A Sinful Deception - Review + a Look at the Fashion of the Time with the Author

A Sinful Deception: The Breconridge Brothers #2 by Isabella Bradford

The Blurb:

(from Goodreads)

For fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries: the seductively charming second historical romance in Isabella Bradford's Breconridge Brothers trilogy. 

Lord Geoffrey Fitzroy leads a charmed existence. As the second son of the Duke of Breconridge, he has none of the responsibilities of his older brother and all of the advantages, leaving handsome Geoffrey free to enjoy his rakish pursuits. And pursue them he does, leaving hearts fluttering all over London. But one night, at a ball teeming with high society's most sought-after beauties, only one truly intrigues him: the regal, aloof, and mysterious Miss Serena Palmer.

Magnificently dressed and wearing jewels befitting a queen, the lady is considered the prize of the season, a noble-born heiress raised in India. But even as Geoffrey's fascination grows, Serena deftly deflects his curiosity—and with good reason: Serena's exotic past contains a perilous secret that could destroy her. Yet her plan to live in safe solitude is thwarted by her hungry heart, and soon Geoffrey's passionate seduction finds her blissfully bed—and wed. Will her deception destroy her chance at happiness as Geoffrey's wife? Or will the devotion of her new husband reveal the only truth worth embracing: her undying love?

My Review:

I'm running a little low on historical romance authors right now so when I see a new to me author it's hard to resist - especially when the cover is gorgeous (and the heroine is wearing a dress that actually appears in the book!) and the blurb compares the book to Julia Quinn, Sabrina Jeffires, and Eloisa James.  

This wasn't the fun romp that I normally associate with Quinn but I found the comparison to Jeffries and James to be spot on.  Serena is a serious young woman who has been through some incredibly traumatic events and has the weight of a very dangerous secret on her shoulders.  The attraction between Geoffrey and Serena feels real.  They share a common love of India as well as a deep connection to the country.  It feels natural that they would feel an immediate connection to each other because of that common ground.  Serena herself comes off as very real.  She's very conflicted between her growing affection and attraction to Geoffrey and knowing that she must keep away from him in order to keep her secret.

Now I'm not a big fan of secrets generally but Bradford does a good job with Serena's secret.  For one thing her secret is a serious secret.  This isn't one where you want to reach into the book, give the heroine a good shaking, and yell "Just tell him already!".  This is a real secret and even better a secret that you can understand her getting in the middle of and a secret that she really must keep. Also, the reader discovers what it is within the first 15% of the book.  

Geoffrey is a more typical character.  He's somewhat misunderstood by his father who sees him as irresponsible and selfish.  He has no intention of getting married even though he finds himself spending more and more time with Serena.  I really liked that his thoughts weren't just about bedding her.  There's a scene where he imagines her receiving roses he had sent her that is really sweet.  

Overall: This is an interesting romance with more heft to it than I usually expect and unusual characters.  If you enjoy Sabrina Jeffries I think you really must read Isabella Bradford.  

Rating: 4 Stars

Guest blog for

A SINFUL DECEPTION

By Isabella Bradford

Creating a Proper English Lady

I’m so excited for the release this week of my newest historical romance, A SINFUL DECEPTION. This is a story that’s been in my head for a long time, and I’ve always wanted to write a book that includes not just Georgian England, but the farthest corners of the British Empire. My heroine, Serena Carew, was born in India, the daughter of a English nobleman stationed there. While Society considers Serena to be English, her Indian heritage is impossible for her to forget – and it’s also one of the things that Lord Geoffrey Fitzroy comes to love most about her.

Orphaned as an adolescent, Serena was brought back to England to live with her grandfather, the Marquis of Allwyn. As heiress to her father’s considerable fortune, Serena needs to attract a suitable husband, and her aunt must conduct the ultimate makeover: transforming Serena into a proper English lady so a proper English gentleman will consider her as a wife.

It wouldn’t have been easy. Because Serena’s father had completely embraced Indian culture, she had been raised in a luxurious household with many servants and few rules. She had lived in women’s quarters, apart from any men beyond her father. She had had no governesses or tutors, and Hindi was her preferred language.

But perhaps her most difficult adjustment would have been to English fashion. The Indian clothing she had always worn was light-weight and wrapped gracefully around the body, freely accommodating a woman’s natural movements - much like most modern clothing.

An English lady in 1770, however, was bound by her clothing into a rigidly upright posture. Her motions were limited by tight sleeves, full skirts worn over cane hoops, and heeled shoes. Her most important garment would have been her stays (corset), an unyielding construction of whalebone and buckram that forced her body into the fashionable conical shape, like the stays shown here. 

Fortunately for Serena, while Lord Geoffrey admires her elegantly dressed, it’s the more natural, sensuous Serena that he desires – and ultimately loves.

I hope you’ll enjoy A SINFUL DECEPTION. For more about what inspires me, check out my website www.isabellabradford.com and on my Isabella Bradford Facebook page, plus my blog (written with writer BFF Loretta Chase) www.TwoNerdyHistoryGirls.com, Twitter @2nerdyhistgirls, and Pinterest: TwoNerdyHistoryGirls.