Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane Series #1)

A gem

I hated putting this story down. Recently uncovered this author and find that I truly enjoy her period romances, which is bizarre because I am not usually a romance reader. After reading the Four Soldiers novels, I saw this one and picked it up.

I wasn't disappointed at all.

Wicked Intentions gives you romance with and edge. Characters that are flawed, but realistic, human. Women you don't want to throttle and shake some sense into. A plot that isn't overly predictable. Descriptions of the settings that allow you to picture everything without painting completely for you. In a field of usually mediocre novels, Elizabeth Hoyt stands out and delivers a feather light hurricane. The quality of her stories are second to none and Wicked Intentions is a delightful adventure I would recommend to anyone in the market for an enjoyable read.

I look forward to the next in the series.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is a terrific Georgian amateur sleuth romantic suspense

In 1737 someone is murdering people in London's dark alleys. The homicides are so gruesome rumors spread that the Ghost of St. Giles is the culprit.

When his mistress becomes a victim, Lord Lazarus Huntington vows to find the killer. To make his investigation succeed, Lazarus needs help so hr asks Widow Temperance, whom he just meets over a baby rescue. Lord Lazarus Huntington needs Temperance's St. Giles' insider knowledge due to her owning the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children to assist him. She agrees on the condition he find her a patron to fund her home. They investigate in seemingly every nook and cranny of St. Giles but the psychopath seems several steps ahead of them leaving behind grisly corpses for the pair to "admire" the work. As the amateur sleuths fall in love while chasing a predator, they find the Ghost of St. Giles seems to be there when they most need it.

This is a terrific Georgian amateur sleuth romantic suspense starring a refreshing heroine and an avenging hedonist. The story line is a fast-paced cat and mouse thriller with the romantic subplot enhancing the overall tension as Temperance becomes the cheese. Historical romantic suspense fans will relish this action-packed tale as a serial killer stalks London while also being the matchmaking catalyst between the lead couple pursuing after this deadly predator.

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Such an engaging story.

What a great story. There was so much going on I didn't want to put it down.

There's the story of Lord Caire and Temperance. There's the story going on with the foundling house and all the orphans. There's the story of the murder. There's the story of the ghost of St. Giles. There's the story behind Temperance's family. So much going on, and yet it all flowed together so seamlessly that I didn't really realize how much was going on until I finished the book.

I really liked Temperance. She was willing to do what it took to keep the foundling house and her brother, from falling into ruins. Which is where Lore Caire comes into the story. Both Temperance and Lord Caire have so much "baggage" that their relationship seems is destined to never happen. Temperance's secret has haunted her for the last 9 years, and watching her unwrap that past, through Lord Caire's urging and help, was so engrossing.

This was beautifully written. Like I said there is so much going on. It would seem that with all the different stories going on within the main story that it would get confusing, but it was all weaved together so well that I didn't really notice it. The story is also fast-paced, there were very few lulls in the story. So not only didn't I want to put it down, but it moves so fast that I didn't really get a chance to put it down. I was able to finish the entire book in only three sittings.

There were a few things that weren't fully "tied up" in the end, but given that this is the first in the Maiden Lane Series I'm sure that was done on purpose. The loose ends really built up so much anticipation that I can't wait to get the next in the series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The begining to a wonderful series

Can't wait to start the next in the series.

Hoyt is Wickedly Good

Elizabeth Hoyt is a fantastic writer who really delves into the characters she creates. The heroines of her books are always multi-faceted, and I appreciate her willingness to pen female leads who are not always virtuous virgins. The plot was intriguing and I felt myself carried away into this series with ease.

And the carriage scene is quite steamy.

Intetesting

Yet depressing. I felt that everyone was so grim and frankly humorless that even though this book had a happy ending for the main heroine I actually felt down after reading it. And honestly that has never happened with a romance before. Not to mention his so called great perversion was pretty tame and only shocking in a world of sex-for-reproduction-only. Which did seem to be the case here...

excellent

different plot and hero.

Not worth reading. My first book by Hoyt and this will be the last!!!

I just bought this book and I stopped reading after about 60 pages. The characters werent developed enough and I really didn't like the hero and herione for that matter. They were to cold and unlovable. This author has got to be kidding me! I feel like she was veering toward paranormal with this book. I wish I didn't spend my money on this trash.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Thrilling

My first story by Elizabeth Hoyt. This novel innovatively weaves multiple stories into one. At the risk of giving away spoilers about the reinvention of the rich and the pauper; I sense a cliffhanger? Lord Caire, Lazarus Huntington, is the only surviving child of Lady Caire. Lazarus, psychologically detached from his emotions is in the slums of London searching for the murderer of his long-term mistress. Unfamiliar with the territories of St. Giles he seeks help from Temperance Dews. A beer brewer's daughter and respected resident within the community. She agrees to his proposition in exchange for help with finding a benefactor for the family owned orphanage. With the children fed, bathed and nestled into cozy beds she and Lord Caire walk the foggy streets of St. Giles. She believes the search will be simple and straightforward but, little does she know! The reader is lured into suspense with dangerous encounters at every turn. This page turner leaves you with sinful visualizations (the secret things London society men do but never tell)and the sensation of invading Temperance Dews private thoughts (awaken desires coiled within her body). Among the chaos can the mentally wounded find love? The story is almost believable if not for the caricature qualities. Otherwise, Hoyt's arousing plots and descriptions poised like painted canvases pushes limits making the Maiden Lane Series deserving of a spot on your reading list.

Lovely story - unique characters

Wicked Intentions is the first book in a new series by Elizabeth Hoyt. Lord Caire, a man who can feel no emotion yet haunted by the brutal death of his paid companion, needs access to the slums of London. He makes a proposition to Temperance Dews whose life's purpose is to clothe and feed the orphans of St. Giles. Temperance is in desperate need of funding for her orphanage. Lord Caire can introduce her to high society where she has the opportunity to snag a rich benefactor.

Wicked Intentions is a strong start to Hoyt's new series. Temperance and Caire are fascinating characters whose uniqueness will compel readers to immerse themselves in this rich story. Temperance is haunted by her own sexuality, in which she views her desires as unclean or those of a loose woman. Lord Caire is a man who is unable to withstand the touch of others without it physically causing him pain. He also is emotionally numb, using Temperance as a way to channel emotions foreign to him through her. Temperance is very expressive and that fascinates Caire, drawing him in and he is powerless to resist her.

Besides the explosive chemistry between Caire and Temperance, there is a secondary storyline involving Temperance's sister, Silence. The storyline doesn't take up much page time, but the small amount that is there makes a big impact. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Silence is in the next book. As it stands now, I am not sure when or if at all Silence will get her own book. I am going to email Ms. Hoyt and see if she can let us know what is in store for the Maiden Lane series. I'll keep you posted.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great possibilities for an interesting read, but --

I love most of this author's books, but this story is ruined by the introduction of an innocent woman into the lurid and perverted sex taking place in a brothel. From there, one wonder's why the young woman doesn't run for the nearest exit - permanently! Instead, she seems drawn to Lord C in spite of herself. I would appreciate a good story, as this one started out, without half the book being taken up with explicit sex scenes.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Bridget's Review

Talk about a heated romance! I was pouring sweat the whole time I was reading this book. Elizabeth has a knack for description and character development. Wicked Intentions is a must read for romance lovers everywhere.

Great book again from Elizabeth Hoyt

Read it in one setting - only stopping to eat! Have a pretty good idea who the mystery hero is, and guess we will have to see next time around.

The first book in a new series that sets the tone to make you anticipate the rest

The charitable widow Temperance Dews along with her brother, Winter carry on the rescue and care for abandoned children that their late father started. She is but one of many siblings each handling a branch of their father's businesses but this was Temperance's chosen life to head the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children in the wretched neighborhood of St. Giles even though they are on they can barely feed them and may lose the home they reside in. what they need is a patron to help out the financial burden.

Had it not been her search to save another baby she would never had encountered Lord Lazarus Huntington Caire and the turn of events that take him from rogue to savior were set far apart. He is on a mission of his own but not to save children, to discover the person who murdered his last mistress. Lazarus believes Temperance has the knowledge of St. Giles to guide him through the wretched streets at night asking the right questions to get the answer to his question and if she helps him he will provide financial support to their foundling home and help her find patrons. Temperance feels she has no choice so she begins a rather shaky relationship with Lazarus and the more time she spends with him the more time she wants to spend with him.

But what happens to these two lost souls is more than a discovery about others and everything about who they really are as opposed to how they see themselves. They are not without sin or some disgrace but the way they make penance for these self-imposed misdeeds is what leads them to provide hope and love to one another. Lazarus has spent his life loathing the touch of another and had employed the services of the women of the night to satisfy his baser needs really unsure of whether his pain was physical or mental. He wanted no love and felt he had never been loved, even by his mother who never seemed to express an emotion toward him. Temperance knew love but thought she should be punished for making poor decisions while her husband was still alive. Temperance and Lazarus are searching for something but when they discover it is one another and the it they need is love to heal the wounds, will they be able to accept it, show it and return it?

Lurking in the background is the mysterious Ghost of St. Giles who always seems to be there in the nick of time to save Lazarus and Temperance on more than one occasion. Is he a savior or the devil in disguise?

Elizabeth Holt brings mystery, romance and intrigue to this latest series and you are never left without wanting more. That is the indicator of a great writer - when a reader finishes the book you look to see when the next one is coming and I can't wait for this next book and know it will be as fulfilling a read as this one has been.

Mary Gramlich is The Reading Reviewer at www.marygramlich.com

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