His Sinful Touch by Candace Camp
The Mad Morelands, #5
Historical Romance/Paranormal
January 30, 2018
HQN
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “I swear to you on everything I hold dear, I will not let him have you. You will not be his wife-even if I have to make you a widow”
When a strange man comes bursting into the Moreland’s investigative agency, Alexander Moreland is shocked to discover the man is really a woman and she needs his help to recover her memory. Unable to remember anything beyond her name, the only items she has to identify her is a locket, an embroidered handkerchief, a pocket watch, a pouch full of money, and a gold wedding ring.
Sabrina is unsure who she is but she knows she’s in trouble. Why else would she be dressed in men’s clothing with her face bruised, her head pounding, and a rising sense of dread. Luckily, she happened upon Alex Moreland who insists on helping her. A little bemused by the chemistry that sparks between them, she is unable to explore her feelings until she knows exactly who she is and what happened to her.
As Alex and Sabrina get close to discovering the truth, she learns the hard way it’s not strangers you need to beware of…it’s those far closer to home.
His Sinful Touch is the fifth installment in Candace Camp’s amusing and sexual historical series, The Mad Morelands, and revolves around one of the youngest Morelands, Alexander. Readers who follow the series will remember first meeting Alexander and his twin, Constance, in book one, Mesmerized , and watching these rascals grow up as the series progressed. Now in their 20s, they are more than ready for their own adventures.
As with the previous stories, this too has an underlying paranormal element. Alex is a touch empath and he and the heroine, seem to share a connection with one another; similar to what Alex shares with his twin. Though each story is contained to one hero and heroine, there is a set cast of characters who grow and change with each new book. Starting here will spoil some of the last four books but in my opinion, it’s not that big of a deal.
I haven’t read many romances with an amnestic plotline so I was pleasantly surprised to see this was the setup. The opening scene shows exactly how our heroine loses her memory then flashes to a meet-cute with the hero. Camp plots the scene well, creating a believable mishap and an introduction that generates just the right amount of atmosphere to start us off on the right foot.
From their first introduction, Alex and Sabina instantly click and you can feel the chemistry pulsate between them. As in all of Camp’s stories, her heroes are gallant beta/alpha mixes and her heroines are independent and dauntless. Alex is a born protector. He needs something or someone to champion as his gift is increasing in power and he is beginning to feel the distance between him and his twin as they start going their separate ways.
Sabrina is harder to pin down as we have no idea who she is or where she comes from. She fits in well with the Morelands as she is as opinionated and resourceful as they are. Grateful to Alex and the whole family for their help, she doesn’t wait for the answers to come to her but jumps right in to solve her own mystery.
Alex and Sabrina’s romance moves slow but sure, moving from attraction to love while intertwining with the mystery. Both are vocal in their admiration and we can see the romance developing in their internal and external dialogue. Alex’s guilt towards pursuing Sabrina while she is under his roof rears its head multiple times. Especially after he learns who she is and the circumstances that lead to her amnesia.
Sexually steamy, the scenes between them increase over the timeline of the story. I was a bit surprised how quickly they developed a physical relationship. This all happens in a matter of a couple of weeks. Especially on Sabrina’s end. She is very forward in her attraction to Alex and willingly engages in some heavy petting and eventually more. It’s just not something that I would think a young unmarried woman of this era would do. Once you learn her background, it even makes less sense.
The villain(s) are quite devious and Camp fleshes them out well; using Sabrina’s background to give them a plausible explanation for their actions. A vivacious cast of secondary characters adds to the confusion and humor to the story. The Duchess of Moreland and her daughter and daughter in law continue to crusade for women’s rights and take Sabrina under their wings. Alex’s twin comes home just in time to help and we meet the woman who looks to be the one to serve him his comeuppance. At times the story became a little too verbose for me. I wished to see more action without the step by step guide. An energetic finale resolves the main conflict and assures us Alex and Sabrina are well on their way to their Happily Ever After.
Grade: C+
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