Charlotte, the widowed Baroness Mardenford, and Nathaniel Knightridge, renowned London barrister, can't stand each other. Whenever they're in each other's company, they can't resist getting on each other's nerves. All that begins to change when Charlotte shows up at Nathaniel's house to cheer him up. One of his clients, found guilty for whatever crime he committed, was hung that day and Nathaniel was content to get himself drunk to try and forget his failure...until Charlotte shows up. What follows after their usual argument is a sudden heated passionate encounter that catches them off guard.

Regardless of his sexual attraction to Charlotte, Nathaniel can't forget the mysterious woman he met at a masquerade ball a month ago. Every time he's with Charlotte, much to his chagrin, his mind drifts to that woman. As he tries to unveil this mystery, Nathaniel is saddled with prosecuting a man who is tried for extortion. The man tells Nathaniel an interesting story of a young lad whose father is a nobleman. At first, Nathaniel doesn't believe him, until the man ends up dead. Nathaniel decides to investigate the man's claims and runs into the boy in question. His first glimpse of the little boy rocks him back on his heels. Nathaniel immediately realizes that if he were to investigate further, the truth could ruin Charlotte and possibly any chances they have of having a relationship.

I think Lady of Sin was far better than Lord of Sin. The attraction between Nathaniel and Charlotte was far more convincing, moving immediately from their mutual dislike of each other to passionate sexual attraction. The story is further enriched with a believable and enticing mystery involving Charlotte's brother-in-law and what he was trying to cover up. I enjoyed reading this story. It's not my favorite Madeline Hunter book but it's passable.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

In one night of impulse, Charlotte Mardenford's entire world changes.

As a prim and proper young widow, everyone expects Charlotte to always do what is right. One night she decides to find out what it would be like to give in to her urges and attending a rather sexual party in disguise, finds herself giving everything to fellow party-goer, her least favorite person, Nathaniel Knightridge. It's no surprise that when they meet again later on, he has no clue as to who was that masked woman.

Charlotte is on a mission. She is fighting for women's rights and having solicitor Nathaniel on her side could do wonders for her campaign. If only she can keep her secret about their night of passion. Little did she expect that though he didn't know who she was, he has designs on her.

As they venture across the country gaining support for Charlotte's cause, they encounter a young boy who looks surprisingly like the relatives of her late husband. Now they have an additional duty to undertake... finding out the connections of this boy to her family. But Nathaniel and Charlotte find they are having greater difficulty resisting each other's allure. How can they give their relationship room to grow that won't scandalize English society and threaten the family Charlotte dearly loves?

With Lady of Sin by Madeline Hunter, we are carried back in time to a day and age where what was proper was the most important thing many people worried about. Charlotte is the epitome of what women are expected to be so getting inside her head and discovering what she really thinks and feels was fascinating to encounter. Her passion for Nathaniel is very real, as much as she tries to deny it to herself.

Nathaniel is a zealous man, who finds what he wants and will pursue it until he gains it. Presently, what he wants, or rather who he wants, is Charlotte and he is determined to succeed. Yet as he pursues her, he discovers much about himself and Charlotte that surprises him.

The secondary plot line of the mystery child adds depth to the story. It takes Charlotte and Nathaniel on additional journeys as they travel across England trying to get to the bottom of who the boy is and how he ended up on the street as a part of a gang of child thieves. It also adds tension between Charlotte and Nathaniel because they are in disagreement over what to do. The resolution of this mystery is not a total surprise but readers will still be thrown a bit to discover the truth.

As with any book by Madeline Hunter, readers are in for a beautifully told and lyrical romance with Lady of Sin. Though this probably isn't her best book, it is still remarkably well done and guaranteed to keep you reading through to the end.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2006. All rights reserved.

I was ready to abandon this book after the first few chapters because the lack of story bored me. Things got interesting when the mystery of the orphan boy began. Ultimately it was too litle, too late. Too many references throughout to characters from previous books, none of which I read, only confused me. Most of the book concerns the characters thinking about each other, and some endless, skipworthy sex scenes. Ms. Hunter seems a good writer yet I had no sense of what the characters looked like. Of course they were noble, upstanding, honest etc., both of them, to a predictable degree.
And therein much of my boredom lies.

Hunter has a way with words that I do not find in any other writer. He charactes are written in a deeply mystical, poetic stye I often get chills just reading her books. This book was no different. Written with the same depth as all her others, I was totally consumed with Nathaniel and Charlotte. How romantic to have a one nite affair that both were so emotionally involved with and not know if the other knows who they were with. That truly begins this story in quite a romantic mystery. These 2 were such strong characters that often did not even get along. No one would think they could become romantic, but was their antagonism always hiding much stronger feelings? The mystery of the Mardenford family and how it will impact her life, is key. and Nathaniel trying to deal with truth and justice and also his new found love for Lady Charlotte would put this emotional read into some rough waters until true love prevails. Wonderful book!!!