Early Review of Sin With a Scoundrel: (The Husband Hunters Club, #4) by Sara Bennett

• Title: Sin With a Scoundrel: The Husband Hunters Club
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Historical Romance
• Format: Paperback, 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (October 30, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0061339199
• ISBN-13: 978-0061339196

Author's Website: http://www.sara-bennett.com/
Notes: I read the ARC of this books so some of the quotes may change.

"You're a dear girl, Tina, but really, you are such an innocent. And innocents are a dead bore." 

Miss Clementina Smythe (aka Tina) was positive she knew who her perfect match was. She'd known him her whole life, and he was her brother's best friend. The only problem was she had to convince Lord Horace Gilfoyle that she was the perfect woman for him. He saw her as more of a little sister than as a woman he'd marry. Plus, he was having too much fun being a bachelor to even consider settling down. When Tina discovered that her father had lost the family fortune, and it was only a matter of time before the family had to sell off all it possessions, she decided the time for waiting for Horace to notice her was over and drastic measures were needed. She would employ the services of one of London's most notorious rakes, Richard Eversham. A man who used his expertise at seducing woman to advise other gentlemen on how to win the hand of the lady of their choosing. Her thought was if he could teach men how to win the woman of their desires, then surely he must be able help her capture the heart of the man of her dreams, couldn't he?

Richard Eversham isn't what he appears. Acting the part of a rake works to his advantage because he secretly works as a spy for a secret government group known as the Guardians. He uses his notoriously bad reputation as a guise to put those he wishes to glean information from at ease. No one would suspect the man with a notoriously bad reputation of having any honor. When Miss Smythe knocks on his door, he can hardly believe his luck. He immediately realizes he can use her to gain information  about Lord Gilfoyle whom the Guardians suspect is the leader of group who set about causing dissension among the laboring classes which resulted in riots and bouts of lawbreaking. The man, called the Captain, is also believed to have killed Richard's brother who was getting too close to uncovering the Captain's identity.

     "Before I agree you must be very certain of what you're asking me, Miss Smythe," he said quietly. "You wish me to teach you to be a woman of the world. You do not want to appear as an innocent. In short, you require that I teach you the art of seduction by, eh, seducing you, at least verbally if not physically? Is that correct? Is that what you want? Are you entirely certain?"
     From his lips it sounded improper. Risqué.
     But Tina had made up her mind this was what she must do if she ever wanted to marry her childhood sweetheart, so she said firmly, "Yes, that is what I want, Mr. Eversham."

__________________________

Have you ever been tempted to do something even though it was against your better judgement? Something you feel compelled to do because you feel you've run out of other options? That the dilemma Tina's found herself in. Even as she got up the gumption to do what most would deem the unthinkable and jump in feet first, she still had her doubts as to whether what she was doing was the right thing. If society got wind of her meetings with Mr. Eversham she would be ruined. I, however, admired her determination to go after what she wanted, and Richard Eversham did as well. I loved some of the advice Richard gave her such as to pretend to no longer be interested in Horace, but in every other male in his presence. It put a smile on my face as some of the things Richard attempted to teach her when it came to the art of flirtation starting affecting him.

Richard is a very loyal and secretive person. He has vowed to put his life on hold until he finds his brother's killer. Richard's quest definitely causes friction between him and Tina once she finds out what he's been up to. Tina has known Horace her whole life, and when she discovers Richard believes he killed his brother, she is positive he's got the wrong man. When Richard's feelings for Tina start to grow into something more than he'd ever imagined, he comes to the realization if he keeps his vow he may loose Tina.

The mystery of who the Captain was kept me guessing. Toward the end I did suspect who he might be, but wasn't one hundred percent sure. The drama created when Tina's life was put in danger, after she see the face of one of the Captain's men and he realizes she's overheard his conversation with another, was a nice touch.

Overall I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. I truly enjoyed the story. Yes, I felt like asking, "What are you thinking?", but I do so love watching a character do all the wrong things and have everything turn out right. Plus, it was fun seeing Richard fall for Tina and vice versa. I loved how Tina matured as the story progressed. When she sets out to win Horace she was rather naive and had the impression you could fall in love with practically anyone at any time. Later, when she realizes she has feelings for Richard, she sees the error in her previous thoughts. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a FAN rating--the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly gone up a couple of degrees and a fan would be nice.

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