Note: I just realized that my review of Too Wilde to Wed by Eloisa James was stuck in drafts and never went live! See it here.
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean
Series The Bareknuckle Bastards Series
Genre Adult Historical Romance
Publisher Avon Books
Publication Date June 19, 2018
Format: eARC curtesy of Avon & Edelwiess – thank you.
Amazon https://amzn.to/2JtzvyF
Avon Romance http://bit.ly/2MajcZo
Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/2LyGXcd
Google Play http://bit.ly/2LA0Tvl
iBooks https://apple.co/2sDurRR
When a man known only as Devil finds his way into her bedchamber and offers her his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees. She might be a spinster, but she’s seen love in action and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that her future husband will love her beyond reason—even if it means she must make a deal with a man more dangerous than she could imagine.
Bastard son of a duke, and king of London’s darkest corners, Devil has made a lifetime of wielding power and seizing opportunity, and Felicity Faircloth is everything he needs to exact a perfect revenge. All he has to do is turn the plain little mouse into an irresistible temptress, set his trap, and destroy his enemy. If the girl is ruined in the process, so be it.
Except there’s nothing plain about Felicity Faircloth, and soon it’s Devil who is trapped…along with his heart.
Sarah MacLean is always good, but this wasn’t my favorite of hers. It kind of felt like it was setting up the rest of the series more than standing alone. The first half kind of dragged for me, lacking the emotional impact I usually get from Sarah MacLean books. The later half, though, made up for that and packed a good punch that had me up far past my bedtime.
I did love Felicity, the heroine. Actually, all the women in the story were strong and inspiring – Felicity, Nik, Grace/Dahlia. They were all equal to the men in their abilities and smarts. I think Grace/Dahlia is probably smarter than everyone.
Devil’s darkness and mysteriousness, unfortunately, extended to the reader. I never felt like I really got to know Devil. I think, as the series goes on and we get to know him through his friends and brothers, I’ll feel a deeper connection to him.
My favorite things about this book:
- Scarred, criminal, working class hero with a perfect head.
- Clever, lock-picking aristocratic heroine who talks to herself.
- VERY sexy depictions of enthusiastic consent alllll through the book.
- Many badass women in trousers.
I’m really, really, really looking forward to Whit/Beast’s book.
New York Times, Washington Post & USA Today bestseller SARAH MACLEAN is the author of historical romance novels that have been translated into more than twenty languages, and winner of back-to-back RITA Awards for best historical romance from the Romance Writers of America.
Sarah is a leading advocate for the romance genre, speaking widely on its place at the nexus of gender and cultural studies. She is the author of a monthly column celebrating the best of the genre for the Washington Post. Her advocacy for romance and the women who read it earned her a place on Jezebel.com’s “Sheroes” list of 2014 and led Entertainment Weekly to call her “gracefully furious.”
A graduate of Smith College & Harvard University, Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
Website http://www.sarahmaclean.net/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sarahmaclean
Twitter https://twitter.com/sarahmaclean
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1598076.Sarah_MacLean
Amazon https://amzn.to/2Hy3N1a
PRIZE: To celebrate the release of WICKED AND THE WALLFLOWER by Sarah MacLean, we’re giving away two $10 Amazon gift cards!
https://www.subscribepage.com/WickedAndTheWallflower
Historically Ever After 