Review: Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase

From the Design Book of Marcelline Noirot:
The allure of the perfect gown should be twofold:
ladies would die to wear it . . .
and gentlemen would kill to remove it!

Brilliant and ambitious dressmaker Marcelline Noirot is London's rising star. And who better to benefit from her talent than the worst-dressed lady in the ton, the Duke of Clevedon's intended bride? Winning the future duchess's patronage means prestige and fortune for Marcelline and her sisters. To get to the lady, though, Marcelline must win over Clevedon, whose standards are as high as his morals are . . . not.

The prize seems well worth the risk—but this time Marcelline's met her match. Clevedon can design a seduction as irresistible as her dresses; and what begins as a flicker of desire between two of the most passionately stubborn charmers in London soon ignites into a delicious inferno . . . and a blazing scandal.

And now both their futures hang by an exquisite thread of silk . . .

Silk for Seduction is the first book I've read by Ms. Chase.  I decided to take a chance after seeing multiple nominations, and I'm so very glad I did.

Marcelline Noirot is unlike any heroine I've met thus far.  She's intriguing, driven, determined, single-minded, yet also loving, sensual, crafty, and devoted.  Despite coming from what could have been a wealthy background, Marcelline and her sisters use their dressmaking talents to take London by storm.  And what Marcelline wants is to dress the Duke of Clevedon's intended. 

She sets her sights on seducing Clevedon with her creations in the hopes he'll facilitate a meeting between she and the future duchess, Alice.  Clevedon makes good on his word; however, he cannot stop thinking about Marcelline. 

The dance ended, but still he held her. "You tease and provoke and dare and infuriate me," he said.

"Oh, that I do for fun," she said.

What transpires between Marcelline and Clevedon begins innocently enough but quickly erupts in a blaze of passion.  They simply cannot stay away from one another, and I loved every moment.