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amxgomex0624's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed it a lot because it was a very light and funny regency romance...just the sort I loved and needed after reading Virginia Henley's 'The Raven and The Rose'!! XD the story was short and sweet and the heroine was cool!
oofie's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 - liked it a lot
"In this world, there is nothing more wicked than a woman who is unafraid to acknowledge what she wants."
This book follows Gwen Maudsley, an immensely rich orphaned debutante. She's been left at the altar once. When it happens a second time, she decides that she's done with the whole thing, done with propriety and what people expect of her. She follows her flighty groom to Paris to pay him back for the disservice he's done her in leaving her at the altar, and instead meets her dead brother's best friend, Alex, there.
Alex is originally trying to get Gwen back to England unscathed, but when she reveals her dedication to her mission of spurning society and finding her own wickedness, he can't help but find a grudging admiration and dedication to helping her achieve it. This drives the two of them closer together, of course, and Gwen begins wondering what, or who, it is that she actually wants.
I liked this book a lot. I liked the theme of throwing off the sexist expectations that society has of you. I liked that Gwen chose that for herself, and I really liked that Alex wholeheartedly supported her in that. He not only supports her in that, but supports her in becoming who *she* truly is, not in maintaining the mask that society has demanded of her. For example, he says in the book, "There's nothing in you to be ashamed of... Never let the world tell you otherwise. Never let it trap you into hiding again."
I also thought this book had really good themes of taking risks, and also taking risks regarding love. I feel a kind of kinship with Gwen regarding fear about love, and love being subject to fear.
A quote regarding the topic: "Avoiding a risk because it might cost... It's a sad calculation to make for love's sake, isn't it? It means putting love in service to fear."
And
"Without love, one could not be crippled by loss."
Overall, this book was pretty deep for a regency smut book. It had a lot of good themes and lessons, great characters, and was well-written. Would recommend.
"In this world, there is nothing more wicked than a woman who is unafraid to acknowledge what she wants."
This book follows Gwen Maudsley, an immensely rich orphaned debutante. She's been left at the altar once. When it happens a second time, she decides that she's done with the whole thing, done with propriety and what people expect of her. She follows her flighty groom to Paris to pay him back for the disservice he's done her in leaving her at the altar, and instead meets her dead brother's best friend, Alex, there.
Alex is originally trying to get Gwen back to England unscathed, but when she reveals her dedication to her mission of spurning society and finding her own wickedness, he can't help but find a grudging admiration and dedication to helping her achieve it. This drives the two of them closer together, of course, and Gwen begins wondering what, or who, it is that she actually wants.
I liked this book a lot. I liked the theme of throwing off the sexist expectations that society has of you. I liked that Gwen chose that for herself, and I really liked that Alex wholeheartedly supported her in that. He not only supports her in that, but supports her in becoming who *she* truly is, not in maintaining the mask that society has demanded of her. For example, he says in the book, "There's nothing in you to be ashamed of... Never let the world tell you otherwise. Never let it trap you into hiding again."
I also thought this book had really good themes of taking risks, and also taking risks regarding love. I feel a kind of kinship with Gwen regarding fear about love, and love being subject to fear.
A quote regarding the topic: "Avoiding a risk because it might cost... It's a sad calculation to make for love's sake, isn't it? It means putting love in service to fear."
And
"Without love, one could not be crippled by loss."
Overall, this book was pretty deep for a regency smut book. It had a lot of good themes and lessons, great characters, and was well-written. Would recommend.
pagesandtealeavess's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katyanaish's review against another edition
5.0
***4.95*** (ha!)
I really liked this one. It is hard to compare with Duke of Shadows, because the textures of the two books are SO completely different, but I may even like it more than I like that one.
This would be largely due to Gwen. The running tone of voice that we get in Gwen's narrative is... perfect. It manages to be so many things at once: witty, confused, bumbling, naive, earnest, affectionate, bored, yearning, lost, hopeful... and in the end it creates this hilarious and utterly charming woman, who is just so terrified of ... well, I don't want to get too spoilery, so I'll just leave with this: Gwen is terrified of a lot of things. Of being herself, of being alone, of being someone who doesn't live up to her family's hopes for her, of not being their legacy, and that's just the start of the list.
You would think that makes her a hard character to read, but there is nothing about her that is unenjoyable. The author did a magnificent job with her. Without being too cheesy, Gwen is one of those people who, when she laughs, the world laughs with her. When she weeps, it practically clouds over and rains. She's radiant. And she has no idea.
But Alex does - he sees her, even if he won't admit it to himself. And I think that's why a character like Gwen, would could easily be eye-rollingly cheesy, works so well in this book. Neither of them really have any idea. Not about themselves, at any rate.
And watching them both learn makes for a really fantastic read.
Let's also give a nod to the smut-tastic scenes. I haven't been reading HR for very long, so I don't have a whole vast library to compare to, but let me just say that Duran's sexy scenes are just blisteringly hot. Phew!
(***The teeeeeeeeeeny mark-down of .05* is because I am still not sure I understand WTF was up with Barrington. But I don't care. So that's why it is a teeny mark-down.***)
I really liked this one. It is hard to compare with Duke of Shadows, because the textures of the two books are SO completely different, but I may even like it more than I like that one.
This would be largely due to Gwen. The running tone of voice that we get in Gwen's narrative is... perfect. It manages to be so many things at once: witty, confused, bumbling, naive, earnest, affectionate, bored, yearning, lost, hopeful... and in the end it creates this hilarious and utterly charming woman, who is just so terrified of ... well, I don't want to get too spoilery, so I'll just leave with this: Gwen is terrified of a lot of things. Of being herself, of being alone, of being someone who doesn't live up to her family's hopes for her, of not being their legacy, and that's just the start of the list.
You would think that makes her a hard character to read, but there is nothing about her that is unenjoyable. The author did a magnificent job with her. Without being too cheesy, Gwen is one of those people who, when she laughs, the world laughs with her. When she weeps, it practically clouds over and rains. She's radiant. And she has no idea.
But Alex does - he sees her, even if he won't admit it to himself. And I think that's why a character like Gwen, would could easily be eye-rollingly cheesy, works so well in this book. Neither of them really have any idea. Not about themselves, at any rate.
And watching them both learn makes for a really fantastic read.
Let's also give a nod to the smut-tastic scenes. I haven't been reading HR for very long, so I don't have a whole vast library to compare to, but let me just say that Duran's sexy scenes are just blisteringly hot. Phew!
(***The teeeeeeeeeeny mark-down of .05* is because I am still not sure I understand WTF was up with Barrington. But I don't care. So that's why it is a teeny mark-down.***)
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
Gwen Maudsley has had enough of being stood up at the altar. It is time she take matters into her own hands. Gwen transforms herself from a sweet, nice girl into a wild, wanton woman.
Alexander Ramsey is Gwen’s late brother’s best friend. He is known as a bit of a rogue. It is because of Alex’s reputation that Gwen comes to him for a favor. She wants him to teach her how to be a woman men desire. What Gwen doesn’t know is that Alex has fallen for Gwen because she is so nice.
If being a little bad gets you the attention of a guy like Alex, then I want to be bad too. The things that Gwen did to irritate Alex was funny. Just when I thought something was funnier then the last, Gwen would do something else that was just as funny if not funnier. The whole time I was read, I had a smile on my face. Gwen was not spoiled but likable. Alex had personality and was not dull. It was great to have characters that I could enjoy reading about. If you are in the mood to be a little wicked then you should pick up a copy of Wicked Becomes You. You won’t be sorry!
Alexander Ramsey is Gwen’s late brother’s best friend. He is known as a bit of a rogue. It is because of Alex’s reputation that Gwen comes to him for a favor. She wants him to teach her how to be a woman men desire. What Gwen doesn’t know is that Alex has fallen for Gwen because she is so nice.
If being a little bad gets you the attention of a guy like Alex, then I want to be bad too. The things that Gwen did to irritate Alex was funny. Just when I thought something was funnier then the last, Gwen would do something else that was just as funny if not funnier. The whole time I was read, I had a smile on my face. Gwen was not spoiled but likable. Alex had personality and was not dull. It was great to have characters that I could enjoy reading about. If you are in the mood to be a little wicked then you should pick up a copy of Wicked Becomes You. You won’t be sorry!
tessisreading2's review against another edition
3.0
Well-written and great setting, although large portions of it did feel a little bit like an excuse to romp through the seedier parts of Victorian Paris. However, it didn't quite click for me - I found the heroine to be one of those obnoxious "naive-debutante-yearning-to-break-free" who is utterly lacking in common sense (by all means, darling, let's trot around to brothels and flirt with complete strangers in the middle of a bar two weeks after getting left at the altar), and the chemistry between her and the hero didn't feel real. It was much more telling than showing there, and while we're told later in the book that the hero had been secretly yearning for her for yonks, those bits just felt kind of shoehorned in. The plot also wasn't... so much a thing. Threads were raised and dropped, and there were too many little mysteries/side-plots (Richard's ring, Richard's death, why Gwen's two suitors each bailed, the whole thing with the hero's brother and all the stuff surrounding that) for any of them to feel crucial to the flow of the novel.
bandherbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Gwen Maudsley, the "nice girl" of the Ton who did everything right and has a fortune to boot, has now been jilted TWICE. No more she vows. And who better than to show her what a woman with a fortune and a desire to be wicked should dream of doing than her dead brother's best friend and business partner, Alexander Ramsey, a confirmed scoundrel.
But, Alex is loathe to change Gwen, but once she crashes his plans in Paris he can't help but become her tutor, while using her for his own secret mission to find information.
SO MUCH burning pining hidden by meanness. Whew. The train ride was super duper sexy wow. Alex is such an asshole but Duran brought me around.
Definitely a slow-burn, but with all the heat. I also loved the Paris to the Riviera setting.
My first Duran!
But, Alex is loathe to change Gwen, but once she crashes his plans in Paris he can't help but become her tutor, while using her for his own secret mission to find information.
SO MUCH burning pining hidden by meanness. Whew. The train ride was super duper sexy wow. Alex is such an asshole but Duran brought me around.
Definitely a slow-burn, but with all the heat. I also loved the Paris to the Riviera setting.
My first Duran!