Sinful Seduction
Anne MacIntyre is a schoolmistress in a rural region of New Jersey, a patriot trying to keep her head down as the American colonial rebellion continues. But the war comes to her in the figure of Peter Smythe, a gentleman who saves her life. Attracted to her, Smythe does not reveal his true identity as Peter Kensington, wayward heir of an earl, British officer, and spy, even as his position grows ever more impossible to maintain.
Sinful Seduction sets a romantic domestic drama against the backdrop of the American Revolution in an innovative way. Along with most other recent novels set in the period, it avoids didactic speeches and does not try to cover the full scope of the war, but it also succeeds at its insistence on moral complexity. Readers will find Peter Kensington a sympathetic, well-rounded character, especially compared to some antagonists who are all-too-American. If only he could be portrayed on the big screen!
Sinful Seduction contains erotic passages. Fans of the American Revolutionary War will enjoy this look at the rural “homefront,” and those who love heroines will enjoy Anne’s journey. The novel’s treatment of 18th-century attitudes on slavery is also well done. There are references to “Thanksgiving” as an established holiday with a fixed date that seem anachronistic, but that is a minor flaw in an enjoyable read.
