The Importance of Being Wicked (Wild Quartet, #1)

by Miranda Neville

With her captivating romances filled with brilliant intrigue, Miranda Neville has already won legions of fans among readers of historical romance. And her new series set in lusty Georgian England is sure to satisfy. The men are reckless, the women daring, and the hero and heroine The Importance of Being Wicked are no exception. He's a duke who needs to marry a society wife. She's the troublemaker who's going to show him a thing or two about love. The solution: a marriage of convenience rife with powerful passion! If you like Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James, you'll love the historical romances written by Miranda Neville.

• ISBN10: 006219903X
• ISBN13: 9780062199034
• Publish Date: 27 November 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (A-Format (178x111 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780062199034

Reviews

[Amanda]

A couple of my favorite authors were talking about being excited for the next Miranda Neville book, so I decided, “Hey. I can always use new historomance recommendations” and popped over to the library to pick up the first books in her series. (Because that’s how I roll.)

Though I definitely enjoyed the book, I did have cause to roll my eyes more than once at the heroine, and that’s never a good thing. I just… didn’t like her all that much. You know, like, if I’m supposed to see the importance of being wicked, all I really saw was a heroine who preferred to ignore her problems and a duke who needed to know he could be his own man.

That said. I’m curious enough to read more (and, honestly, it could be the set up of the series—the wild four, and I’m too staid and responsible to appreciate that, unless the author finds a way to capture my sympathy—and perhaps the series isn’t for me, but I have to read a book or two more before I decide).

I did like that Thomas wasn’t well-versed in the sexual arts—it’s a nice change of pace to have a hero without a string of lovers. But he was willing to please, and that was nice. Nice enough to keep reading Miranda Neville.

[kimbacaffeinate]

The Importance of Being Wicked reintroduces heroine, Caro. It share with us her story and that of Thomas, Duke of Castleton. Caro is now a widow and in dire straits thanks to her departed husband’s love of the tables. While the first part of the book got off to a slow start, the second half swept me away. This is the first book in a four part series, dealing with badly behaving art collectors.

When the tale begins we met Caro and her posse of artist friends. She is beating the debt collectors from her door and getting ready to chaperone her cousin an heiress. The Duke of Castleton has set his hat on Caro’s niece to replenish his families coiffures, but Caro is determined she have a love match. Both the Duke and Caro are surprised by the attraction they feel to each other. Caro would never submit to the role of Duchess and Thomas needs to follow family tradition and secure his family’s wealth. The tale that unfolds was delightful and at times humorous.

Caro was a difficult character to connect to. While I admired her free will and sense of adventure, I had difficulty with her putting her cousin Anna in danger. She doesn’t handle her finances very well and her friendships border on dangerous. I do think Thomas makes her a better person, and aids her in growing up. I had to remind myself that she went from her controlling mother to her wild youthful husband. Thomas the Duke of Castleton was refreshingly innocent. He follows the rules and is a dutiful son. He is struck by Caro’s beauty and flirty personality. When it comes to the bedroom, he is surprisingly uneducated and it was an interesting twist to see the heroine teaching the hero! Anne the youngest of them was probably the most sensible and I really would like to read her story. Caro’s artist friends are over the top and fascinating. I loved some of them and hated others. We have creepy collectors adding to the mix, which drove the plot.

The tale unfolded slowly for me, and between my feelings for Caro and the pace, I really did not get swept away until about halfway. Once that occurred, I got caught up in the tale and loved watching the romance unfold. I had some issues with characters and flow, but overall felt this was a good start to a new series. I enjoyed the art culture and the seedy sides we were introduced too. I adored the “Stuffy Duke” (Caro’s nickname for Thomas) and would have liked a little more romance weaved into this lusty romance.
I want to thank HarperCollins/Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer