There you have it. It’s what you’ve been waiting for, certainly what I’ve been waiting for. Barely into the story and here it is, another Laura Trentham romantic masterpiece - sweet, poetic, and steamy. Very, very steamy. You’ll quickly become fully immersed in the story and never want to leave.

A Sinful Surrender is the fourth entry in the Spies and Lovers series and begins with a young woman hiding in a library to escape some cruel remarks she has overheard being made about her. Others enter and she hides behind the curtain as an argument and attack take place. When she finally dares to venture out she discovers a dead man, and just when she picks up the murder weapon in an attempt to help the victim a handsome young man barrels through the window and catches her standing there. What a pair. An innocent but adventurous debutante who often underestimates herself but longs for excitement and love and feels that somehow there must be more ahead for her than just settling for Society Life. A disgraced lord with a tarnished name, a dilapidated estate and short of funds but earnest, honest, determined to find out more about his late father and clear his name. And did I mention breathtakingly handsome? They literally stumble upon one another. Delilah doesn’t know if she can trust Marcus or not but he’s her escape from imminent danger, and she doesn’t understand it but finds herself powerless to pull away from him: when near him even her hair felt alive for heaven’s sake! Marcus needs to keep her close to find out if she knows who committed the crime and can be the link to clear his family name. And by the way, Marcus for his part goes all poetic around her, too: “A lady like Delilah should be kissed for the first time under a sun-dappled oak with a spring breeze ruffling her hair” Well, poetic and some other reactions.

It’s not going to be easy for these two. Delilah’s father is a businessman and the only way to get into society is through her hefty dowry. Her mother does not like Marcus and wants Delilah safely married to a “gentleman” of their choosing. The safe route. Her parents are overprotective since her brother died, but don’t really hold her in much esteem. They just want to marry her off, thinking she will be lucky to take whichever man offers marriage (and gets that huge dowry). And then here comes Marcus, through the window, while she is standing next to a corpse. What follows is exciting and dangerous and funny – and did I mention steamy?

Marcus and Delilah take extreme and scandalous measures to get to the bottom of the mystery, the murder, clear the Wyndam family name, and keep each other safe. And all the while their attraction grows stronger and stronger and sweeter and sweeter: “If Mrs. Bancroft hadn’t been eviscerating him to the spine with her gaze, he would have taken Delilah’s hand and laid it over his heart.” How can you not sigh when you read that?

Author Laura Trentham writes one heck of a romance, whether historical or contemporary. The characters are richly drawn and the relationships feel so real and true. And they are funny and brave and foolish and totally lovable (except for the bad guys, of course). You’ll laugh and sigh and worry over their fates. The story is fast moving and you aren’t sure what will happen next and can’t put the book down until you find out.

Thanks to the author for providing an advance copy of A Sinful Surrender in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. I love this series; I love everything Laura Trentham writes and I recommend it all without hesitation. ( )