Sinful

Addicted #2

by Charlotte Featherstone

He must find redemption in the most unlikely bedchamber...

In Victorian England vice of every kind can be purchased, and Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, makes certain he avails himself of every possible pleasure. Bored and jaded, he is as well-known for his coldness as for his licentious affairs with beautiful women.

While these numerous dalliances fulfill Matthew's every physical need, they secretly leave him numb and emotionally void. Until one night when he finds himself beaten, eyes bandaged and in the care of a nurse with the voice of an angel - and a gentle touch that soothes the darkness in him and makes him yearn for more.

Yet Jane Rankin is a lowly nurse, considered shy and plain by most. There is no place for her amongst the lords and ladies of the aristocracy - despite Matthew's growing craving for the fire that burns behind her earnest facade. And then there is Matthew's secret. A secret so humiliating and scandalous is could destroy everyone he loves. A sin, he fears, not even the love of a good woman can take away...

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Erotica, Erotic Romance, Historical Fiction, Regency

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Hi I write erotic historical romance for Harlequin Spice, as well as erotic paranormal romance under the name Sophie Renwick. In 2011, I'll be debuting my mainstream, Victorian set historicals through HQN.

I love talking about books, and have found some new friends, and really good book recommends here on Goodreads. I really love this community.

Reviews

[KristenReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge 5+ stars

To say I love Sinful is an understatement, which is why I'm baffled it's been so difficult for me to write this review. This book had a profound effect on me, yet I'm having trouble expressing the reasons why. 

The characters in this story are richly layered with the complexities that make up human nature. Such as, prejudice, jealousy, envy, ego, insecurity, environment, cruelty, and discrimination, as well as kindness, generosity, charity, love, understanding, tenderness, and the miracle that is forgiveness. 

Matthew and Jane, the book's hero and heroine, are complete opposites–in social status, wealth, looks, and demeanor. Consequently, they judge and treat each other according. 

The beauty of their story is that both Matthew and Jane, over time, willing choose to rise above their common prejudices. Their willingness to look beyond such prejudice is richly rewarded as their relationship develops a depth, intensity, and love that's not only rare but that few are privileged to experience.      

Sinful is a genuine love story that transcends the stereotypical romantic liaison and I adore everything about it. I only wish an epilogue had been included. A book of this caliber deserved the complete story. Fortunately, the author posted the book's epilogue on her website, thus allowing her readers a glimpse into Matthew and Jane's future. 

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0 Whenever I give a book a 1/2 star rating, I almost always give it the 'rounded up' Goodreads star rating.

My Review:

I have such strong feelings about this story. It’s one of the few books I’ve read that grabbed me from the first page and kept my attention all the way to the last. Why 3.5 stars? Because I loved the book up until the last 20 pages or so, then I hated it. And honestly, I struggled between a 3 or 4, which is why I ultimately chose 3.5. If you care to know why, read on…

We were introduced to Matthew, Earl of Wallingford in the first book of this series, Addicted, but the Matthew we see in Sinful is a very different man. With this story focused on him, we see a deeper, darker side to the man who makes no apologies for his lifestyle, which is one of decadence, excess and vice. He’s probably one of the most tormented heroes I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about, to get to know, to come to love – and desperately want to fix.

Jane Rankin is a woman of low birth and as such is well aware of her place. However, Jane has had the good fortune to be employed as a Lady’s Companion by Lady Blackwood, herself being a woman who is no stranger to controversy. Through Lady Blackwood’s example, Jane has decided that she too could be her own woman, unmindful of society’s standards and social stigmas, and goes to work as a nurse at London College Hospital. It is there that she and Matthew first meet.

This is one of those books that I couldn’t put down. I stayed awake, barely able to keep my eyes open, to read. The story is compelling, full of emotional ups and downs and in a word; amazing. I sobbed and sobbed and laughed and sobbed some more. What a ride!

By the end of the book we’ve been through such emotional turmoil that I was totally ready for a truly emotional reunion, a happily ever after for the ages. I don’t know who to blame here; the author for skipping what could have been a truly beautiful reunion, (which based on the quality of writing I highly doubt), the editor for not seeing how rushed and empty the ending felt, or the publisher for being so concerned about page count that they sacrificed the story for the almighty dollar. But, no matter where the fault lies, I just didn’t feel that sense of contentment or closure that was worthy of these characters. To be frank, if I were them, I’d be pissed. Royally pissed even. Where was the emotion? Where was the truly heartfelt joy born of finally being able to be together? Oh yeah, that’s right, it was replaced by the sex – granted it was good sex, but it was just sex all the same. Of the hundreds of books I’ve read, this is only the 2nd one that after finishing I wanted to throw against the wall because of the ending. As a reader, I felt horribly cheated. Seriously, I cried.

***taking a deep breath***

Thankfully the author has given us an incredibly beautiful epilogue which can be downloaded for free from her website. This is what I would have expected the ending in the book to be. No reader should have to go to the internet and find the real happily ever after ending to a story, especially one of this caliber.

Ms. Featherstone, you have a true gift for writing and for making the reader feel, and feel deeply, however I would suggest that you get in touch with whoever made the decision on how to end the actual printed book and can them.

Sexual content: pretty much the usual with a brief 'finger at the backdoor' scene.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars – Erotic Historical Romance

I’m a bit late writing my review for Sinful because I left for a trip almost immediately after I turned the last page, but I couldn’t resist doing a little bit of gushing over such an evocative, sensual, heart-wrenching, and lush read.

Addicted was one of my favorite reads of 2009, so my expectations for Sinful were extremely high, and I’m elated, ecstatic, and thrilled to say that it lived up to the anticipation, and more. In this emotionally hypnotic, darkly beautiful, erotically elegant, and sensually stunning story set in Victorian London, “disreputable heartbreaker” Lord Matthew, Earl of Wallingford, finds rapture, salvation, and redemption in the nurturing, loving arms of plain nursemaid, Jane Rankin.

Lord Wallingford is a notorious, wickedly debauched rake, scoundrel, and wastrel of the lowest order: he’s an emotionally empty, distant, and isolated, immoral, jaded, unfeeling, depraved, cynical, uncaring, cold, unconscionable, and shameless rogue with a world weary, broken soul who has vowed to never trust or be vulnerable to trivial, dangerous things like love.

When Wallingford, who considers himself to be “completely and unequivocally damaged beyond repair”, comes under the care of a smart, independent nurse with the voice of an angel, a giving heart, and a backbone of steel, the infamously dissolute rake finds reason to yearn, feel, hope, and love for the first time in his life. Matthew develops an immediate infatuation and becomes obsessed with finding out everything about his mysterious, headstrong nurse, and he is determined to unleash the volatile passion that burns between them. But will the discovery of her true identity, his internal darkness, and the painful, violent secrets from his torturous past shatter what they’ve found with each other?

Sinful is a beautiful, touching, poetic, emotional, lush, exquisite, and sensual love story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. And be sure to read the wonderful, heartwarming epilogue on the author’s website that provides a satisfying conclusion to the story...it definitely solidified my 5 star rating! Ms. Featherstone...thank you, thank you, thank you for another amazing read...Lord Wallingford sure made my inner hussy purr in blissful delight! Big 5 stars!

Here are a couple of my favorite Sinful quotes:

**********Possible spoilers**********

“The human soul was an amazing thing; the willpower to survive, humbling. The capacity to love, frightening.”

“Jane, you are my confidante, my helpmate, my friend. My lover. You are everything the word wife means to me. In my heart, we are wed. In my soul, you are mine.”

**********End spoilers**********


Note: This 5+ rating/review encompasses Sinful and the Sinful: Epilogue.

[Auntee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, this was a good one. I don't usually read many historicals but this one caught my eye because of the glorious cover, and I figured if it was half as good as its cover...I was pleasantly surprised when the story more than lived up to its cover!

I won't get into much of the plot, since the synopsis does a good job of it, and I doubt that I could write about it without giving away some spoilers. Just know that Sinful is a story about a devilishly handsome aristocratic, notorious, cold, jaded rake (Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford) who harbors an inner darkness and self loathing due to something that happened to him as a young teen. Matthew feels that he is broken and has no heart to give. Because of his horrible experience he is screwed up when it comes to sex and can't be emotionally intimate with a woman. Until one night after an auction for one of his paintings (he's also an artist) when he is beaten, hospitalized, and meets a shy, plain, red-headed nurse named Jane and his world turns around.

Jane, who has her own traumatic, disappointing background as a daughter of a woman who turned to prostitution after her lover dumped her as his mistress, works as a lady's companion by day, and at night she is a nurse at the hospital where she first meets Matthew. Matthew's eyes have been injured and he cannot see Jane, but he is drawn to her by her soothing voice and gentle touch. They forge a connection while Jane takes care of him, and then the story takes off from there.

I don't want to say any more because this is a story you'll want to just fall into and experience. It's emotional, it's romantic, it's stressful as you wonder "what will happen next?" There's plenty of highs and lows, pushing and pulling, disappointments and ecstacy, and secrets revealed in the Jane/Matthew relationship. The story is filled with heaping amounts of sexual tension that will keep you glued to the pages (the scenes where Jane helps to 'soothe' Matthew in his hospital bed...whew!), and there's also plenty of scenes that will leave you wringing your hands over the fate of the relationship. There will be a time or two when you'll want to slap Matthew upside the head for being deliberately cruel to Jane (in order to drive her away, you see) but you'll still be pulling for Matthew because you know it's his tortured past that's driving him to do the things he does, and you'll be praying that his relationship with the brave, wonderful Jane will help heal him of what he sees as his 'sin'.

This book grabbed me from the start, and except for a brief period about 2/3 of the way into the story where Matthew and Jane tried to figure out where their relationship was heading (would Jane be content to just be a mistress?) and if they could open up to each other, moved at a pretty blazing speed. A secret about Matthew's past that was revealed later in the book took me by surprise (I make a lousy detective) but did a lot to make me understand him and to understand CF's plotting. I was devastated about the direction that the story had to take after that, shed a few tears, but held out hope for a HEA. And I got one, even if it was a bit unconventional and surprising. But if you want to read more about the HEA, make sure you check out the author's website for a big, lush, juicy epilogue that will bring a big smile to your face and have you sighing in satisfaction.

If you're looking for a historical with some fantastic storytelling, erotic moments, wonderful, vulnerable characters who grow by leaps and bounds, and an emotional love story that will have you biting your nails one moment and then later sighing in pleasure, check this book out! This was the first book I've ever read by Charlotte Featherstone, but it won't be my last. Now I must check out its predecessor, Addicted. 5 stars

[Eastofoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do erotic historicals more often than not have to be seeped in a dark and depressing misery? It seems to be that they all have something sordid about them and this one is no different. What is different is that while the others have a non-stop sex-athon with various “what the ** ?!?” acrobatics and a modicum of story, this one stays stuck in the same place for over 300 pages. The plot just doesn’t move.

I had so much hope for this novel, thinking that I’d like it even better than Featherstone’s Addicted. Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, is a jaded rake who cares for no one except himself, but he has a secret past that made him into the man he has become. Emotionally he's horefrost and your basic use-‘em-and-lose-‘em mean sobofabitch kinda guy towards women in general. That’s the teaser you pretty much get from “Addicted” making you itch to read his story in “Sinful”. The novel starts out well enough with Matthew meeting Jane the plain spinster heroine at the hospital where he ends up after being beaten. Unfortunately it started to nosedive from there on in with this left-field lust-fest between the two. There’s no tension building at all so you can’t really appreciate this “need” that the two have for each other. If the author had tried to pull it off as just a physical thing then I probably could’ve bought it, but because she was trying to aim for some emotional plane it wasn’t believable because they had only just met and barely spoke to each other. Sure she nursed him for a day or so but she was hardly being nurse-like what with wanting to check out and play with his weenie and all which of course didn’t match her proper character either.

As the pages go by you realize that nothing is happening and everything is just being repeated. He’s a jaded rake, he wants her, she’s a spinster, she wants him, he is bad, she is good, it's intense (!), fondle here, fondle there, he tells her to get away because he is so bad, she tells him he is a good soul deep down, cue fondle/intense moment. That’s it. Nothing else happens. They’re stuck, so for me this book needed some major editing. There are some parts that are sad, like when he sees Jane for the first time or when he talks about his life, there are also a few OMG surprises but all this isn’t sustained and it’s gets to be a case of too little too late.

I was surprised with how the author handled the end and even without an epilogue I thought it was fine. Frankly the epilogue (which you have to read on the author’s website because there was no more room to stick it in the book apparently) killed the book even more for me because everything was peachy pretty and la-di-da nice –you could practically see the lovely butterflies flitting about –gag, gag, gag! Sure you want the HEA but there’s no need to go overboard already. It was like the author was saying “yes it was such a depressing read I know so here’s the sweetest sugar and stickiest syrup to make up for it —dig in!” The writing style didn’t seem to match the book and it felt forced or shoved onto the reader, it was also too long with more of that sex for sex.

Featherstone paints a good picture but the problem here was the lack of development in story and the repetition. It was as if she didn’t know what to do with the characters apart from saying how miserably depressed (and depressing) they were, how sexually proficient he was but she wasn’t and how not so attractive she was. Yeah, and? Usually the author makes the heroine attractive somehow even if she is plain but Jane seemed like a scarecrow to me from start to finish. Some parts of the story didn’t make sense like Matthew’s mentally handicapped sister who a few years later seems "well-enough" to have someone court her. What the?!? Everybody had to get their HEA I guess. Also having the heroine call this bear of a man “Matty” in the throes of sex just didn’t work for me. Sounded like what you’d call a child. The only thing sexy about Matthew was the artist’s depiction of him on the cover (the book gets a 5 star keeper shelf spot for that alone :D ) . He does nothing in life, doesn’t want any kind of power and is a borderline loser. The author could’ve played up his painting side a bit more to give him some kind of grounding. There’s nothing appealing about him especially since he’s just like a grey cloud over everything. The sexy alpha Earl of Wallingford from “Addicted” just never cut it in his own story.

The first hundred pages are just almost-sex without story, the next two hundred are a repetition of the first one hundred with more focus on the misery that’s also repeated 12 000 times. The characters are intriguing, even the secondary ones, but some of the things they do/say are outright stupid and there are just too many extremes all the time making the reader roll their eyes at the absurdity of the situation. 2.5 stars is about the best I can give this read. On to the keeper shelf it goes though right beside Dawn Thompson’s Lord of the Deep–another dud of a read but a mighty fine piece of exceptional eye candy nonetheless ;p

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW WOW WOW!! Such a sensual and emotional read. I was drawn to Wallingford in Addicted and wanted to learn what made this angry, virtually unfeeling man tick. He had hints of kindness in Addicted and it would have to be someone special that would draw him out and reveal who he really was.

The woman that becomes Matthew’s obsession is not the beautiful, sexually skilled women that he's involved himself with in the past, but a compassionate, virtuous, hard working “plain Jane”. He falls in love with her voice, her touch, someone that he might have otherwise never given a second glance to. After he humiliates Jane, instead of walking away from him she helps him and begins to see what lies beneath the façade that he hides behind.

The fact that Jane is not a raving beauty is one many appealing aspects in this book, along with the slow unveiling of this complicated man. Matthews despicable ways should have you hating him, but it had the opposite effect on me…I just loved him…and that is the beauty of Charlotte Featherstone’s writing. As in Addicted, your heart breaks for the emotionally damaged leading male character. Flaws and all you can help but being drawn to them. I don’t know what it is about her writing, but this fan needs to read more.

It does end a bit abruptly, but there is an epilogue on the author's website. Just go to this page http://www.charlottefeatherstone.net/..., and then click on the link to get the copy of the epilogue.

I highly recommend that you read Addicted first, to truly appreciate Matthew Wallingford. You can also get more Matthew in A Very Sinful Valentine, a scorching HOT short. Also for a look into the future read, Seduced by Starlight, in The Wedding of the Century & Other Stories: The Wedding of the Century\Jesse's Wife\Seduced by Starlight. I LOVED it!

[Sammy Loves Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sexy Historical with an Unexpected Ending!!!

The Earl of Wallingford is a debauched womanizer. He feels love for no one. He never sleeps with the same woman twice, and never in a bed. That would be too intimate of a setting. Against a wall will do just fine.

Mathew, The Earl of Wallingford

"Has there never been one special woman whom you thought highly of, whom you felt something for?"

"No. I have never allowed a woman to touch me with anything more meaningful than sexual superficiality. I fuck women, Jane. I do not make love to them, I do not let them into my soul. I do no feel them creep into my heart. Women are for physical release, nothing more.

Unfortunate circumstances lead the Earl to Jane. Jane is a nurse with a kind heart and an independent spirit. The attraction between these two is smoldering.



Yet these two aren't meant to be together. Jane soon discovers that the patient she has fallen for, Mathew, is actually the Earl of Wallingford. Though she is distraught, she is very determined not to be added to his harem. The Earl and Mathew often act as if they are two different men, alter egos of each other. The Earl has a wicked tongue that he never hesitates to use as a weapon against Jane!

""Do you know what I do to women like you, Jane? I look down my nose at them and laugh. I stomp all over their tender little feelings and don't look back. You amuse me. Jane."

But Mathew is the alter ego of the Earl. He is a sweet, beautiful artist with a mouth that will tempt an angel to turn to sin.

"I want to taste you, Jane, to feel your core weep against me. I want you to call my name, score my back as I pleasure you with my mouth."

Mathew stole my heart as he wooed Jane, just as the Earl broke my heart as we discovered what events turned him into such a depraved debauched man. This was such a beautiful love story. The beautiful, tortured hero, saved by the angelic nurse, plaine Jane. Everything was going great until 92% into the story,

the writer pulled the rug out from under me and made me read a love scene involving the hero and another woman. I was weirded out by it all. I didn't need the details. Knowing that he was having sex with another woman other than Jane was bad enough. But the author made a big scene of it. And things were said during their sex scene that almost made this a DNF for me. I only finished this book because I had goodreads friends that had blessed this book with a 5 star rating.

I was never able to get over what happened, so the ending, no matter how endearing it was meant to be, fell on deaf ears. I cannot scrub the image of Mathew screwing that evil bitch that he was forced to marry from my mind. Then having to read about her getting pregnant with his child as he and Jane suffer for over a year apart. So what if they reunited in the end, because she agreed to be his mistress. That is not the ending I wanted for Jane, nor the ending she deserved!! I will rate the Epilogue independently of the original book since it is a separate publication. What would have been a 4.5 star, is now a 2.5 star due to the lackluster HEA Jane and Mathew received. Becoming a mistress, is NOT a HEA!!

[Pepito · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS
How and Why all my friends in here gave such a high rating to this book is beyond my understanding and comprehension. It's not that I did't have a nice time reading it because it had some really good parts which I liked a lot, but in the overall I just can't say I loved it, not even enjoyed it much. Some parts I could only pray for the book to end soon, specially at the end. Maybe with a better ending I would have given a higher rating to the book but I just couldn't after reading it.

WHAT I LIKED:
If there was something I loved about this book was that it was 100% different from what we usually read in this genre. Not only different but unique, I have never before read a book like it. We always get the cheery and cheesy side of events, where we have a high class heroine falling deeply in love for the most scoundrel lord out there and the hero falling deeply for her as well even though she is a spinster.
In this book we get to read about the bastard child of a hooker as a heroine. Moreover this heroines falls in love for a man in a class that will never make room for her and has bedded every women he desired. Not only that but he is a cold hearted men without any feelings or good thought towards women. But he was a good hero, a tortured soul, something I always enjoy reading about. And it always great to see how our heroine gets to change a man like that.


WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
First of all, I never felt a real connection between the characters. I believe they could have get to be in love with each other eventually but not with the way everything developed. For example, they spent a year apart but then they get together again one day as if only a day had passed by, I mean come on, a year is a lot of time. The author should not have made it seem as something not important.
The book was just a huge contradiction most of the times. First I felt like I was reading the most realistic story ever, showing how things were for other type of people and then she would make it seem just like an erotic story with no content at all. And it's a shame because IMHO if the plot would have been better developed the book would be much better as the author does write in a way that will keep you hooked the whole time.


I dare say that if things have ended in a different way I would have got to love the hero, I really would, but I just felt that what he did wasn't enough. I'm a sucker for happy endings, and I just don't think that what they got was anything like it, not even close. I get it, things were different in the time they were living but I just didn't care to read about a story like this one. My friend Dina just told me the epilogue makes it up for the ending, but I think people should rate this book for the book only and not for an epilogue which came later and is read separately.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matthew and Jane

For about two thirds of this book I could see why everyone loved it. The character were deep, tortured and well written. The love scenes were lush and detailed. I could see and feel why this book was so popular.

Matthew had suffered childhood abuse from someone who is unnamed (at the beginning of the book). He cannot women to touch him in certain ways. He cannot have someone on top of him and he cannot have sex in a bed, only up against walls. Jane is the one to change this. Jane is his savior in so many ways. She takes his emotional pain and turns it into a great depth of feeling for her. Make no mistake, Matthew is a giant ahole for most of the book. He is not a lovable character. But with Jane he is different. He aspires to be someone she can love.

And then the last third happened. WTH. After spending so many chapters reading about Matthew and Jane's connection, I was shocked by what took place. Matthew married someone else, had a detailed sex scene with his wife and she got pregnant. I felt ill reading the sex between him and his wife. I felt betrayed by the author that a love so fragile as what Matthew had found with Jane was almost debased by reading about him with someone else. I don't care about the reasons that Matthew married the woman. Supposedly it was to protect his "sister". Whatever. Total and utter betrayal on all fronts.

So the first 2/3 of the book would be 4 stars and the last 1/3 would be 1 star. I guess that should put it at 2+ stars for me but because I am so appalled by what happened it would be like 2- stars. I really can see why people like this book but I guess it just wasn't for me.

[Zeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Matthew Wallingford is known as a scandalizing wastrel and womanizer and he’s fine with that for he knows he’s a broken man. He needs the appearance he’s carefully erected to shield himself and keep everyone at bay because he’s been used too many times before. Then one night, he’s attacked on the eve of realizing his fondest goal- to own his own art Gallery.

Jane Rankin is a plain Jane with no family and no connections- except for the self-made oddity Lady Blackwell. By day a companion to Lady B and by evening a nurse working off her debt to the hospital, Jane is quite satisfied with her life. The last thing she will ever be is whore or just as worse- kept woman- like her mother and she’s grateful to the kind old woman for giving her a sense of independence she never dreamed possible.

When a mysterious stranger is brought into the hospital, everyone quickly realizes he’s an aristocrat and determine to give him the best care possible- Jane included. But something about the man pulls her like no other. On the other end, is Matthew who previously could not stand the suffocating touches he’s treated to while in the hospital. But Jane is different and somehow she makes it past the wall he’s erected around his emotions to touch the man- the real man.

Making a powerful connection in the short time together while he convalesces, Matthew and Jane make plans to meet once he’s released from the hospital- one problem, he hasn’t really seen her yet as his eyesight was harmed during his attack- and when he coldly dismisses her as a plane Jane nobody while on the street the day of their assignation, Jane turns away hurt beyond belief.

But fate has other plans and when they find themselves Best Man and Maid of Honor in a mutual friend’s wedding- tempers and sparks fly- until they both realize the truth of who each other are. It will take Jane’s nursing skills once again to finally bring them together for good- and this time it will mean the destruction of both the facades they’ve erected to protect their hearts… but will it destroy their lives in the process?

This novel is so old school, I bet many will have issues with it. Matthew is the epitome of tortured hero and he’s determined to believe the worst of the heroine. But Jane is just as stubborn, broken from her own past experiences and they have a difficult time trusting what’s between them. But that’s the beauty of this book- it’s all about the depth of each character and the struggle to get them together. To me, that’s what a romance novel should be about- not being chased by a bad guy. (Oh there’s some very bad people in this book, but really they were just the framework for these two.)

I loved Jane- she was noble and though strong minded, vulnerable. But it was her apparent weakness- lack of faith in her looks and her fear of rejection- that made her determined to set a different coarse for herself. Gotta respect that.

Matthew was so difficult but, BUT he did love Jane and eventually comes to realize he cant live without her- but because of his own hidden nobility he must face doing just that! (I dont want to give away too much, but whew- this guy is layered.)

From the moment I started Sinful I was enthralled. The atypicallness of this book- from the hero’s unapologetic jackassedness and need to be in control because of the abuse he suffered in the past to an ending that goes against what most people come to expect from a romance novel- will definitely turn some people off. There is an HEA in a way, never fear, but it's not what we've come to expect. I personally loved the fact that it had an atypical ending, but- for those who dont- there is an epilogue posted on the author’s website- you will get the ending any Happily Ever After fan would adore!

And. Be assured, as with any good romance, love does change the characters- for the good. :)

4.5 out of 5. Srsly, if you’re bored with same old, same old hist-rom? This book is the right fit!

PS Sinful is more what I call Romantica- romance with a heavy dose of erotica. Steamy hot and you will read some coarser language! :P

[Dinjolina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did some unthinkable things.
First of all, I never read Sinful up till now.


I know! Evil me!


But then I did something more wicked.
I hated it.
Yes, I confess!
I hated Sinful!
OMG!
Why,right?
Well,find out at your own peril:

Miss Featherstone? Do you want us to keep shoveling the characters with misery?

Yes, yes! Yeeeees! (Insert evil laugh) I want them to sufffffer!

Yeah. Ok, but why did they suffer?
Why did Miranda have sex with the hero?
Why did she want to drown Sarah?
Why did Constance want to be a countess?
Why did he have to marry her?
Why did he not...care for Sarah any way? Why did he even leave her in this disturbed home so she could be used as a plot device?
Why did he have to have an heir?
Why did he even have to have sex with Constance?
The point was to marry her. Nobody told me she had to get pregnant.
Was this kid even his?
She got pregnant from one time?? While she had all those lovers?
I don't get any of this.
Not one bit.

Miss Featherstone do we give all the characters the pointy devil horns?

No, some of them are not villains.

Really? Who was not? Aside from the hero and heroine?
I just...this book showed me very little of the supposed love of the hero and heroine but showed me page after page of Constance and dealings with her. Add in the evil stepmother and father and...sheeeesh.

But my point is- why all the suffering? Why all the drama? To make the book more dark? Sure. But some things just did not add up.
Like the Constance thing.
Yes, I am back to that!
I mean...come on!
Why did he eeeeever have sex with her?
Why?
Yeah, to get an heir.
Um...but why?
His father was old.
And he wanted him to marry her because he wanted her family money.
She wanted the power.
So....why...have...sex...and....get...a....child?
It blows my mind!
It makes no sense!
Maybe it was a device to get to that biter-sweet ending?
If the author strived to show me realism and dark truths…well,she failed. Why, you ask?
Because all this drama was kind of canceled out by his super speedy DIVORCE afterward.
I mean…really?
He had to knock her up, and marry her so he could get her money and she could get his title. He HAD to do these things but nobody even twitches when he divorces her?
Eh. Why should I care? I would have liked a normal ending more.
Yes,I know there is an epilogue, and I read it. And believe me...it still did nothing to elevate this mess.


My conclusion? CF is famous for her tragic mussing and I love her for it. But not here. Here, she just took a perfectly normal beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and social differences story and made it snowball in to a hard tragedy. And for what?
Beets me.
Even her dialogues after the big Omg, he is going to marry somebody else!!!Nooo! revelation felt forced. So I can not even rate it high on her naturally good writing.
And you know what? This makes me sad.
I hope she does not continue in this direction.
After Addicted and Sinful I am staring to fret that she is going to use the 'love hurts' road in her other books.
(I liked Addicted,thou! Very good book!)

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book! This story was emotional, heart wrenching ,sensual. It was about damaged souls, and the healing that can be found in forgiveness and true love and acceptance. This story made me angry, made my vision blurry from tears as i tried to read, and finally made made my heart swell with happiness. It is hard for me to write down my feelings about this book. I am sitting feeling so emotional and moved by this story. It will stay with me for a long time.

I am spent....

*the awesome epilogue was included with my copy of the book. it was perfect!!!!

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her."
- Author unknown -

4 1/2 stars.
Sensually beautiful!

Matthew, Earl of Wallingford knows exactly what human nature consists of - temptation and physical pleasure. Matthew is a leader in things such as depravity and scandal and he avoids any emotional entanglements. He had a secret. A secret he had to hide. Sinful. Matthew says:

"I am a creature of darkness, whose element is night and shadows. I belong in the dark with the other sinful creatures."

And then he meets plain Jane Rankin. Innocent Jane. Jane is a lady's companion by day and a nurse by night. She had never felt moved enough by a man to embark upon the journey that might enlighten her about the aspects of pleasure and passion - until Matthew. He said to Jane:

"His hands may have been the one to heal you, Jane. But it will be mine that awaken you."

"I want to make you weep with pleasure, Jane." He slid up the length of her luscious body. "I want to take your tears away on my lips and keep them with me forever. And after, I want to paint you like this, with the shadows on your body and the remnants of pleasure casting a glow over your body."

Jane is full of wisdom:

"I offer you forgiveness, if that is what you seek, but more important, I give you my understanding. That is the beauty of being human, I think, to understand another's pain, as though it were our own."

What a beautiful and heartfelt story! Matthew is a dark, tortured soul - a bleeding soul. I loved his protectiveness and passion he felt for Jane. On top of that, he's a gorgeous and handsome hunk! Yum!
I think that Jane was the backbone of Sinful, though. I adored her! She was strong, independent, and full of wisdom. She's a person of honesty, integrity, and worth. Jane is not a beauty by society's standards, yet it was her mind that counted, not her physical appearance. The colorless bird turned out to be a rather stunning woman! She unraveled the mysterious Matthew, and she showed him how to be intimate, how to love and open up his heart. Again.
I loved the build-up and the whole process that led to their first "real" intimate encounter. It was so worth the wait. Quite impressive! The sex/love scenes are beautifully written. They are very sensual and erotic. Further, it was wonderful to recognize how Matthew discovered Jane's loveliness - even her very special beauty. He saw beyond the spectacles and her severe manner of dress and he recognized the beauty within. When you love someone you truly look beyond any physical appearance!

What didn't quite work for me:

Matthew was angry with Jane. Ok, I could relate to a certain point. Yes, she didn't tell him that she was his nurse but I wouldn't say that she deceived him. After all, he was such a cruel man. He treated her like s*hit. He was so rude and hurtful to her as she stood before him on the sidewalk. So not nice, Matthew!

Matthew was blackmailed and had to marry Constance. I didn't appreciate the author's concept of him being married and having Jane as a lover at the same time. I have to admit that I'm clueless regarding the options of a possible divorce at that time. Maybe that was out of the question. Anyway, it didn't appeal to me.

The ending was too rushed and abrupt for my liking.

I really love the author's voice. The prose is beautiful! Overall, Sinful is a wonderful, passionate love story with amazing characters. Highly recommended!

I strongly advise you to read the epilogue
Sinful: Epilogue

[♥ Sam ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://samsawesomness.blogspot.com/20...

SINFUL FIVE STARS - FANFUGGINGTASTIC!

So my first impressions when looking at this book – “ Wowza, look at the size of that’s mans back”

My husband’s first impression when look at this book – “What’s that green stuff near his ass? It looks like fart gas”

- My Dave, the charmer.

So once I get over the lovely comment Dave makes I start reading. This is my first Charlotte Featherstone book, so give me some credit when I say; I didn’t know what I was going to be reading. But when I starting realizing the pages were literally laced with a porn undertone, I couldn’t control my excitement when thinking ‘Hell yes, I’m reading not only my favourite genre, but it’s erotic too’ – HISTORICAL PORN – what a find!!

Lord Wallingford is your typical Rake, the kind with a different wench each night to fill his needs. He is mean, standoffish, critical, rude, and hurtful. But there is another side to Lord Wallingford that not many people get to see. It is this side of Mathew that is caring, honest and loving to those who mean deeply to him. Oh and described as a very yummy male specimen.

Mathew meets Jane after he is beaten to a pulp outside of a gentleman’s club. He is taken to the hospital where Jane works.

Jane is a nurse and a ladies companion. She is like a rock this woman. She is strong willed, determined, loving and compassionate. Jane is assigned to nurse Mathew back to health. But when Mathew hears her voice he is instantly attracted to her. But Matt’s eyes have been injured and he cannot see her.

There is an instant spark between them that neither can deny. They pair share a secret rendezvous after Matt is released from hospital but with Janes face covered with a veil and the night sky upon them, Mathew still cannot see Janes face.

I can’t say to much more without spoilers so Ill just say that once Mathew finds out Janes identity and vice versa – things hit the fan. The characters go from passionate to hate and back again.

The sex scenes were written perfectly. You could almost see their love dripping from the pages. The pair are so in awe of each other that I almost couldn’t bring myself to keep turning the pages because I knew, I just knew that the impending doom would catch up to me soon. And it did and it was heart breaking.

This book had one of the most peculiar endings I have read in a HR. And while it might not be some people’s cup of tea, I thought the ending was fitting to their turbulent romance.

[Cyn Mistress Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking forward to this book for months and I wasn't disappointed.
What amazing characters. When Wallingford is in residence, he is mean, vane, cynical and hurtful. At those times in the book, I would actually gasp at the things he said and did and want to slap him and tell him, What's the matter with you? But when Matthew is in residence, he is so caring, loving and sensitive. At those times I would just melt and want to hold him. After reading about all the things he has gone through in his life, I just cried buckets and was amazed that such a damaged soul could survive.
Jane on the other hand was clearly my favorite heroine ever. She is like the person you would want in your life on a regular basis. She is strong, kind, nurturing and loyal. She knows what she is and is comfortable with it and she doesn't take crap from Wallingford. She accepts him for what he is and encourages the Matthew to come out and this is exactly what he needs.
Both of these people are damaged. They have gone through so much but they are survivors and together they are unbreakable.
The epilogue on Charlotte's website was perfect, not to be missed and just the closure I needed.
This book is a must read and a keeper.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible moving story. I only wish that it didn't have to end.

There is nothing remotely cliché about Matthew or his actions throughout his journey in this book. He is often times cruel and more times than not heartless, as he so often refers to himself. In reality he has been so damaged by his past that instead of making peace and moving on, he lets him define who he becomes as an adult.

Jane is a tortured and damaged soul also, but instead of wallowing in self pity she moves on from her past and in the end is the one person strong enough to heal Matthews's fractured soul.

I liked Addicted, my first book by Charlotte Featherstone. However, I LOVED this book!!! Charlotte is a genius in my opinion. She does not spew the drivel that is so much apart of "bodice ripping" historicals. She tells an amazing tale that is as much contemporary as historical. We have all known a Matthew and a Jane at some point.

I for one am so glad that I found this author. Charlotte is on my auto buy list!

[~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was some straight up Bull Sh*t!


1st of all I need to make it known that I am not big on historical romance/Erotica. But there have been a few times, very few times, that I have been pleasantly surprised with this genre. So since this book was on my Kindle already, I decided to finally read it.

The 1st 6 chapters I was like "This is gonna be awesome!"
It had the right set up, the right Hero and enough intrigue surrounding him I couldn't wait to find out what closed him off from emotions? What has tortured his soul? What has made him this cold callous man-slut?

Then enters his salvation, Jane who has come to be his caretaker in the hospital after an incident. Immediately he is drawn to her & she him. They connect it seems on a deep primal level. So you get the picture, their coupling can't be helped.... Until stuff gets real and he shows his true colors. (Insert Contrived mess)

After this occurs everything starts to go downhill from there.
I can't count how many times I was looking like this reading this book...


While the book had promise before it was all shot to hell & the sex scenes were definitely on point and white hot, sometimes the dialogue between the H/h was stilted. Choppy I guess. Just didn't flow well.
And there were just too many times when their inner monologue was just too wordy. I was always thinkin "Get on with it already"

But that's not even what killed this book. The one major conflict that could make or break this couple/book (which it did) was what occurred after the major reveal of why what occurred, had to happen.

Why would you go through all those motions & heartache just to turn around and do what he was begging you to do in the 1st damn place? So no real growth happened. No change on his part happened to make you change your mind. So again what was the point of the mess? You should have just given in from the get go. This book was a mess.

And his sexual "issues" were a joke. You're fine with all kinds of sexual depravity with all kinds of women but one sexual act seems to break you mentally and causes you to go bat sh*t bonkers?
Just...



I mean & the ending left me like this...



So... No, I would not recommend this read. Save your money & borrow this one if you still must read it.

[Caroline The HEA Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This review was originally posted on Book Lovers Inc)
I read Addicted a few weeks ago (here is my review) and I couldn't pass the chance to read Sinful, which is Lord Wallingford’s book. I received this ARC for review from NetGalley.
I should wait for the tears to dry before attempting to write this review, but I can’t. I need to share with you why this book moved me so much. I am torn, because just like Addicted it left me crying and I hate to cry but Sinful is wonderful, it’s heart-wrenching, it’s beautiful…It’s damn near perfect in my opinion.
Let me start at the beginning. I can’t say too much for fear of revealing spoilers but I'll try to convey the feeling I had while reading this book. Lord Wallingford, Matthew is a very wicked man(translation: HOT HOT HOT), we met him in Addicted and I was eager to read more about him. Matthew hates women, he use them for sex and only for sex. He’s never allowed himself to see women for anything else. When he is badly injured and transported to an hospital a nurse takes care of him...Jane, he is attracted by her voice, the softness of her skin. The thing is that his eyes have been injured and he can’t see her while she’s taking care of him and Jane doesn’t know who this man is. There’s a spark between them, chemistry, but when they decide to meet again Matthew has recovered his sight… *puts hand in mouth* (See, that’s how I avoid telling spoilers lol)
When they are thrown together as Maid of honor and Best man at their friends’ wedding (The characters from Addicted) they have to bear each other's company, even when they despise each others so openly. Matthew does no recognize the sweet Jane he met at the hospital and Jane cannot believe this rake, this heartless man can be the man she felt so attracted to when she nursed him. I loved how the characters would go from passionate attraction to hate within a few pages. The characters are flawed, they are proud and prejudiced and they are both scarred- the ghost of their past is still haunting them. It was very hard to close this book. I knew (because of course I can’t stop myself) before reading this book that it would leave me with a bittersweet taste, but I tell you… it’s worth it.
Matthew is an artist, he loves to paint and I thought that the sex scenes in this book looked like Art. Wonderful, beautiful sex scenes, just like a work of Art. Also in this book we meet again Matthew’s sister, Sarah that we glimpsed in Addicted, his love for her is amazing, he do his best to protect the poor child, we learned in Addicted that she is ‘slow’, she might look like a young lady but she stuck as a child in her head.


I know you’re thinking that after all this praise there must be a catch…well there is something that did make me cry (and I resent crying!). Just as with Addicted, this book deals with dark matters. I had a pain in my chest for the last 100 pages. My heart was breaking. I could hear it tearing. This is the only problem I have with this book…the ending is too realistic! (well I’m not the HEA Lover for no reason!) You have some kind of HEA at the end of the book but you can’t forget that all is not well. I was angry (Which prove how passionate I became about this book!!)when I got to the end and realize I would have to wait until May to read the ‘epilogue’ online. I NEED m epilogue IN the book, not on a website, to make it real. I can try all I want my brain will know it’s not in the book! It feels like the author is trying to make it up to us by giving us the awaited epilogue (a real HEA I’m hoping) as an afterthought. Of course this is MY opinion, I know a lot of readers that will be happy about the ‘realistic’ HEA we get in the book. That being said, I still LOVED this book, even taking into account the Heart-wrenching-too-realistic-ending so that’s saying a lot about how amazing I found Sinful.
Sinful is getting 5 bookies because it’s beautifully written, because it broke my heart and made me cry but still made me love the story, because I am awaiting the ‘epilogue’ with all my heart…just like Addicted I know I’ll have a hard time getting over it, it will be haunting me for a while. I can’t recommend this book enough, It’s a wonderful book, don’t let the ‘not so HEA’ part scare you away, It really IS worth the tears. I cannot wait to read more books from this author.

EDIT: I read the epilogue and I'm truly satisfied. Thank you Ms Featherstone for giving us the closure we needed (well I needed it!). It was perfect. I LOVED it.

[HTL · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I almost gave it 2 stars, but upon reflection I realized that I just didn't like this book.
Let me explain the book in short bursts.

----

Jane: Oh me! I'm a plain ol' spinster. I tell people that I don't care what others think, but I secretly want someone to tell me I'm beautiful.

Matthew: Oh man, I hate everyone and everything. I can't be saved. I'm a horrible person so I don't try anymore. All I wanna do is fuck people.

-----

Matthew: Hm, I can't see my nurse, but her voice soothes me. Oh, snaps! BOOBIES! Imma touch em. Even though I'm bandaged and raging with fever. Kissy, Kissy.

Jane: Hm, my patient is unconscious and sick, but imma sneak a peek at his wiener and touch it. Ooops! I shouldn't have done that. What? You're awake? Sure, fondle my boobies. No big deal.

----

Jane: Today I'm going to meet Matthew for realz! Squee! I'm so excited. I can't wait to do things to his body.

Matthew: Ugh, who is this fugly girl? Where is my lovely Jane?

---

Jane: I hate Matthew. He's a douchebag. But I wanna jump his bones. Hm, he must be a good person on the inside!

Matthew: Jane's kinda fugly. Why can't I stop thinking about her? I'm a cruel bastard and I'll only ruin her. Guess I'll keep tormenting her until she acquiesces.

---

Matthew: Gettin' hot and bothered! You want it! YEAH! You don't? Are you sure? I can tell you do. You can't stop me. I could totally force you. Dang, I'm a horrible person.

Jane: Hm, Matthew doesn't like when I touch him and he doesn't wanna talk about it. I'm going to force an issue clearly related to past abuse and tie you up even though you keep telling me to stop and untie you. But clearly I'm just going to keep doing things you don't want me to do because I think it's helpful! Go me!

----

Matthew's Dad: Marry this girl now. She'll give me monies. Bone her and make an heir. kthnxbai.

Matthew: I don't wanna!

*shameful secret*

Matthew: Jane, I hafta marry this cow because my dad is blackmailing me. Wanna me my side-whore? I love you btw.

Jane: No, I don't wanna be a whore. I want legitimacy. That's really important to me.

Matthew: Shit.

----

Jane: Matthew, I decided that what I want in life is no longer important. Even though you married someone else and she had your child, I decided that I'm perfectly okay being your mistress. My wants and need no longer matter. I will live with you out of wedlock, be ostracized by society, have your bastard children and even raise your legitimate heir.

Matthew: Score!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

"I know the man you were," she whispered as she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. "I've glimpsed him since. Where is he, Matthew?"

"He's broken," he rasped as he ran his lips down her cheek to her jaw. "He's fucking ruined, Jane, and he'll destroy you."

-----

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will. But I can't let you go." He pressed his eyes shut and fisted the hem of her chemise in his hands. "God," he growled, fighting the memories, the fierce wave of emotions that crashed over him, "I watched you with him today. He touched you. Your knee. He looked at you, Jane."

"It didn't mean any--"

"Mine," he snapped. He traced the uneven skin of her lip then pressed the tip of his tongue to it, making small circles over the scar. "All mine. Even though you'll hurt at my hands, you're mine."

Sinful was haunting, intense and gorgeous. It had everything I like in HR - hot and brooding hero, intelligent heroine, an original, exciting storyline and erotic sex scenes.

I felt the story did flounder slightly in the middle - it was almost like the H/h showed their cards and left the story with a feeling like, "now what?". It didn't detract from my enjoyment but a bit more direction would have benefited that part of the story.

I read this before the first in the series, Addicted, and while I didn't feel like I had missed out on much, I would still very much like to read Anais and Raeburn's story.

I've been reading so much so fast lately but this story will definitely stay with me.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowee, I really enjoyed that. Matthew a Duke with a sordid past and sinful ways, but with a heart of gold when he meets his true love, Jane. This book had me totally absorbed, that I couldn't put it down. I also felt teary in parts for what he had to endure growing up. All in all a great read.

[MBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars - Historical Romance

First of all, let me just take a few minutes of my reviewing time to just gaze at this wonderful cover and salivate over it to my heart’s content. This has got to be one of the most beautiful covers on a romance novel and yes of course it helps that Matthew is displayed in all his glory on the cover.

Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone is a book that seems to have got its fair share of mixed reviews from readers. Most have loved the book until the ending which left them totally stunned in disbelief because its rare for a romance novel to end as this one did, though I have come across one other book with an ending such as this one when I read A Stranger's Wife. I believe I belong in the latter group of those who actually LOVED the story as it was, maybe because I was prepared for the story’s ending to be a shocker which didn’t really shock me that much in the end. And it might also have something to do with the fact that I have had prior experience with this type of ending and whilst it may not be the ideal conclusion for a romance, it is certainly different which has its own charm as well.

Sinful stars one of the most cynical and jaded heroes I have come across in my reading life. The Earl of Wallingford, Matthew is cynical to the max and has no qualms about admitting to himself that he is an unconscionable rake with insatiable appetites who finds the facade of Victorian morality a mockery. Having had seen very little goodness in his life, Matthew is as tortured a hero as they come. A father who had never liked what Matthew had been even as a boy with a mother who had finally grown tired of her husband’s continued criticism because of her son, Matthew had watched his mother leave a forlorn and lonely boy behind to go with her lover only to a die a horrible death by accident. Stunningly masculine with a face that is exceedingly handsome which holds a beauty that’s dark and sensual, Matthew is an artist, a fact that his father continually mocks. Matthew expects every woman he comes across to have a price for being with him whether it be an emotional or physical one and is used to being the one who can always shock polite society with his untoward behavior. But beneath all this lies a soul so very tortured by what he went through since he turned 15 years old; the experience leaving him unable to bear anyone’s touch on himself even though depravity is Matthew’s middle name.

Enter the 27 year old spinsterish Jane Rankin with her curly red hair sporting spectacles that hides her deep green eyes and a top lip that had been scarred by the back of a man’s hand. A woman of suspect birth with an aristocrat for a father to whom Jane’s mother Lucy has been mistress to, at the age of 7, Jane’s father had kicked his mistress and illegitimate child out leaving them destitute and homeless. Jane at that tender age had resolved that she would never become any man’s mistress nor would she allow a man to dictate her life. And its a resolution that Jane has stuck by even when the going had got tough. Salvation had come in the form of Lady Blackwood who had saved her from the streets and given her a life. A lady’s companion by day and a nurse at the London College Hospital by night, Jane is firmly rooted in her resolve to remain independent though at odd times she yearns for a man’s touch and wants what true love could bring to her life.

These two souls that hide behind facades of their own making shaped up by their experiences when growing up meet by chance when Matthew is brought in as a patient to the hospital where Jane works. From the moment Matthew feels Jane’s fleeting touches and hears her angelic voice, its as if salvation has come calling for him to take him back to the shores of life. Though Matthew is unable to see his Jane’s face during his hospital stay, the white hot attraction that flares up between them is an all consuming one which left me totally breathless at times. Jane who has never had an untoward thought about any patient of hers finds herself yearning to touch the perfection that Matthew’s body is. Not knowing who he is apart from the fact that he could be royalty, a bond is forged between these two that each wants to fight but can’t help but give in to.

As Jane and Matthew’s relationship starts off on shaky grounds, so emerges a tale immersed in darkness with a few surprising twists towards the end. Matthew and Jane’s happily ever after certainly is not one served on a silver platter as Matthew’s dreaded father and stepmother contrive to keep these two apart and Jane with her avowal of becoming a respected member of the society certainly doesn’t give up the values that she has held close to her up until now. All this makes for a really good romance to sink into and the scorching passion between Matthew and Jane is so skillfully done that you can’t help but want more of where that came from.

I liked:

1- THE COVER!! I just freaking love it! Kudos to the artist. Its such a beautiful cover art for a story that is beautiful and unique which the cover portrays so very well.

2- Matthew Wallingford. Fans of tortured heroes are going to love him and I absolutely fell for him right from the very first chapter itself. At first when Matthew and Jane meets, I thought that all the hype about Matthew being a bad-ass was just all talk as Matthew seemed to swoon into this puddle of goo whenever Jane was around. But 28% into the story, I said hello to the Matthew I was looking for. The cynical and jaded Matthew who lashes out at the only woman who has been able to see through his facade into the loneliness carved and etched onto his soul; the only woman whose touch he craves more than life itself. The way he aches for Jane and her touch which seems to purify his soul and begins chipping away at the ice that shrouds his heart and his smoldering sensuality with his swoon-in-front-of-him good looks certainly makes Matthew one of the most delectable and unforgettable heroes ever.

3- Jane Rankin. She starts out sounding prim, proper and spinsterish as well as plain. But around Matthew, Jane transforms into the sensual woman she is supposed to be, a woman who yearns to possess and be possessed by the man she loves. Under Matthew’s smoldering gaze, Jane transforms into a woman of immense beauty, her character and strength lending her a beauty that glows right from the depth of her soul which makes her one of the most endearing heroines ever. I loved Jane for standing by her values, never letting them go until she had taken the time to decide what was right for her. And I loved Matthew for letting Jane go, so that she could come back on her own terms which made this book a winner for me.

4- The sizzling sensuality of this story. It has the quality to leave the reader breathless, made me yearn for more and much more as the story moved along. I believe its a testament to Ms. Featherstone’s writing style that I loved each and every encounter that took place between Matthew and Jane.

5- The epilogue which is available separately from the story. Though I didn’t find the ending available in the story itself lacking, the epilogue is a beautiful piece of work that is a fitting ending for a romance that holds readers enthralled all throughout the story. Loved knowing how things turned out for Matthew and Jane in the end.

6- The reason I didn’t find the ending lacking in the story itself is because Ms. Featherstone certainly didn’t end up providing instant-formula solutions to the very huge obstacles that seemed to stand in the way of Jane and Matthew getting together. So in a way this story is more meaningful because of that and I think I loved this story just a little more just because of that!

I disliked: Can’t think of anything I would change within this story. Loved every single morsel of the story.

Full review: http://bit.ly/gdMvtd

Re-Read in 2023
Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone is one of those books that will forever stay in my heart. Matthew Wallingford is the kind of hero that many authors start out to write (the dark hearted, the broody, the ruthless), and fail to conjure up most of the time - not because they are bad writers, but it takes a special kind of author to craft these types of heroes - those who skirt the edge of acceptable and at times blur those lines, and yet you find yourself helplessly drawn to them.

Such is Sinful and the man that is Matthew in every sense. Jane Rankin is the woman who changes all of that - not because Matthew decides to do a 180 degree on his character as soon as he lays eyes on Jane, no! But because through every painful and at time angst-ridden pages that takes us through their journey, he cannot fathom his life without the woman that is Jane.

The two epilogues that were published separately from the book goes a long way towards making up for the lack of one in the original publication, which the author explained that she had to do away with because of publisher limitations.

There is no other historical romance that comes close to the uniqueness that is Sinful, and that is the one reason why I would always cherish this book, a book that has earned a permanent position on my favorite, re-reads shelf, for life!

[Anna (Bobs Her Hair) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This book had a good start then fell flat for this reader. The dramatic last third of the story saved it from tedium. The conflict felt authentic and the obstacles realistic. Then, the author unexpectedly delivers an unconventional ending. Kudos!

The Story
Sinful contains a dark tortured hero and a plain Jane. (Ironically, the heroine’s name is Jane.) Matthew, Earl of Willington, is a libertine. He believes women are good for one thing ”fucking” and every woman has a price. After being brutally beaten, he is taken to a hospital and is cared for by Jane, a nurse. Jane’s voice soothes him and makes him feel safe from his nightmares. Matthew’s eyes are swollen and he never sees Jane’s face, but she has a voice he will always remember (but not really).

Jane Rankin craves respectability. Born of a prostitute and aristocrat she maintains her virtue. She has vowed never to be a mistress or to let a man rule her life. Jane is a ladies companion to Lady Blackwood (Addicted heroine’s aunt) whom she feels indebted after being saved from life in the gutters. Initially, Jane works as a nurse to work off a debt to a doctor. Now Jane hopes to prove, by example, that nursing is an honorable profession for women. (Nurses were usually “worn-out” women, i.e. former prostitutes.)

When a beaten and bloody Matthew arrives at her hospital she finds his body beautiful. As he deliriously fights the binds and restraining hands that hold him down for his stitches and care, it is Jane’s voice that eases his fear. They chance upon a mutual sexual attraction.

My Thoughts
I adore the dark tortured hero. Matthew is deliciously dark with a very lurid secret. Initially his reaction to Jane makes sense. It’s his transformation that was hard for me to swallow. Almost immediately, Jane and Matthew discuss their feelings (in a very self-aware way that drives me crazy in historical romances), reveal their pasts, set aside their deep-rooted personal codes, and fall in love. I also couldn’t understand what Jane saw in Matthew to make her give her heart so easily. Beautiful Matthew has a vulnerable core, but what did she see. Whatever it was I missed it– he certainly wasn’t kind to her. I couldn’t connect with their characters at this point. I had to set the book aside for a while.

The best part of Sinful is the way Featherstone creates their conflict and obstacles. It’s heartbreaking, even though I respected Jane’s decisions. I tried to guess which plot devices would be employed without any luck. Instead Featherstone plays out their dilemma in a genuine manner. How rare! Loved it!

This is a book many of my Goodread friends loved. It wasn’t a true fit for me, but the ending is so beautiful. Thanks, Mimi! Now, I’m going to read the unpublished epilogue to this book.

[Fani *loves angst* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like Featherstone's writing style; I loved it! It was emotional, melancholy, lyrical, heartwrenching and poignant. I also liked the characters in this one much better than in her first novel. However, this was in truth more like 3 stars than 4 stars for me. Why?

My bad mood during this weekend is probably reason enough for me to not appreciate this as much as it deserved (that's why I rated it with 4 rather than 3 stars which was what I felt like when I finished it). But, there was something else bothering me while reading this. It came to my mind that this book was like a beautiful sonata written with the explicit purpose of emotionally moving the audience and executed flawlessly by a talented performer; only while technically the execution was perfect, artistically there was something missing. There was just too much planning behind it, that in the end the emotion seemed forced and premeditated.

Also, IMHO, the author was so enthralled with her own writing, that she included many scenes which, while beautiful, were more or less a repetition of each other and didn't add anything to the plot. Thus the story lagged after the middle and the pace became too slow.

Did I enjoy reading it? Would I recommend it? Of course! Such good writing is not to be missed by romance fans and certainly the book is much much better than your average romance. But, again IMHO, the author needs to work a little more on her plot because sometimes it changes pace mid-stride, causing uncomfortable bumps.

PS: Depression level is high on this one. This is not a book to read when you're feeling down:)

Updated: Changed my rating to 3 stars. The more I think about it, the more things I find to dislike.

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE 10/06/2019 FULL REVIEW

Charlotte Featherstone is among a group of romance authors I have been itching to read after coming across so many rave reviews of her works on GoodReads. I have finally read something by Featherstone and that something is Sinful, and now I can see for myself why Featherstone has such a loyal and much-deserved following.

There really is nothing like a snobbish hero and a fiery “ugly” duckling pairing, and Featherstone does this pairing justice in Sinful. By the way, ugly in this story means red hair and glasses that need cleaning. Sinful is so entertaining - so much heat. I love my stories with spice and you get it between the two leads, whether they love each other or hate each other. And to be honest, I kind of wish Featherstone extended out the hate part:

“There is no need for charm, my lord. I am not interested in your bed.”
“Good, because you aren’t going to see it, nor are you getting into it.”

Me:



Also me:



If you haven't figured it out, I was highly entertained :)

Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, falls for Jane Rankin, a lowly nurse, when he is under her care. Due to injuries that keep him blindfolded, Matthew falls for her without ever seeing who she is, attracted to her voice and the sense of her. And Jane, a bit of bluestocking, lets down her guard and gives in to the passion that he inspires in her. It is when Matthew is healed and searching for Jane that their romance hits a snag. Matthew doesn’t realize who she is, and acts abominably. Jane realizes what a dummy she is for falling for Matthew, a renowned rake, and pretends she isn’t Jane but somebody else.

Matthew despises the Victorian stereotype of his times - the hypocritical moralist that talks a big talk about virtues when the sun’s out, but slinks off to gamble and whore in the dark. This, along with a childhood secret, leads him to conducting all of his affairs for the world to see. Meanwhile, Jane is the illegitimate offspring of a gentle-born father and common-born mother. She craves respectability, and is proud of her independence and the financial stability that comes with it. They both have to overcome their personal traumas and hang-ups to be together.

I really enjoyed Sinful. There is a bit of lull when Matthew and Jane decide to get to know one another in the cottage, to share their truths to each other, and the ending is not perfect. The ending is rushed, and unearned. I am not convinced Jane is truly empowered when she makes her decision, even if she was going to be eventually married to Matthew, as he hastily reassures her in the end I like my happy endings OTP so the fact that this was grounded in reality did not, personally, satisfy me as a reader.

For those that have read the story, this is why the ending didn’t sit well with me:

Jane comes to the realization that seeking outside validation i.e. respectable status in society as a married woman, is stupid and that she needs to find her sense of self-worth from within. Her self-respect gives her the confidence to be with the man she loves, even if she is, in the eyes of society, a mistress.

Because the chapter preceding this change of heart is Jane emphatically stating she wants marriage, this feels abrupt. I would have liked to read Jane’s soul searching about what it would mean for her to live outside of respectable society.

It’s easier for men like Matthew to misbehave. It’s easier for him to opt out of society and still be accepted. For Jane, this would not have been so easy. She would have burnt bridges. People would have cut her. That would hurt.

It is too simplistic and naive for Jane to throw caution to the wind. The feminist rally cry for female independence is almost used against Jane to get her to go back to her man: If you were truly independent, you would realize you don't need society to respect you. It is okay to live your life with the man you love, even if it means you are a mistress.

This is never explicitly delved into detail, and I think that Jane should have had an honest moment with herself about what it would mean to her to be a mistress. Because she doesn't get that, it feels as though she simply caved in the end. She did not have her aha moment, that moment of clarity where she realizes being respectable doesn’t mean what she thought it would mean. It means so much to her and all of a sudden she shrugs her shoulders?

No. Don't play me like that. If you are going to make the heroine hung up about something, then you need to devote time to get her unstuck on this. Give her the time to heal and to come to terms.

Also, I definitely think Featherstone could have pulled a deus ex machina to make it so that Matthew got rights over his daughter and that this all could have been avoided. Just saying.

But all in all, LOVED Sinful. I need more Featherstone!

9/29/2019:

Full review to come. But basically... it is sinful how obsessed I am with this!

[Mandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why I read: I have been wanting to read Charlotte Featherstone for some time now and this was offered through NetGalley.


Favorite Quote: Yet somehow he knew she was different from all the others. Somehow he knew she was forbidden. Forbidden to be tainted by someone as debauched and amoral as himself. But damn him, he could not resist this temptation – this woman who made him yearn.

Matthew, Earl of Wallingford is a very talented artist – but his art is of the disrespectful kind, usually including naked women. Matthew has a painting up for auction and he desperately hopes the bidding goes high so he can open his own art gallery. You see, although he is an Earl, his living expenses are not plenty due to a very poor relationship with his father. Matthew cares for no one – not even himself. He is a very broken man, having endured sexual abuse while growing up, he sees sex as just an act. Women are just an object to achieve release. Period. As he says, he has had very little good in his life.

It is during this auction that he is robbed and suffers a very bad head trauma. He ends up at London College Hospital where Jane Rankin works as a nurse on the night shift. Matthew’s eyes are swollen and bandaged so he can’t see Jane, but she instantly calms him. As panic overcomes him being bound to the hospital bed, her soothing voice makes it bearable for him. She becomes the only person allowed to touch him. Jane has not had a happy childhood either, homeless as just a child, she was taken up by Lady Blackwood and has become her companion. She finds solace in the nursing profession and now as an adult doesn’t have a lot of shame for being a working woman.

Jane takes in the attractive, yet violent Matthew and is overwhelmed. She has seen plenty of naked patients, but there is something different about Matthew, something that draws her to him.

After Matthew is released, he can’t get Jane out of his mind. He sends word to her to meet him and as she walks up to him, he doesn’t recognize her. He takes her for a mere servant and brutally ignores her. Jane flees, and by coincidence meets up with him at a wedding for mutual friends. The truth comes out to her true identity. Jane and Matthew have much healing to do, and they go on a very difficult journey.

Oh Sinful , where do I begin? This book leaves me a bit baffled as to if I really liked this book. First of all, this book is dark. I mean DARK. Matthew is such a broken, tortured soul – and that is usually  one of my favorite character traits. I also love when the hero remains broken throughout the book. When the hero is dark and takes one look at the heroine and is ready to blow bubbles and spin pinwheels it makes me want to gag. That is definitely not the case in this book, but darn by the end if I didn’t want to have some rainbows and sunshine. One of the things I liked about this book is nothing is sugarcoated. Matthew grew up with a crappy life and has a foul father, and even at the end of this book, yes there is resolution with Jane, this is a romance book, but it has a dark twist. And I enjoyed that – it felt real. I kept reading the conflict at the end thinking how in the world is the hero is going to resolve it – and then the end comes and I hadn’t even considered that option! They also have a confrontation about the time when he ignores her, that again came across as real and raw. All problems are eventually brought out into the open.

Now, onto what doesn’t work. For one, the sex scenes felt overly dramatic. They were so intense, so overly descriptive, just way, way over the top.

“I want to make you weep with pleasure, Jane.” He slid up the length of her luscious body. “I want to take your tears away on my lips and keep them with me forever”

or

“Help me to find my way back to heaven, Jane. But I want to go there while I am inside you.”

The sad thing is, this is where Matthew’s healing takes place. And instead of being absorbed into the emotional pull of his “therapy” I found myself rolling my eyes and wishing the scenes were over. And for the majority of the book, it felt like one big therapy session.

I also don’t know if I truly bought into Jane’s attraction to Matthew. She sees him as two people – Matthew, the more gentlemanly person who she sees while injured in the hospital, or she sees him care for his sister. But she also sees Earl of Wallingford, the crude, violent, dismissive Matthew who treats her like dirt. She knows he has had trauma, but she forgives him – for a lot. I had a hard time with her continually going back to him and falling under his spell.

Many have asked me how this book compares to Addicted. Unfortunately I have not read that book, this being the first I have read of Charlotte Featherstone. So I can not tell you. I will say, Sinful is definitely a book I will not forget for a long time, but this one had too many things that didn’t work for me.


Rating: 2.5/5

[Rach~The Highlander luverrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you begin to explain the power of emotion this book spills through you
How do I write in words the agony and pain my heart has endured whilst reading this amazing book

The truth is I cant… I simply can not provide it in words

And so I will tell you as I write this review with the best of my ability what it is and how it is to feel completely attached to a book character so much that a HEA ending is just not enough to bring you out of your heartache…

After reading this book … I felt down .. I was so caught up in it I allowed myself and emotions to hurt .. I try not to do that when I read I try to remain distant and remember that this is after all only a fictional story, however there are very few exceptionally talented authors like Charlotte who are able to bring their characters to life with in you .. and I should have known after reading addicted that there would be no way to separate or conceal my real life emotions when i got to reading sinful.

I had brief encounters with Lord Wallingford in Addicted and then read about him on Charlottes blogs and interviews the more I got to no about him as a character the more he captivated and intrigued me..

***********SPOLIERS ***************

Charlotte introduces this character as a sinful delicious notorious rake there is no hiding his sexual desired and use of women explicitly in the boudoir .

And let me just add here that some of the erotic scenes in this book are scortchinggggg HOT!!!... make a note people "carriage scene" yes
HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!!!!!!!!

Wallingford is damaged good he has a haunting past one that follows him like a black fog.. Charlotte is simply amazing in its disguise .. you will never guess the secret to Wallingford past. but when you do you will “GASP” yes.. GASP

You will be in disbelief .. the pain that such a history can cause a man.. the freedom it denies him, the chains it keeps him tied in…
And then we meet Jane.. plain in here appearance she is a strong character she what we need to release Wallingford from his past.. and that she does

There journey was more painful than happy for me I felt like although his book was nothing short of amazing I needed more in the HEA .. I needed more joy after my heart had been ripped out of my body and torn into a million pieces .. this book is "DARK" very dark

And then I read the “epilogue” which is not part of the book it is an exert on charlottes website .. and IT COMPLETED ME .. it completed me in a way that gave me closure the closure I needed to enjoy there HEA and what a bloody beautiful love story this book was ..

Charlotte I have admired you from day one … your books are such an experience for its readers they are truly amazing and you never fail to impress me
“THANKYOU” for yet again another book that I will never forget.

[Mimi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I was going back-and-forth on the rating, so I just decided it'll be 4.5 stars.

I liked the premise of the book, liked both Matthew and Jane. I'm not sure what, exactly, I think about the writing style. It's...different.
Statements like this appear often...

“I am a creature of darkness, whose element is night and shadows. I belong in the dark with the other sinful creatures.”

It sounds...a bit off and melodramatic. Yet in the context of the book, it fits perfectly.

Seeing the other side of Victorian England was interesting.

"With a jaded outlook and a black heart, Matthew, Earl of Wallingford, knew exactly what human nature consisted of. Temptation and physical pleasure. At least he had it in him to acknowledge the flaw. Unlike so many of his peers, he did not pretend to be otherwise. He was an unconscionable wastrel without thought or feeling. A rake with insatiable appetites. A disreputable heartbreaker, women said with disgust as he strolled by. Yet it was these same women who entertained him in their husbands’ homes, with anything but disgust.
Ah, the facade of Victorian morality. What a jest."

Really, this is the story of two broken people finding love and healing. There are misunderstandings along the way. They often hurt each other, but they make it. I loved this poem...

“If thou must love me, let it be naught except for love’s sake only. Do not say ‘I love her smile—her look—her way of speaking gently.’ For these things in themselves, Beloved, may be changed or change for thee—and love, so wrought, may be unwrought. But love me for love’s sake, that evermore thou mayst love on, through love’s eternity.”

I had a bit of a problem with the ending as well. It didn't feel like a complete HEA to me. Still I accepted it, and after I heard there's an Epilogue, I'm ok with it, I guess.

I wanted this to be my first Charlotte Featherstone book and I really enjoyed it. I might even try Addicted, because of the snippets of Anais and Lindsay in this book.

[I ♥ Bookie Nookie (bookienookiereviews.blogspot.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say that Matthew, Earl of Wallingford is a rakish, skirt-chasing scoundrel is the understatement of the century.

After chasing the wrong skirt -- seeking a celebratory shag, a most unfortunate incident lands him in the hospital for a prolonged period. During his stay, he falls for Jane, the...well, plain Jane nurse from the wrong side of town who care for and nurses him back to health. Once his health returns, the royal ass returns as well. Honestly, I really despised the handsome but snobby Earl--to say his disposition was prickly would be putting it mildly--at every opportunity, it seemed his mouth spewed venom.

It wasn't until the 2nd half of the book that I embraced the Jekyll and Hyde persona that was Matthew and Earl of Wallingford. Of-course, there is a reason for the way he is...several actually. There was some reference to one early on in the book...I think knowing something terrible happened to him is what saved me from going crazy!

At the end of the book, I felt that Jane settled for less than she deserved. I would encourage everyone who reads this book to read the free epilogue on Featherstone's website. Upon reading the epilogue, I felt the closure I needed and much better about the path Jane chose for her life.

✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews

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[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say that the epilogue saved this book for me. Had I not ventured off and read the epilogue on her site, I would have had mixed emotions. I can absolutely say that CF's writing was different than what I had expected. The beginning moved quite slowly but once I got into the story, I could barely put the book down. The deep issues that Matthew displayed throughout the book was somewhat dark. He was the tortured hero that made you want to get deeper inside his head. I liked Jane's character very much. I liked that he saw her when he couldn't see her (once you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about). The connection was intense and I was rooting for the couple all the way to the end. Speaking of the end, I was slightly disappointed that the end went down the way that it did. I don't like stories that end like this but even still I kind of understood that it had to go down that way. This was definitely not the typical ending but like I first mention, the epilogue was sweet.