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diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
2.0
I could not decide if I should give this book 2 or 3 stars. In the end, I settled on 2 because it contains a lot of holes and things that I think in the end were unexplained. For example: at the beginning of the book, Gwen receives a letter from mysterious admirer and it is hinted that it is not the first one... I expected it was from Alex and that it will be later revealed but it is never mentioned until the end.
I liked Gwen as a character very much. She grows up in the books and realizes that to be happy you don't have to try to please everyone, just yourself. Alex on the other hand was one more of the unfinished things in this book. His love for Gwen is very unexplained, and I think that writer needed to add more details: why did he fall in love with her, how long, etc. I am not surprised Gwen did not believe him at once, I could read his thoughts and I was not convinced...
I liked Gwen as a character very much. She grows up in the books and realizes that to be happy you don't have to try to please everyone, just yourself. Alex on the other hand was one more of the unfinished things in this book. His love for Gwen is very unexplained, and I think that writer needed to add more details: why did he fall in love with her, how long, etc. I am not surprised Gwen did not believe him at once, I could read his thoughts and I was not convinced...
michellesantiago's review against another edition
5.0
First, I let me just say how much I love the cover of this book! When I got it, I spent a moment just admiring its cover--the lush purple color of her gown is so pretty and they even got Gwen's red hair right (getting small details like that correct on covers is always a plus). But pretty cover aside, I absolutely loved Wicked Becomes You (WBY)! This is only the second book I've read by Ms. Duran (the first being her debut book Duke of Shadows which I also really enjoyed) and now I want to read her other books. She has a talent for penning romances set in exotic places with interesting, multidimensional leads who makes you root for their happy ending.
Our heroine is Gwen Maudsley, the nicest debutante and also the richest with a fortune of three million pounds--both of which almost makes everyone forget that her family is of the merchant class. After Gwen's second fiance jilts her at the altar (the first fiance having done the same), she decided she is done with being nice and wants to experience life without the silly rules and restrictions of the ton. And who better to guide her than her late brother's best friend Alex, a younger brother of an earl and a businessman with a wicked reputation. Both Gwen and Alex were really likable characters and as the story goes on you begin to see that beneath the surface there is more to them than being "the nice girl" and "the rake," which makes this book an engaging read. On the other hand, the secondary characters weren't as strong as the leads but I can forgive the book that because I love Gwen and Alex so much. Their adventures takes them from London to Paris and Nice and even to Monte Carlo. I appreciate the varied settings of the book as it's not often I read a historical romance not set in London.
WBY is one of the best historical romances I've read this year and I highly recommend this book. Whereas DoS is dark and emotional read, WBY is much lighter (there were a couple of laugh out loud moments in this book) yet it doesn't lack the emotion. If you're looking for a well-written, lighter historical romance with a great hero and heroine, this is your book.
Our heroine is Gwen Maudsley, the nicest debutante and also the richest with a fortune of three million pounds--both of which almost makes everyone forget that her family is of the merchant class. After Gwen's second fiance jilts her at the altar (the first fiance having done the same), she decided she is done with being nice and wants to experience life without the silly rules and restrictions of the ton. And who better to guide her than her late brother's best friend Alex, a younger brother of an earl and a businessman with a wicked reputation. Both Gwen and Alex were really likable characters and as the story goes on you begin to see that beneath the surface there is more to them than being "the nice girl" and "the rake," which makes this book an engaging read. On the other hand, the secondary characters weren't as strong as the leads but I can forgive the book that because I love Gwen and Alex so much. Their adventures takes them from London to Paris and Nice and even to Monte Carlo. I appreciate the varied settings of the book as it's not often I read a historical romance not set in London.
WBY is one of the best historical romances I've read this year and I highly recommend this book. Whereas DoS is dark and emotional read, WBY is much lighter (there were a couple of laugh out loud moments in this book) yet it doesn't lack the emotion. If you're looking for a well-written, lighter historical romance with a great hero and heroine, this is your book.
emreadswhatshewants's review against another edition
5.0
This first half of this book is hilarious. And charming, adorable romance plus some action, what more could i want? I think I like the lighter quality of this book compared to Meredith Duran's other books.
jemcam's review against another edition
4.0
I love Meredith Duran. She is up there with Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James in my list of favorite historical-romance writers.
jadeverbick's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.0
thepinkfairy's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
gonturans's review against another edition
4.0
Meredith out here like “the mortifying ordeal of being known, huh” like stop being so LOUD
izzy_happyfornow's review against another edition
4.0
Super adorable sweet adventure. I'm a sucker for a heroine finding herself and shedding the society standards so this was perfect for me. A really quick read if you aren't drowning in other tasks too!
witandsin's review against another edition
1.0
Beautiful heiress Gwen Maudsley is universally adored by all of London society. Lauded for her niceness and made all the more marriageable by her fortune, it is a great shock to everyone when Gwen is jilted at the alter – for the second time!
Gwen is just as surprised as everyone else when her latest fiancé abandons her. She’s also had it with being the good girl. Gwen is determined to live life as she pleases and ruin herself in the eyes of society. With the scandal of her aborted wedding on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Gwen takes off for Paris, where she plans to see the things no proper lady would have access to. Gwen’s new quest sets her directly in the path of Alex Ramsey, her late brother’s best friend. Alex is convinced Gwen’s new approach to life if only temporary and he’s determined to keep her from irreparably damaging her reputation. Gwen is just as determined to prove him wrong. With the demons of Alex’s past coming to the fore, complications of his present nipping at their heels, and desire too powerful to resist throwing them together, is it possible for the nicest girl in London to find happiness with society’s most notorious rogue?
It’s always fun to see a very proper young lady take charge of her life and throw caution to the wind. That being said, wickedness did not exactly become Gwen. To be sure, Gwen took a few actions that Victorian society would censure her for, but her efforts fell flat for me. Alex, while the more appealing half of the pair, was somewhat condescending at the beginning of the book which rankled a bit. What troubled me about Wicked Becomes You was that I kept waiting to become invested in the story and the characters…I waited in vain. Obstacles in Gwen and Alex’s path appeared and vanished at will, the characters didn’t exactly grow over the course of the story, and I just could not get excited about the story. Wicked Becomes You was my introduction to Meredith Duran’s work and while this particular story didn’t hold my interest, I would welcome giving another of Ms. Duran’s books a try.
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
Gwen is just as surprised as everyone else when her latest fiancé abandons her. She’s also had it with being the good girl. Gwen is determined to live life as she pleases and ruin herself in the eyes of society. With the scandal of her aborted wedding on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Gwen takes off for Paris, where she plans to see the things no proper lady would have access to. Gwen’s new quest sets her directly in the path of Alex Ramsey, her late brother’s best friend. Alex is convinced Gwen’s new approach to life if only temporary and he’s determined to keep her from irreparably damaging her reputation. Gwen is just as determined to prove him wrong. With the demons of Alex’s past coming to the fore, complications of his present nipping at their heels, and desire too powerful to resist throwing them together, is it possible for the nicest girl in London to find happiness with society’s most notorious rogue?
It’s always fun to see a very proper young lady take charge of her life and throw caution to the wind. That being said, wickedness did not exactly become Gwen. To be sure, Gwen took a few actions that Victorian society would censure her for, but her efforts fell flat for me. Alex, while the more appealing half of the pair, was somewhat condescending at the beginning of the book which rankled a bit. What troubled me about Wicked Becomes You was that I kept waiting to become invested in the story and the characters…I waited in vain. Obstacles in Gwen and Alex’s path appeared and vanished at will, the characters didn’t exactly grow over the course of the story, and I just could not get excited about the story. Wicked Becomes You was my introduction to Meredith Duran’s work and while this particular story didn’t hold my interest, I would welcome giving another of Ms. Duran’s books a try.
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
4.0
Yay! This one was good. I read Duran's The Duke of Shadows and LOVED it. So much that I sought out as many of her other books as I could find. So when I then read Written on Your Skin, I was SO disappointed and hoped that Duke wasn't a fluke. It wasn't. I didn't like this one quite as much as Duke, but still, it was very good. I enjoyed that it wasn't typical. I also liked that the ending wasn't even quite typical.
One question though: Have sweaters always been called jumpers in England? Or did they used to be called sweaters. OR does the word "sweater" mean something different there? There's one bit where the heroine's knitting sweaters for an orphanage, but I didn't think they called them that there. Oh well, it's minor, but it struck me as odd, though it could be that I just don't have all the facts there.
One question though: Have sweaters always been called jumpers in England? Or did they used to be called sweaters. OR does the word "sweater" mean something different there? There's one bit where the heroine's knitting sweaters for an orphanage, but I didn't think they called them that there. Oh well, it's minor, but it struck me as odd, though it could be that I just don't have all the facts there.