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A review by oofie
Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran
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.