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 Ada, an Englishwoman who has found herself in medieval Spain after fleeing her homeland, is addicted to opium and will do almost anything to get it. She ends up at a slavery auction, blissfully addicted and completely unaware of her circumstances. Luckily for her, she’s spotted by two men: Gavriel, a former warrior and now dedicated novice, and her friend Jacob. Between them, they rescue her and take her away, but she faces a hard battle fighting her opium addiction. Can Gavriel’s dedication to her cure her of her addiction – and help him face down the trouble from his past?
I loved how this romance was different and yet still had all the essential ingredients for a wonderful romantic read. First off, the book is set in medieval Spain. There’s currently a total glut of historical romance (and regular fiction for that matter) set in England, which is all well and good, but sometimes I’m looking for something different. This fit that bill, and the author even includes a helpful note about what’s accurate and what’s different about her history at the end. I love when authors do this, it shows such dedication to their research that I really respect and admire. Her website lists the books she used to research in case readers are interested.
Secondly, I loved the characters. Gavriel himself feels familiar, as there are plenty of emotionally scarred warriors hanging around in the romance genre (I think immediately of Kev/Merripen in Seduce Me at Sunrise), but his character is done well and his journey to redemption is admirable and engaging.
It’s Ada that is different. She has severe issues with her life; opium addiction just one of the ways in which she is unusual. She’s treated her sister horribly, she’s seduced a man for her own purposes, and she’s not even willing to be rescued from the drug she’s addicted to. I started the book really wondering how the author was going to pull this off. Characters are absolutely essential to a successful romance, because really the entire book is centralized on the relationship between two people, and Ada was not a character that I liked at first. Somehow, though, I found myself really caring about Ada by the end. She recovers herself and realizes that many of her actions have been wrong, and that she can do better. Gavriel helps her on that path, but it’s really her that becomes strong and dedicated, and he’s not a necessity for it to happen.
Finally, I really loved the adventurous take that Lofty took with this one. Everyone fights and travels, so there is plenty of action mixed in with the more thoughtful and romantic scenes. It really helps to move the book along and provide a dimension which isn’t totally focused on the central romance. I always appreciate that.
Scoundrel’s Kiss has made me especially eager to read the author’s first book, What A Scoundrel Wants, which uses the Robin Hood legends and introduces Ada and her sister. This was a great read and I definitely recommend it.
I am an Amazon Associate, so if you purchase books through my links I will earn a tiny percentage of the profit at no cost to you. Thanks! I received this book for free from the author as an ebook.
 During one of the Marquis of Raceworth’s house parties, he is startled to learn that a dowager duchess is waiting for him to attend her. Uncertain what an older woman would want from him, he doesn’t expect to discover that the duchess is young, beautiful, and convinced that he has a set of famous pearls which belong to her mother. Race does own the pearls but is convinced they belonged to his grandmother and are now his. His conviction doesn’t stop him from becoming extremely attracted to Susannah, and the more they search for the pearls, the more he realizes that they are not what matters most to him.
This is such a fun, sweet book. Since I’d read A Duke to Die For, I already really liked the hero and I was pleased to see many of the secondary characters appear again. The central couple, Race and Susannah, served as a wonderful pairing. Susannah is slightly older than the average romance heroine at thirty, and she is a widow. Better yet, she was forced to marry after being caught in a scandal with a man she believed she loved. So not only is she interesting, but so is her background, and makes a lot of her actions in the book more believable. She doesn’t have much to lose by getting involved with Race, unlike your conventional romance heroine, so the romance’s quick pace feels slightly more realistic. She’s also very independent, which I appreciated; we never feel like she needs Race to do anything, she’s fully capable of doing it all on her own.
I really liked the side plot with Gibby. I almost hope he finds someone in the third book of the series, he’s such a sweet older man and it seems a shame that he only loved Race’s grandmother. I also liked the frame story with the pearls, I thought it was a clever way to bring the main couple together and then cause conflict between them. I loved that Race sent Susannah little improper notes; he’s not at all in denial over the way he feels and he wants her to know it.
Overall, I really enjoyed A Marquis to Marry*. I liked both the main characters, I liked their journey to love, and I’m looking forward to Morgan’s story in the next book!
*I am an Amazon Associate. I received both books mentioned in this post from the publisher for review.
 When her grandfather dies and Lily Balfour hears gossip at how far her family has fallen, she begins to despair. She, her mother, her aunt, and her slightly strange cousin Pamela live in a dilapidated Tudor mansion, poor as dirt since her father died in India when she was a little girl. Some say the Balfour clan is cursed. Lily throws off that idea and decides to head to London to find a rich husband before it’s too late. In London she comes across Major Derek Knight, a war veteran from India waiting for money from his men and taking the opportunity to seduce as many women as possible while he’s there. Lily has already found a willing mate, a rich but slightly stupid man willing to infuse his low class status with Lily’s blue blood. She is irresistably attracted to Derek but must put him out of her mind for the sake of her family, at least until Derek suspects her husband-to-be of corruption. Exposing that plot will put both of them in danger of losing their lives and perhaps their hearts as well.
Oh, Gaelen Foley. I loved your books so much when I was young. Where has the spark gone, I ask? It must be true that The Spice Trilogy, of which this is the second book, is not up to your usual standards, because while I enjoyed this book, it was lacking the magic. The magic that makes me fall in love with your characters and want to read your books again and again.
I’m not sure where this went wrong. I certainly felt the sparks between the main characters and I did think they comported themselves well in their budding relationship. I loved that Lily’s cousin Pamela wrote novels and that her mother disapproved; I loved the idea of the collapsing Tudor mansion. I think my problem with this novel was the two main characters. Even though Lily is poor, she is still a fairly typical romance novel heroine. Gorgeous, submissive, the usual. She has a secret, but it’s not original or interesting, and doesn’t matter at all when she confesses it to the hero. Derek is big, manly, obsessed with war, the usual. He’s the reformed rake and while I love reformed rake stories, this one wasn’t working for me, possibly because despite the gorgeous women on his arm and in his bed, he never changes much. Their love story didn’t sweep me away.
As I said, this one’s lacking the magic. I loved Gaelen Foley because her romances always seemed a little darker than normal. One of the earlier ones had a rape scene, one featured a female bandit, and so on. This one is just a little ordinary. I think its only redeeming feature is the fact that Lily’s betrothed isn’t actually a bad man, just a desperate one. He was fairly interesting, but not enough to save this one from the “average” shelf. I enjoyed it, but it’s not converting anyone to the genre.
For a truly charming story of poor girl needs to marry rich man, go with How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn.
Available via IndieBound, Powell’s, Amazon, and Amazon UK.
 For today’s guest post, I’ve asked Amelia Grey to share with us how she manages to build the relationship between her hero and heroine. I hope you find her answer as interesting as I do. Stay tuned for giveaway info at the end of the post!
Every writer has a different way to develop the relationship between the hero and heroine. Some plan out the development from start to finish and they know exactly everything that will happen between them before they write the first word of the book. Others allow the relationship to grow spontaneously from the start and never write a word of synopsis or plan any of the story in advance. When I think about this concerning my books, I realize that most of the time I actually do a little of both.
I always start by writing a master plan, which is actually my synopsis, and the development of the romance is a big part of that. Writing a synopsis allows me the time to think through the major events in the hero and heroine’s relationship. To me those major events are the meeting, the first love scene, the break up, and then the makeup. Everything that comes between the meeting and the makeup is what I like to call the courtship.
To me the courtship of the relationship is the part that is spontaneous as I write. That is what I allow to grow and develop as I write the story, and sometimes, I’m astounded at what comes up during the courtship. Let me give you an example from my current book A Marquis To Marry, which is the second book in The Rogues’ Dynasty Series.
First I’ll give you a short, word-for-word excerpt from the original synopsis that I sent to my editor. This will show you how from the beginning how I set up what I call the major events to love story.
The meeting: But then the duchess shows up at his door. She’s not old and she’s not ugly. Susannah Brookfield is Race’s age. She’s beautiful, enchanting and has the most tempting lips he’s ever seen. With her intelligence and wit she intrigues him as no other woman ever has.
Susannah doesn’t care how fast her heart beats when she encounters the Marquis. She can’t allow him to intimidate her with his commanding words or enthrall her with his chiseled good looks and charming smile.
The love scene: Race and Susannah meet again at a party, and Race asks Susannah to dance. The minute their hands touch he knows he wants her in his bed. And he has no doubts he’ll get her there. He senses she is as drawn to him as he is to her, and being a widow she has the freedom to accept him as a lover.
Even though Susannah believes Race is trying to trick her into giving up her claim on the pearls by charming her into his bed, she finds his kisses too persuasive to resist. She surrenders to his skilled seduction and they become lovers.
The break-up: But later, things take a decided turn for the worse when Race discovers the ropes of pearls have been stolen from his home. He automatically assumes Susannah had someone steal them while he was at her house making love to her. With distrust between them, separately they search for the pearls.
The makeup: Race and Susannah’s attraction to each other is maddening and irresistible. Before too long they end up back in each other’s arms.
All of the above was written before I wrote the first sentence of the book. But that gave me a fairly good outline of where in the book I needed the major scenes of the loves story. I had no idea what would happen during what I call the courtship. That is where I let the characters take over and show me what they want to do and say to build their relationship.
When I started writing A Marquis To Marry, I had no idea that in the beginning Race and Susannah would be competitive with each other, but they are. I had no idea that throughout the book Race was going to write Susannah short, informal notes that makes her heart pound with excitement every time she gets one. I had no idea that Race would have to cut a hole through a seven-foot high and three-foot wide hedge to get to Susannah’s house, or that they would attend a boxing match together. I hadn’t planned out any of the little things that would make their relationship grow and thrive.
So now that I’ve shown you how I develop the relationship between the hero and heroine, why don’t you tell me if, when reading a book you can tell what is planned from the beginning, developed spontaneously, or do you think all authors are like me and do a little of both?
A Marquis to Marry, Book Two in the Rogues’ Dynasty Trilogy, In Stores October 2009
Alexander Mitchell Raceworth, the dashing fourth Marquis of Raceworth, is shocked when the alluring young Duchess of Brookfield accuses him of stealing pricelesspearls belonging to her family. Susannah Brookfield is the most beautiful, enchanting woman he has ever met, but despite his attraction, he’s not about to hand over the pearls.
Though suspicion and mistrust drive them apart when the pearls are stolen, Race suggests they pool their resources to recover them. If they do find them, will they finally be able to give in to love, or will the truth of the elusive necklace tear them apart once and for all?
About the Author
Amelia Grey’s awards include the Booksellers Best and the Aspen Gold, and as Gloria Dale Skinner, the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the prestigious Maggie Award. Her books have been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs. Happily married for twenty-five years, she lives in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Giveaway Info
Sourcebooks is sponsoring a giveaway for one reader to win a set of Amelia’s current romances in this trilogy, A Duke to Die For (which I reviewed here) and A Marquis to Marry. To enter, leave a comment on this post with an answer to Amelia’s question above before midnight on Monday October 26th. US and Canada only. Good luck! The winner of this contest according to random.org is commenter number twelve, Anita Yancey.
 When Sir Harry Valentine moves in next door to Lady Olivia Bevelstoke and her family in London, rumors start to fly. Olivia hears that he killed his fiancee and she starts watching him through her bedroom window, convinced he can’t see her but perplexed when he wears strange hats and throws papers into the fire. She decides that he is a very peculiar man. Harry, trained by the War Office, knows Olivia is spying on him, but it’s not until they meet that he hears the rumor that a Russian prince is after her, a Russian prince who may be a danger to the state, and that he must stay near her. Forced to stay close together, Harry and Olivia learn that rumors aren’t the only thing that happens in London; love does too.
This lacks the intensity of a truly great romance novel but is a funny, heartwarming read anyway. Olivia and Harry make so cute a couple that in real life, half of us would be a little sick watching them. Julia Quinn is great at building a friendship bond between the characters, making a relationship that is way beyond passion, and that’s certainly true here, since there is only one love scene and if I recall correctly, it isn’t even very long. Possibly it’s that lack of intense chemistry which is missing, but we’re still left with the feeling that this couple will be very happy together. There are some adorably romantic scenes, like the many window conversations the couple has, particularly when they read to each other across the short distance. Quinn includes another hilariously bad pulp novel which results in some very entertaining scenes.
I also felt that the suspense plot fizzled a little. There is an event towards the end which didn’t fit quite as well with the quirky, cute tone of the book, trying to add in more suspense. I just felt it was somewhat annoying, even if it served a purpose in the plot. The ending, however, made up for that with some of the sweetest scenes I’ve ever read. After the cringefest that was The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, I am relieved, and look forward to her future work. What Happens in London is not as great as the Bridgerton books, but worth a read for romantics.
 Leopold Dautry, the duke of Villiers, has a serious problem. He’s just realized that his six bastard children are not in the reliable schools that he thought, but rather shoved off into the cheapest places possible so that his soliciter can keep all his money. While he sets about finding his children, he knows that he needs a noble wife to help him introduce them into society and keep them in his house. He needs the daughter of a duke, which leaves him two choices, Eleanor, the daughter of the duke of Montague, and Lisette, the daughter of the duke of Gilner. Eleanor is beautiful and makes him laugh, but Lisette, while considered mad, cares nothing for society’s dictates and adores children. Villiers must make a difficult choice between them in order to find the woman who will not only be the mother of his children but the companion of his dreams.
This is the sixth entry in Eloisa James’s Desperate Duchesses series, and while knowledge of what’s gone before would help, I think this one actually does a great job standing on its own. This is because it’s focused directly on the couple at hand and their relationship is all new. While Villers’ character has been brilliantly developed over the course of these six novels, this one builds enough on that to make it stand alone, particularly when he finally falls in love. And it’s all done in Eloisa James’s witty, clear prose, which immediately draws me in and won’t let me stop reading.
I hestitate to spoil exactly which woman Villiers falls in love with, although it is somewhat obvious from page one. If you’d like to read this without any indication of what’s going to happen, please stop reading now! The back cover is right in that he chooses between logic and passion. He believes for a while that Lisette would be a perfect choice for his children. She likes to play with them and she ignores society completely; but what he doesn’t see (and what is fairly obvious to the reader) is that she is like a child herself and as such would be completely incapable of caring for them. I’m not sure what’s meant to be wrong with her, but it certainly doesn’t make her an appropriate mother and wife.
Eleanor, on the other hand, is an amazing heroine. Having set her heart aside for her childhood love, who also happens to be a duke, Eleanor declared long ago that only a duke would do. If her love was forced to marry someone else, she would remain true to him. After a number of years, however, Eleanor is lonely, and wishes she hadn’t issued that silly statement. At this point, a duke appears on the horizon, searching for a wife, and almost immediately Villiers and Eleanor strike a deal. Watching them become friends after that and then fall in love is a beautiful thing. It’s made even more so by the fact that Eleanor believes – and at times I believed even though I knew this had to have a HEA – that he is going to choose Lisette. They can’t help loving each other because they genuinely like each other, and in my opinion the fact that they have both this and the chemistry going on is a wonderful achievement.
This book was for me the capstone on a series that has turned out to be wonderful. At first consumed with too many secondary characters, by the fourth book they begin to come into their own and steal the show. Over the series, I have grown to love Villiers most of all, and this is the perfect ending for him. I can’t recommend A Duke of Her Own enough. I kind of wish I could read it for the first time all over again.
 After a battle with the Scots, Jamie Sinclair impulsively marries a young woman to save her from certain rape by his men. Assuming the marriage will be dissolved easily, considering he leaves it unconsummated, he is astounded when she flees in the night. That young woman, however, is not an ordinary camp follower, but Catherine Drummond, countess and laird of her clan in her own right, is far from ordinary. Jamie attempts to get her back, only to suffer at the hands of her clan; they remain married only so that Cat can avoid the marriage her cousin wants to arrange for her. Only when she realizes that she will never be laird as she ought does she go to London, to seek an annulment, but when she finds Jamie, she finds that it’s not so easy after all.
Like most people who are aware of the huge romance blogging community, I have heard of Broken Wing by this author and the huge number of bloggers who read and fell in love with it. When Danielle at Sourcebooks offered me the chance to review this, James’s second novel, there was no way I could say no. And while this book isn’t shaking the foundation of romance or anything like that, James certainly does deliver a great novel that I really enjoyed reading.
I think what I liked best about this book is the fact that the relationship between the two main characters really starts to grow when they become friends. Obviously, romance comes about between them too, but I love the way their personalities interact and they grow truly fond of each other in a way that has nothing to do with passion. This is one of the rare couples that I feel really develops a bond over the course of the novel that will actually last. They share common interests, experiences, and feelings that I could imagine sustaining them through many tough times, as indeed they do in this novel.
Plus, I loved Cat. She’s such a strong, independent, well-crafted woman that it’s impossible not to feel for her. Her curiosity, intelligence, and loyalty all endeared her to me and I really wanted her to go after what she wanted, whether that was Jamie or lairdship of her clan or even an annulment.
Probably the only problem I had with it was Jamie’s promiscuity. While he is faithful to Cat, he has a great number of “lady friends” and I felt he was too close to them for comfort. I don’t really like reading about heroes with other women, even if it’s just to show how they change over the course of the novel, like it was here. Honestly, if Cat could come upon him with a woman and misconstrue the situation, and in way that is not at all base jealousy, that is enough to put me off him. Still, this is one instance out of many, and I definitely got past it.
I do still recommend Highland Rebel. I think it has a lot to offer, namely great development of both individual characters and the relationship between them. It’s well worth a read for fans of historical romance – and I’m still really looking forward to reading Broken Wing when I get a chance.
 Elijah and Jemma, the duke and duchess of Beaumont, were married far too young. Jemma adored her new husband, but Elijah didn’t quite get it and kept his mistress on the side, for a variety of reasons. When Jemma surprised Elijah at work with a picnic, she was completely devastated to find him making love to his mistress on his desk, and fled the country, hoping he’d follow and make it up to her. Needless to say, he didn’t. Years later, Jemma is a hit in France and has had a few affairs of her own when Elijah passes out in Parliament. He realizes that his health is precarious and he needs an heir, so he asks Jemma to come back. Before they return to their marriage, however, both realize that they must come to terms with each other and understand what went wrong the first time in order to make their marriage work this time.
This is the fifth book in Eloisa James’s Desperate Duchesses series. At the beginning, I thought the series had too many characters, but by book four, which I loved, it became clear to me that Elijah, Jemma, and the duke of Villiers were the true stars, and as a result I’ve been very excited for the last two. It is a bad idea to start here; I had a look on Amazon and virtually everyone who rated this book negatively had not read the first four. If I hadn’t read the first ones, there is just no way I would have already had the attachment to these characters that makes this book work so well, so for anyone who is interested in This Duchess of Mine, keep that in mind.
That said, I loved this book. It starts off with a bang as Elijah saves Jemma, the background of which is fully detailed in When the Duke Returns, then slows down into a more sedate pace. I will admit that the first half of the book after this was a little too slow. Jemma attempts to set Elijah up with another woman so he has some fun and realizes that he only wants her, but it mostly backfires, as anyone who has been reading the series will know. When that ends, and Elijah and Jemma finally fall in love again, the book picks up in a big way and becomes beautiful and heartbreaking. Skip this next bit if you don’t want a spoiler:
Essentially, Elijah has a condition which could kill him at any time, and there is no known cure. Jemma’s realization that when finally all is right in the world, all is really wrong, is well done and touching. I knew that because it was a romance novel, there had to be a happy ending, but I still worried for him and felt for her as they searched for a cure.
As usual, the duke of Villiers plays a part in this novel, namely searching for his missing bastard children once he realizes how horrible their circumstances must be as he unknowingly put a dodgy solicitor in control of them. His book, the last, is next, and I am practically dancing in my seat with anticipation. His character development over the series has been just amazing and I can’t wait to see who gets him in the end.
This review has gone on and on, but I just want to end with a quick comment on Eloisa James’ writing. Her intelligence and education really shows with stunning prose that stands out in the genre. Her books are a cut above the rest and at this point, I know I’ll be out looking for more after this series is over.
In an effort to bulk up my reading in June, I read three books which I feel don’t really need a full review. I read a fourth one in July. I wasn’t crazy about any of them, but I’d like to record my thoughts for posterity, so here goes.
 Simply Magic, Mary Balogh
Recently, I welcomed Mary Balogh to my favorites list. She doesn’t do badly in this book either, although I’m beginning to see her formula to an extent. Susanna, a teacher at Miss Martin’s School for Girls, is a charity case who became such a wonderful student that she earned a place among the faculty both as a teacher and friend. When visiting her friend Frances, Susanna meets Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, and they proceed to become friends and eventually fall in love. As I said, Balogh definitely has a formula. The characters become good friends and then realize there is more to their relationship. There is also always the “just one night” mentality, meaning that the couples do it just before they separate for good. This has gotten to me a little bit; maybe once, but every single one of her female characters is relatively unconcerned about pregnancies? I can understand the mentality but I don’t know how much I’d share it if an accidental pregnancy was an irreparable tragedy. I still liked the book but I hope the next one I read by her deviates from this formula.
Guilty Pleasures, Laurell K. Hamilton
Everyone always talks about how the first few books of this series are pretty good but the series goes downhill after that. I figured I’d try it anyway. Luckily or unluckily, I really wasn’t fond of this first book and have no plans to read more. The book is virtually dripping with sexuality even before the series has denigrated; it already disturbed me and it could only get worse. I understand that most of vampires’ appeal is that sexual aspect, but there is a point where it is too much. Worse, I didn’t really like Anita, I didn’t like the style in which the book was written, and I actually missed the world-building explanations I’ve found in other urban fantasy series. This one just tossed me in, which might have worked if I’d liked the plot, but I wasn’t feeling it in any way.
 A Little Bit Wicked, Victoria Alexander
I thought this would be a good, unconventional romance. The heroine has had affairs and been married before (gasp!) so I figured she would be relatively aware of the world. It’s not really different, though. The hero is jealous of all her former lovers and of course has to be the best of all of them. Judith is an interesting heroine, but Gideon, the hero, feels like more of the same. I also really dislike when everyone knows the couple is in love before they do. Well-meaning, but I can’t say I’d want someone telling me how I felt, so it always annoys me when they try it in the books I’m reading. I prefer the couple to develop that through their relationship, not through someone else telling them they’re in love because they have a special twinkle in their eye or something. I think I need to stop reading romance novels for a while. I’m getting tired of them; too many of them are the same and not really believable love stories.
 To Catch an Heiress, Julia Quinn
This is another cute, funny romance from Julia Quinn. I think this is one of her first books, but it still comes across fairly well and doesn’t drown in stereotypes. Caroline and Blake are a sparkling couple, full of witty dialogue and snarky comebacks. Some of the events that happen here are laugh-out-loud funny and I just loved the little blurbs at the beginning of each chapter with a vocabulary word and Caroline’s explanation of why she was thinking of it at the time. I did find that the espionage plot felt a little tacked on. It was in evidence from almost the beginning, but it seemed more a convenient foil to bring the hero and heroine together than a major plot point, until the end when the suspense suddenly takes over. I didn’t find the threat all too convincing and felt that the couple could have realized the extent of their love in some other way. Still, this is easily my favorite of the four books I’ve mentioned here and Julia Quinn is definitely remaining as my favorite romance author.
 Lost at war and suffering from amnesia for seven years, Garrett, duke of Calton, discovers on his return to England that his wife Sophie has married his best friend, Tristan. Worse, he’s been declared legally dead, and Tristan and Sophie are so in love that he walks in on them in bed together. Sophie is astounded and grateful for the return of her first, youthful love, but completely torn between him and Tristan, who has stolen her heart in the meantime. As the men fight for her legally and romantically, Sophie has to make a very difficult decision between the two men she loves most.
This book intrigued me from the start. Honestly, I didn’t see how it was going to work. I’m too used to a romance novel having a specific couple that I know is going to end up together. This one had me antsy, because I had no idea who she was going to end up with at first, and then when I’d chosen who I thought was the “right” one, I worried she was going to pick the other one! I was right, for the record, but it shook me a little because I’d never thought much about what a relief that happily ever after ending is. I read a lot of books without them and when I read a romance, I like the security. This was great, but I’m not sure I’d want it in every romance.
Part of that is because the story is so heartwrenching. Sophie is tortured about these men. She’s thrilled that Garrett’s come back and she still loves him and she is still attracted to him, but in the meantime she has grown and built a life and love with Tristan. She has no idea what to do and the process of her choosing is sometimes agonizing. I don’t think that it’s needlessly drawn out or anything; I definitely felt that all of the scenes were necessary and developed the story enough for her to come to the conclusion that she eventually did. And I liked Sophie and felt her indecision was justified. The men went through a similar process, realizing their place in her life, but they are agonized too. For the most part, this is a whole book of people making tough choices, looking at the love they have for each other and thinking about it.
There is a sketch of a larger story at work, complete with villain, that serves to yank the novel out of the characters’ agony occasionally and force them to focus on something else. I liked this story, actually, even though it was mostly predictable, and felt that its not-so-perfect conclusion was suitable and makes me interested in further novels in the series to see if the problem is resolved. This book certainly comes to an end, but there is that hint of more. The excerpt also reveals that the rejected man is the hero of the next book, which I like, and I’m looking forward to a continuation of his story.
A Hint of Wicked is a great read for any fan of historical romance, but be warned that it isn’t entirely obvious where the book is going until the last third!
Thank you to Keira at Love Romance Passion for sending me her copy!
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