Wicked Intentions

I suppose coming off Candace Camp's “A Momentary Marriage”, where the romance was grounded in trust and mutual respect, Wicked Intentions was jarring. I could not understand what Temperance saw in Claire and vice versa. I could only conclude this is lust at first sight and I am not that keen about this trope. The scenes were hot, sure, but it all felt hollow when the scaffolding is weak, you know?

Also I think Hoyt tried way too hard to show Caire as some debauched perv - I rolled my eyes at his attempts of being all mysterious and dangerous.

I like that there's a lot of things happening in the background - evil thief! Evil gin seller! Mysterious masked hero! But with the foundation of this book - the couples relationship - on not so solid ground, I didn't enjoy them as much. I am disappointed that I am disappointed in this - my pals raved about it after all.

Set in the 1730's I loved the “noir” feel of this one. There is a murder mystery that moves the plotline and also some mysterious characters that kept me guessing until the very end. It's a bleak reality. Temperance, the main character, is a widow and runs a home for orphans with her brother and they really need more financial support. The hero, Lord Caire (Lazarus Huntington), is grumpy and emotionally repressed with issues. He offers to help her find a new patron for the home if she accompanies him round St. Giles (a type of slum?) and helps him to uncover who killed his mistress Marie. Despite the characters being very religious/conservative for my taste (lots of guilt and repentance feelings going on) I liked the story. It is a beautifully done slow burn romance. It has a type of gloominess that I enjoyed. I'm curious to read more in this series.

4.5/5