A review by tessisreading2
Master of Sin by Maggie Robinson

2.0

I've come to the conclusion that Maggie Robinson is superb at settings, and not so great when it comes to plotting or emotional heft. This book exemplifies that. The setting - a remote island in the Hebrides - is well-drawn, fascinating, and appealing, while still being realistically horrible (everyone speaks Gaelic, everything is cold, etc.). However, the plot is kind of over-the-top, but Robinson doesn't reach the level of zaniness required to make the reader not care that the plot is over-the-top; and as for emotional heft, well, the hero has a horrifying backstory (he was abused as a child and sexually exploited, leading to his eventual decision to become a male prostitute) which at one point he recites to the heroine - but she knows he's just doing it "to chase her away" and continues aggressively attempting to seduce him. Basically, it's Healing Through Sex. I don't particularly enjoy those plots and I don't feel like the horrific backstory was really treated with the careful consideration it deserved. If you're going to go that far with your hero, you should be prepared to write a really dark story, which this isn't - Robinson's books are always enjoyably light romps - so all the noodling and brooding and reminding the heroine how awful his dark past is just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Not one of her better books.