Monday Morning Reviews

Apr 9, 2012

An excellent way to start the week! For Master of Sin at Romantic Crush Junkies Ezine. Highlight: “Robinson is one of those writers who go above and beyond what you would expect in giving her readers a heart-wrenching and gripping story. She draws in her readers with her skillful crafting of characters. Robinson’s greatness in creating Gemma and Andrew as living, breathing characters is pure magic. She allows her readers to delve deep into the sorrows and the triumphs of her characters.”

For Mistress by Marriage at Love Saves the World: “Robinson showcases her technical skills as a writer in this series…This is a story unlike any other that I have read — and I am delighted to have read it.”

I’m packing for my first-ever Romantic Times convention, since Margaret Rowe is nominated for a 2011 RT Reviewers Choice award! I hope the week ends as nicely as it began. 🙂

MOS Review from Romance Novel News

Apr 2, 2012

“Unlike many historical romances that feature lords and ladies of the ton dancing their lives away, “Master of Sin” features characters on the fringe of society. Andrew Rossiter is a gigolo, a man who has made his fortune by selling himself to anyone who was willing to pay. Gemma Peartree is the illegitimate daughter of a successful courtesan. Both are hiding from something sinister and end up in the wilds of Scotland on a remote and somewhat desolate island. The two are extremely well-matched, as flawed individuals who desperately need to be loved – and are my favorite part of this engaging tale.

Andrew is forced into hiding when he witnesses the murder of an Italian duke and duchess. Andrew must flee with the couple’s young son – a boy who Andrew fathered in exchange for money – and hide from the murderer (as Marc, the young boy is technically the heir to the dukedom). Andrew arranges to change his name, buy a house far removed from society and hire a woman to help take care of Marc. This is how Gemma ends up stranded in Andrew’s new and somewhat tired home with a housekeeper who doesn’t speak English. The two take an immediate dislike to each other, but Gemma does bond immediately with young Marc.

Much of Andrew and Gemma’s relationship is antagonistic. Andrew wants Gemma to leave, but Gemma has nowhere to go. She also starts to care for her taciturn boss as much as she does for his son. Unfortunately, Andrew isn’t particularly proud of his past, and he isn’t sure how to deal with freely given affection. My heart bled for his tortured soul, especially as he struggled with his feelings for both Gemma and his son.

I have not read the first three books in Robinson’s Courtesan Court series. I was not lost at all, but suspect that Andrew may have been an important character in earlier books – and I do wish that I had read them first. There is much talk of Edward and Caroline who are the hero and heroine of “Mistress by Marriage.” I will be going back to read these books when I get a chance.

“Master of Sin” by Maggie Robinson is a highly emotional romance with tortured characters who find kindred spirits in each other. While I did expect this book to be sexier given Andrew’s history, the intimate moments between Andrew and Gemma were rather tender and quite fitting. After all, Andrew desperately wanted to leave his past behind. This one packs an emotional punch that will satisfy readers.”

Thank you, Jennifer!

The Ultimate Review of Master of Sin

Mar 22, 2012

Lots of people in the romance community know “Janga,” whose intelligence, knowledge and love for romance books is legendary. She approaches books with a professor’s eye and a reader’s heart, and her reviews are always well-thought-out and on-the-mark. When we belonged to the Eloisa James/Julia Quinn bulletin board, I always knew if she liked a book, I would like it too–she became my go-to gal for recommendations.

So her review of Master of Sin means more to me than I can say. My “link” link to this blog seems to be broken, so I’m reposting the review from her blog Just Janga in its entirety.

“Andrew Rossiter is a male prostitute who is paying a return visit to Duca Allesandro di Maneiro and his wife. Rossiter, who fathered the couple’s heir, two-and-a- half-year-old Marco, has been hired to impregnate the duchess a second time. The key players are on board the duke’s yacht when assassins board it, killing the duke and duchess. Andrew escapes with the child, but knowing his son’s life remains in jeopardy, he establishes a new identity on an isolated island in the Outer Hebrides. Andrew Rossiter has become Andrew Ross, a widower with one child.

Waiting for him on the island is Gemma Peartree, an impertinent sprite who speaks six languages. Their meeting is unpropitious. Gemma has been waiting on the island for two weeks. The house Andrew has purchased through agents is in disrepair, Gemma’s possessions have been lost, and the island is cold and wind-blown. Gemma badly needs a bath and a change of clothing. When Andrew first sees her, she looks more like scullery maid than a governess. Andrew is eager to be rid of her. Not only is she not governess material, but also the inexplicable attraction he feels threatens his vow to put sin behind him. More important, Marco, who has been ripped from all that is familiar to him, forms a quick attachment to Gemma, who is gentle with him and the only person on the Gaelic-speaking island who speaks Italian. And, as Gemma keeps reminding Andrew, she has a contract.

Both Andrew and Gemma are haunted by their pasts and protective of their secrets. Andrew’s past is more deeply shadowed than Gemma’s. His angelic looks are ironic in view of his sordid secrets and the dark forces that shaped him from childhood. He believes himself incapable of giving or receiving love and unworthy of happiness. It will take all Gemma’s stubbornness and all her wiles to persuade Andrew that he has a heart that can be filled with love for her and for his son, to convince him that a future untainted by the past is within his reach.

Redemption stories are among my favorites, and this one is superb. First of all, it truly is about a man in need of redemption. Readers familiar with Mistress by Marriage will know that Andrew Rossiter is no titled hero suffering from a guilty conscience over wasting his substance on drink and doxies. He is, as Gemma recognizes full well, “a man who had done everything with everybody.” But the most fertile ground for love’s redemptive powers is often found in the hearts of those who believe themselves unfit to be redeemed. Second, both Andrew and Gemma grow during the course of the book. Revelation of secrets sheds healing light, and the love they feel for one another and for Marc frees them to become more fully the selves they were meant to be.

This final book in Robinson’s Courtesan Court series is a dark story, but it is also one filled with flashes of humor and seductive sensuality with characters who compel the reader’s interest. It has the added benefit of Robinson’s lucid, skillfully crafted prose. If you’ve read Robinson’s other Courtesan Court books (Mistress by Mistake, Mistress by Midnight, and Mistress by Marriage), you probably have Master of Sin on your TBB list. If you haven’t read Robinson yet, what are you waiting for? Master of Sin can be read as a standalone. And I’m betting that you’ll find these books the verbal equivalent of Lay’s potato chips: bet you can’t read just one.”

Thank you, Janga!