THE SONG OF SIN: A delicious romp in the grove of forbidden love

“Poets confirm what cynical psychologists say: there’s one person we’re destined to love, and if we ever meet that paramour, we’re done for,” writes author and poet John Wareham as he leads us on a delightfully delirious journey of lovers grasped in the clutch of stolen passion in SONNETS FOR SINNERS: Everything One Needs to Know About Illicit Love.

The sonnets in this tiny tome include entries from Shakespeare, Yeats and Edna St. Vincent Millay to Prince Charles, Lady Diana and Elizabeth Edwards and now includes a sonnet based on the text messages from Tiger Woods to his Manhattan cabaret queen.

They have all been selected and illumined by Wareham, author of the critically acclaimed novel, Chancey On Top, ranked by the New York Observer, “among the finest novels ever” – and the recently bestselling The President’s Therapist. In SONNETS, Wareham leads us on a delirious journey of historical sinners caught in the clutches of stolen passion and through the various phases of love.

Like a fiery habanera pepper, this tiny tome packs a huge wallop as Wareham introduces us to historical sinners and the stages of their desire. “Love leads the heart astray but lust enters below the belt and takes command of absolutely everything,” he writes as he examines the initial attraction phase. Dire warnings prevail as William Shakespeare cautions of the madness of lust and poet Elan Haverford weaves a web of seduction’s lies.

In the chapter “Fever” Wareham warns that, “The delirium must take its course.” And what a course it is – Chandler Haste compares the cravings of parted lovers to cocaine addiction in “White Lady.” Oscar Wilde’s own beloved Lord Alfred Douglas faces the scorn of ‘the love that dare not speak its name’ in “Shame.”

Celebrity poets enter the fray as Wareham moves on to “Endings.” Drawn from their actual words and set into sonnet, the late Princess Diana reveals the torture of being the third wheel in her own marriage in “Hearts.” John Edwards glibly dismisses his own “Secrets and Lies” and Elizabeth Edwards reveals her own ambivalence, striking at the heart in “Rings.”

Choices in “Epiphanies” come with a heavy price as Edna St. Vincent Millay observes “I only know a summer sang in me a little while, that in me sings no more.” But Oscar Wilde reminds us that life is nothing without “the red fire of passion.”

It is only the greatest passions that are worth such a price. “If tortured to reveal a vital secret, no captive terrorist could withstand the level of pain that sinning lovers routinely inflict upon each other,” Wareham reminds us. SONNETS FOR SINNERS reveals them all. Even the most faithful of lovers will add a spicy tang to their Valentine’s Day celebration by sharing the sinfully delicious SONNETS FOR SINNERS. Sonnets for Sinners: Everything One Needs to Know About Illicit Love

Tiger Balm

You want a partner to witness your life;

a someone I never found, not even

at home—yet, suddenly, you’re touching sides

of me I never knew. Why didn’t we find

each other years ago? It’s brutal that

you can’t always be with me. I want you

next to me, on me—I need to gaze at

you … yet do I truly know who you are?

Will I just be fifth your list?—one more

person who just happens to be famous?

Well, my brain says yes, but my heart says no.

I hate feeling so weak, I’m tougher than this.

Get it together and get on the flight

We can have make-up sex after we fight.

Tiger Woods

Chic Galleria is pleased to be giving away copies of SONNETS FOR SINNERS: Everything One Needs to Know About Illicit Love. to one (1) lucky Chic Galleria reader. Just leave a comment on this article and tell us why would you or someone you know might enjoy this book? The winner will be chosen at random from those who leave a comment and the winners will be announced February 16, 2010.

Congratulations Deb Anderson!

Tags: Authors, books, Giveaways