A Little Bit Wickedby Victoria Alexanderreviewed by Cheryl SneedJanuary 2007, 384 pages, Publisher: Avon, ISBN: 006088262X Back Cover Blurb: No man in his right mind would want to get married, but every duke, earl, and viscount knows that a fellow must do his duty in the end. So four of London's most desirable gentlemen make a wager – the prize going to the one who remains unwed the longest.
Gideon Pearsall, Viscount Warton, thinks he has a fair shot at winning. After all, he's managed to enjoy the favors of many a lady while resisting the parson's noose. Even when he's stopped dead in his tracks by the most scandalous woman in all of London – Judith, Lady Chester – he vows to have her bedded but never wedded.
Beautiful, and more than a little bit naughty, Judith has always kept herself within the bounds of respectability, even while playing by her own rules. And the experience has taught her to avoid marriage. She has no desire to resist Warton's hot kisses, and his tempting touch is impossible to ignore.
But soon both Judith and Gideon can't help but wonder . . . is it possible to be a little bit wicked and still follow your heart?
I haven't read a Victoria Alexander book for some time now – a victim of Effington Overload – but happily her new "The Last Man Standing" series features not a single Effington among the heroes (though one does appear as a minor character) and a new time period, Victorian. I am happy to report that I enjoyed these characters, this setting, and this author, more than I have in years.
The premise to the series is this: Gideon Pearsall, Viscount Warton, and three of his friends contribute a shilling each and a fine bottle of cognac to be won by the last unmarried man. They all know they need to marry and, while not utterly opposed to the state, are in no hurry to enlist. Gideon is an arrogant, cynical man and reckoned by his fellows as the man with the best chance of winning the brandy. However, Gideon didn't reckon with Judith.
Judith, Lady Chester, has had several discreet affairs since she was widowed ten years ago. She is considered slightly scandalous, but has never crossed the line to unacceptability. She calls her affairs her "adventures" and she is contemplating a new one with Gideon. They have been nodding acquaintances for years but last month at a party, their eyes met and a sudden spark ignited them both. Now they are beginning a mutual seductive dance, knowing that it is only a matter of time before they are lovers.
It turns out to be no time at all – they make love on their first "date" on page 50 in a funny and very sexy scene, both stunned at the passionate tide which sweeps them away. Alexander does an exceptionally nice writing job portraying the surprise and the perfect fit between these two, not just physically – though they fit very well, indeed – but emotionally. Their personalities, their intellects, their humor – it all just works. So where is the conflict?
The conflict derives from their past experiences with marriage. Both claim to have loved and married their soul mates, but both did not experience the HEA they expected. Gideon eloped with a woman only to have her father and her fiancé, whom she was trying to make jealous by running off with Gideon, find them moments after the vows were said. The marriage was quickly annulled and Gideon went on a year-long debauch. While he has reformed his ways, he is a cynical, acerbic and aloof man. Thankfully, he is also a dryly witty, funny and gorgeous man or no one could stand him.
Judith's marriage was of a longer duration, but her poet husband was a mercurial man, either loving and laughing, or jealous and moody. Looking at him with my 21st c. eyes, I'd call him bipolar – not a comfortable man to be around and Judith harbors a secret about the night he died that has affected all she has done since.
Gideon gets over his issues before Judith does and wages a campaign to marry her, though many counsel them to break it off before one of both of them get their hearts broken. But it is too late for that.
Alexander has a wonderful way of showing, rather than telling, the growing connection between Gideon and Judith, from overwhelming lust to friendship and companionship to love. I enjoyed A Little Bit Wicked very much and highly recommend it.
Reviewed by Cheryl Sneed, January 4, 2007
Contact us!
Cybil Solyn, csolyn@rakehell.com
|
