Discovering and falling in love with Maggie Robinson's Courtesan Court series was love at first read when I got Mistress by Mistake the 1st book in the series as a Kindle freebie. Master of Sin is the 4th and final book in the series, and besides the normal excitement of reading a new instalment of this beloved series I was even more curious to read Master of Sin because Maggie Robinson decided to make its hero a previous almost villain, and I was intrigued to see how she could redeem that character and even make him sympathetic and lovable to the readers. I shouldn't have doubted because she pulled it off and even more!In Master of Sin we learn more about Andrew Rossiter and the hardships of his life: how his own mother abandoned him and left him on the streets when he was only seven, how the man who took him off the streets abused him and all the immoral and despicable things he had to do in order to survive. But what redeemed Andrew in my eyes even more than my compassion for his sad childhood and hard life was that he was fully conscient of what was right and wrong and he was the hardest to judge himself. His self accusations and constantly taking the blame made it clear he was a poor man with an active conscience regretting the things in his past. I felt sorry for Andrew, because I thought with the upbringing and childhood he had it would have been a miracle if he had turned out differently. And with everything he went through I think he came out of it a better man. Nothing proves that he is a good man better than when Marco was left alone, he took him to safety and gave up his bachelor/gigolo ways to assume the role of father (which he did with much heart and care) without a second thought."You did what you thought you had to do. What that man trained you to do. But that’s not who you are, Andrew.""You don’t know me.""I know you love your son, more than most men do. No father I ever knew changed his son’s nappies or sang him bawdy songs to sleep. I’ve heard you." Andrew flushed."They're the only songs I know, I’m afraid."Gemma is a wonderful heroine. She is so different from the usually polished and well mannered historical romance heroines, her unaffected behaviour and fresh honesty made me chuckle quite a lot:"Does bloody anyone in this bloody place speak any bloody English?" the girl muttered.Gemma is neither a beauty (we are reminded of this quite often) nor does she have any special accomplishments"She had neither pulchritude nor fortune, great beauty nor great intellect. What she had was determination, a stubborn pride, and a past of her own."but through a better understanding of her character Andrew grows to find her beautiful, the most appealing woman he ever met. I found Gemma's temper her most endearing trait. She was really like an angry kitten with her claws out, never shy or afraid to get into an argument and fight Andrew tooth and nail, she was quite the belligerent petite woman, independent and headstrong.He smiled, completely smitten, helpless to resist her even if she looked like she wanted to skewer him with a hatpin.Marc chose that moment to call for her. “We can talk about this later tonight,” Andrew suggested, not realizing he’d been saved from a scathing set-down. No man was going to let her do anything. She didn’t need Andrew’s permission to make decisions. She would do what she wanted, and right now the temptation to shove him into the fireplace was strong. With Andrew's past and the torments of his soul and conscience Maggie Robinson had to delay the usual blistering tone of her novels a bit, but fear not: though the loving between Gemma and Andrew is tender and sweet at first, the heat is constantly there, the sexual tension between these two and especially as Andrew wants to do the honourable thing and not seduce Gemma will make your skin heat."He closed his eyes. "What I feel for you is a bit more complicated than 'like.' You argue over the least little thing. You always must have the last word. But you’re a wonder with Marc. And an excellent dancer." He paused. "You taste like heaven.""What endeared Master of Sin to me was the light humour Maggie Robinson infused in the story, giving it some lightness besides Andrew's torment:"You are [...] little, yes." His eyes raked her, and she felt the familiar frisson. "You would make a fine climbing boy.""I'll keep that in mind if I need to seek other employment. You have not threatened to sack me yet today, but it’s still morning."He ran a hand through disheveled golden curls. "There's no good way to say this. Gemma, will you marry me?"Verdict: Master of Sin is so much more than an erotic historical romance novel. Its emotional depth and the exploration of Andrew's healing touched my heart and made me feel sorry for this man who had such a sad life until he got himself a family. If you are not afraid of a bit of emotional baggage and a seriously tortured hero you shouldn't miss out on Master of Sin, it is a wonderful story and a worthy ending to this great series.Plot: 8/10Characters: 8/10Writing: 9/10Ending: 8/10Cover: 6/10 (somehow the cover model for Andrew looks like as if he was not an actual living man but a wax figure. And he looks much too sinister and dangerous as to how Andrew is described. I could picture Simon Baker as Andrew) This is a generous 2 1/2 stars. I liked a lot of the elements of the story, but it didn't really hang together for me. The lead couple is an unusual pairing. Andrew Rossiter is a Scottish gigolo who's becoming jaded with his profession and feels more than ready to retire. And soon enough, he has little choice-- a return commission to Italy for his services as a surrogate stud is cut short by violence, and Andrew barely escapes with his life-- and the life of his young son, Marco. Desperate to protect his son from further reprisals, Andrew thoroughly flees polite society by purchasing a manor on one of Scotland's distant Western Isles.But Andrew cannot care for his son alone, particularly as his Italian vocabulary is limited to words used in the bedroom. Gemma Peartree, the half-Italian daughter of a courtesan who's been (willingly) ruined by her own stepbrother, seeks the security (and anonymity) of a position as governess. She accepts the contract with Andrew's middleman, little knowing what she's getting herself into other than that her charge speaks Italian.In fact, neither of them know what they're getting themselves into. The "manor" is a leaky, drafty wreck of a house on a bleak, God-forsaken, wind-swept shore. They're cut off from the mainland for weeks at a time. Andrew's servants, not counting Gemma, number two-- an old part-time couple who speak not a word of English (much less Italian). (All the locals speak Gaelic-- of which Andrew knows a handful of half-remembered words from his childhood.) Luckily for Gemma's continued employment, little traumatized Marco (known as Marc now that they're on British soil) takes an instant liking to his new Italian-speaking nanny, because his father has taken a strong *dis*liking to her. Gemma, Andrew, and Marc are pretty much stuck with each other in this near-uninhabitable house as winter closes in, and it's not surprising that the adults' intense dislike quickly changes to hot passion. What bothered me about this book was HOW quickly that happened. I liked the characters well enough, and the sex scenes are plenty steamy, but there are a lot of unpredictable leaps-- on one page, Andrew is vowing to sack the irritating, nosy, insubordinate and filthy baggage that's taking care of his son, and on the next page, he's panting with lust for her. From the first, Gemma is worried about lewd advances from her employer, but in seeming no time at all she's waiting naked in his bed trying to seduce *him.* The chemistry between them was okay (despite Gemma running hot and cold in the latter half of the book, which was a little confusing), but I would've preferred more of a slow burn and a display of growing interest to "Attention, main characters: the author says you are now crazy for each other. Proceed." Steamy, definitely different, but not very satisfying plot-wise.
What do You think about Master Of Sin (2012)?
Loved it!!! These vulerable guys get me everytime!!!! Go Gemma!! kj :)
—Denzell
Tracking price reduction, $9.59 is way to much to pay for this book!
—Jessica
