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Cynfell Brothers #5

Sinful Possession

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Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. The Cynfell brothers are the very embodiment of a sinful existence. But could the right woman change that?

Sloth

Miss Lila Radley was set to be the belle of the ball this summer. With her charming manners, beautiful looks and excellent connections, everyone anticipated her receiving endless proposals.

However, no one expected her to be kidnapped.

After she witnesses a murder, Lila finds herself in the hands of two overwhelmingly attractive brothers—entirely against her will. However, while the twin Cynfell brothers might be as devastating in looks as each other, only one intrigues her—the brooding Lord Ash Cynfell.

Unfortunately, he is the very reason she is in danger.

Already battling with his own demons, Ash finds himself with an additional burden to bear—Miss Lila Radley’s safety. He cannot very well abandon her as it was due to his inaction that a man ended up dead and a serial killer is now targeting her. Unfortunately, keeping the vivacious Lila protected until the murderer is found is going to test him in every way possible.

Can he resist her charm and beauty, aware a worthless man like himself is no good for a woman like her? All he knows is that when Lila turns her sunny smile onto his twin brother, he finds himself unable to summon his usual relaxed attitude. Has Ash Cynfell, the most reclusive brother, finally found something worth fighting for?

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2016

88 people are currently reading
174 people want to read

About the author

Samantha Holt

304 books701 followers
Samantha Holt resides in Warwickshire, England, with her twin girls, having followed her soldier husband around the UK for nearly 10 years. Growing up in Hampshire, she was inspired by the authors Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, both of whom lived and wrote only miles from her home town.

Samantha loves the romance genre and has been devouring romantic literature for as long as she can remember. History is another passion of hers and she loves to combine her love for history and romance into exciting and passionate tales.

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5 stars
116 (41%)
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107 (38%)
3 stars
41 (14%)
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9 (3%)
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8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Debby *BabyDee*.
1,482 reviews80 followers
March 19, 2021
What do you get in a Victorian era murder mystery, romance and adventure...Ash Cynfell, a recluse twin to Harris and one of the hottest Cynfell Brothers not taken and Miss Lila Radley, a belle of the ball now hunted by a serieal killer.

Oh how I am loving these later editions of the Cynfell Brothers series. "Sinfell Possession" is a short, enjoyable read that includes suspense, adventure and love. The hero and heroine are very likeable characters along with Ash's twin Harris. I've enjoyed all of these short and sweet stories of the Cynfells and look forward to reading about Harris Cynfell next.
Profile Image for J. Kahele.
Author 15 books438 followers
February 6, 2016
I love me some Cynfell brothers! Definitely historical romance at it’s best.

Ash Cynfell suffers from intense migraines that keeps him bed-ridden more than he likes. His identical twin brother, Harris, think it is from drinking too much.

Harris comes to Ash’s house, reminding him that he had challenged Fred Westerling to a duel. Westerling is a unsavory man who has been known to take unwanted liberties with women. Ash catches him in such a manner with a lady and challenges him to the duel.

Ash and Harris are met by a stumbling Westerling and realize he has been shot, trying to get information on who had shot him, becomes difficult as the man falls to the ground and dies on the spot. It’s when Ash hears the scream of a woman and rushes over to see a knife-wielding man attacking her. He fights the man off and turns his attention to the woman, he now knows he must protect at whatever cost.

Lila is a green eyed beauty who knows well of the Cynfell brothers reputation and is not about to fall for the handsome man. But when Ash informs her that the murder she had just witnessed had been done by a serial killer, she has no choice but to put her trust in Ash Cynfell. What will become of these two? You will have to read to find out.
Profile Image for Kath.
826 reviews
April 17, 2021
Loved the plot in this story, another great read.
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews144 followers
June 16, 2019
Victorian Era Murder🔪 Mystery and Romance💕

Two young men among a passel of Noble brothers, twins Ash🐺 and Harris🐺 are like two peas in a pod, but with different personalities. Harris🐺, the outgoing one, is an easy going flirt.
Ash🐺, the stoic one is serious and has a debilitating ailment he has been able to hide from the rest of the family. He has severe migraines that force him into bed for long periods. The family thinks he drinks! Stress seems to bring them on.

Ash🐺 is going to a nearby park in London at dusk to fight a duel with a womanizing cad, but his headache makes him late. When he and Harris get there, the man he is supposed to duel is dead💀, stabbed🔪 to death.

A woman💃 across the street is fighting off a man👺 with a 🔪knife. It's obvious she's a witness to the stabbing and the killer👺 wants to eliminate her, too.
Ash🐺 steps in to save the young debutante and is smitten! What follows are his desperate attempts to keep her safe and away from what turns out to be a serial killer🔪🔪🔪!
Profile Image for Itsy Bitsy Book Bits.
699 reviews50 followers
February 14, 2016
Sinful Possession ( Cynfell Brothers Book 5 )By Samantha Holt

Ash Cynfell challenged Fred Westerling to a duel at dusk and he was late because he was sleeping with a bad headache. His identical twin brother Harris woke him up after seven o'clock. Fred Westerling had a bad habit of being ungentlemanly and Ash caught Westerling forcing himself upon a lady so Ash challenged the blackguard. Harris and Ash headed for the small green behind Westerling's house not sure if he was still there waiting. When they got there, Westerling was staggering and then he collapsed. When the brothers moved closer to check on Westlerling, he rasped "He killed me." Ash glanced around but saw no one. Then he heard a woman's scream. Looking around again he then saw a woman not far from the Spencer house. A man had her pinned against the brick wall of the building next to the mansion. He ran to the woman's rescue and fought with the attacker for a few seconds but somehow the attacker wriggled away and ran. The woman Ash saved was Miss Lila Radley. She witnessed the attacker kill Westerling.

Ash looked at Lila and saw how beautiful she was and couldn't leave her side. They found out there was a serial killer on the loose and Ash has now made it his mission to keep Lila safe.

Ash has severe headaches that make him useless where all he can do is sleep so how can he keep Lila safe until the serial killer is found?

An officer asks Lila to speak with her but she soon finds out, he's not there to help. He is the murderer and grabs her away from the others and pulls her by the hair and shows her a knife. She fights with all she has and manages to get free and runs right into Ash. He comes face to face with the killer and it’s The Chief!

Harris and Ash pretty much kidnap Lila and plan to take her to The Stourbridge House in Surrey but, Lila does not make this mission easy, she fights them on everything and the biggest fight is because she doesn't want to be taken there. They are at Stourbridge house for a few days and the chief somehow finds them. He shoots Harris in the leg but a doctor removed the bullet. Ash went back to his room to sleep because another one of his debilitating headaches were starting and no one knows about these headaches.

The next day Ash and Lila left for The Cynfell's family house which was vacant at the time. As they traveled there, Ash and Lila grew much closer. There were a few kisses here and there. Now Ash really will make sure Lila is safe. Feelings grow between them but somehow this getaway is disturbed late one night.

I really did enjoy the storyline but, it takes place in London and some of the wording was hard to get used to.
Profile Image for Cathy.
788 reviews
February 10, 2016
"Sinful Possession" by Samantha Holt. This is an enjoyable read -short and sweet. There's a bit of adventure and suspense as well as the love and romance aspect. Our main characters are Lila and Ash. I liked Ash - he comes across as dark and mysterious and beleived to be a drunk, although we learn of his secret soon enough. He struggles to live his life without that secret being revealed. Lila is a bit naive and a little stubborn. Her stubborness at times did annoy me a bit, but overall she's a likable character. I do like Ms. Holt's style of writing and look forward to reading her works. Once again, I was not disappointed with this one. I wish it were a bit longer but for a novella, Ms. Holt did a great job of telling a tale that included depth and showed the characters true spirits too. This is a series, but I have not read the previous books and had no trouble keeping up whatsoever. Having enjoyed this story, I do look forward to catching up on the previous books of the series now. (received copy for honest review)
Profile Image for Letschat1974.
821 reviews10 followers
May 18, 2020
3.5 Stars (4 enjoy Maureen Driscoll, Elisa Braden, Sophie Jordon)

I love series around family members or a group of friends. I love the series even more when the author intertwines those characters throughout the book series (it’s a pet peeve when authors don’t do that because what’s the point of the series and introducing the characters if they are not going to interact throughout the series).

The development and interest in main characters and secondary characters was enjoyable. I really did like the H/H for this book; very well paired as a couple. I loved the writing around the women empowerment (it wasn’t over the top for me).

writing style is easy to follow, humorous moments, the give and take dialogue enjoyable.

romantic/sexual content is written well throughout the book (kissing, oral, love making). I’d rate it 2/5 hotness and steam.

would absolutely recommend the book and the series even though there short stories. Will take 2-3 hours to read each book in the series.

I still enjoyed the book for a one time read and the series.
Profile Image for Terre J.
478 reviews
February 2, 2018
Not nearly good as the others, it took me three days to finish, though I usually finish a full book in a day or two. Just didn’t feel any great connection to either the H or h. The entire story was boring and the premise of the next is not sounding any better now. Doesn’t even seem as if it’s written by the same author. I didn’t even have any interest in the story overall, it bored me to tears.
298 reviews3 followers
May 1, 2022
Cynfell brothers BRILLIANT

Really enjoying this series even though each book is not that long you still get to.I is the individual personality is each brother .

As with the.other books.plenty of action.

Profile Image for Amanda.
495 reviews3 followers
January 13, 2018
A delight

It was another good one of the series. I would say it was indeed a unique story that makes me crave book 6.
Profile Image for Nessa.
3,938 reviews71 followers
December 15, 2021
This was no doubt sweet and very straightforward. Man meets pretty woman, falls in love and is super protective of her.
395 reviews8 followers
February 15, 2016
Scandalous and Sexy Victorian Escapade

I just loved Sinful Possession, the latest addition to Samantha Holt’s Cynfell series. In this scandalous and sexy read, the hero is compelled to kidnap a debutante in an effort to save her from the clutches of a serial killer.

The romance between the handsome and reclusive Ash and the feisty and headstrong Lila sizzles with sexual tension from the off. At first she is enraged that Ash and his twin Harris have whisked her away from the marriage mart, despite the duo being sinfully attractive and (at least in Harris’ case) charming. Yet it is the brooding Ash who draws her and the banter between them and the results of their enforced proximity is highly diverting. Even his occasional grumpiness and his propensity to fall asleep at inappropriate times does not put her off. She starts to view this man who places her well-being above his own as a keeper. Yet does he want her for his own and what is he hiding? It takes a very determined Lila to persuade this man of his true worth.

I just adored Ash’s determination to protect Lila, even at the expense of her reputation and his good name. He is instantly attracted to her and it is not long before he wants to protect her not just from the killer on the loose but other men who covet her. There are some highly amusing scenes where these protective instincts come to the fore.

Samantha Holt certainly excels at both scenes of sexual tension and sensual love-making and she delivers both with alacrity in this novella. Recommended for historical romance lovers who are looking for a sexy, satisfying and diverting read. Please note, a copy of this book was given to me for the purpose of a fair and honest review.
Profile Image for Mamacita aka MawMaw .
394 reviews170 followers
February 9, 2016
3.5 "Shhh, You're Spoiling It" Stars

This was a pretty cute little book. It was fairly clean and not too graphic. The writing language was very typical for that time period. They Cynfell Brothers are definitely interesting characters, and extremely manly. This little series standalone surprised me with how good it really was. This was my first book by this author. Now that Ms. Holt peaked my curiosity, I think I'm gonna have to check out the rest of those Cynfell Brothers! No sure this is typical for the series, but I really liked the way Ms. Holt seemed to set up the next book in this particular series. I'm Very interested in Harris & do hope he has a book w/ Anna soon.

Sinful Possession was given courtesy of My Family's Heart & Samantha Holt & received by Country Gals Sexy Reads in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Nicole.
4,255 reviews53 followers
February 13, 2016
One of the things I really enjoyed about this one if it had suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. It kept my attention through the whole book right up til the end. The characters are great. I really liked the hero Ash. The world thinks he's lazy and doesn't care about the world, but in truth he's has the biggest heart of them all. He doesn't let the world on to what's really ailing him. Lila believes she wants to find her potential husband when she makes her debut in the city, but witnessing a murder and the being kidnapped by the dangerously handsome Cynfell twins puts everything in a whole new perspective. Ash vows to protect Lila from the danger stalking her, but he never counted on falling for her. If they can make it out alive can they have a future together? Will Lila even want to be with a notorious Cynfell brother?
Profile Image for Rita.
707 reviews7 followers
January 24, 2016
I did like this story. It is a short novella about Lila and Ash. Lila is 21 years old and is thrilled to be finally attending the balls to find a suitable husband. When she witnesses a murder and attached herself she is rescued by Ash, who suffers from headaches that incapacitates him. His parents have always made him feel is less than his brothers and has kept his illness secret. They all think he is drinks to excess and is lazy. When he rescues Lila he just wants to keep her safe. Lila is strong willed and slightly naive. Ash ends up kidnapping her with his twin brother to ensure her safety. Therein the adventure begins. I have not read any of the other books in this series and had no trouble following along. 3 1/2 stars
Profile Image for Julie.
2,003 reviews31 followers
January 23, 2016
This was a very enjoyable story, a thrilling romance with twist. The story is a novella which makes it a little short, but never the less I still found the story to be well written and not rushed as some novella tend to be.

Lila finds herself a witness to a murder, and is rescued by the handsome Ash Cynfell. Ash feels she needs his protection, especially after Lila's life is threaten several times, and Ash gives his best, in between an attraction to her that is threatening to drive him crazy if he doesn't make her his, and a problem that he is trying to resolve with his health.

I love the Cynfell Brothers. This was a thrilling story, I enjoyed it very much. Suspense, drama, a little mystery and a hot romance. You can't go wrong with this one.
3,542 reviews14 followers
February 4, 2016
Sinful Possession by Samantha Holt is a fantastic read. This fast paced book is well written. Ms Holt has given us lovable characters, drama, action, suspense and a bit of sizzle. Ash and Lila's story is an entertaining read from cover to cover. Sinful Possession is a fairly quick read, perfect for those with limited time for reading. I enjoyed this book and look forward to my next read by the talented Samantha Holt. Sinful Possession is book 5 of the Cynfell Brothers Series, but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
Profile Image for Sandra R.
3,350 reviews47 followers
January 25, 2016
Yet another interesting and enjoyable 'SINFUL' romance from this author ! You could read it as a stand alone no problems, but if you haven't tried this series, give it a go from the beginning. Set at the very end of the 19th century in England.

Well written with lots of steam... Can't wait to read Harris's story.
Author 3 books91 followers
February 5, 2016
I enjoyed this read! Actually everything this author writes- I just adore!

I love her rogues and women! This book is no exception.
You'll fall for the leading man and the woman! They sizzle with desire and possession.
If you love possessive protective men you will love this short amazing story!

5 stars from me.

*Recv'd an ARC in exchange for an honesty review*
Profile Image for Anabel Pinedo.
883 reviews17 followers
April 7, 2024
Lilia es salvada por uno de los hermanos Cynfell (Ash) en uno de los momentos mas aterradores de su vida. No se esperaba este encuentro inesperado, pero ahora su vida corre peligro. Y es en medio de el peligro, de enfermedades limitantes que su amor florece. Seran capaces de vivirlo a pesar de los prejuicios?
Profile Image for Ree.
2,518 reviews53 followers
February 2, 2016
I enjoyed the fifth installment in the series. Each book is unique, yet alike in the way that the reader is totally charmed by each brother and the relationship they have with each other.

Great series, Ms. Holt!
Profile Image for Ann L.
4,806 reviews39 followers
January 28, 2016
Brilliant

Oh I do love reading about the Cynfell Brothers, yet another brilliant story of mystery and love and another sexy brother
Profile Image for Michelle Mulvey.
1,154 reviews13 followers
February 2, 2016
Cute quickie

Takes place in.London so the way the author wrote was a.little hard to understand the way they talk but,didn't stop me from reading. Very cute novella
Profile Image for Marlene.
752 reviews2 followers
January 15, 2018
This story of Ash and Lila was quick. the ending was rushed. all brothers miraculously appeared at the end except his twin.
Profile Image for Sharon.
2,770 reviews7 followers
March 31, 2020
Ash Cynfell
Lila Radley
an enjoyable story with a satisfying HEA
Profile Image for Marisa.
1,685 reviews
October 8, 2024
No es mejor momento pero me ha costado un dolor y no he entrado en la historia
Profile Image for Janet.
5,183 reviews64 followers
April 3, 2017
Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. The Cynfell brothers are the very embodiment of a sinful existence. But could the right woman change that?

Sloth

Lord Ash Cynfell has been suffering from headaches for a while but keeps them hidden even from his twin Harris. Everyone just thinks he takes to his bed from too much drink or that he’s just plain lazy.
Miss Lila Radley was set to be the belle of the ball this summer. With her charming manners, beautiful looks and excellent connections, everyone anticipated her receiving endless proposals.
After she witnesses a murder, Lila finds herself in the hands of two overwhelmingly attractive brothers,-entirely against her will. However, while the twin Cynfell brothers might be as devastating in looks as each other, only one intrigues her,the brooding Lord Ash Cynfell.
Then the murderer finds them & Harris is shot so Ash & Lila flee to Kent.
As with all the Cynfell brothers they are not what they seem & Ashton is no exception, his debilitating migraines, which he keeps secret, have given him the wrong label. Lila manages to worm the truth out of him & he grows in confidence as she sees him as wonderful not weak. Another very enjoyable story, the pace is very good & Ash & Lila are so likeable & the attraction between the pair sizzles. A highly recommend the whole series
Profile Image for Sydnee Walsh.
1,273 reviews30 followers
March 3, 2018
Sinful Possessions
The Twins. I loved this book. We have Ash and Harris. One has headaches that the other thinks is from drinking. Then you have Lila. She sees something that she shouldn’t have and now she has to depend on the twins for help. Which will she pick? Much read this you won’t be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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