When I first heard of the "Sin Series" from Red Rock Press, I had mixed expectations. A series of montage books based on the seven deadly sins could be amazingly trite or tacky, possibly even tasteless. I decided to increase the chances of all three by selecting volume 2 in the series, Lust, Love & Longing by Eileen Morgan.

The book was a pleasant surprise. Not only was it tasteful, it was delightful.

The slim hardback is divided into clever chapters, beginning with "The Gods Are Crazy." Morgan delves into the realms of mythology to explain the ancient roots of love and lust with the likes of the Mesopotamian goddess Astarte, the Egyptian Bastet and the various entanglements of Greek Aphrodite and Roman Venus, her babe Eros (a.k.a. Cupid) and the misshapen Priapus. The book heads east to introduce readers to Ama-No-Uzume in Japan and Pan-Chin-Lien in China, north to the Norse deities Freyr and Freyja, west to the Irish horned god Cernunnos, and across the ocean to Tlazolteotl and Oxum.

"Delicacies of Desire" deals with aphrodisiacs, talismans and other icons of affection. "Champion Lovers" details the personal histories of Giacomo Casanova, Catherine the Great, Wilt Chamberlain and more. In "Heaven Help Us," you'll learn about the positions of various religions on the subject. If you really want to know, "How the Birds & Bees Do It" explains the ins and outs of biology in the natural world. "History-Making Affairs" fills in the details on notables from Cleopatra to Henry VIII and several denizens of the White House.

The book isn't just a collection of vignettes and trivia. There are relevant quotes from varied sources, plus samples of fine art and photography to illustrate the point. You'll find plenty of both in "Screen Sizzlers," with pearls of wisdom from the likes of Mae West, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman and Kathleen Turner. "Advice to the Lovelorn" is a compendium of counsel from the writings of Plato and Ovid, the Kama Sutra, Lord Chesterfield, Mark Twain and, of course, Dear Abby. "Love's Martyrs" explains some of the penalties of wayward romance, including imprisonment, death and even castration. And, lastly, "Passionate Words" explores love and lust through prose and poetry.

Nowhere in the book does it explain who came up with the idea for a series of slim sin-based collectable books, but a clever idea it was. Lust alone is a fun read, either for leisurely reading a minute here, a page there, or for sitting down for some concentrated reading. Anyone with the entire series should have a grand time learning just how much fun a bit of sin can be.