Erica Ridley: Too Sinful to Deny

Forever on a hunt for gothic farce ala Northanger Abbey, I picked up a digital copy of Erica Ridley’s Too Sinful to Deny.

One look at the towering ocean-side manor that is to be her new home, and exiled socialite Susan Stanton knows: This is a place haunted by secrets, and riddled with menace.

For Susan, there is no escaping it. At best she can stay clear of the most dangerous element of all–dark-haired smuggler Evan Bothwick, a man whose shaded countenance cannot hide his wicked intent.

But Susan has a secret of her own–a special gift that renders her privy to the darkest mysteries lurking within the walls of the manor and in the labyrinthine cellars beneath. And the only man who can help her make sense of it all is Evan, the very scoundrel and rogue she would do anything to be able to resist…

This quirky romance involves windswept cliffs, smugglers, and a spoiled brat of a heroine who nicknames people in strange town after inanimate objects (Scarecrow, China Doll).

Published by Zebra (of Kensington) this is more paranormal Regency than gothic farce, although there is a light touch with writing that some readers will find endearing. The romance heats up as the body count rises, and the heroine is thrown from the frying pan into the fire. Smuggling is not the only scandalous thing happening in this alternative Regency universe far from the glittering ballrooms of Town.

While a little too off the path of the trad. Reg Rom to really speak to my heart, readers who are looking for something different will enjoy Too Sinful to Deny. I found the characterizations and over the top prose to be tiring, but there is definitely a strong mass of readers who will take to Ridley’s off the cuff style. Its not really a Regency in the truest sense, more of a paranormal romance set in the Regency.

However, there are similarities between the H/h and the Reg Rom genre…she is a high flyer who leaps into trouble while he is a rogue and rakehell who has abandoned his heritage to be a little piratical. The tension between them is interesting, in that it is mostly based on deep suspicion and intrigue…a refreshing change of pace for the usual communication breakdown style conflict.

All in all, if you can stick with it the pay off is there. I treated like a sorbet, to cleanse the palate from traditional fare, and actually ending up enjoying it in the end. Not destined for the reread pile but I definitely will check out other titles from this unique author.

5 Stars 4 out of 6 An offbeat paranormal romance set in the Regency, it appeals to a broader readership but falls a little short for Reg Rom diehards.