A lady with a heart haunted by past mistakes. A scarred rake determined to avoid all responsibility. One night of gaming to change both of their fortunes.No good deed goes unpunished.Riddled with debt after her husband’s death, Lady Vandestile spent years rebuilding her life—a life free of any entanglements with men that would only betray her. But pity has its place. And after fronting funds to … And after fronting funds to the wayward brother of her dearest friend, Lady Vandestile wakes in the morning to find Lord Alton has lost an enormous sum—enough to threaten the very existence of her exclusive gaming house. Enough to threaten her future. A future she once thought never to have. Demanding payment, or at least a guarantee to use against a loan, Violet is forced to corner the rake—or risk losing the only security she has in life.
Demons of the past that refuse to yield.
He lost her money. And he did it callously, without a care. Violet had plenty, after all. And Theo had none. Never mind that he once would have moved heaven and earth for her. But that was before. Before the war marred him for life. Before he turned into a monster.
One disastrous night of gaming could change both of their fortunes.
As a third son, Violet had always been far out of Theo’s reach. Inheriting the earldom and its destitute estate had done nothing to change that fact. But as their lives unexpectedly entwine, danger rears, and Theo and Violet must gather the strength to not only move on from the past, but to surrender to the demands of their hearts.
Note: The books in the Revelry’s Tempest series by K.J. Jackson are each stand-alone stories and can be read individually in any order. These historical romances are set in the Regency and Victorian eras, and do not shy away from scenes with steamy heat, occasional naughty language, and moments that might possibly make you squirm.
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A bit too wordy
Liked the heroine but found her attraction to the supposed hero unbelievable, as he was personally unattractive.
The story was decent but I don’t care for stories with pages devoted to sex scenes.
The premise had promise but the book failed to deliver. If you like formula books, this one is for you. Personally I like them to veer off the formula a tad so they are not as predictable.
Started book and was enjoying the story until it became obvious that this unmarried couple were about to become sexually involved. I discontinued reading as I do not read sexually explicit books. I would appreciate knowing that the material will be inappropriate prior to reading so that I can avoid investing any of my time on a story that I will not finish.
The story in the end was good. The beginning was a bit chaotic and unnecessarily complicated. But once you get past the first six or seven chapters it is really really good.
Sorry, couldn’t finish….The sex scenes trumped any true plot or character development.
I have not read Of Valor and Vice. Of Sin and Sanctuary was gifted to me by a friend who loves to send me books I would never see otherwise.
Of Sin and Sanctuary was good. But I don’t think it’ll make my list of favorites. Even though it was a historical romance, it didn’t feel like one. And, yes, I know that’s totally subjective.
I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The descriptions were good, but not great. And the dialogue was good, but not great. Actually, the whole thing was good, but not great. I might be a little spoiled to know so many truly great authors.
Do I recommend Of Sin and Sanctuary? Yes. It’s enjoyable. It’s got mystery and danger and romance and birth order angst. Just…don’t expect Dickens.
The story kept my attention throughout and I read it within a day. While this is a stand-alone and the most important background from “Of Valor & Vice” is incorporated here, I found it helpful to have read Valor & Vice beforehand.
Violet is a young widow. Her husband left her with debts, but we do not learn too much about her marriage until late in the story. It is not important to the storyline, but helps explain Violet’s understandable bitterness. Theo is a bit of a disappointment. From his service during the war he is badly scarred both physically and mentally. Is this the reason for his wastrel life we meet in the beginning? The reader can only guess. However, upon meeting his love from years ago he makes quite a change.
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to read and review it.
This book has it all.
This book is beautifully written and at times, for me, tragic. In the end, everything resolved itself, proving that what is meant for you, no one can take it away.
This story is about strength and perseverance. Getting through hell, making it out the other side and finding the courage to eventually put the shattered pieces back together. Violet has managed to do this for the most part, she has slowly fixed the mess her husband left behind when he died and rebuilt her life but she has closed her heart. Theodore is still lost and rudderless, he spends his nights trying to forget the horrors of war by drinking and gambling. Violet & Theo have a past, they hoped to become married but societal dictates got in the way.
Years later they are reunited by chance and circumstances force them to work together. They have to trust each other which is hard, but they each see a glimmer in the other of the person they loved when they were younger so they try. Once they find their way back to each other, to sincerely give the other a chance and into their battered hearts and minds, then they truly begin to heal.
This story has danger, intrigue, passion and heart. It’s hard to put down and you truly find yourself rooting for these two. Theo and Violet find their way forward together. These two succeed where others would fail because of trust, forgiveness and respect. This is a wonderful story, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Lise