SCORCHING
Felicity Faircloth is on the outside, spurned by her former friends and 'ruined' in the eyes of the Ton. She's the perfect weapon for Devil, one of the Bareknuckle Bastards, to use against his brother, the Duke of Marwick. But Felicity turns out to be more than Devil expects.
I love Sarah MacLean’s work but I had some trouble with the beginning of this book. Felicity was not a typical daughter of a Marquess, running around Covent Garden unaccompanied and picking locks, and I usually like my historicals to be pretty accurate about societal mores of the period. It's a hot button for me, but - this is a book where I can forgive those little slips because the characters are so great!
And the writing. And the story. When I get absorbed in a book and read it right through without the details taking me out of the story, then it's a great book. Because it's not the inaccuracies that bother me; it's that I'm taken out of the story. That does NOT happen in Wicked and the Wallflower.
Felicity and Devil have great banter, making me laugh out loud several times. Felicity may not be typical, but the author justifies her conduct as the story moves along. And Devil is the perfect noble hero of the slums, taking care of his people and his siblings (except Ewan who is vile - I'm not sure how he can be redeemed). The story builds, and bits of the mystery are gradually revealed, so I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Category: Historical Romance
Publisher: Avon Books