De beruchte Heer Zonde

The Wayward Woodvilles #9

by Tamara Gill

Liefde is misschien de enige luxe die ze zich niet kan veroorloven...

Paris Smith herinnert zich maar al te goed de dagen dat ze straatarm was. De pijn van het ongeschikt geacht worden voor het huwelijk door haar eerste liefde is nooit echt verdwenen. Nu is ze een weduwe gravin met meer geld dan ze ooit zou kunnen uitgeven, en de man die haar bijna vernietigde wil een tweede kans. Oh, wat zijn de rollen heerlijk omgedraaid...

Het laatste wat Dominic Parker wilde was Paris pijn doen. Hij had met heel zijn hart van haar gehouden. Maar hij had goed moeten trouwen om het burggraafschap te beschermen, dus had hij zijn hoofd over zijn hart laten regeren en daarmee het hare verbrijzeld. Nu is alles veranderd. En hoewel hij redelijk zeker is dat hij haar kan overtuigen hem in haar bed toe te laten, is haar hart opnieuw voor zich winnen een heel ander verhaal...

Met de zonden van het verleden - en geheimen van het heden - die tegen hen werken, is een 'en ze leefden nog lang en gelukkig' überhaupt mogelijk? Of zijn Paris en Dominic voorbestemd om opnieuw hartzeer te ervaren?

Genres: Historical, Historical Romance, Second Chance, Romance

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2025

About the author

Tamara is an Australian author who grew up in an old mining town in country South Australia, where her love of history was founded. She loves to write romance novels in an array of genres, including regency, medieval, and time travel.

https://linktr.ee/tamaragillauthor

Buy direct from my store - now open!
https://www.tamaragill.com

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐
2 stars.


➕ What I liked :


A widow heroine.

The heroine actually liked her late husband and had a rather good marriage... with a man she liked and that was a good man and father.

Some tiny bits in the beginning of the story were a little interesting.

Second chance romance.











➖ What I disliked:


Somewhat annoying heroine.


Annoying and unlikable hero.
(Arrogant, weak etc.)



There was lots of lust but the romance was very unconvincing and lacking…. And the trust issue was never really resolved and so it seems very unlikely that the heroine would trust the hero enough to have a long-term relationship with him.

The how and why of why they fell in love was shallow/immature… it was almost entirely built on physical attraction/looks.

Uninteresting main characters.

Immature main characters.

There was no real grovel from the hero and rather weak apologies that were rather full with excuses… something that the heroines friend pointed out.

Repetitive.
(Too much back-and-forth in the relationship… among other things.)

Plot-holes.

The epilogue was lackluster and had plot-holes.
(The heroes awful mother got no comeuppance and there was no information on what happened when the main characters got married?…. The heroes mother just disappeared? Did she change? Did she cause more problems?
And what happened with the child (Maya) and everything with that?

The heroines children were a little too precocious.
(The heroines children did not act/talk like a 5 year old and a 3 year old... but more like a 8 year old and a 6 year old.)

The hero was a Mama's boy.

Formulaic.

Underwhelming.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg, this was so good. I absolutely loved it! 5☆

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris Smith remembers the days when she was penniless all too well. The pain of being deemed unsuitable for marriage by her first love Dominic never truly faded. Now, she’s a widowed Countess with more money than she could ever spend, and the man who nearly destroyed her wants a second chance. Oh, how the tables have deliciously turned. The last thing Dominic Parker wanted was to hurt Paris. He’d loved her with his whole heart. But he’d needed to marry well to protect the Viscountcy, so he’d let his head overrule his heart, shattering hers in turn. Now half a decade later everything has changed.
Another well written engrossing read which once started I found very hard to put down. The characters have depth & the pace is good. Both Dom & Paris had their flaws & after the prologue I doubted that I could like Dom but the more I read the more I grew to like him. I really liked Paris but she had a secret that could scupper the burgeoning relationship. Boy but this was one emotional read & really tugged at my heart strings, the two main characters had to work hard for their HEA as it was some journey, which I loved
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Lana Birky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the second chance trope, and this was a good one! After reading the Prologue, Dominic Parker, Viscount Astoridge, was supposed to be there today to offer marriage but instead he told Miss Paris Smith they couldn't marry because he had to marry an heiress as he was responsible for many people and needed a large dowry to provide for the viscountcy. Even when she reminded him, he took her innocence and could be enceinte, but he told her it had been medically proven that a maid couldn't become with child on her first time. Well, when Dominic re-appeared, which was five years later, I was worried that I would never be able to get past his unforgivable actions, but the talent of this author changed my mind. It was not an easy journey for this couple (or for the reader) as they had so much past baggage, emotions ran rampant, and tears flowed (from me) at will. In the end Dominic and Paris got their HEA and the life to look forward to and not back. I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paris was in love and on the verge of her Happily Ever After until Dominic threw it all away. He has regretted it ever since. Now he's back, he wants a second chance - nothing - not his mom or his family will get in his way. But for Paris the hurt goes much deeper then he can realize. Will they find a way back to each other?

Another fabulous read from Tamara Gill!

Thanks for the ARC provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

[Pam Bereznak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since 2015, I have read hundreds and hundreds of different authors but I only have 31 authors that I consider my favorites and have read all their books (in my genre). Tamara Gill is one of those authors. I forget how good she writes until a new release comes out. She is one of my top favorite authors. This is my 48th books by her. I read one book back in 2014 but really started reading her in late 2018.

I love this series. I loved Paris and Dominic. I couldn’t put this book down. I was so mad that I had to go to bed. I got to 50% but had to get up and go to work in the morning so couldn't finish it until today. UGH! I just wanted to keep reading.

I loved their storyline, their personalities, just all of it. Sex was pretty hot as well. Great read!!!!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hit

Another amazing story in the Wayward Woodville series. I can say for all certainty that once I started I couldn't stop just like all the other stories. I can't wait for the next story in this series.

[JenReviews4U · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can she ever forgive him?
Paris Smith thought she had the perfect boyfriend but when he lets her go and leaves the country, she's in shock. Although she eventually marries another, she has spent the past 5 years waiting for revenge and now he's back and she's ready for war. Dominic was cruel to Paris, he regrets that now but does he stand a chance at winning her back?

This was a second-chance story with a very strong female lead. Paris holds nothing back, she is sharp-tongued and knows what she wants.
While I liked the storyline and I liked the characters, especially Paris, the execution of this fumbled a bit for me. There is a lot of repetition, every chapter mentions what their situation was and now is. Sometimes the repeats were paragraphs apart- saying one thing in a sentence and then saying the exact same thing just moving words around in another. It wasn't until the very last few chapters that the writing wasn't a repeat.
I also did not believe in their love, it was all lust and friends with benefits, there wasn't really a trusting love story. I love steam in my novels and this had plenty of it, but even in the end, I still didn't feel Paris trusted him enough to fall into a long-term relationship.
Most of the book is about their back-and-forth relationship and it really doesn't move forwards. It lacked in many areas sadly.
I love Tamara Gill novels and I have really enjoyed this series and while I liked the premise of this one it just didn't quite match the greatness of the others in the series.
I received and advanced copy of the book, and my review is voluntary.

[Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Notorious Lord Sin is the ninth novel in Tamara Gill’s Wayward Woodvilles series and is an angst ridden second chance romance full of secrets, lies and the path to forgiveness.

Paris Smith remembers all too well the days when she was penniless and considered by many to be unsuitable for marriage. After being left broken hearted by her first love and the man she thought she would spend her life with, she’s now a widowed Countess with more money than she knows what to do with. Her future is secure and having now mourned her late husband, Paris is ready to return to society….but so too is the man who almost destroyed her. The last thing Dominic Parker ever wanted to do with Paris was hurt her. He loved her but pressure to marry well and secure his Viscountcy meant he listed to his head instead of his heart. Now he has returned to London and everything that changed; everything except the desire Paris rouses in him. Despite the years that have passed, he has never married and now understands what a mistake he made by letter Paris go all those years ago. While he’s reasonably sure he can convince her to let him into her bed, what Dominic really wants again is her heart. With sins of the past and secrets from the present working against them, Paris will need to decide if she can forgive Dominic for the mistakes he made. Or will she lose out on a chance at happily ever after due to the anger and hurt she never really put to bed?

The Notorious Lord Sin was another passionate romance from Tamara Gill of the second chance romance nature. I will admit that this particular novel is probably my least favourite of the series. I certainly appreciated the concept with the story and found the characters decent enough to follow however I failed to connect with them and like them as much as many of the previous couples. Maybe it was strange seeing a female lead who had been with another man other than the male lead. All the other female leads have been innocent miss’s who have only ever known the touch of their love interests where Paris after being left by Lord Astoridge did end up marrying another and had children with him.

I think maybe I missed the idea of two characters being the one and only for each other. I did enjoy seeing Paris and Dominic find their way back to each other but there was a lot of angst and heightened emotions in The Notorious Lord Sin. Paris was still very angry with Dominic for the situation he left her in and this meant that we were witness to a lot of confliction with her as she struggles to reconcile their past and the feelings he still rouses in her. All this being said I did still like reading their story and was pleased to see them eventually get to a happy outcome.

Overall not the best instalment in the series, The Notorious Lord Sin was still an easy to read regency romance. I’m hoping we might one day see novels featuring Dominic’s twin sisters Anwren and Kate and I can’t wait to see what Tamara Gill has planned for the next novel and the notorious rake Duke Renford.

[Rainelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Notorious Lord Sin, by Tamara Gill. Ladies let me tell you this, the many foreplay games that happened between Paris and Dominic was gooooooddd! Thank you so much to the author for adding such wonderful reading moments to this little delectable book. I just ask one little thing though? In the next book… stretch the romps in the bedroom out a bit more.
I must say that I loved how Dominic whispered naughty words and words of adoration to Paris to make her rush to the pinnacle of her ultimate climax. Ladies these moments may have or not may have happened on a number of occasions. Who am I to wet your appetite about a strong viral man who only wants to make love to a particular woman that he enjoys seeing every time. Now there other mind blowing moments in this book that had me waiting on pins and needles for people to either get slapped, punched or put in their place. If it was me… you know how I am.
I don’t have to tell you ladies how these heated moments would have went down. Meet me outside b**ch! Dominics inability to rein in his mother, Lady Astoridge in, find matches for his sisters, and at the same time confess his dying need for Paris takes a tole on him. I absolutely love and admire how Paris is portrayed as the woman who has as much independence, class and confidence in herself. Her ability to care less of how the ton looks at her or what they say about her is flawless.
I think of the great E. Taylor during these moments. Yes ladies this story focuses solely on the romance and fun moments in some interesting dark and cozy places where two people who clearly love playing, I’ll show you mines if you show me yours. For me this book was a terrific read. It’s a quick page turner with a number of entertaining moments that will leave you wanting to skip pages just to get to the next naughty moments. The story was interesting and fun to read.
I was drawn into how the many conflicting moments would end for our main characters. I so look forward to the next book. I give this book two snaps and a, Quick Dominic meet me in the closet. You know the one with the settee in it. Until next time my fellow readers… read on!

[Bridget Love to read Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris Smith Aka Lady Hersey with 2 beautiful children and 5 years later!
My hat off to Paris she played games of her own now that she is a wealthy widow and girl she played to leave Dominic panting as she should but I digress.
Paris a friend of the Woodvilles loved Dominic as a younger Viscount so much so she showed him in deeds. He wined and dined her and threw her over for what and whom? Usually this tale is the male version of the wealthy widow coming back for the poor girl he left behind for duty but not this time!
There is chemistry, regrets but so many naughty games between these two!!
Paris would not admit it but her heart was always engaged and she knew her own fertility with 2 children already but these two are like fire and gasoline!
Dominic mother is a spiteful old bitty to be sure I would certainly like to have seen her finally put on her place but Dominic tried but…,
The best revenge is to live well so I hope their HEA is just that!
Dominic was young boastful arrogant arse 5 years ago and didn’t realize what he had and no one bothers to tell him how beautiful Paris still is and how well she married without him!!
To see her gorgeous and well dressed well was that a punch in the gut and a kick to the bollucks!
But Dominic refused to take no for an answer this time and his attempts to redeem himself are forgiven in the end!
Paris knows what she want and she certainly went after it! Bravo

[Shelley-Ann Beer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I always give Tamara Gill top scores for her books but that is because she deserves them. They are well-written, page-turning and make me feel invested in the tale. I really loved this book and this time for a slightly different reason to just a fabulous, steamy HEA story. Through sheer brilliance, Tamara managed to make me (the reader) feel for Dominic the exact same way that Paris felt. In the prologue, my heart broke with hers and I hated him as much as she did in the beginning. I wanted him to suffer and I really disliked him. I forgave her for letting him in and understood why she buckled to his good looks and smooth talking. He never completely got my full forgiveness, but I totally got how he made Paris happy and I understood how his mother might have had a negative influence on his character. I finished the book glad that he had a lifetime to become a better person and that being in a family with Paris would finally make him into the best man he could be. I really have loved every one of the Wayward Woodville’s books and highly recommend them all. If you are reading TG for the first time then start at the beginning and savour them in order. They really are worth the read.

[Margaret Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Paris Smith had her heart broken in her first season by the man she thought she was destined to marry. Not only did he not marry her, he crushed her spirits when he explained why a marriage between them could not occur. Fast forward 5-6 years later, Dominic Parker, Viscount Astoridge, the man Paris was in love with is back in England, looking for a wife. Paris, now a widowed mother of two, is not interested in a friendship with Dominic and wastes no time telling him so. Paris and Dominic run into each other often and their past attraction to each other is still evident though they try to fight it. The each have secrets they do not wish to share with each other. Dominic must make a good marriage to ensure his twin sisters are able to meet and marry men with money and aristocratic backgrounds. Paris cannot allow herself to fall for Dominic again because her secrets would be known to him and would create even bigger problems for them and her children. A hot and sexy but heartbreaking story with lots of family angst but still ends with a HEA.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris and Dominic's story reminds me a bit of Persuasion where Anne is persuaded to reject Frederick by her godmother due to his lack of status, money etc. Here Dominic is persuaded against marrying Paris by his mother's wishes for title, status and money for her son's bride. However unlike Frederick where the rejection made him prosper and improve, Dominic's rejection of Paris was to his detriment and to her benefit where her marriage to an Earl and subsequent widowhood has risen her up in society and his reckless lifestyle has brought him low and his pockets to let.

Now the tables have turned can Dominic win Paris back and convince her that she has always had his heart without telling her the whole or can he trust in the feelings that thry evoke in one another to see their way to the true prize or will circumstances lies and deceit drive them apart once again.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris and Dominic were an item years ago, and once his meddling mama got involved he ended his association with Paris. Fast forward several years and the roles have been reversed.

I appreciate a strong heroine, and Paris is definitely not a pushover when reunited with Dominic. The tension between the two of them is palpable. Tamara always gives us a happily ever after, but this one has quite a bumpy ride at times.

I think this is one of my favorite books where the heroine is a widow and makes the most of it. More power to her. I also really cheered for Paris during the scenes that she went head to head with Dominic’s mother! I wonder if the dowager house is far enough away from the main residence 🤔 Bring on Daphne’s story!

I received an ARC from the author. The opinions expressed above are my own.

[Ghazal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of The Notorious Lord Sin written by the amazing Tamara Gill. Wow!!! Another fantastic story! Miss Paris Smith and Dominic Parker, Viscount Astoridge had been courting each other in the hopes of marriage.  Unfortunately, the Viscount needs to marry an heiress and Miss Smith is a poor country girl. The story reconvenes five years later where Paris is now a widowed Countess with two children, and Dominic is back in the city after never having marries, having lost all the money he had and again in need of marrying an heiress. What ensues is sparks and sizzles,and lots of emotionally charged scenes. A great book on marrying for love and not desperation.

[Gia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously I really do not understand the 4 and 5 star review I’m seeing here for this book! The H was simply awful.. he left the h after sleeping with her so that he could marry someone with deep pockets. He was completely under his mothers thumb. Then years later he returns as the h is now wealthy after marrying another wealthy man. Now the H tries to woo the h again.. the sheer shamelessness of the H boggles the mind. How did Ms Gill ever think of such an awful plot as a “ romance”? The ending should have been the h kicks him to the curb and decides to wing it on her own, as wealthy as she is! Horrible story, weak characters. If I could give this story a zero rating I would have. Made me soo angry.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A second chance romance that will twist around your heart and squeeze tight. This is Paris and Dominic's story, where the bad decisions of young adulthood come back 'round full circle for the best of happily ever after. As always, Tamara Gill has created a world with a well written plot and a storyline that flows at a good pace, keeping the reader engrossed. The characters each have their flaws, and a bunch of baggage that keeps them apart and makes you want to give them a big shake, creating an emotional rollercoaster - proof of a great story. The best part is the love that connects our two main characters that shines through to their HEA. I can't wait for the next story in the series!

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a second chance at love book. It is about Paris and Dominic. When they met Paris was poor, but she felt Dominic was going to marry her, so she gave herself to him. One afternoon, when she thought, Dominic was going to propose to her, she was heartbroken when instead he broke up with her and said she was too poor to marry. Five years later she is a widow with money, and he is broke. Dominic realizes he made an error in letting Paris go and he tries to win her back. Tamara Gill always writes wonderful, interesting book and I always enjoy them.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my honest opinion.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revenge is sweet…sometimes. Second chance, one of my favorite tropes and this one has a lot of angst associated with it (yeah, I love the angst). There is a lot of emotion and emotional baggage associated with Dominic and Paris and, whew, they worked it out but it took time with some groveling thrown in. Yes! A great story that really pulls at your heart. I wish it had been a bit longer because I wanted to see more into these two people’s lives. A glimpse at the next book, holy cow.

I received a complimentary copy from the author.

[CATHERINE BURHANS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Chance stories are a favorite of mine, and this one is a delight! I loved the characters! Paris is a strong, feisty heroine, that survives being thrown over by the love of her life, and comes back stronger than ever. When Dominic returns five years later and passionately starts pursuing her once again, he finds her now to be a force that is reckoned with. Their romance is passionate and sizzling, the dialogue and banter is wonderful. I loved every page of it, except that I would have really enjoyed seeing the evil doer get their comeuppance !!

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the excellent writing, and give solid 4 stars. However, Dominic must be my least favorite "hero" of all time! Deflowering a virgin and dropping her like a hot potato the next day is a terrible thing to do now. In Victorian times is unthinkable! While not everybody was adhering to the rules of honor, every boy of the upper class was raised to be a gentleman. To sleep with young unmarried girl and not offer marriage was a terrible thing to do (not to mention leaving her pregnant!). People were killed in duels for far less.
So I could not like Dominic, and could not cheer along.

[Nanamac · Rating 5 out of 5]

To forgive or not forgive

Tamara Gill has done a great job with the Wayward Woodvilles Series. I was not sure I was going to enjoy this latest enstallment. But as the story continued all characters grew and matured in the way I enjoy. Even in times of pain and disappointment a genuine love between two people can shine through when each party can say they are sorry and forgive me. Enjoy the book

[Susan Sieger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

I enjoyed reading about Dominic and Paris, how they met to how they fell in love. They were young and foolish when they met and one night changed the future for Paris after he broke her heart. He came back after 5 years away because he lost all his money to bad investments and saw the love of his life. In the end everything worked out. I highly recommend this book! 👍👍👍👍👍❤❤❤❤❤

[ethel taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed

Loved the book. I understood the hurt Paris felt when Dominic tossed her aside. A woman scorned would definitely treat him the way that she did when they both returned for the season. But I wasn’t surprised that she took him back in the end, “love”. I wish Miss Gill had mentioned in the end how Dominique’s mother handled him marrying Miss Smith after all. To be a fly on that wall, when she found out. All the books in this series have been great..

[Gladys · Rating 5 out of 5]

This couple is really going to give your emotions a workout. I found my heart kind of torn in two over these characters. I could feel for them but also want to give them a good shake. Drama, emotion, angst and heartstring tugging combine into a book that definitely grabs and keeps your attention as it gets you all up in your Feels. This is my unbiased, unsolicited review.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paris and Dominic both have secrets they would rather the other not know. They also have a history and a great attraction to each other that they can’t seem to conquer.

I always enjoy the foreshadowing for the next book in each epilogue. The girls from Grafton will feature prominently again!

I received a free copy of this book from the author. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Polly Guilarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert!! Rant!
Nothing about Dom & Maya,
or Paris & Mother in Law,
or Maya & MIL in the epilogue???
Just a trailer for the next book??Horrible. How will Dom raise Maya? Will he ever tell her? Did the MIL ever change? Did Dom make any money & regain his pride? Omg sloppy lazy ending after good obvious conflict book.

[Trina Huskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as an ARC. A good book tears at your emotions. I was mad at both main characters for many reasons. However, I enjoyed their HEA. Honestly so glad the hero’s mother isn’t my mother-in-law, though!!!

[Lakeisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book. I was determined not to like Dominic for way he left Paris. The chemistry between the two is fire. Paris wants revenge but can't get past her feelings for Dominic. This was truly an enjoyable story.