Congratulations to the lucky winners of Wicked Intentions!
I’ve e-mailed each of them. I hope they enjoy this book as much as I did!
Thank you to everyone that entered, and a huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to host this giveaway.
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Wicked Intentions is one very spicy romance!
The book is touring the blogosphere from August 2- 13, and is stopping here today.
To find out more about what I thought, read my review.
To learn more about the book, watch the trailer.
To win a copy to read yourself, follow the directions below!
As part of the blog tour, Forever/Hachette Books is allowing me to host a giveaway for 5 copies of Wicked Intentions.
Having an address (not a PO Box) in the US or Canada is a requirement. I’ll pick the winners on the evening of August 26, 2010.
So:
Good luck!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wicked Intentions isn’t just spicy hot, it’s also on the naughty side! What surprised me was the exploration of the implications of the somewhat unconventional sexuality in the book.
Temperance is a highly respectable widow, devoting her life to helping young orphans and foundlings.
Lord Caire is highly disreputable, and this opinion of him is well deserved. He has no interest in looking for a wife, but spends considerable time with mistresses and prostitutes that will allow him to indulge in his preferred activities.
Unsurprisingly, Lord Caire needs to learn to love, and Temperance proves the teacher that he needs.
Temperance’s journey took a different path than I expected in the beginning, however. She needed to understand her past behavior and forgive herself. Discovering the power of her sexuality helped with this. Experimentation with Lord Caire brought new understanding to herself and to him as well.
As is often the case for me with romance novels, I found the heroine interesting and compelling. I didn’t see the appeal of the hero anywhere near as much, but I could tell that she did, and that was enough.
There were a number of loose threads left hanging with other characters in the book. I’m attributing these to the “Book One in the Maiden Lane Series” designation.
Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Desire a Devil was my top romance read last year. As it was the only book I’d read by her, I didn’t know if that was a fluke. I didn’t like this one quite as much, but I certainly enjoyed and appreciated it, and am now certain I’ll continue to read her books.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group (who provided me with a review copy of this book), I’m also hosting a giveaway of 5 copies of Wicked Intentions! Be sure to check it out!
Congratulations to
They’ve each won a copy of To Desire a Devil from Hachette Books via my giveaway. This was probably my favorite romance novel of the year (I’ll be looking back over my 2009 reads soon, and will confirm), so I suspect the winners will enjoy it as well.
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I’m not even sure I can pinpoint why I liked To Desire A Devil so much. I think it comes down to how good the writing is. All aspects of the book just work for me, even when I wouldn’t have expected them to.
From the Hachette Web Site:
NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING-
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl’s heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?
OR DANGEROUS-
Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle’s home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.
THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL.
Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud’s savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice’s love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?
To Desire A Devil felt fresh to me, even though it’s hard to do anything really unique in a historical romance (although I’m not sure I’ve come across “hero captured by American Indians” in a book based in England before– usually, they’re captured by the French.)
Beatrice should have annoyed me. I don’t usually have much patience with young women who refuse all previous relationships, waiting for a passion which will sweep her away . She fit thes description, but I wasn’t annoyed. I was interested in what happened to her, and I enjoyed reading about her life.
The portrayal of the relationship between Beatrice, her uncle and Reynaud was a strength of the book. He had raised her from a small child, and you can see the affection between them even while they recognize each other’s weaknesses. Her uncle had inherited his Earldom when Reynaud was declared dead 7 years ago, and Reynaud’s return means he stands to lose everything he has built his life around during that time. He’s not going to give it up easily.
On the other hand, Reynaud has lost everything already. He wants the last 7 years of his life back, and if that isn’t possible, he wants as many of the things that were taken from him as he can get. He isn’t inclined to deal reasonably with the person who currently has his title, his money, and his home.
Beatrice has to figure out how to maintain her relationship with both of the men she loves in very different ways.
Beatrice’s friendship with other women in the book wasn’t a primary focus, but led to some good insight and some fun moments. I liked this quote from her friend Lottie:
Well! Then you shall simply have to play nurse to a wickedly handsome man– even if he has far too much hair at the moment– who is ether a long-lost earl or a black scoundrel who might imperil your virtue. I must say I’m terribly jealous.”
Beatrice’s virtue is indeed imperiled. This book features more sex scenes that most of the historical romances I’ve read. Take this as a warning or an enticement, whichever you’d like. I think they were well executed.
I didn’t find that I was missing anything by not having read the previous books in the series, although I did spend time wondering which characters had been featured. I think I guessed two of the three couples, I should go see if I’m right!
Overall, I found the To Desire a Devil kept me reading, not wanting to put it down. That’s the most important thing in a fun read like this.
Thank you to Hachette Books for providing me with this review book and allowing me to host a giveaway of 5 copies of To Desire A Devil!
So:
Having an address (not a PO Box) in the US or Canada is a requirement. I’ll pick the winners on the evening of November 30.
Check out the other stops on the blog tour:
I'm always reading, and usually on the move. I'm a mom-at-home exploring where I want to go in the world, trying to see what my next move will be. For more information, see About Me
My review policy and ethics statement is also on my About Me page.
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You can also contact me at ImBookingIt@deLeons.com
