
TEST
Sin Incarnate by Isobel Carr is a typical example of the misleading packaging peddled by romance publishing houses with the goal, one assumes, to attract more readers. The title is so bland as to contain no valid information about the book whatsoever (Oooh, there must be a man in it! And sex!) and winds up being invisible on any title list. The bright red cover shows a naked man in profile from his brows to his hips, slightly turned away from the viewer so that nothing too indecorous is shown. Had I seen the book in a shop, I would have considered it contemporary erotic fiction or porn, and wouldn’t even have picked it up to read the blurb. Instead I read an online interview with the author, liked the plot summary, and ordered the novel sight unseen. This is fortunate, because otherwise I would have missed out on a well-written Georgian romance by a very promising debut author.
The novels begins very dramatically when a man and woman’s eyes meet across a prizefighter’s ring. He is Ivo Dauntry, the new Earl of Somercote. In Paris six years earlier, he defended a young matron’s honor in a duel and killed the man who had molested her. The scandal was hushed up, but he had to remain in exile on the continent and only recently returned because the death of his cousin made him heir to their grandfather, the Marquis of Tregaron. He hasn’t been able to forget Mrs. Exley and is aghast that she, for the sake of whose virtue he sacrificed so much, is here at a boxing event, very much the center of a large group of admiring men. His immediate reactions are desire and a feeling of being put-upon, which he does recognize as priggish, but can’t shake. Then he hears that she is a widow, and a fast one at that.
Georgianna (George) Exley recognizes Dauntry immediately and experiences equally strong emotions. On the one hand, she is – again – very strongly attracted to him. This went very much against her grain when she was still married, but matters are changed now. On the other hand she is still upset about his interference six years ago because she considered it unnecessary, and there is a hint that it troubled her otherwise happy marriage for a time.
The first few scenes are masterfully done and really captured my attention. The air just sizzles any time Ivo and George meet. Both are honest enough to admit, first to themselves, then to each other, the desire they feel. After an accidental meeting on the road, they quickly embark on a passionate affair. George has a rule: Each of her lovers is only permitted one night with her. Ian argues that he deserves six nights, one for each year he spent abroad for her sake. Faced with the choice between six nights or nothing, George gives in to his demand. Although Ivo exerts a certain amount of emotional blackmail here, I was not bothered by this as he makes it quite clear that George can refuse the bargain if she really does not want it.
The scene that follows and others later in the book are steamy and very well written. Each grows from the emotional and physical situation the characters find themselves in at a given moment, so none seem in any way artificial and all their variations (believe me, they are not boring) seem believable from what we know about the characters.
Back in London, Ivo and George realize that carrying on their affair won’t be as easy as they thought. George is constantly surrounded by dozens of her friends and admirers. Ivo’s grandfather meddles to some effect. And Ivo finds out that however well he can satisfy George in bed, he is awkward to a fault when talking to her. Several times he really puts his foot in it. So their relationship remains stormy.
I truly enjoyed Carr’s style. It’s evocative, with an excellent eye for detail, and it manages to be both concise and yet rich with imagery. I was instantly drawn into her world and felt that I could just see many of the scenes in my inner eye. One prominent element of her writing that may bother some readers is the shift of perspective she employs in every scene that includes both George and Ivo. The perspective shifts from one to the other in the middle of the scene, so that we read about both characters’ interpretation of what is going on. The differences are very illuminating and this technique worked excellently for me.
Once all main characters retreat to a Christmas house party at George’s parents-in-law’s, the story unfortunately loses some of its drive. There are beautiful and accurate-sounding descriptions of Christmas activities, and a number of minor characters are fleshed out, but in so short a novel, I would have liked more development of the relationship between George and Ivo (who are in a snit most of that time). Matters speed up again closer to the end, but they don’t reach the almost breathless level of excitement of the first scenes. There is a villain, but he appears only now and then. As he is the over-the-top, frothing-at-the-mouth variety, I was glad to see little of him.
George is a most vividly drawn character. This is her book really. Reminiscent of Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five, she combines excellence in all masculine pursuits and a volatile temper with a generous heart and wholly feminine sex appeal. I liked her a lot, yet must admit that sometimes she was almost too perfect for my taste, bordering on a Mary Sue. As for Ivo, he proves more problematic a character. For one thing, I didn’t buy his age. He is supposed to be 35, but both his actions six years earlier and his present awkwardness make him appear far younger than that. Worse, though, is that he isn’t very well developed. Whereas we find out loads about George through her interaction with her numerous friends, Ivo is almost exclusively portrayed silently glowering at her admirers. He has some redeeming moments (for instance, he realizes without being told that George isn’t by far as promiscuous as her reputation suggests), but only the reader knows about them. Besides his good looks, his superb qualities as a lover, and his admittedly important ability to stand up to her, I wondered what she saw in him. I also found Ivo’s possessiveness a bit monotonous at times, and it does lead him to a true TSTL moment.
In spite of being a bit disappointed with the characterization of Ivo and with the weaker second half of the book after enjoying its very strong beginning, I enjoyed reading Sin Incarnate. The author is talented and she delivers an intriguing and convincing portrait of this lesser-used time period. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next book in this series.
Grade: B
Book Type: European Historical Romance
Sensuality: Hot
Review Date: 02/07/07
Publication Date: 2007
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.