Beauty Tempts the Beast
by Lorraine Heath
Sins For All Seasons - Book 6
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: September 29, 2020
Reviewed by PJ
She wants lessons in seductionAlthea Stanwick was a perfect lady destined to marry a wealthy lord, until betrayal left her family penniless. Though she’s lost friends, fortune, and respectability, Althea has gained a scandalous plan. If she can learn to seduce, she can obtain power over men and return to Society on her terms. She even has the perfect teacher in mind, a man whose sense of honor and dark good looks belie his nickname: Beast.
But desire like this can’t be taught
Benedict Trewlove may not know his parentage but he knows where he belongs—on the dark side of London, offering protection wherever it’s needed. Yet no woman has ever made such an outrageous request as this mysterious beauty. Althea is out of place amongst vice and sin, even if she offers a wicked temptation he can’t resist. But as the truth of his origin emerges at last, it will take a fierce, wild love to overcome their pasts.
PJ's Thoughts:
Somehow I knew Beast would end up being my favorite. Lorraine Heath has wrapped up her Sins For All Seasons series with a book I inhaled in one sitting, then returned to the beginning and slowly savored scene by scene, word by delicious word. Heath is a gifted writer who brings layered stories and nuanced characters to life through her skillful command of exquisite language and heartfelt storytelling. Consider this passage in which Thea begins to realize what her life would have been had she not lost what she thought at the time was everything:
The world in which she'd grown up lacked magic, depth, satisfaction. Only now did she realize it, only now did she understand that without him, her world had been an arid place where she never would have truly come into herself.
Such a beautiful description of how, sometimes, losing everything you thought necessary leads you to who you're truly meant to be and to the person you're meant to be with.
Beast and Thea are both complex characters which makes them that much more interesting, both individually and as a couple. I loved watching them shift and grow through the deepening of their relationship and the changes in their lives. I enjoyed watching Thea's growing confidence as she took control of her destiny. And Beast has so many intriguing facets. I loved his caring, nurturing nature, his calm, reasoning demeanor, and his fierce love for Thea. I'm not a swooning person by nature but, oh mama, is he worthy of it. My love for them is as boundless as their love for one another. I just finished a third reading of this book and, honestly, all I want to do is go back to page one and immerse myself in their journey all over again. I have a feeling I'll be revisiting them often.
Heath has packed this story with humor, heart, and deeply sensual emotion. I was immersed from start to finish. And that epilogue! I don't usually enjoy epilogues that take characters decades into the future but this one featuring the entire Trewlove family was glorious. My heart burst with joy while my eyes overflowed with tears and I laughed out loud. I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to one of my favorite Lorraine Heath series.
And, bonus! Heath is bringing us two future books featuring secondary characters (Thea's brothers) from Beauty Tempts the Beast with the possibility of Trewlove sightings in those stories. Color me beyond excited!
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Are you reading the Sins For All Seasons series?
Do you have a favorite book or couple in the series?
Do you enjoy an epilogue that takes you decades into the future?
