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Sinful Secrets
From the author of Secret Pleasures comes a torrid romance set against the backdrop of Victorian London, a place where respectability meets unchaste behavior, secrets trysts are prevalent, danger lurks in every corner, and pleasure can be bought. Reissue.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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About the author
Thea Devine
59 books69 followersThea Devine is the author of eighteen historical romances and four novellas, including her contributions to the Brava anthologies Captivated, Fascinated, and, most recently, All Through the Night. Devine lives with her husband of 35 years in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 8, 2021
Obsessed with Thea Devine. RTC.
*FULL REVIEW*
Me reading Desire Me Only and Sinful Secrets back-to-back:
In retrospect, it was too hot for me to handle. But I loved it!
Comparatively speaking, I find a lot of similarities between Sinful Secrets and Desire Me Only, aside from the extremely hot scenes that are incredibly gratuitous, and the relationship arc of Sayra and Declan (the hero doesn't like or trust the heroine, hate-to-love dynamic) Sinful Secrets is a gothic about vampires while Desire Me only is a gothic about ghosts and the supernatural. In both books, the characters observe inexplicable things happening in a way that is supposed to deliver scary but thrilling sensations.
What I particularly loved about Sinful Secrets is that there is no one behind the curtain - there is no sleight of hand. This is a book about vampires, and I cheer the book's climactic ending that revelled in the conceit of this legendary creature. In Desire Me Only, we see the machinery behind the supernatural happenings, and it brings the plot of the story more into predictable territory - still a good whodunnit, but within the realm of this world. Sinful Secrets reels head-long into the legend of vampires, and while the harem doesn't make sense when you think about it, it was still hot, and the travel to Bucharest and the monk in Transylvania were all very entertaining. Side note: Not a fan of harems, so I found myself pleasantly surprised by enjoying the ride.
I also enjoy Devine's horndog heroines, Sayra in Sinful Secrets and Genelle in Secret Pleasures are both great examples of heroines who are unabashed about their desires, to the point where they have lustful thoughts about other men *gasp* and operate, behave, and act out of that red haze. Sayra, notably, decides to flirt with Declan's brother, when she’s miffed Declan dared to leave the bed. Genelle also is fascinated with this one man in a sex den that she has to go back to see him on another night. Genelle also becomes fascinated with a gold ring for Declan, which was very amusing.
Sure, it doesn't always make the most sense, but it seemed Thea Devine had fun writing this gothic fantasy erotica, and I definitely had fun reading it.
*FULL REVIEW*
Me reading Desire Me Only and Sinful Secrets back-to-back:
In retrospect, it was too hot for me to handle. But I loved it!
Comparatively speaking, I find a lot of similarities between Sinful Secrets and Desire Me Only, aside from the extremely hot scenes that are incredibly gratuitous, and the relationship arc of Sayra and Declan (the hero doesn't like or trust the heroine, hate-to-love dynamic) Sinful Secrets is a gothic about vampires while Desire Me only is a gothic about ghosts and the supernatural. In both books, the characters observe inexplicable things happening in a way that is supposed to deliver scary but thrilling sensations.
What I particularly loved about Sinful Secrets is that there is no one behind the curtain - there is no sleight of hand. This is a book about vampires, and I cheer the book's climactic ending that revelled in the conceit of this legendary creature. In Desire Me Only, we see the machinery behind the supernatural happenings, and it brings the plot of the story more into predictable territory - still a good whodunnit, but within the realm of this world. Sinful Secrets reels head-long into the legend of vampires, and while the harem doesn't make sense when you think about it, it was still hot, and the travel to Bucharest and the monk in Transylvania were all very entertaining. Side note: Not a fan of harems, so I found myself pleasantly surprised by enjoying the ride.
I also enjoy Devine's horndog heroines, Sayra in Sinful Secrets and Genelle in Secret Pleasures are both great examples of heroines who are unabashed about their desires, to the point where they have lustful thoughts about other men *gasp* and operate, behave, and act out of that red haze. Sayra, notably, decides to flirt with Declan's brother, when she’s miffed Declan dared to leave the bed. Genelle also is fascinated with this one man in a sex den that she has to go back to see him on another night. Genelle also becomes fascinated with a gold ring for Declan, which was very amusing.
Sure, it doesn't always make the most sense, but it seemed Thea Devine had fun writing this gothic fantasy erotica, and I definitely had fun reading it.
January 9, 2009
This was mainly a sex-fest, but I liked it all the same. Secrets of a paranormal nature lurk within its pages.
January 3, 2015
Weird. Sexy. Fun.
October 1, 2010
Weirdness. Almost put this book down several times, but I'm glad I didn't. Erotic Victorian romance with a gothic feel, vampires running around in the shadows in London and an island fortresses with powerful begouns and passion slaves. Old fashioned strippers called Position Girls and endless sex fests that last for days. Stream of consciousness writing that moves from one character to another in an endless cacophony of thoughts.
September 11, 2013
Spoiler: the secret is that the hero's dad is the leader of a vampire plot to take over the British government. Really?
The only reason I made it to the end was to find out what happened to the vampires. But mostly I just skimmed through, even with the sex scenes. If I'd known the plot was going to be all about vampire hunting, I'd have never started reading it in the first place. Yuck.
The only reason I made it to the end was to find out what happened to the vampires. But mostly I just skimmed through, even with the sex scenes. If I'd known the plot was going to be all about vampire hunting, I'd have never started reading it in the first place. Yuck.
June 23, 2010
The supernatural plot was intriguing, but not enough. Would have preferred a lot more story and much fewer scenes.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews