Review of Cara Elliott's Too Wicked To Wed

Title: Too Wicked to Wed (Lords of Midnight #1)

Author: Cara Elliott

Publisher: Forever

Format: Mass Market Paperback & eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: November 1, 2011[i]

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Ms. Elliott is an author I’ve never read before, and when I saw that Too Wicked To Wed was the first in a new series, I thought this would be the perfect time to check out her books. Although I had a few issues with some of the nicknames for the male characters (more on that later), I thought this was an engaging read with intriguing characters and steamy romance.  

Lady Alexa Hendrie[ii] has always managed her father’s estate, but now that her brother Sebastian is married, she will be relinquishing that job. She therefore decides to head to London and attempts to find a husband on the marriage mart, but her years of study and work on the estate have left her outspoken and intelligent, a dangerous combination in a lady competing with simpering misses. Her impetuous ways have gotten her into trouble before, most notably when she entered the notorious gaming hell and brothel, The Wolf’s Lair, to search for her brother. The owner of the Wolf’s Lair, Connor Linsley, Earl of Killingworth, kissed her silly, and she’s never been able to forget the experience.

Connor Linsley, or the Irish Wolfhound as society likes to call him, is undergoing a run of bad luck. He’s forced to borrow money from his friend Gryffin Dwight to cover his losses at the tables. Unfortunately, during a night of heavy play at the card tables, Gryff writes an IOU on the back of the slip of paper granting him half ownership of the Wolf’s Lair. To compound his error, Gryff’s lost to none other than Lady Alexa, disguised as a Norwegian youth. Suddenly Connor Linsley and Lady Alexa find themselves co-owners of a disreputable gaming hell and the focus of a vicious attack. When the two escape to Linsley Close so Connor can recover from his wounds, they must find a way to fight their attraction to each other, for he is Too Wicked To Wed a young lady like Alexa.

I always enjoy heroines who are intelligent and outspoken, and Lady Alexa is no exception. I like that she’s well-educated in spite of society’s strictures and has experience running an estate, which comes in handy when she arrives at the nearly abandoned Linsley Close. In fact, the time that the hero and heroine spend at Linsley Close is my favorite, because we witness Alexa winning over both Connor and his people. Alexa works hard to restore the manor, and I really enjoyed both her competent manner and upbeat personality.

Connor Linsley is one of the grumpier heroes I’ve read in a while, in addition to being quite the hottie. Nothing says sexy like a bad-boy hero, and you don’t get much worse than a notorious rake who’s secretly running a brothel and a gaming hell. Of course, we learn later that he’s quite the “softie,” as he pays fair wages and protects the women who work for him, even going so far as to help them realize their dreams after they retire. But he can’t resist Alexa’s innocent passion, and frankly he doesn’t put up much of a fight.

I only have two complaints about the novel, the first of which drove me batty while reading. When I read the prologue and several later comments made by Alexa concerning her brother, I was under the impression that they were characters from another book. Sebastian is well-known to the other male characters and apparently has a history with them, since Connor references a favor Sebastian grudgingly owes him. However, when I searched Ms. Elliott’s webpage, I couldn’t find any mention of Sebastian. It’s very possible that I was looking in the wrong place, but the way the action unfolds in the prologue led me to believe that I had started reading in the middle of the series, which is not the case. In fact, Too Wicked to Wed is the beginning of a new trilogy.

My other issue with the novel has to do with the dog-related nicknames for the three male leads featured in the trilogy. Connor is the Irish Wolfhound, his friend Gryff is the Deerhound, and their mysterious friend Cameron is the Bloodhound. Frankly, all the dog references got old quickly. I was a little surprised that the trilogy is entitled Lords of Midnight, because I’m not sure how that title plays into their nicknames. It was a bit odd, and I’m not convinced that Gryff would be the Deerhound just because he runs after women. Cameron’s name, the Bloodhound, seems more appropriate, given his tendency to hunt down and acquire objects for himself and others. Still, it felt forced.

However, the romance was steamy and the heroine spirited, and I really enjoyed their time in the middle of the novel at Linsley Close the most. Since I usually get bored around the halfway point, this was a huge selling point for me. And despite the canine nicknames, the secondary characters were really interesting, and I will without a doubt check out Gryff’s book when it releases.

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[i] Just FYI, the mass market paperback version of this book was available last Tuesday, but for some reason the eBook version wasn’t available until today. I’m not sure why that is, because I haven’t seen that sort of delay in releasing an ebook in nearly a year. In fact, just a few weeks ago you could purchase the ebook of Elizabeth Hoyt’s Scandalous Desires a week earlier than the paperback, which also seems odd. Anyway, as of November 1 you should be able to purchase Cara Elliot’s Too Wicked To Wed in either paper or electronic form.

[ii] In the synopsis on Amazon and Goodreads, she’s referred to as Lady Alexa Bingham, but in the ARC and other reviews have called her Alexa Hendrie.

Review of Kasey Michaels’ The Taming of the Rake

Lately I’ve been lucky enough to read several books by newly published authors, and it has been so exciting to see the fresh ideas and voices that these authors bring to their novels. That said, it was a distinct pleasure to delve into a book by such an accomplished novelist as Kasey Michaels. Despite her more than 100 books published, many written in the Regency era, this long-time reader of regency romance had never read one of Ms. Michaels’ books. After reading the first book in her new Blackthorn Brothers series, that will definitely be changing. The Taming of the Rake is a delightful Regency romance that at heart is a road trip novel. In my experience, nothing reveals one’s true character like travelling, and I freely admit to being a less than ideal traveler. Fortunately, the characters in The Taming of the Rake are much more pleasant travel companions than I, leaving us with a hero and heroine who begin their trip to Gretna Green as mere acquaintances but end it as friends and lovers.

The novel begins with young buck Oliver “Beau” Blackthorn, illegitimate son of a Marquess and actress mother, making his way to Lady Madelyn Mills-Beckman’s townhouse in London to propose marriage. As the lady has not expressed displeasure with his attentions and he’s madly in love, he believes his suit to be welcome. Unfortunately, that could not be further from the truth, as her brother Thomas has Beau tossed from the house and held down by footmen so he can give Beau a sound whipping. At that moment Beau realizes that his belief that he was accepted among the ton despite his illegitimacy has proved false, and he vows to act accordingly in the future.

Fast forward seven years, and we witness Thomas Mills-Beckman informing his youngest sister, Chelsea, that she will be marrying the odious Reverend Francis Flotley, even if Thomas has to lock her up in their country home to force her compliance. Realizing that Thomas is in earnest, Lady Chelsea decides to take action and flees from her home straight to the bachelor pad of one Oliver “Beau” Blackthorn. This is not as random an act as it initially appears. Chelsea had witnessed the humiliating whipping seven years ago and has realized that the recent financial losses her brother has steadily been experiencing are thanks to Mr. Blackthorn. While she wouldn’t deny him his revenge, her belief that he has inflicted the Reverend Flotley on her brother’s household and now upon herself leaves her with no choice but to confront Oliver.

This confrontation occurs immediately following Oliver’s thirtieth birthday, and the celebration with his brother Robin Goodfellow “Puck” Blackthorn has left him with a lovely hangover. Oliver freely admits to Chelsea that he has been behind the constant flow of questionable financial schemes her brother has found himself in, but Oliver has never even heard of Francis Flotley. He admits that he wishes he had thought of the idea, as it would be an amusing revenge. Instead, he decides that he will accept Lady Chelsea’s plan to elope, as that will be the ideal revenge against a man who would not allow his other sister to marry a bastard. The two elope, and their numerous adventures on the way to Gretna Green draw them closer, making it more difficult to resist anticipating the marriage than either expected.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for two reasons. The first is that the romance between the hero and heroine develops gradually over time. You truly come to believe that Lady Chelsea and Oliver have become friends over the course of their travels together. Their adventures are frequently uncomfortable, since at times neither of them has a change of clothes, but they find ways to overcome each obstacle. When they begin their elopement, each is perfectly clear that s/he is using the other for his/her own gain. Chelsea wants to escape marriage to the wet-mouthed Flotley, and Oliver wants to revenge himself upon her brother. But despite their initial reasons for acting, they grow to like and eventually love one another, and it makes for a sweet romance. Chelsea learns to care for this son of two very selfish parents who never considered how their actions would have a profound impact on his and his brothers’ futures. The revelations of how Oliver’s parents relationship came to be are equal parts poignant and troubled. Chelsea can’t help feeling for him, and her ability to surprise Oliver with her understanding and unfailing optimism leads to his falling for a woman who under any other circumstances would be out of his reach.

After reading everything I’ve written so far, you’d never guess that the second reason I enjoyed this novel so much is that it is so. very. funny. It is, in fact, HILARIOUS. While Oliver strives to overcome his illegitimacy by working hard, his youngest brother Puck seeks acceptance through flippancy and lightheartedness. Puck has some side-splitting one-liners that will have you laughing out loud. At one point he tells Oliver that “there are worse things than marriage to a rich, handsome and eminently affable bastard. That would be me, you understand. You’re just rich and passably handsome.” But the zingers aren’t limited to Puck. Chelsea can hold her own, and she does so on frequent occasion. At one point she informs Puck, “It’s not a proper elopement if one brings one’s brother along. Especially one who sings.” But it’s Oliver who points out that Puck and Chelsea “suit each other so well, the both of you missing several slates off your roofs.” The laughter stemming from each of the three madcaps involved in this elopement (because Oliver does indeed bring his brother along for parts of the journey) is vitally necessary to the love deprived Chelsea and illegitimate Oliver.

If I had to find fault with the novel, it is that Chelsea and Oliver begin their journey as such selfish characters. Chelsea storms into Oliver’s home, leaving him little recourse except to accept her plan to marry, whether he is in fact guilty of inflicting the Reverend Flotley on her or not. If the elopement fails, Oliver would face overwhelming consequences, such as imprisonment or hanging, because of the circumstances surrounding his birth. Chelsea doesn’t acknowledge her selfish actions at all, and it’s not an endearing trait. Oliver also acts to ensure his revenge, despite knowing that marriage to him will entail social ruin for his future wife and children. He, however, does recognize the possible consequences of his actions and makes it clear to Chelsea on several occasions that they can turn back and she can still avoid paying the price for her precipitous actions. In this, he is a far more likeable character than Chelsea.

I can’t recommend Ms. Michaels’ The Taming of the Rake highly enough. The choice of a road trip novel set in regency era England strikes me as ingenious, and I love the characters. But the best part for me is that the witty repartee kept me in stitches, which has me anxious to read future installments of this series.

(I would like to point out two  problems I have with the cover of this book that are clearly not Ms. Michaels' fault. First, Oliver is blonde and the man on the cover is brunet. Second, the title is "The Taming of the Rake," yet he's not really a rake. I wish the publisher would take note, since they are usually the ones choosing cover art and suggesting titles.) 

This book was received for review from the Publisher through NetGalley.

Favorite Books Now on Sale for Under $1.99

This summer I have been putting some mileage on my Kindle, because Amazon has had some rockin’ sales! Fortunately B&N has been matching them, so even if you have a Nook instead of a Kindle, you can still get some great books for great prices. I’m so thrilled that the publishers have started doing this, because I’ve been able to check out some new (to me) authors, plus buy some books for my Kindle that I only have in paperback. It’s definitely a great way to get readers interested in your product, because a lot of the books on sale are the first in a series. I found out about these sales from the blog DearAuthor.com through their bi-weekly post about books for under $2.99. If you don’t follow DearAuthor.com, I highly recommend you check them out, because they have thoughtful and well-written reviews, plus post interesting links about the industry.

I decided I’d write a few mini-reviews of some of my old favorites that are on sale, plus several new books/novellas that I just read. All these sales seem really timely, since it’s too hot to do anything but sit around and read anyway!

Dee Davis Daring (A-Tac #3.5)

For me this novella was an introduction to Ms. Davis’ A-Tac series. As soon as I read the description of it, I knew I had to check it out, because apparently A-Tac is an elite CIA unit posing as faculty at an Ivy League college. If this were true, it would explain so much, wouldn’t it? This novella focuses on Lara Prescott, the former medical officer for the team, whose lover Jason died during a mission over a year ago. Lara’s been working in a clinic in Africa, and when insurgents arrive, she realizes that they’re there for her. Fortunately sexy mercenary Rafe Winters is there to fill all her needs (ha!). Novellas can be hit or miss for me, especially romantic suspense, but this one was great. The couple had known each other for over a year, so their romance was believable and smoldering. I can’t wait to read more of Ms. Davis’ work!

Jeaniene Frost Happily Never After

This e-novella was just released by Ms. Frost and is part of her Night Huntress series, which is a fun and sexy urban fantasy featuring vampire Bones and his lover/wife Cat. In this novella Bones barely makes an appearance and Cat isn’t in it at all, but it’s a great story and I highly recommend it. Even if you’ve never read any of Ms. Frost’s books, you’ll enjoy this story of vampire Chance sent to help out Isabella, who’s being blackmailed by a low-level mobster into marriage to protect her brother. Ms. Frost pokes fun at mafia stereotypes with this one, which leads to a lot of laughs. The characters are really well developed and the writing drew me in from the first. Definitely a winner and a great addition to the series!

Lori Wilde You Only Love Twice

This is a cute contemporary romance about shy comic book artist and conspiracy theorist Marlie Montague, whose father was a Navy whistleblower and died under suspicious circumstances. Marlie manages to hit the mark on an unknown conspiracy in one of her comic books, and as a result she’s being watched by former Navy SEAL Joel J. Hunter. Little does she realize that Joel was her childhood crush and son of the man who shot her father. The two have a rollicking adventure trying to decipher which conspiracy she unknowingly revealed in her comic book, all while fighting an attraction to one another. I laughed out loud so many times with this book. After all, any book that features a bowling ball flash mob with people singing Anchors Away is going to be lots of fun!

Loretta Chase Lord of Scoundrels

This book is a classic among regency romance lovers, and I’m ashamed to admit that I had never read it until a few weeks ago. I was stunned when I discovered afterwards that it was originally published in 1994, because it reads as though it were written yesterday. The hero, Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain, is a tortured hero who is half Italian and quite the rake, but he’s met his match in Jessica Trent. Miss Trent is the granddaughter of a well-known femme fatale, and when she arrives in Paris with her fascinating grandmother to rescue her idiotic brother Bertie from Dain’s evil ways, the sparks fly. Actually, the sparks explode, because the two are spontaneously combustible. The redeemable rake is one of my favorite tropes, but it was Jessica Trent who absolutely sold this book for me. She was an intelligent, sexy woman with lots of pluck, and you’ll love the two of them together. Definitely a classic and one I’ll be reading over and over again.

Eloisa James Duchess in Love

Eloisa James is one of my favorite authors of regency romance, and this is the first book in her Duchess Quartet series. Her books are always intelligent, well-written, and humorous, and this one is on sale with bonus material (excerpts from the other books in the series) on Amazon right now. It’s a great introduction to her writing and an intriguing romance. Gina is married at age 11 to Camden, the Duke of Girton, who promptly flees the country without consummating the marriage (not that one can blame him). The two remain good friends, however, maintaining correspondence while the Duke is busy sculpting in Greece. But Gina grows up and 12 years later she writes to Camden, asking for an annulment so she can marry Sebastian, Marquess Bonnington. When Camden arrives to grant her the annulment, he falls in love, and as the novel progresses and their romance develops, you are never quite sure if they will consummate the original marriage or not. Lots of fun, plus a secondary romance among other characters as well.

Julia Quinn The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1)

This is the book that started the Lady Whistledown craze, and if you don’t know who Lady Whistledown is, you simply must remedy the situation at once! Ms. Quinn is another of my favorite regency romance authors, and she is best known for her series about the Bridgerton siblings. The Duke and I is the first of the series about the large Bridgerton family, and it features the eldest daughter, Daphne, whose romance with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, is funny, touching, and heartbreaking. Simon is friends with Daphne’s older brothers, who make it clear to him that as a womanizer he should steer clear of their sister. But Daphne and Simon decide to fake an engagement in the hopes of drumming up interest in Daphne while protecting Simon from matchmaking mamas. Naturally the fake engagement becomes something more, and it’s a pleasure to see their relationship develop. And if you don’t know who Lady Whistledown is, you are in good company, because no one in the book knows either. You’ll have to read the subsequent books in the series to learn her identity!

All of these books are currently on sale at Amazon for less than $1.99, and they are a steal at that price. While some of these authors are already favorites, the sale pricing has definitely been to the authors’ benefit, because I’ve already purchased many of their other books! I’m definitely burning up the airwaves with all the sales going on, that’s for certain. If you want to keep on top of sales, follow me on Twitter (@RebeLovesBooks), because I tweet about sales as I learn about them. Enjoy and keep cool!