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When Lily Wellston heads to the Bitterward Estate to comfort her widowed friend Eugenia she certainly does not have romance in mind. In fact the playful but level-headed Lily is amused to no end when, en route, a gypsy gifts her with a beautiful medallion, claiming it will ensnare the romantic desires of a stranger.
But Fate has other plans in the form of Eugenia's ruggedly handsome brother, the Duke of Mountjoy. One day at Bitterward and Lily can't deny the sizzling attraction between her and the roguish duke. Nothing can come of it, of course. She's not looking for entanglements and he's practically engaged. But whether it's her outgoing nature and the duke's outlandish ways sparking off one another; or the mysterious gypsy medallion working "magic"—hearts are stirring in the most unexpected and wicked ways...
Not Wicked Enough is a gratifying treat to the senses as the characters seduced each other’s body and mind. Lily Wellstone and the Duke of Mountjoy are refreshingly well-adjusted, sensual, and quick-witted characters. Their romance was sexy, emotional, and charming. Lily Wellstone travels to Sheffieldshire, England to visit her young widowed friend Eugenia at the Bitterward estate. The Duke of Mountjoy is the first to greet her. They exchange double entendres and appreciate the other’s wit. As Lily rejuvenates Ginny’s spirits, Mountjoy and Lily quietly explore their attraction. There isn’t any confusion regarding their expectations. The duke is practically engaged and Lily knows she will never marry. Neither expects their hearts will become engaged. Lily’s character is a breath of fresh air. She’s fanciful, sensual, kind, and quick-witted. Her confidence in her intellect, sexuality, finances, and social status differentiate her character from other historical romance heroines. Lily is not a woman in need of saving. She is not without vanity and is aware of her charms. At one point in the story, she seems obtuse but the author allows the reader to infer their own interpretation of Lily’s mindset. Mountjoy is given his own unique traits. He’s a former farmer who inherits title of the Duke of Mountjoy when he was nineteen. He accepted his responsibility with maturity, and takes care of his tenants and family. Mountjoy is a rustic man. He’s definitely not a dandy. This is book one of Reforming the Scoundrels series, but this hero is not a scoundrel of any sort. He does get reformed in a delightful way. The sexy times are hot! My heart was pounding and my toes curled. The title of this book is well-chosen. I’ve read this book twice, and the characters were just as captivating the second time as they were the first. This story does not contain any villains, love triangles, big misunderstandings, nor gratuitous sex. It does contain endearing characters, a sexy romance, an enjoyable story with the sweetest gesture of love, and a happily ever after ending. My Grade: B or 4 stars Not Wicked Enough ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This is my first ARC!!!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 4, 2012
3.5 stars. The most interesting aspect of this story is its heroine, who's the type of character more often found as the other woman in historical romance -- not the evil kind, but the elegant, confident, sexually aware, discreet, not-the-marrying-kind kind. Although Lily has actually only had one lover, she's always had something of a rebellious, "wicked" soul -- or so her disapproving father thinks -- and she definitely knows what she likes. When she goes to visit her friend Ginny, who's grieving over the loss of her husband, she finds that her friend's brother is very much to her taste; Mountjoy, a farmer unexpectedly turned Duke, is built and utterly gorgeous.
Mountjoy finds Lily very much to his taste as well, though he has excellent reasons for resisting her: it would be a tremendous breach of hospitality to seduce his friend's sister, and then there's Jane, whom everyone expect to be his duchess. But despite their efforts, somehow the two inevitably seem to wind up alone and doing very wicked things to each other. Here's Lily after one steamy encounter:
"When she could think again, she opened her eyes and saw Mountjoy standing over her, one hand on her belly and the other resting on the outside of her thigh, and his green, so green eyes watching he. 'What a shame,' she said, and she actually did mean every word, 'that we cannot be lovers.'"
We see more of this romance from Mountjoy's point of view, because he's far more emotionally open than Lily is. Still committed to the man she loved and lost, Lily is willing to give and accept physical pleasure but nothing more. I would have liked to see a little more emotion on her end, but Mountjoy's confused yearning made the story romantic, as well as sexy.
I enjoyed the interplay of the characters: Lily is always attempting to get Mountjoy to wear better-fitting, more attractive clothes, and even dreams about him hiring her as his valet, which leads to him frequently addressing her by only her last name. (There's a bit of a woo-woo element with shared dreams, apparently caused by a gypsy necklace.) It's a cute bit of intimacy, historical style. But I found the plotting uneven. Things kept happening which I expected to be important, and then they weren't, or then maybe they were. I felt led in different directions and puzzled by feeling that I didn't know what the story was supposed to be about.
So overall, though an enjoyable read in many ways, this wasn't quite the winner it might have been. There was some very effective sequel baiting with a starchy character who's clearly experiencing unrequited love, and I will definitely hope to seem him completely unstarched in the next book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 11, 2013
This book was quite entertaining and engrossing. There was a little bit of gypsy magic thrown in as well. I really liked the protagonists although Lilly was a bit shallow at times with regards to her criticisms of the Duke of Mountjoy's wardrobe. I love the alpha male that is the Duke of Mountjoy. He cares about his family and he thumbs his nose at society's expectations of him. The attraction between the Duke and Lilly sizzles and their encounters are quite hot. They need to keep the affair a secret from Liily's friend, Eugenie, who is the Duke's sister. One other criticism that I have about the book is the cover. It was misleading. I thought it was a Georgian era book but instead it was a Regency. I don't mind reading Regencies but I had my heart set on a Georgian.
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Posted July 18, 2012
Heyyyyy~Flutterkit
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Posted July 17, 2012
Faints
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Posted July 17, 2012
Shadowkit padded in, "Can I come too?" he asked.
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Posted July 17, 2012
Geez. Bossy!
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Posted July 18, 2012
Hi.
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Posted March 13, 2012
Lily Wellstone goes to the Bitterward Estate to visit her grieving friend, Eugenia. Immediately upon Lily's arrival, she is greeted by a man with a distinct lack of tailoring and gruff manner, but soon realizes he is Ginny's brother, the Duke of Mountjoy. Although there is an instant attraction between the two, there are obstacles to any relationship. As Lily and Mountjoy interact, however, their attraction only grows stronger. Eventually, they enter into an affair that is more like a friends-with-benefits arrangement than a love match.
While the writing is strong, I had a few problems with this book. I found Lily a bit too worldly for her station in life. Although Lily had one previous lover, she thinks nothing of taking another. Lily is also willing to befriend Mountjoy's potential wife and doesn't feel the slightest bit of guilt. I found the latter troubling about a character that is usually so caring. Although Mountjoy hasn’t proposed yet, Lily knows there is an understanding of sorts.
On the positive side, Lily is a free-spirit who elevates the mood of everyone around her. She is also a steadfast friend that is truly concerned for Ginny’s emotional well-being. Mountjoy’s brother is another delightful character, but there is no groundwork for this particular plotline. Finally, there is a very slight paranormal thread that runs throughout the novel. It worked for me, but it’s left to the readers’ imagination whether or not magic played apart in things.
So while I had a few problems with the plot, fans of Ms. Jewel will be happy with the strong writing and hints of a future story for two of the secondary characters.
I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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Posted March 4, 2012
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Posted October 13, 2012
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Posted May 27, 2012
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Posted January 13, 2013
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Posted February 19, 2012
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Overview
When Lily Wellston heads to the Bitterward Estate to comfort her widowed friend Eugenia she certainly does not have romance in mind. In fact the playful but level-headed Lily is amused to no end when, en route, a gypsy gifts her with a beautiful medallion, claiming it will ensnare the romantic desires of a stranger.
But Fate has other plans in the form of Eugenia's ruggedly handsome brother, the Duke of Mountjoy. One day at Bitterward and Lily can't deny the sizzling ...