Sins of a Duke (The Griffin Family, 4)

I liked this better than I thought I would after reading other less that enthusiastic reviews. I read it anyway because I "had" to finish the series and I was very interested in Sebastian's story, anyway. I thought the storyline was very good...there was bit of suspense...the attraction developed well...the love scenes were very good. I do understand the feeling by some that Sebastian was acting out of character, but that is what love does to people. Even though the Josefina we first meet was a fraud...it wasn't really who she was. It was her misguided and somewhat desperate parents that insisted on the deception. When Sebastian offered her a way out, she chose Sebastian. I know, I know, who wouldn't choose a rich Duke over living her old life. :-) Still, I really enjoyed this...it's a keeper.

The very first thing I would like to say about this book, is I am EXTREMELY GLAD I did NOT read any of the negative reviews posted, and two, in my opinion I vastly disagree with most of them. I have only read one other book from this series (SIN AND SENSIBILITY) and though it was some time ago, I found SINS OF A DUKE to be every bit as charming and entertaining as I found the former! Sebastian Griffin, the Duke of Melbourne assumed his title at the age of seventeen and been thrust into the responsibility of seeing his two younger brothers and sister make good and respectable matches. Now a widower at the age of thirty-four with an eight-year-old daughter he adored, he was seen as one of the most powerful men in England; scandal free, a model of propriety, and advisor to the king. When summoned by Prinny to act as the British emissary to the newly arrived Rey and Queen of a little known far away country he was asked to not only guide through the ton but also into the right circles to help them to secure loans for their fledgling country. While Sebastian's instincts warn him to be wary towards the Rey, he is mightily disturbed that his famous control is taken aback by the introduction of their daughter, Princess Josefina Embry. Asked by his regent to escort her to a ball and realizing that any close contact with the Princess might end up in him losing his complete control, Sebastian sent his coach to pick her up rather than himself as her escort. This proved to be a BIG mistake when he discovered that her highness was not about to let the insult go, and would retaliate shocking not only him but the entire ton! As you can guess - Josefina's infamous slap in the face of the powerful Duke of Melbourne certainly garnered everyone's attention at the ball, as well as infuriated Sebastian. And with this one remarkable scene, the author showed the reader that this was not going to be your run-of-the-mill courtship. Actually, truth be told, in all the regency historicals I've read (and that is quite a bit) I've never seen such a `physical' attack such as this ever before. Josefina with the look of a porcelain doll, was not your average princess, though she acted with all haughtiness of royalty as if she were born to it. That one act and several others after Sebastian began to realize the scam that she had helped perpetuate at her father's direction, put me in a quandary as to whether to like her or not. Sebastian, was a hero I liked immediately because I love arrogant, self-righteous stick in the muds, who are brought back to earth by the simple fact that as a human, they are not immune to love. But Sebastian was MORE than that, he had loved and lost what he thought was the only woman he'd ever love, and his relationship with his daughter, the very precocious Peep was brilliantly done, along with the loving (and sometimes overbearing) relationship to keep his siblings safe. As he battled with Josefina, and began to unravel her family's plot,

I read this book in less than 24 hours. I have always loved the Sabastian Griffin the Duke character. He has met his match with Josefina and O you will love every minute they are together. You re-visit the whole Griffin family and with a dash of danger, mystery and great funny loving romance you will be swepts away to historical England. ENJOY! Check out the The Griffin Family series; Sin and Sensibility , An Invitation to Sin and Something Sinful.

When the Prince Regent assigns Sebastian Griffin, Duke of Melbourne as cultural liason to the newly formed kingdom, Costa Habichuela, Sebastian is not happy. For one thing, something is quite suspicious about the visiting royal family. And for another, Sebastian doesn't like the way Princess Josefina makes him feel. He finds her far too enticing. Unable to anger the Prince Regent by refusing the position and unwilling to allow England to be harmed if Costa Habichuela is not what it is represented to be, Sebastian sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery. If that means he has to spend time with the intriguing Princess Josefina, then Sebastian will have to make that sacrifice. I have been waiting sooooo long for Sebastian's story. After having read Sins of a Duke, I am deeply, madly, passionately in love with Sebastian. What a delicious hero! His love for his siblings and his tender care of his daughter along with his devotion to his country made me want to yank him out of the pages and keep him for myself. Since that is simply not possible, I shall have to be content with re-reading Sins of a Duke and wallowing in the deliciousness of Sebastian and Josefina's love story. I am excited to say that Suzanne Enoch completely delivered perfection with Sebastian and I couldn't be happier with Sins of a Duke! Annmarie Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Something is definitely amiss. The paragon of society and the most powerful man in England Sebastian Griffin, the Duke of Melbourne has a nagging feeling that all is not what it seems. Just who is this recently arrived royal family from the country of Costa Habichuela? Never heard of the place. And they need lots of money from England to build infrastructure? Suspicious. And what of the beautiful princess Josephina? Distracting. A tempestuous and beguiling beauty that makes him feel alive for the first time in four years. Good? -maybe. But as he digs deeper to uncover the truth, he may not like the answers. Sebastian has some difficult decisions to make. Will he risk all? Causing possibly England's greatest scandal for love? Was it worth the wait to finally see the last of the Griffins finally get their story? Probably. I personally couldn't wait to read this one but it wasn't at all what I suspected -which is at the same time good and bad. Yes, the great Duke of Melbourne finally gets his due and falls in love with an unlikely woman but the story lacks the depth of passion and emotion I would have liked to have seen from both Sebastian and Josephina. And I have to agree with the other reviewer, Josephina is completely unworthy of a man like Sebastian. There is not enough sexual tension and heat going on. In the first half the the book there barley is any and the last half only slightly makes up for it. So if your looking for a sweeping romance where the hero falls madly in love with the heroine -this isn't it. The love scenes are average and sometimes border on being a bit cold-hearted. On the other hand, the story of the dubious country is quite predictable at first but ends surprisingly and possibly -I-dare-say believably (well almost). Saying anything more and going into detail would be too much of a spoiler. More of a 3 1/2 star book but for followers of this series I think that reading that the lonely and proud Sebastian is smiling and laughing is, in itself, worth the price of the book even if Enoch didn't do him justice. For newcomers its a solid romance story that starts out average and ends well. And if your going to read Enoch, you might as well read one with one of her best hero's. So if you enjoy reading hate/love romance where the mighty hero's fall in love against all odds this ones for you. For me, having the hero slapped literally and figuratively by heroine is worth the price of admission. ;)