Secrets of Sin

by Chloe Harris

On an alluring Caribbean island, Emiline du Ronde-Barhydt's inheritance and dazzling beauty insure that she's granted her every wish, but one...freedom from her wayward husband. So when the proud sea-captain, Reinier Barhydt, strikes a deal to let his wife go - under one condition - Emiline agrees. The price? Before Reinier signs the papers, he gets three days of his wife's total submission to his every erotic demand. The two fall under a spell of the most forbidden sensations and Reinier risks losing control of his own carnal game. At the mercy of his own raw shattering needs, the three red hot days may just turn into a lifetime of smouldering passion...

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Erotica, Historical, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2010

About the author

Chloe Harris is really the pseudonym for two writers, Noelle (owner of books listed) and Barbra, who've joined forces to write intriguing and sexy stories.

A quintessential eccentric southerner, Noelle seems to find a story in almost everything. Ever ambitious to change her stars, she has a degree in Communications.

Barbra lives together with her cat ('Princess Mimi'), who naturally isn't very happy that she is spending so much time on writing. But this folly of the living can opener with opposable thumbs is mostly tolerated.

Reviews

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you couldn’t tell Secrets of Sin is an erotic romance. And wow. My first thought when I read the first couple pages of Secrets of Sin is ‘You had me at hello.’ This book is erotic without being porny. It was really hot and descriptive. I mean if you want a complete idiot’s guide to spicing up your sex life, get this book. Really. I think my eyes popped out of their sockets a couple times, but in a good way. There was a time or two when reading that I thought, ‘Oh, so that’s how that’s really done.’ And I don’t recall ever thinking that when reading an erotic romance before.

Secrets of Sin is a compelling read. What really piqued my interest is the location and history of the country where the story takes place. After reading Secrets of Sin, I spent over an hour on the internet goggling Grenada, its culture and its history. Very few books engaged me so completely in that way.

That leads to the plot. The plot engaged me because it’s amazing that I would spend so much time on the internet. There is a lot of emotional angst inside Secrets of Sin. Secrets of Sin is more than a marriage reunion story. It’s about finding yourself and accepting yourself and the person you love for who they are. That’s the strength of Secrets of Sin.

There were a couple things that bothered me about Secrets in Sin. There’s a subplot involving Reinier’s best friend that distracted from Emiline and Reinier’s story, especially in the beginning. This could’ve just been me, because when I first start reading a novel, I want to get to the hero/heroine’s story and conflict. There is a scene in the beginning of the book that I felt could’ve been left out, but once I got to the end of the book, it was explained and I had a ‘Oh, I see why you did that’ moment. I know I’m being annoyingly vague but to go any deeper would reveal too much. Although I understood why something was done, I still believed Secrets of Sin would have been stronger if the majority of the best friend’s story was left to his own book. It was certainly a strong enough subplot to do so.

Another thing that annoyed me about Secrets of Sin is the conflict that pulled Reiner and Emiline apart. I understand why it might have ruined the marriage in the beginning, but all these years later they never talk about what drew them apart. After awhile I got a little annoyed that they didn’t just sit down and talk to each other, because Secrets of Sin had so much more going for it that even if they talked about what drew them apart, they had so many other issues they needed to work through that you would've have missed anything by having them discuss that big issue in the beginning of the novel.

Overall, I loved this book and would definitely read it again.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I've read this book before, but the cover is so non-descript that I completely forgot it. This book is HOT - with a pretty solid story. In any romance, characters act like caricatures of people to ratchet up the romance, and this was no exception. Certain pieces of the book pushed the envelope for shock, not for follow-through, which was mildly annoying. My main complaint was that occasionally the innuendo would make passages so murky to decipher, it was difficult to determine what was actually happening.

I recommend to fans of erotica looking for a diverting read. This was fun, not memorable.

[Booklover1335 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I loved Secrets of Sin by Chloe Harris. The Aphrodisia line of Erotic Romances from Kensington Publishing has been kind of hit or miss for me…to the point that I almost decided to stop reading them, except for the authors that I follow independent of the publisher. I was initially captivated by the story after reading a blog post by one of the authors of this writing team who was expounding on the reasons why a reader might fall in love with their hero. Afterwards I was desperate to read Secrets of Sin despite not knowing anything more about the author, or much more about the book other than the blurb.

The story begins with Emiline visiting her lawyer to request a divorce from her husband who abandoned her several years ago. She was left as a young bride, and while learning to become a woman she also had to assume the responsibilities of her family’s plantation after the death of her father, and provide for everyone that is dependant on its success; a life and independence that she has grown to love.

Reinier feared his growing love for his young wife who seemed only to care about the latest fashions, gossip, and projecting the image of perfection of herself and her marriage to her peers in her self centered world. After many years of living at sea he returns to Emiline and to the island that holds bittersweet memories to try and secure the affections of his wife, while protecting his own heart in the bargain.

He gets Emiline to agree to experience the burning passion they once shared for each other over the course of three days in order to convince her that divorcing him would be a mistake. In those three days he strives to earn her trust and touch her heart through their exploits in erotic lovemaking. And while there may seem to be an abundant amount of loves scenes in this book I felt that each one had a distinct purpose in illustrating Reinier’s seduction of his supposedly wayward wife. Even though the love scenes were explicit and numerous, they were crafted in a way without seeming to be gratuitous or graphic; instead I felt they were more sensuously erotic and purposeful to the overall story.

One of the things that I loved most about Secrets of Sin was how the story was told. Almost the entire book is just the Heroine and Hero interacting with each other. There aren’t a lot of secondary characters, no villains to have to fight…just inner demons, lack of communication, misunderstandings, and their struggle to discover each other again after several years apart, and develop a lasting type of love and relationship. Surprisingly the story didn’t feel lacking because of the limited supporting characters; instead I felt that it gave the reader an undiluted experience into Emiline and Reineir’s journey towards love.

However, there are a few things that I wish would have been delved into more deeply that I think would have really enhanced the story for me. First, I wish more would have been done with Emiline's actions as a young wife. Towards the end of the story it is revealed that Emiline is bi-racial and because of insecurities about her origins she is constantly seeking the approval of her peers to prove that she is worthy to be among them in spite of her wealth and seeming perfection. Her mixed heritage played a large part in her actions and how she presented herself to others to gain their acceptance at the beginning of their marriage and I felt that this insight into her insecurities would have made it a richer story and made her a more sympathetic heroine. In fact, I wish the reader would have been introduced to their story in the beginning of the end of their new marriage....when she's desperately trying to be the perfect wife to prove she is worthy of his love and affection, but instead driving her husband away as a result since he believes he is only an instrument, or trophy of her triumphant debut. There was so much potential to this facet of the story line but it was sadly only briefly mentioned, especially since it seemed to affect her behavior and actions as a young woman so greatly.

As it was written I felt more sympathy for Reinier and better understood his reasons for leaving than I did for Emiline even though he deserted her and had numerous affairs. I wish more would have been done with her reasons for seeking perfection so we could have felt more of her despair at being abandoned, and as a result I think the story would have felt more balanced. I also wish that Emiline would have confronted or expressed her feelings about Reinier’s infidelity. This wasn’t really addressed, at least that I can remember, and that bothered me a little bit since they were supposed to be building the bonds of trust in their new attempt at love.

Despite what I felt were some missed opportunities to make this an even better book, the fact remains that Secrets of Sin is a decadently erotic and sumptuously written love story that earns the title of being both erotic and a romance. It’s a fantastic debut by the writing team that comprises the author Chloe Harris, and I can’t wait for their next novel in this series, IN DEEP later this year.

Ratings 4.25 stars (on a sensuality scale of 1-5 this would be a hot 4, some ménage scenes, some light BDSM, sex toys, and an apt warning for a few things that garner a “don’t try this at home” )

[Kaye · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring

[Macia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It certainly does what it sets out to do

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was...weird. So, the hero and heroine have been married for a while, but the hero ended up fucking off a few years ago, and the heroine is tired of his shit. She hasn't seen him in years, he didn't even show up or say anything when her dad died, but she has heard about all of his sexual exploits. She's over him and decides to see about divorcing him. As it turns out, while she's talking to her lawyer about divorce, her husband's best friend is lurking outside the door and hears everything. He decides to intervene and tells him that his wife is having an affair (because just telling him about the divorce wouldn't have convinced him to do anything. Which. Ok.) while the two of them are having a threesome. This apparently motivates the hero to take his wife back because he can cheat all over her, but she can't cheat on him.

So, the logic in this story is out there to say the least. I don't think that I know anyone who would respond to situations like these characters do. I will say that the sex was very hot. There's a lot of BDSM in this book, and it was all well written. The erotica part of this story was definitely the highlight. I also enjoyed the unusual setting and that the heroine was mixed race (even if I did think the story of her parents wasn't quite believable).

The hero was definitely not great. This is one of the few stories where I can say that it would have made more sense for this to have ended in a menage a trois. Look, for the past few years, the hero has been roaming the world having threesomes with his best friend. We literally are introduced to him as they embark on another threesome with a prostitute (who ends up becoming the best friend's wife), and there's an aborted threesome between the hero, heroine, and best friend. The only reason it doesn't go through is because the hero and heroine are using him to get back at each other, and he decides to leave (it's an uncomfortable scene to read, but it's still hot). The two of them are definitely sexually attracted to one another (there's a scene about it) and are probably in love with one another. The heroine is jealous of the relationship between them. This should have been a love story between the two of them, or even just a menage a trois.

There were some good parts to this story. It was definitely hot, and I think that Harris was willing to try new things, but those didn't always work. The character motivations were often puzzling, and the real star of this book was the relationship between the hero and his best friend. I enjoyed this, but honestly, I'd give it a pass.

[Cate Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emiline du Ronde is mistress of a great Caribbean plantation, a successful businesswoman and a very lonely wife. It seems Reinier Barhydt, her husband, departed four years ago on a ship and has not returned. Instead, he and his best friend, Connor have a reputation for wild menage a trois and they are happily circling the globe doing everyone from the noblewomen of Europe to a virgin whore in some undisclosed location — yes, a virgin in a whorehouse. And they were lucky enough to have her (though I wonder if a virgin in a whorehouse would feel the same). I fully expected the two men to actually do each other – since they almost kiss in the first chapter – but no, apparently their enjoyment of sex with other men is limited to watching the other with a woman.

Meanwhile, on her little island, Emiline du Ronde has had quite enough, and she has her attorney draw up divorce papers. Connor overhears this, and for reasons I’m not quite clear on, he tells Reinier that she has taken a lover. Reinier returns to the island and makes a bargain with her. If she succumbs to his every wish for three days, he will grant her divorce.

I’ll stop here to just say the motivations of this book are preposterous. Reinier actually yells to a maid that, “I’m the one that was a prize she could brag to her friends about, something to laud over them and check off her list of ingredients for the perfect marriage…. She never loved me. It was all about bragging rights to her.”

Bragging rights. Okay. Whatever. Like some guy who cats around with whores is some huge catch. Way to go Emiline. But of course, none of the motives are actually the point.

Gettin-it-on is the point.

And that they do quite well. In the three days that Emiline is to submit to him, he takes a liking to spanking her, whipping her, caning her, and plain old doing her like a math problem. It was absolutely thrilling.

The writing itself, with its sweet descriptions of Caribbean life, were lustrous and beautiful. The attraction between the two main characters was very well defined, and the sex was extremely good. The fact that it was all hinged on a ridiculous structure did not matter in the least. These books are escapist, and they’re allowed to veer from reality.

I do have a question about the two men, however. To my eye, it appeared that the two men were lovers, but that the editing process deleted it. I could be entirely wrong about that, but there is a gap in the plot where that fact would have fit quite well indeed. As it is, their close friendship full of hugs and, of course, sharing sex with a woman, just seems undone and a little odd. It’s an intriguing line of inquiry: if they were lovers and that was cut out, why was it cut? Did the editors not believe that women would enjoy man-sex?

In any case, the existing book is lovely. A very enjoyable, fast read that ends with a happily ever after.

[Lindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, so here's something I despise in my romances: blatant infidelity. Here, our hero marries a young lady for her money, consummates the marriage, decides she has his heart, and leaves because he doesn't want her to have his soul, too. He's gone for four years, but not before he supposedly whores his way around the world. Then he has the gall to feel affronted when he hears she may have cuckolded him. DNF.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were times i didn't want to like this book, but I had to like it - the characters are so vividly portrayed, along with lush steamy scenes between the two spouses....

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll never look at ginger root the same way again!

[Laurie Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sexually explicit, right up my alley, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.