Review: Three Nights of Sin by Anne Mallory

Posted July 25, 2008 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Three nights of danger . . .

When her brother was arrested for murder, the ton shut its doors to Marietta Winters. No one would help her save him from the gallows—no one but Gabriel Noble. In exchange for taking the case, Gabriel requests three favors from the desperate young beauty, and Marietta has no other choice but to make a deal with the sinfully handsome devil.

Three nights of pleasure . . .

Searching for clues in the rough underbelly of London, Marietta must masquerade as a shamelessly wanton wench—much to Gabriel’s delight. But Marietta swears to herself that her passionate moans are just for show. She could never fall in love with such a maddening, arrogant, seductive stranger . . . could she?

Three nights of sin . . .

Night after night, she satisfies his wicked cravings. But soon Gabriel wants more from Marietta than just three nights of sin—and even a sordid secret in his past won’t prevent him from trying to possess her forever.

This book is fantastically awesome. I love historicals that depart from the usual Lord and Lady/Balls/Riding through Hyde Park, etc. This book is definitely not a fluffy historical.

Marietta Winters is desperate. When her younger brother is arrested for murder, Marietta has no where to turn. The ton has already tried and convicted him. With people that she thought were friends turning their backs on her family, Marietta’s only option is to seek out Gabriel Noble. Marietta doesn’t have the ten thousand pound fee that Gabriel requires for his services. Instead, Marietta has to agree to grant Gabriel three favors in return for him helping prove Kenny’s innocence. She doesn’t hesitate and soon finds herself involved with a man that is far more than he appears to be.

Gabriel has his own reasons for agreeing to help Marietta. From the night she showed up on his doorstep, he has been intrigued by Marietta. Someone who seems to be plain upon first inspection is anything but that. When Marietta agrees to grant him three favors, Gabriel also insists that she live with him in Middlesex. After all, finding the Middlesex Murderer would be best done by living in Middlesex. Though he expected Marietta to balk, he underestimates her desperation.

Together Marietta and Gabriel scour Middlesex trying to find anyone that knows anything about the night Kenny was found over a dead body. Despite Gabriel’s skepticism, he is soon convinced that Kenny is not the Middlesex Murderer, that he was in fact setup and could possibly hang for something he didn’t do. It’s not until the fourth victim is discovered that Gabriel realizes that all four victims have a significant tie to his past. When he begins to put everything together, he is appalled by the realization that the murderer could be someone he knows and trusts.

There were many things that I liked about this book. There was not an immediate attraction between Gabriel and Marietta. Even though Marietta thought Gabriel was probably the most beautiful man that she’s ever seen, that doesn’t stop her wariness. Both Gabriel and Marietta are outcasts from a society that they don’t want to be a part of. Marietta knows that even when Kenny’s innocence is proven, she will never return to the society that turned their backs on her. Gabriel has never been a part of society, nor does he want to be. What he wants is to keep Marietta for his own, much to his surprise.

I really liked how the story came full circle. It started out with Marietta going to Gabriel for help, yet it ended with Gabriel needing Marietta. What Gabriel overcame in his life was amazing, especially because of the person he turned out to be. I loved this book from start to finish and highly recommend it.

4.5 out of 5.

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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