I try not to dismiss the author because until I drill down to that core value system, I don't feel equipped to talk about what isn't work for me on all the smaller, more personal stuff (style, characterization, structure). And sometimes, I'll be pleasantly surprised by other output! This happened for me with Kleypas and Balogh notably, where I did not like the first book I read by them and then came around and can confidently talk about what I enjoy and what I don't. I'm still contemplating returning to Elizabeth Hoyt after four of her books that I don't quite get! And there are other authors that I found the first book I read by them either so stilted or I tap into a belief that I find centrally unromantic (The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and My Darling Duke) that makes me really uninterested in continuing the author's project.
This is all to say: the opposite has happened with Anne Mallory and it just emphasizes that all of the stuff that we love to talk about when it comes to romance novels (tropes! POV! even writing style!) kind of goes out the window when the romance is written well.
I felt very similarly to Laura Kinsale and Sherry Thomas--they love to push the edges of form and expectations.
Here, Mallory writes a really inequitable dual POV. As I was reading it, I was almost wondering if it would be single POV. And it wasn't quite, but I think it might have been a 80/20 split between Marietta and Gabriel. I love a dual POV! I talk a lot about how I think it is a great distillation of one of the core values of a romance novel (watching two people experiences the mechanics of a romance) and I think if it is abandoned there has to be a really good functional reason for it. I think here it works so well because of Gabriel's layers of deception extend so deep that the Big Truth of his perspective actually come from moments when Marietta is *reading* his face to him. What begins as a game or a test on his part becomes this show of intimacy that he isn't quite ready to explicate on his own from his POV.
The other thing I noticed that Mallory does that is different then anything I have ever read (even someone like Thomas!) is her characters' sort of nonplussed attitude towards sex. The heroines in both books by her I had read are virgins, but she avoids any moment of fretting about "taking virginity" by either partner. There isn't also discussion of pulling out to avoid pregnancy or "I'll do right by you if you're pregnant, let me know about your courses" that mark...nearly every author that I have read. Maybe this would come off as wallpaper-y to some readers (I just learned this word at the Loose Cravat this month!), but I found it really refreshing.
I realize that the first book I read neatly avoids this by having the hero be a ghost. But it isn't like Marietta and Gabriel don't talk about sex. He just trusts her to make the decisions about what she wants to do--there's no Kleypas hero "I won't take your virginity, but you'll have a good time" discussion. For Gabriel, he doesn't brook half-measures, but lets Marietta articulate her desires and then trusts them.
And when virginity is mentioned again (by Marietta, in kind of a vindictive way, about "giving it to him"), Gabriel's response is one that I wish was more present in romance novels and in life in general: virginity is a construct that he is pretty uninterested in assigning meaning to, instead invested in other things that have passed between them.
Some more errant comp reviews: how Gabriel talks about how and why he is attracted to Marietta (her mutability) reminded me of Joel and Camille in Someone to Hold, the emotional weight given to the hero's past reminded me of Tessa Dare (Mallory and Dare really do not have a lot in common, but I do feel like they both have stuff in common with Amanda Quick? like they are cousins on the romance novel family tree, not sisters), and the sex scenes reminded me of Cecilia Grant (I don't hate a demure heroine, but I hate the idea that to be historically accurate, a heroine has to be mostly uninterested in sex, until the hero convinces her, especially in books where the conceit is not really trying to be all that historical. I am...thinking again of Tessa Dare).
One last thought: the scene where they talk about the importance of will and giving it over to each other! And the redemptive power of effort towards another person/toward grace and forgiveness. That part! reminded me of The Irishman because I have brain damage about what is considered romantic.
September 23, 2010
Wow, it is REALLY hard to get my thoughts together on this one. Which is funny, because I have been chatting about it with Catherine the whole way through.
I think this is a hard book to read... but having gotten through the end, and completed the journey that Mallory wanted us to take, seeing the whole picture... I would say the reason it is so hard is because it is almost too real.
These people are fucked up. Both of them, really, but as you get through the book, you realize that despite the controlled exterior, Gabriel is fucked up to a devastating degree. You don't dig yourself out of that without a lot of hurt, and without hurting people around you. And this book doesn't spare us. It hurts. I am not kidding when I say there is a fight scene in this book that literally made my stomach feel upset. It hurts.
Yet again, in the end I am really impressed with Mallory. It isn't a pretty story, but I think it was a well-told story. Both the characters grow. I was fairly infuriated with the heroine, as she let herself be handled like a toy, treated like she is of no consequence, willingly gave in to manipulation, blindly going where she is led. But her strength and loyalty are undeniable. And once her eyes were truly open, I was proud of Marietta. She didn't shy away, she rolled up her sleeves and did what needed to be done. She refused to allow herself to be pushed away.
And Gabriel grew too. Gabriel uses sexuality for manipulation. And you might think that you have seen that before - it is practically the hallmark of a rake, right? But it is different. There were several sex scenes that I found distinctly uncomfortable. Because with a rake, it is all about his pleasure. But with Gabriel, it was almost like... pleasure was irrelevant. He was going through the motions. He used sex to distract her, to manipulate her, to control her. Don't get me wrong, on one level Gabriel was enthralled with Marietta... even before he realized it. But he always kept her at arms' length, and it made for some uncomfortable sex scenes, with him only partially connected and... almost parroting actions and dialogue as part of the role he is playing.
But in the end, when he started to open his eyes, he chose to relinquish control. He chose to find a middle ground with Marietta, one where he didn't need to hide from her, didn't need to control her, but instead approached her as an equal. It gave me heart, because to be frank, until this point I was doubting that I would be left with any real sense of a lasting relationship between them.
And all that was just the relationship stuff!
There was also a murder mystery to solve! Marietta's brother implicated, the ton turning their back on her family. Ties to Gabriel's own past! It was clever, and though I was suspicious of the guy who was eventually revealed as the murder (ever since their convo on p 254 "It doesn't have to end the way you are thinking"), it was still devastating when he was finally revealed. Between that and the relationship stuff, I'll admit I cried my eyes out through the last 30 or so pages.
So in the end, I think Mallory pulled it off. A difficult, emotional book, fraught with tension. I don't think I will read it again, but I am glad to have read it, and look forward to more from Mallory.
I think this is a hard book to read... but having gotten through the end, and completed the journey that Mallory wanted us to take, seeing the whole picture... I would say the reason it is so hard is because it is almost too real.
These people are fucked up. Both of them, really, but as you get through the book, you realize that despite the controlled exterior, Gabriel is fucked up to a devastating degree. You don't dig yourself out of that without a lot of hurt, and without hurting people around you. And this book doesn't spare us. It hurts. I am not kidding when I say there is a fight scene in this book that literally made my stomach feel upset. It hurts.
Yet again, in the end I am really impressed with Mallory. It isn't a pretty story, but I think it was a well-told story. Both the characters grow. I was fairly infuriated with the heroine, as she let herself be handled like a toy, treated like she is of no consequence, willingly gave in to manipulation, blindly going where she is led. But her strength and loyalty are undeniable. And once her eyes were truly open, I was proud of Marietta. She didn't shy away, she rolled up her sleeves and did what needed to be done. She refused to allow herself to be pushed away.
And Gabriel grew too. Gabriel uses sexuality for manipulation. And you might think that you have seen that before - it is practically the hallmark of a rake, right? But it is different. There were several sex scenes that I found distinctly uncomfortable. Because with a rake, it is all about his pleasure. But with Gabriel, it was almost like... pleasure was irrelevant. He was going through the motions. He used sex to distract her, to manipulate her, to control her. Don't get me wrong, on one level Gabriel was enthralled with Marietta... even before he realized it. But he always kept her at arms' length, and it made for some uncomfortable sex scenes, with him only partially connected and... almost parroting actions and dialogue as part of the role he is playing.
But in the end, when he started to open his eyes, he chose to relinquish control. He chose to find a middle ground with Marietta, one where he didn't need to hide from her, didn't need to control her, but instead approached her as an equal. It gave me heart, because to be frank, until this point I was doubting that I would be left with any real sense of a lasting relationship between them.
And all that was just the relationship stuff!
There was also a murder mystery to solve! Marietta's brother implicated, the ton turning their back on her family. Ties to Gabriel's own past! It was clever, and though I was suspicious of the guy who was eventually revealed as the murder (ever since their convo on p 254 "It doesn't have to end the way you are thinking"), it was still devastating when he was finally revealed. Between that and the relationship stuff, I'll admit I cried my eyes out through the last 30 or so pages.
So in the end, I think Mallory pulled it off. A difficult, emotional book, fraught with tension. I don't think I will read it again, but I am glad to have read it, and look forward to more from Mallory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2019
This Book Is A 5 Star Read For Those Lucky People Who Have No Triggers
It Is A Cross Between Sherlock Holmes And Ray Donovan (Professional Fixer, Usually For Shady Characters)
The Hero Gabriel Noble Is A Dirty Talking, Anti-Hero, With A Network Of People Who Owe Him, Favors
Marietta Winters Our Heroine Has A Brother That Is Being Accused Of Murder
These Two Have Banter, Sexual Tension And Chemistry
Until Around The 60% Mark Then All The Romance Left The Building
Then It Becomes A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
A Deep Philosophical Take On Vigilante Justice, Shades Of Grey Law Enforcement And Why Some Victims Are Stronger Than Others
Friendship That Brought Me To Tears
Anne Mallory Weaves A Dark Story With Surprise Twist And Turns
If It Wasn't For The Triggers This Would Be A Five Star Read
July 10, 2022
I devoured this in an afternoon. it is a murder mystery and a romance, involving people on the fringes of society and where bad things happen regardless. I loved the build up to discovering Gabriel’s past, and the psychological underpinning to his nature and behaviour was pretty good too. The heroine is remarkably real and I believed their slightly convoluted attraction. His past was something I’ve not seen in a HR before, and I totally could see it happening.
I found this via BookTube where someone said, if you like Mary Balogh try Anne Mallory - and now will be reading more!
I found this via BookTube where someone said, if you like Mary Balogh try Anne Mallory - and now will be reading more!
March 9, 2018
This book has to be one of the most entertaining and hilarious historical romantic novels ever..with its smart dialuge,intresting characters,sexy romance and exciting murder-plot,it has the greatest combinations in a delicious world of sensual romantic adventure.
Gabriel Noble and Marietta Winters were two characters i strongly admired.Marietta were a strong and determined heroine who were a survivor,and i like the way she changes after she gets to know Gabriel.He opens a new world for her,where she discover her own selfworth and beauty..and the pleasure of love.
Gabriel had all the delights of a beautiful strong and powerful man.Masterminded,seductive,manitulative..and darkly dangerous..and sexy.His POV were also hilarious and his thoughts made me laugh many times.His dark past were a horrible one,and were one kind of torture i had never met in another book and for Gabriel going through all that disgusting..horrible things..and surviving it!!!
Truly admired and loved both the characters.Mallory took care more on the actions than the emotions,but all the while using uniqe words and never failing to make it wrong,she made hell of a hot chemistry between the heroine and hero.
Will certainly read another book by her after this delicious 5-STAR read!
Gabriel Noble and Marietta Winters were two characters i strongly admired.Marietta were a strong and determined heroine who were a survivor,and i like the way she changes after she gets to know Gabriel.He opens a new world for her,where she discover her own selfworth and beauty..and the pleasure of love.
Gabriel had all the delights of a beautiful strong and powerful man.Masterminded,seductive,manitulative..and darkly dangerous..and sexy.His POV were also hilarious and his thoughts made me laugh many times.His dark past were a horrible one,and were one kind of torture i had never met in another book and for Gabriel going through all that disgusting..horrible things..and surviving it!!!
Truly admired and loved both the characters.Mallory took care more on the actions than the emotions,but all the while using uniqe words and never failing to make it wrong,she made hell of a hot chemistry between the heroine and hero.
Will certainly read another book by her after this delicious 5-STAR read!
December 29, 2010
The saying goes that the eyes are the window to one's soul. So when Miranda gazes into the emerald green gaze of Gabriel, she sees a man who can quite possible make all her dreams come true or quite possibly her nightmares.
Miranda has come to Gabriel for help, as her brother has been accused of murder. Since the powers that be feel like they have the Middlesex murderer they are not inclined to look any further.
Gabriel agrees to help Miranda, but in return she had to agree to give three favors no matter what they might be. Miranda understanding what those favors might be agrees.
But once they start on this quest, Gabriel soon realizes that his past has come back to haunt him and if he doesn't solve these crimes soon, the woman that he loves could very well be in danger next.
This was a well written book and I really enjoyed it. You think when you first start that it is going to be a light flirty read, but it soon becomes something with a lot more substance and heart.
Miranda has come to Gabriel for help, as her brother has been accused of murder. Since the powers that be feel like they have the Middlesex murderer they are not inclined to look any further.
Gabriel agrees to help Miranda, but in return she had to agree to give three favors no matter what they might be. Miranda understanding what those favors might be agrees.
But once they start on this quest, Gabriel soon realizes that his past has come back to haunt him and if he doesn't solve these crimes soon, the woman that he loves could very well be in danger next.
This was a well written book and I really enjoyed it. You think when you first start that it is going to be a light flirty read, but it soon becomes something with a lot more substance and heart.
May 22, 2010
When I picked up Anne Mallory's Three Nights of Sin and read the back, I wasn't all too intrigued. I was pointed in it's direction from a reliable source though and read it anyway. I have to say that the synopsis and title are not really where the story goes. I still don't get where the 'three nights of sin' came in (because they didn't). I think a better summary would been as follows:
After her brother is thrown into jail, Marietta Winters has no one left to turn for help to but mysterious Gabriel Nobel. Making a promise to fulfill three ambiguous favors in the future, she is taken into his world of mystery and intrigue. Clues are uncovered and the danger grows, within the case and within her heart.
Something like that.
I enjoyed this book. There were some things that gave me puzzle (nothing as much as the synopsis) but overall it was an entertaining read.
After her brother is thrown into jail, Marietta Winters has no one left to turn for help to but mysterious Gabriel Nobel. Making a promise to fulfill three ambiguous favors in the future, she is taken into his world of mystery and intrigue. Clues are uncovered and the danger grows, within the case and within her heart.
Something like that.
I enjoyed this book. There were some things that gave me puzzle (nothing as much as the synopsis) but overall it was an entertaining read.
January 17, 2022
Wow, this book is great. So intriguing and mysterious and heart wrenching!
First, ignore the title, the cover, and the description. They give very little clue as to what this book is actually about.
A woman on the fringes of society is desperate to save her brother who has been arrested for a series of murders. Marietta is a strong willed woman. Some other reviewers complain that she was weak? I saw none of that. She kept her brother’s exoneration as her primary focus but also began to fall for the man helping her.
Gabriel takes her case and since she can’t pay, he tells her that his price is three favors that he will name later. No, not sexual favors. Useful favors that would help him at some point.
As they work closely together to find the real murderer, they get closer. Secrets are uncovered and the journey is an emotional slow burn. I’ll say it again… this book is great!
First, ignore the title, the cover, and the description. They give very little clue as to what this book is actually about.
A woman on the fringes of society is desperate to save her brother who has been arrested for a series of murders. Marietta is a strong willed woman. Some other reviewers complain that she was weak? I saw none of that. She kept her brother’s exoneration as her primary focus but also began to fall for the man helping her.
Gabriel takes her case and since she can’t pay, he tells her that his price is three favors that he will name later. No, not sexual favors. Useful favors that would help him at some point.
As they work closely together to find the real murderer, they get closer. Secrets are uncovered and the journey is an emotional slow burn. I’ll say it again… this book is great!
June 10, 2011
i found a new author i really like, Anne Mallory is one of those authors that really knows how to give us one of those dark intense hero with a mysterious past and a twisted sense of attitude and a haunted past.
u think when he said she owes him 3 promise u think ok...is he expecting that from her, but as the story moves along u c that he is a decent fellow and that 3 promise could be anything even though he teases her and torments her in his way. but talk about sexual tension from start til end. great mystery and plot, keeps u guessing and when it was reveal i was really sad and torn.. cant wait for the others.
u think when he said she owes him 3 promise u think ok...is he expecting that from her, but as the story moves along u c that he is a decent fellow and that 3 promise could be anything even though he teases her and torments her in his way. but talk about sexual tension from start til end. great mystery and plot, keeps u guessing and when it was reveal i was really sad and torn.. cant wait for the others.
June 7, 2013
In order to save her brother from the gallows, a desperate Marietta Winters must promise Gabriel Noble three sexy, sinful favors. Mallory's writing is always beautiful, and the romance, the mystery and the sensuality of this story absolutely blew my mind.
September 22, 2022
What the hell? I randomly saw a TT (shoutout to bethhaymondreads!) about this and needed a new romance book, so I checked this out on Libby and it hit me like a train, I liked this so much. Romance, murder, dark streets of London, a sarcastic dark-haired hero, it ticked all my boxes. Also, I loved Marietta. Blunt and to the point, but not in an unkind, obnoxious way like some heroines I’ve read, where the author feels like to make them relatable they make them the most unlikeable woman ever until the hero comes along. I also love Gabriel describes her and how he is attracted to her.
Idk why I’ve seen some reviews say the romance takes second place- I felt the tensions throughout all of their scenes together, even after you hit around the 50 % mark and shit hits the fan. I think Mallory does an excellent job balancing the development of the romance and sexual tension with the murder mystery and escapades. I thought the twist at the end was good- I totally thought I knew who the killer was right away but I was wrong, which I like!
As for the POV- at first it threw me off, because when we finally did get Gabriel’s POV, it felt weird, like who is this person and why are we in his head, but I think that was the point/felt like it was very effective for the story. Gabriel is hiding a big secret from Marietta, she is still trying to figure him out, so hiding him and his internal thoughts from the reader I thought was effective in keeping the mystery going. I will for sure be checking out other Mallory books!
TW for CSA, just fyi, doesn’t happen on the page but it’s alluded to pretty strongly throughout the book.
Idk why I’ve seen some reviews say the romance takes second place- I felt the tensions throughout all of their scenes together, even after you hit around the 50 % mark and shit hits the fan. I think Mallory does an excellent job balancing the development of the romance and sexual tension with the murder mystery and escapades. I thought the twist at the end was good- I totally thought I knew who the killer was right away but I was wrong, which I like!
As for the POV- at first it threw me off, because when we finally did get Gabriel’s POV, it felt weird, like who is this person and why are we in his head, but I think that was the point/felt like it was very effective for the story. Gabriel is hiding a big secret from Marietta, she is still trying to figure him out, so hiding him and his internal thoughts from the reader I thought was effective in keeping the mystery going. I will for sure be checking out other Mallory books!
TW for CSA, just fyi, doesn’t happen on the page but it’s alluded to pretty strongly throughout the book.
February 22, 2015
When Marietta’s no good idiot brother is imprisoned for murder, Marietta turns to Gabriel for help in clearing his name. Gabriel does non-specific jobs that are non-specifically helpful. He charges ten thousand pounds or three favours.
He also won’t take jobs for anyone who is guilty. He’s maybe an early Sherlock Holmes, kind of? Not a lot of this book made sense to me. I couldn’t work how anyone would be getting their money’s worth out of Gabriel if they paid him ten grand, without getting him to do some pretty illegal things. And he’d got rich doing this stuff, and didn’t need the money anyway. The favours was a nice idea, although again I couldn’t work out favour economy, since Gabriel uses one to help Marietta, and I really have no idea how he was planning to get a good return on investment. Marietta has no money, so Gabriel sort of demands three nights as his fee, I guess? It’s implied that the three nights would be sexy times? But that he would collect any time? The three nights in the title and blurb never made sense to me in the book. Not that it matters, since Marietta’s problems turn out to be part of Gabriel’s origin story, which means he’s working on his own stuff anyway.
It also didn’t make sense to me why Marietta’s idiot brother’s problem would connect to Gabriel’s origin story. The brother is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is found standing over the body of a woman, who turns out to have been a nasty piece of work, and the murder is connected to other murders of other nasty women, who conveniently kept diaries with hints about their nastiness and the motivation for their deaths.
Marietta is a bit miserable. She’s plain, her family is awful, and all the servants in her house are working against her. In fact, very few people in the book like her. She thinks it’s because she isn’t pretty, and then Gabriel points out that she’s got a perfect disguise face – she can either blend in or look stunning. I really liked this bit, because it’s better than a swanning and is more about how she can bring smarts and attitude to influencing how people see her.
I didn’t really get much else. Once Gabriel stops sneering at Marietta for being an aristo, there’s a brief nice relationship bit where he starts respecting her and enjoying her company, and starts really wanting her body, and then it’s all wrecked again by his issues. I’m sympathetic to his issues. I guess I could have been more sympathetic about his issues, but I was too distracted by the mystery that didn’t make any sense.
He also won’t take jobs for anyone who is guilty. He’s maybe an early Sherlock Holmes, kind of? Not a lot of this book made sense to me. I couldn’t work how anyone would be getting their money’s worth out of Gabriel if they paid him ten grand, without getting him to do some pretty illegal things. And he’d got rich doing this stuff, and didn’t need the money anyway. The favours was a nice idea, although again I couldn’t work out favour economy, since Gabriel uses one to help Marietta, and I really have no idea how he was planning to get a good return on investment. Marietta has no money, so Gabriel sort of demands three nights as his fee, I guess? It’s implied that the three nights would be sexy times? But that he would collect any time? The three nights in the title and blurb never made sense to me in the book. Not that it matters, since Marietta’s problems turn out to be part of Gabriel’s origin story, which means he’s working on his own stuff anyway.
It also didn’t make sense to me why Marietta’s idiot brother’s problem would connect to Gabriel’s origin story. The brother is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is found standing over the body of a woman, who turns out to have been a nasty piece of work, and the murder is connected to other murders of other nasty women, who conveniently kept diaries with hints about their nastiness and the motivation for their deaths.
Marietta is a bit miserable. She’s plain, her family is awful, and all the servants in her house are working against her. In fact, very few people in the book like her. She thinks it’s because she isn’t pretty, and then Gabriel points out that she’s got a perfect disguise face – she can either blend in or look stunning. I really liked this bit, because it’s better than a swanning and is more about how she can bring smarts and attitude to influencing how people see her.
I didn’t really get much else. Once Gabriel stops sneering at Marietta for being an aristo, there’s a brief nice relationship bit where he starts respecting her and enjoying her company, and starts really wanting her body, and then it’s all wrecked again by his issues. I’m sympathetic to his issues. I guess I could have been more sympathetic about his issues, but I was too distracted by the mystery that didn’t make any sense.
April 10, 2019
If anything can be regency noir, it's this. This is a scintillating gothic read starring Marietta Winters and Gabriel Noble. Marietta is gentry on the outskirts whose brother has been accused of murder and Gabriel is a private detective/fixer of sorts in London's underbelly. Sparks immediately fly in this cruel and dark read. I don't have much more to say about Three Nights in particular except that Mallory is a star in the HR world. She is the full package, a true innovator whose passion and creativity leaps off the page. Nothing ever feels phoned in or lifeless. H+H always work well together, with credible motivations. The plot makes sense - more or less - and it unfolds without being completely predictable. The writing style is wonderfully executed - she can portray the social battle of tea time with the ladies as well as she can raise the stakes at a card game in a gambling hell. Her power with white-hot tension, endless intrigue and humour and plot cannot be overstated. She is one of the greats!
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September 29, 2013
4.5 stars!
Successful Buddy Read with Grace!
Great, three-dimensional characters with depth, super-steamy chemistry between the H/h. Alpha-hero, version: tortured. Strong, willfull heroine à la hidden beauty with questionable reputation to her family. Well written suspense/crime plot, overshadowing the romance sometimes but still captivating and without too much drama/angst and unrealistic development.
Successful Buddy Read with Grace!
Great, three-dimensional characters with depth, super-steamy chemistry between the H/h. Alpha-hero, version: tortured. Strong, willfull heroine à la hidden beauty with questionable reputation to her family. Well written suspense/crime plot, overshadowing the romance sometimes but still captivating and without too much drama/angst and unrealistic development.
dnf
March 28, 2015I can't take this narrator's accent...it's not good enough to represent somebody from the upper class. Every time I hear her, I think she's a shop girl.
Also, the heroine is super annoying, judging the hero just because he's handsome. Give me a break.
DNF
Also, the heroine is super annoying, judging the hero just because he's handsome. Give me a break.
DNF
December 8, 2011
I wasn't sure of the opening chapters, but this wound up being a fantastic read. A lot of depth packed into the mystery, the past, and the deepening relationship. Loved it.
October 18, 2020
It wasn't healthy, this want, this need, to keep her around. Why? Because she seemed able to read him more than any other female of his quite large acquaintance? Because he liked sparring with her? Because of that damned spark that wasn't going away?
What the devil was it about her?
This is my second Anne Mallory, and I liked it better than the first (One Night is Never Enough). I picked it up thinking it'd be a romance with mystery... but this was more a full on mystery that happened to have a romance in it. Not my favorite plot (I'd prefer a romance that's character driven rather than "solve a mystery" driven) but for what it was, it was good.
SUMMARY
TW: child molestation, sex ring, victim blaming, PTSD
Marietta Winters' brother Kenny has been arrested and tried by public opinion as the Middlesex Murderer. Her family is disgraced and broke, no thanks to her helpless, drunk older brother Mark, and to help fix things she goes to Gabriel Noble - a mysterious man who she was told can "fix" things. Either for 10,000 pounds, which she doesn't have, or three favors, to be retrieved at any time.
The book follows them unraveling this mystery of who the REAL killer is, which happens to be intertwined with Gabriel's mysterious and tormented past.
THOUGHTS
This book was so much darker than I expected. I kind of thought it would be a typical historical romance 'mystery' where a Sherlock Holmes type guy solves a puzzle with the heroine being a sidekick a la Watson in Elementary... providing a human touch, distraction, additional insight. This book definitely took a turn with the subject matter, which is why I included a trigger warning.
I felt the plot was hurt by the fact that the audience was kept so out of the loops of Gabriel's thoughts. It was done to try to keep things as a "surprise" to the audience but because Gabriel would learn something and his internal monologue would panic but we wouldn't know WHY - it turned into a big info dump at the end when everything was revealed.
I'm giving this a 2 because I didn't think either the romance or the mystery was *great*.
April 28, 2021
Este libro me gustó, tenía tantos giros que no me esperaba, siempre me dejaba con la boca abierta y en un estado de shock!! El final me lo imaginé, un poco común, pero si no sucedía tal cuál me iba a sentir mal. Es bueno y seductor, se siente la química de los personajes, aparte nos deja saber una vez más que si hay amor lo demás no importa.
January 17, 2021
4.5
Bought this 11 years ago - eleven! - and never read it.
Bought this 11 years ago - eleven! - and never read it.
February 6, 2015
Pensé en darle cuatro, pero me puso de mal humor así que ahí te va.
Iba bien, juro que iba bien, pero llegó un momento en el que el reader tembló en mis manos por las ganas que tenía de arrojarlo contra la pared.
No me gusta Marietta, aunque entiendo sus principales recelos, no creo que eso lo explique todo, peeeero tiene un punto.
Gabriel, es difícil. Me parece sorprendente la forma en que hizo su camino, la forma en que logró todo lo que tiene ahora. Es admirable su capacidad de resiliencia.
Cuando estos dos se encuentran, chocan. Desconfían en un primer momento del otro, ya sea por presuntos prejuicios hacia la clase social de uno hasta los motivos que se esconden detrás del otro.
Lo que más me gustó de lo planteado al principio eran estos tres favores que Marietta le debe a Gabriel por ayudarla con su caso. Solo por eso y la intriga que me producía me quedé hasta muuuuuy tarde leyéndolo, luego como que la trama se desvirtúa.
Creo que tienen sexo demasiado rápido, creo que había un montón de cosas que trabajar anteriores a estos dos en la cama. Su primera interacción y las que le siguieron me dejaron bastante "confundida" más que nada porque no me parecía correcto. ¿Dónde está la seducción correspondiente?
Creo que cuando empezaron las crisis internas y estos disque conflictos fue cuando casi mando todo al Inframundo. Esto de irse sin decirle nada, esto apresurarse a actuar, hacer actos impulsivos, a mentir o encubrir la verdad todo el tiempo por miedo.. ¿a qué? Como bien dijo después, ella lo sabía todo.
En fin, se lee, pero hasta por ahí no más, el personaje de Gabriel es interesante, incluso a veces sorprendente, me dolió mucho la elección que tuvo a hacer al final, yo realmente pensé que haría otra cosa, pero fue justo hasta en eso. Admirable y doloroso, no me imagino el peso que cargará en su corazón por el resto de su vida.
Iba bien, juro que iba bien, pero llegó un momento en el que el reader tembló en mis manos por las ganas que tenía de arrojarlo contra la pared.
No me gusta Marietta, aunque entiendo sus principales recelos, no creo que eso lo explique todo, peeeero tiene un punto.
Gabriel, es difícil. Me parece sorprendente la forma en que hizo su camino, la forma en que logró todo lo que tiene ahora. Es admirable su capacidad de resiliencia.
Cuando estos dos se encuentran, chocan. Desconfían en un primer momento del otro, ya sea por presuntos prejuicios hacia la clase social de uno hasta los motivos que se esconden detrás del otro.
Lo que más me gustó de lo planteado al principio eran estos tres favores que Marietta le debe a Gabriel por ayudarla con su caso. Solo por eso y la intriga que me producía me quedé hasta muuuuuy tarde leyéndolo, luego como que la trama se desvirtúa.
Creo que tienen sexo demasiado rápido, creo que había un montón de cosas que trabajar anteriores a estos dos en la cama. Su primera interacción y las que le siguieron me dejaron bastante "confundida" más que nada porque no me parecía correcto. ¿Dónde está la seducción correspondiente?
Creo que cuando empezaron las crisis internas y estos disque conflictos fue cuando casi mando todo al Inframundo. Esto de irse sin decirle nada, esto apresurarse a actuar, hacer actos impulsivos, a mentir o encubrir la verdad todo el tiempo por miedo.. ¿a qué? Como bien dijo después, ella lo sabía todo.
En fin, se lee, pero hasta por ahí no más, el personaje de Gabriel es interesante, incluso a veces sorprendente, me dolió mucho la elección que tuvo a hacer al final, yo realmente pensé que haría otra cosa, pero fue justo hasta en eso. Admirable y doloroso, no me imagino el peso que cargará en su corazón por el resto de su vida.
June 13, 2011
Hmmmm. Good read. I really liked the book. The hero (he's a hardened man with a tortured secret/past, charming as hell, he cooks! and he can dance! and he's with respect and ambition and a driving force that's allowed him to survive) and heroine (she's loyal and headstrong, brave and capable; was willing to fight for the people she loved, willing to sacrifice without being weak) were both very intriguing, stubborn, and interesting and their love for their siblings -- admirable and piercing ... and I couldn't help but be charmed by these two survivors. The banter was awesome and it kept me on my toes. Lots of moments stand out, of course, one of them being the part where he teaches her the basics of kissing. Wow. I mean, yeah, hot. And to think, that was just a kiss (and that was only the beginning of their many "mind-drugging" kisses). Good Lord, when you get to the actual lovemaking .... Talk about sparks and fire and burning and passion. The journey they had to get to know each other (ie: through the tasks/challenges, their understanding, the way they can tell through the other person's eyes) - - I was so very happy for their happy ending.
May 26, 2018
Not the worst book ever but not the best by a long shot. I couldn’t get on with the author’s style, it was too modern and littered with Americanisms, the dialogue was bland and didn’t flow well. I didn’t engage with either the hero or heroine and felt there was zero chemistry between them. I wasn’t connected to the story at all and almost put it down half way through to move on to something else. However, I will concede that the last third was much better than the rest but I still closed the book with a slight shrug and a feeling of meh..
The plot could have been great but it sort of lost its way and ended up falling way short.
I might try another of her novels as some other reviewers say this is one of her weaker works, but she’s way down on my list.
The plot could have been great but it sort of lost its way and ended up falling way short.
I might try another of her novels as some other reviewers say this is one of her weaker works, but she’s way down on my list.
December 26, 2009
3.5 It took me awhile to get into the plot. Noble is a facinating character even though the "sordid secret" of his past that related to the plot was one that usually feels slightly forced and contrived. But, perhaps because of that secret, his lead in the love sceenes was mesmorizing as he tutored her through her "ravishment" and Once I got to that point, I admittingly couldn't put it down.
June 12, 2017
I love Mystery in Historical Romance, And I think this book had a lot of potential , But I never felt tied emotionally to any of the characters, It jumped around a lot and made me feel like I had missed something. I kept waiting for the Three nights, but there was none. Plenty of good sex scenes. I wanted to care for Noble, but at first you think he is the Antichrist ,and then he becomes redeemable , and completely different. there are not a lot of likable characters in this book, and the end was quick and confusing.
April 29, 2021
Not quite sure what to think about this one. It is certainly not my favorite historical romance. The situation between the hero and heroine was complicated. I was never entirely sure how much he cared for her. I "read" it as an audiobook so perhaps the problem was the narration.
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