Review: Lessons in Sin by Pam Godwin
Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.
Oh, my... *fans self* I've just finished reading Pam Godwin's newest standalone, and I can't help but feel the urge to check if my local parish is allowing confessions to be heard again at this stage of the pandemic. Maybe it's my good, ol' Catholic guilt at play, but at this point, though, I may simply decide to simply own it. Yep, I'm going to embrace every single bit of it because I relished the sinful decadence that is Lessons in Sin. Allow me to put this out there: If you're easily offended by themes and story lines similar to the one found in this book, then I guess this isn't going to be your cup of tea. However, if you're open to being nudged out of your comfort zone and appreciate fantastic writing or if you're curious about Godwin's writing, then do dive in. The "water" is oh-so-fine indeed.
In his former life, Magnus Falke was every bit a sinner, but if he'd hoped that entering the priesthood would help curb his wicked desires, well, he certainly never expected to be tested with a temptation as irresistible as Tinsley Constantine. If being a man of the cloth wasn't enough, there was his being forty to her eighteen, and the fact that he was the headmaster of the private academy where Tinsley's mother thought her wayward daughter would be reformed. He has no problem punishing her and pushing every single one of her limits, but Tinsley is a formidable challenge, and this time, Magnus's dilemma may be making a choice between his vocation and his devotion to one forbidden heiress.
My last read from Pam Godwin, Incentive, was one that I adored; Lessons in Sin is most definitely not a light read, it being more in the same vein as most of Godwin's back list. But what the two novels share is the author's gift for creating characters that you can't help but root for and giving them a story that makes a serious play for your heart, mind, and soul in the time you spend with them. Tinsley may have only been eighteen, but she's not your typical teenager on the cusp of adulthood. And Magnus? Well, he recognizes that over time, and that connection that they share goes beyond the physical. It felt like a privilege to witness the relationship develop and both of them coming to terms with their feelings and desires and the realization that they belonged together. The taboo nature may be what grabs you, but it's the love story that will keep you turning pages. Five stars.
Release Date: 29 June 2021
Date Read: 28 June 2021
Learn more about Pam Godwin.
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