Niall and Brilliana --- a captivating story from start to finish. I had started and finished this book within 3 hours. Niall and Brilliana had a lot of misunderstandings to sort through but they did eventually find their way back to each other. I love Sabrina Jefferies and all of her series! :)

This book was as good as I thought it would be. I always love Sabrina Jeffries books. It was excellent and I am looking forward to her next one.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Pleasures of Passion by Sabrina Jeffries. It was the epitome of a historical second chance romance. When the main characters Niall and Brilliana (Bree) are separated for years after he kills someone in a duel, it leads to the inevitable misunderstandings. However, they are forced to be back in each other’s close company and face what has happened.

Ms. Jeffries, did not disappoint. The couple was witty, and although older, not always wiser. This is true of most couples. She wrote a historical novel that could be true of modern issues also, and that is what makes her writing strong. It has a timeless quality to it.

Bree and Niall, along with secondary characters, are likeable, and even those who aren’t are that way for a reason. They add value to the plot.

The book had romance, intrigue, and family drama. All things to keep different types of readers wanting more.

The story kept my interest, and I continued reading until I was done all in one sitting. I want to know what happens next in the lives of these characters. That is the sign of a well-written book.

I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I have read several of Ms. Sabrina Jefferies paperback books of course none in this series before so I knew in reading this book I wasn’t going to be disappointed. The only thing that kind of sparked my concern was this was the first eBook that I have read of hers still just because the book is in eBook format doesn’t mean it has changed any. The story is still amazing who doesn’t love second chance romance, the characters are endearing and Ms. Jefferies never loses her readers especially me enticing them until the very end. I couldn’t help but get lost in the story or with the characters plights. The book is filled with intrigue, wittiness, charm and sigh worthy romance tied together with a beautiful cover that I couldn’t help but love this book too. Plus the book can amazingly stand alone without getting lost or reading the other books but of course I will read those later. I just might have to get the paperback version of this book too.
Brilliana “Bree” Payne has always had a thing for Lord Margrave Niall Lindsey. They knew each other when they were young but due to a duel over a woman and horrible circumstances that Niall had to leave Brilliana for Spain and Portugal never disclosing what actually happened. Seven years later Niall has come back to set things to right and runs into Bree again. Niall can’t ignore the deep feelings of love and animosity he feels towards her neither can Bree feel the same towards him. Unfortunately Niall and Bree must pretend to be engaged since Bree’s father is supposedly tied into some counterfeiting scheme. Can Niall and Bree ignore their feelings of animosity enough to help her father or will love get in the way of everything?
I just seriously loved Niall his impetuousness, his passion, desire and sense of right/wrong. Yes he made mistakes and learned how to pay for them. I couldn’t help but admire and root for him. Sure I felt bad for his suffering he loved his family and would do anything for them even though his mother was a little crazy. Niall was just an easy hero to not only love but fall for as well. Bree made me a little mad at first because I wanted her to give everything up for love and just follow Niall. I did understand as the book progressed why she did what she did even though I wish she would have had the strength to stand up to her dad which it was great to see her grow into that. She was a strong resilient independent courageous heroine who couldn’t love that? I felt everything these two felt the love, the hate, the deep abiding passion for each other and the trust they eventually learned to find in each other. In fact I couldn’t help but cheer for them when they could finally learn to love each other again. Sure it threw me in tailspin but the feelings these two had for each other just couldn’t be denied that’s what made them so great together too. I can definitely recommend this book and will read more from Ms. Jefferies!

Another witty and exciting book by Sabrina Jeffries!

Book four in the Sinful Suitors series. In the last book Delia's sister-in-law and her friends brother have a very distinct reaction to one another though they claim that they have never met. This book shows that for the lie that it really is. The two of them, Niall and Brilliana, courted briefly when they were younger but events forced them apart. They each went on with their lives though very unhappily until they finally run into one another again. They find themselves put into a position where they must fake an engagement to help with an investigation. This places them together quite a bit where of course the fireworks have to explode after awhile. This is an excellent historical romance novel that sticks with historical accuracy while still telling a good story. The romance was fresh without being a repeat of other books in the series and the author just has a way of writing that really brings the couple to life making me root for them along the way. I loved it from the first page to the last so it gets 5/5 stars.

I tend to really enjoy Ms. Jeffries books, for historical romance, she is on my list of who to go to. And, while I did enjoy the book, it was not my favorite, and honestly I had to make myself sit down and actually read it, I kept going back to other books, so it did not grab my interest as it normally does, not that it was a bad book, no just not my fav. So we have previously met Niall, who was Clarissa's brother, and Warren's cousin, I hope you read the other books in series, because you will be lost, you need to know the premise. Niall had to leave the country after a duel, in his sister's honor, leaving his love "Bree" behind, he could not tell her why he fought, or that could ruin his sisters reputation. So he asks Bree, to run away with him, because he loves her and does not want to leave her behind, but he had never introduced her to his family, nor mentioned her, since he is of rank, and she is not. Bree, loves Niall and was torn, but her mother was truly ill and she could not just leave her behind without making sure she was ok. Unfortunately, lies were told by people that they trusted, and they suffered misunderstandings thinking the worst of each other. They were apart seven years, and due to a family members marriage, bump into one another. The rest of the story, I can not tell you, it was the discombobulated story, that was to capture our interest, and to get them to work with each other, now did the truth come out, did they get their HEA? well my friends you have to read.

Niall is finally back in England after being granted a pardon, but is asked by Fulkham to pose as Brilliana's fiancé to determine if her father is a crook. The issue is they have a past and now have to work out their differences to make the ruse work.

As always, the romance is steamy and the mystery keeps you guessing. This was a great second chance romance and a fantastic addition to the series. I highly recommend.

Niall Lindsey, Earl of Margrave has finally returned from exile after being away for years. Unfortunately, the one he loved before he left didn’t seem to share his feelings, refusing to leave with him and marrying someone else just a few months later. Brilliana Trevor’s heart was broken years before when she found that she had been in love with someone that was nothing more than a rake. Now he’s back and because of her worthless father, she’s being forced to work undercover with him.
I’m not much into second chance romances, but since this was by one of my favorite authors, I couldn’t help but read it. She did not disappoint. This was a great story. I loved both of the characters as they unraveled what went wrong. I loved the different side characters and getting to see characters from previous books. I highly recommend for those that like this genre.

I love Sabrina Jeffries writing. This is a wonderful story, characters were great and the story line was very well written.

The Pleasures of Passion is the fourth book in Sabrina Jeffries’ Sinful Suitors series, and it brings to a close the plotline that has run through all the books so far, that of Niall Lindsey, the Earl of Margrave who, seven years before this book opens, killed a man in a duel and was forced to flee the country as a result. Because parts of Niall’s story were revealed in the other books – most notably book two, The Study of Seduction – there will be spoilers in this review.

Before the fateful duel took place, Niall had met and fallen in love with seventeen-year-old Brilliana Payne, but because she was not yet out in society they kept their relationship a secret. Niall planned to ask for her hand as soon as he could court her openly, but because of the duel, he instead asks her to leave with him that very day as he cannot afford to linger in England. Brilliana – or Bree, as Niall nicknames her – is distraught and confused as well as concerned for her mother’s failing health and in the end tells him she can’t go with him – but they part with a sort of vague agreement that she will join him as soon as it’s possible for her to do so.

When, just a few months later, Niall learns that Bree has married someone else, the suspicions planted by his father before he left – that she didn’t want to accompany him because she would then be unable to enjoy her position as a viscountess and move about in society – took root, and over the years of his exile he became accustomed to thinking of her as having wanted him for his rank and fortune rather than himself.

For her part, Bree hears the rumours that quickly begin to circulate after Niall’s flight – that he and his opponent had duelled over another woman – and believes he had been merely toying with her affections. Nonetheless, she can’t stop loving him, and rejects other offers for her hand, until her father promises her to Reynold Trevor as payment for the large gambling debt he owes the man’s father.

Seven years later, Bree is a widow with a young son, and Niall has secured a pardon thanks to the intervention of a high-ranking Home Office official, Lord Fulkham, the spymaster for whom Niall had worked on numerous occasions while living abroad. We witnessed the first, awkward meeting between the former lovers in the previous book, The Danger of Desire, and at the opening of this one, they are still wary of each other and labouring under the misapprehensions fostered by Niall’s late father and society gossip.

Even though Niall and Bree are linked by ties of family and friendship, they are determined to keep away from each other and not to fall under the other’s spell once more – a plan which is destined to be unworkable when they are asked by Lord Fulkham to help him to track down a counterfeiter. Bree wonders what that can possibly have to do with her, when Fulkham explains that his main suspect is her father, and that he needs her and Niall to pretend to be betrothed in order for Niall to get close to Oswald Payne and ferret out the truth. Not sure she will be able to withstand being so close to Niall without falling for him all over again, Bree refuses, but when Fulkham explains that counterfeiting is tantamount to treason and thus punishable by death, she relents. She has no great love for her father, but doesn’t want to see him hang, and, deciding they might as well get started at once, she and Niall announce their engagement that very evening.

The book utilises some tropes I’m fond of – the fake relationship and the second-chance romance – but sadly, both fall flat because there’s little chemistry between the protagonists and for at least the first half of the story, we’re in Big Mis territory – a plot device I really dislike. Niall and Bree think the worst of each other based on no more than seven-year-old assumptions and make hardly any attempt to look beyond them, even though they are still desperately yearning for each other. Ms. Jeffries does begin to unravel the web of lies surrounding them by around the half-way point, and I’ll give her credit for that; but by then my interest in them as a couple had waned and I couldn’t bring myself to care very much whether they got together or not. Bree was hung up on the fact that Niall wouldn’t tell her the real reason he fought the duel and continued to mistrust him because of it; and trying to explain that away by having Bree suffering from abandonment anxiety – her mother left her (died) her husband left her (committed suicide) and her father didn’t care for her much (that’s true) – didn’t wash.

Niall is a fairly colourless chap, really, when all’s said and done. He believed what his father insinuated about Bree being a fortune hunter in the absence of other information, and her marriage so soon after his departure only seemed to confirm it. He’s determined not to fall in love with her again, but he can’t help it, especially once he uncovers the truth about her marriage and his father’s deception. He desperately wants to tell Bree the truth about the duel, but gave his word never to tell anyone so as to protect Clarissa; and I found Edwin’s request that Niall continue to conceal the truth from Bree strange – and ultimately, it’s just another way of prolonging that particular plotpoint.

The mystery plot is weak, and the identity of the villain is obvious from the moment he steps on to the page; and while there is nothing especially wrong with either Niall or Bree, they are bland and their romance is uneventful and unmemorable. Because they’re so obviously already in love there’s no romantic tension or looking forward to the first kiss – and more – and the fact that Bree succumbs so easily doesn’t say much for her resolve not to let Niall into her life again.

I’ve enjoyed other books in this series, most notably The Study of Seduction, which remains one of my favourite novels by of Ms. Jeffries. Unfortunately, The Pleasures of Passion lacks both pleasure and passion and I can’t recommend it to anyone other than die-hard fans of the author’s or those following the series who simply must read every book for the sake of completeness..

Grade: C+/3.5 stars

Took off very slow and stilted and never built momentum into the story.

5 stars

Deliciously entertaining Victorian romance!

Sabrina Jeffries delivers a wondrously entertaining swirl of drama, humor, mystery, spying, lust, and a second chance at love. I really loved it this enthralling romance set in early Victorian England. It is the third novel in the Sinful Suitors series. It is best if you read this series in order because some plot elements started in the previous books and because primary characters from previous books make important appearances as minor characters in this one.

In 1823 in Bath, England, 17-year-old Brilliana (nicknamed Bree) and 23-year-old Niall clandestinely and chastely fell in love. She was the daughter of an sick mother and a knighted father in bad financial straits because of his gambling. Niall was a recently reformed rogue who was the heir to a wealthy earldom. Unfortunately for Niall and Bree, Niall killed a despicable man in a duel in order to protect his sister, and he had to flee the country so that he would not be executed for murder. Niall asked Bree to flee with him, but multiple complicated circumstances prevented her. They each thought that the other had abandoned him/her, but their hearts still longed for each other. Then seven years later, she is 23 and he is 30. Niall had just arrived back in London after his crime was pardoned. Now, the pair are thrown together by a government official who wants them to go undercover to investigate a counterfeit in ring involving Bree's estranged father. This pair has such interesting problems!

I loved both characters, who are intelligent, tough, good people with senses of humor. I could relate to their foibles and vulnerabilities. It was great how Bree and Niall's forced reunion gradually caused the truth to come out about their separation seven years ago. As the truth was revealed and misunderstandings were fixed, they could mend their relationship. I also enjoyed the added mystery from the counterfeiting investigation.

Trigger Warning: although rape doesn't occur in this book, the aftermath of Niall's sister's rape is briefly mentioned.

The steaminess level is medium to high, with a few love scenes in unusual settings and a lovely level of intimacy. Bree and Niall's had tons of sexual chemistry. Niall was totally hot in bed!

I highly recommend this series to all fans of spicy Regency or Victorian romance. Sabrina Jeffries has written another rich romance tapestry that I loved.

Reading a Sabrina Jeffries' book is a pure joy. Not only does she write such poetic words, she creates such fun and interesting characters.

In this book, we finally get Niall Lindsey's story. Ten years ago, Niall, who was in line to be the Earl of Margrave, was in love with 17 year old Brilliana "Bree" Payne. Since Brilliana hadn't officially come out yet, they had to keep things quiet.

When an unfortunate act is brought upon Niall's sister, Clarissa, Niall ends up in a duel, killing a man and must quickly leave the country. Niall begs Bree to go with him. When Niall won't tell Bree of the reason for the duel, she refuses to go, plus she can't leave her sick mom. Niall promises that he will be waiting for her and that she should go to his dad if she would want to get in touch with him. When Niall hears from his dad that Bree married someone else shortly after he left, he is heartbroken, and has sworn off women.

Fast forward 10 years. Niall has been pardoned and is able to return to London. He is also delighted to hear that Bree is now widowed with a young son. He may be heartbroken, but he still has strong feelings for Bree, which are proven when he sees her at Edwin and Clarissa's house.

When Lord Fulkham tells Niall that he has one last job for him, Niall is hesitant but it may be just what he needs to be with Bree again. There is money counterfeiting going on and Bree's dad may be involved. Niall convinces Bree that they must "pretend" to be courting for Niall to get close to her dad to see if he is involved....and that is when the fun begins! Since these two have such a fun history, the sparks were flying when they were just in the same room. Once the two of them started talking....all bets were off! Bree isn't the little, timid female he left behind 10 years ago. She is truly a little firecracker. I just loved their sparring together....it really built up the sexual tension between these two. Of course, over time, as Bree and Niall spend more time together, their pretending quickly turns into something else. Both of them are hesitant because of things they misunderstood from the past, but they eventually work through things to get to their happy ending. These two were destined to be with each other, it just took 10 years to finally get there!

What’s it About? Seven years ago Niall Lindsey and Brilliana Trevor fell in love in secret but when Niall killed a man in a duel he expected her to run away with him or at least wait for him until it was safe to return. She does neither and when Niall returns to England after being pardoned he’s a completely different man determined to steer clear of the now widowed Brilliana but the government wants them to work together in order to catch a counterfeiter connected to her father. The plan is to pretend to be engaged in order for Niall to have an easier time with the investigation. Unfortunately spending so much time together forces Niall to confront Brilliana about why she didn’t wait for him and he finds out that she was forced to marry after he left and that she believes him to be a heartless seducer who had no intention of marrying her seven years ago. Working together puts both of them in the position of having to decide if they want to hang on to old hurts or maybe build something new and stronger instead.




Overall reaction to the story? Niall and Brilliana’s story has been hinting at quite the past between them and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I was completely engrossed in the plot and the chemistry between Niall and Brilliana. Sabrina Jeffries has crafted a passionate adventure with The Pleasures of Passion and it is definitely one of my favorites in the Sinful Suitor series!


Describe the hero in five words: Sneaky. Caring. Gentle. Stubborn. Funny.

Did you like him? Yes.

Why? Niall had already won me over with how much he loved his sister Clarissa and just what he sacrificed to protect her. He was young when he had to leave London and he grew up a lot in seven years but he was still the protective brother when he returned. I loved that about Niall. He was loyal and caring and willing to do anything to take care of his family. At the same time he was a bit jaded and bitter when it came to women *cough* Brilliana *cough* but he still wanted to protect her if he could. Silly guy, he spent a lot of time in denial about her feelings for him but about halfway through he admitted it to himself that he still had feelings for her and then he turned his energy towards convincing Brilliana that what they had in the past was worth fighting for in the present. I liked that playful, seductive side of Niall because it made you see what it was about him that was so irresistible to Brilliana. No one likes a stuffy guy and Niall started out that way. Lol.



Describe the heroine in five words: Caring. Skeptical. Intelligent. Stubborn. Determined.

Did you like her? Yes.

Why? Brilliana was a dedicated mother to her son without completely losing who she was in the processes. I loved how she didn’t back down from Niall or from the challenge of pretending to be engaged. Brilliana was spirited but not irrational and she contributed her fair share of help when it came to the investigation. To me Brilliana wasn’t going to let anyone treat her like just a pretty thing to be seen on a man’s arm and having survived a disastrous marriage, she wasn’t going to just say “yes” to another one even if she had strong feelings for Niall. I loved that strength that wasn’t immediately obvious until she felt backed into a corner. She was so serious in the beginning though and I liked seeing her lighten up and have some fun. She was so used to taking on everything herself that she had trouble letting someone else help her carry her responsibilities and problems.


Let’s talk about the romance: Is it my imagination or did Jeffries up the heat factor in The Pleasures of Passion because Niall and Brilliana are probably the most combustible couple in the whole series so far. It wasn’t a bad thing either and I would have expected no less of these two who fell in love when they were young, were separated, and then reunited under stressful circumstances. Their preconceived notions about one another brought its own complications to their second chance romance but at the same time I feel it added to the tension between them. They were still attracted to each other even though they believed the worst about the other. I loved the buildup between them, and how despite the years and the resentment, there was still a lot of love between them that survived and it grew with this second chance. To me Niall and Brilliana are tied with Edwin (aka my boyfriend) and Clarissa (she’s just borrowing him) as the most romantic couple in the Sinful Suitor series.



How about that supporting cast? I loved seeing Edwin (Again, my boyfriend) and Clarissa (She’s just borrowing him) again but what I really loved was the meeting the mysterious Lord Fulkham and his sister-in-law Mrs. Vyse. These two were super secretive and Mrs. Vyse was obviously comfortable with subterfuge so she also has me intrigued. I hope she gets her own story too. I know I’m excited for Lord Fulkham to meet his match, especially since he came off as a bit stuffy and in desperate need of someone to shove him out of his comfort zone.


Click It or Skip It? Click It! The Pleasures of Passion had everything I needed to have a good time reading. Niall and Brilliana’s second chance romance was definitely steamier than I’m used to with Sabrina Jeffries’ books but it really worked. I can’t wait for the next book.

4.25 stars

I only have minor reservation over this book, the chief one being the (male on) cover that doesn't appear Niall-y. Not that THAT even a word, but I do feel the cover didn't give the Earl of Margrave justice. And I wasn't that big a fan of Niall - or so I thought - until I read this book.

Forgive my ramblings. It's just this book was such a delight for me. For a second chance and misunderstanding story, the account and event/action that attributed to the prolonged separation between Niall and Brilliana were believable. Ditto both reason for not wanting to reveal the truth to the other. There's a lot of hurt and misunderstanding involved, yes. Also not so pretty introspections. Yet somehow, the author weaved her magic and came up with a charming and entertaining tale to reunite the star-crossed lovers.

The alternate POVs gave insight into Bree and Niall's thought and feeling also show transition from faking affection to real one. Although I often felt Niall to be too fixated on carnal aspects whenever he's with Bree and the puzzle of whodunnit was too easy to predict to my liking. Even so, in a Sabrina Jeffries's fashion the hero and heroine found the way to solve it the unconventional way by engaging help from an unlikely ally.

That brought me to the supporting characters who helped in boosting up the story for me, even those who seemingly annoying then turned up to be more than okay. One such person - Lord Fulkham - is about to have his own story and - after the many mentions and machinations this Baron had in the series so far - I for one just couldn't wait to get my hand on his book. April 2018 couldn't come soon enough!


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bree never expected to find herself face to face with Niall again. But she has currently found herself in the middle of a plot to uncover her father's involvement in counterfeiting. Now she is a fake fiancee to the only man she has ever loved. She must protect her heart from him and remember how he left her.

Niall never expected to find himself back in the same room with Bree, much less find himself engaged to the woman who broke his heart. She didn't even wait a year after his exile before she had married someone else. Now they must put aside their differences to find prove of a crime. But the true crime is that he still cannot get her out of his mind. And what had started out as a ruse, he wants to make real again.

As the two struggles with the secrets of the past, they continue to fall deeper in love with one another. Now they must learn to trust again before the true criminal threatens their chance at a new life together.

Another great story by Sabrina Jeffries. This is the 4th installment to the Sinful Suitors series, but can be read as stand alone. I did like the fact that we got to see characters from previous books.

Publisher's Description:

Complete with the signature charm, “delectably witty dialogue…and scorching sexual chemistry” (Booklist) she is known for, New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries is back with the fourth romance in the Sinful Suitors series!

When Niall Lindsey, the Earl of Margrave, is forced to flee after killing a man in a duel, he expects his secret love, Brilliana Trevor, to go with him, or at the very least wait for him. To his shock, she does neither and sends him off with no promise for the future. Seven years and one pardon later, Niall returns to England disillusioned and cynical. And being blackmailed by the government into working with his former love to help catch a counterfeiter connected to her father doesn’t improve his mood any. But as his role as Brilliana’s fake fiancé brings his long-buried feelings to the surface once again, he wonders who is more dangerous—the counterfeiter or the woman rapidly stealing his heart.

Forced to marry another man after Niall was exiled, the now widowed Brilliana wants nothing to do with the reckless rogue who she believes abandoned her to a dreary, loveless life. So having to rely on him to save her father is the last thing she wants, much less trusts him with....But as their scheme strips away the lies and secrets of their shared past, can she let go of the old hurt and put her pride aside? Or will the pleasures of their renewed passion finally enable them both to rediscover love?

My Thoughts:

Wow!
I have read and reviewed almost every book in this series and in this reader's opinion this one is the best so far. This story of Second Chance love is one of the best she has written.
I am a longtime fan of Sabrina Jeffries books and always enjoy reading what she writes. This one surpassed my highest expectations of her work. I couldn't put it down.
The characters are memorable and well developed and the storyline is excellent.
Niall and Brilliana are two of my all-time favorite Sabrina Jeffries characters ever. These two rank high in my estimation for memorable and well loved hero's and heroines.
I gave this book 5 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 3 of 5 flames.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.