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

by 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