Sutton’s Spinster
by Scarlett Scott 
My review:
When I see that Scarlett Scott has released a new book, I always get it and I never regret it. “Sutton’s Spinster” is the first in her new series, ‘The Sinful Suttons’. If you’re familiar with the author’s series about the Winter Family then you already recognize the name Sutton; They are a family who own and operate The Sinner’s Palace, a popular and successful gaming hell in the East End of London. These are Regency romances.
Jasper is the eldest of the Sutton siblings. He is proud to be a scoundrel of the highest order, loyal only to his siblings, and with time for nothing but his business, drinking and meaningless encounters. When twin 6-year-old daughters are dropped on his doorstep in the middle of the night, he’s flummoxed. He decides he needs a wife to take care of them, but who will stay out of his way and let him basically keep living his bachelor lifestyle. Meanwhile, Lady Octavia is a resolute spinster who has a dream of starting a gossip newspaper. She wants to mine his gaming hell for information to put in her paper. Jasper keeps refusing her, but she keeps showing up unchaperoned in the middle of the night to plead her case. Complicating everything is the fact that the chemistry between Jasper and Octavia is incredibly hot and intense. It’s not hard to figure out where the story ultimately goes because, after all, it is a romance novel. But the path that the story takes is captivating!
Octavia and Jasper are both multidimensional characters with nuanced personalities. The secondary characters are excellent, particularly Jasper’s daughters and his siblings. Scarlett Scott manages to make her fictional characters feel Real to us, while also effectively using some language and slang appropriate to the time and situation. This book is a winning start to what is sure to be another terrific series from this author.