I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Vixen (Wicked Wallflowers, #2) by Christi Caldwell
Series: Wicked Wallflowers #2
Published by Montlake Romance on August 7, 2018
Genres: Historical
Pages: 366
Goodreads

 

FINAL DECISION: Enjoyable historical romance with interesting characters. This story has been done before but the characters make this a lively story. I wish there was more emotional connection between the characters early on because the last twenty-five percent of the book was wonderful.

THE STORY: Investigator Connor Steele is hunting for a child who might have been kidnapped. His work takes him back to St. Giles from from which Connor escaped. But St. Giles cannot be rubbed off so easily and his investigation reunites him with Ophelia Killoran. As children, each had saved one another. Now Ophelia has taken onto herself the job of protecting the children, but Connor’s investigation brings into question exactly what Ophelia is doing and where are the children coming from. The two share a past and are suspicious of one another in the present.

OPINION: I liked this book, but I never got emotionally engaged enough to love it. The story is well constructed and the characters are interesting.

Both Connor and Ophelia struggle with the line between the criminal and poor elements and the aristocracy. Ophelia’s brother wants to marry her off to an aristocrat to help drag their family from the lower classes. Connor was adopted by an aristocrat but still has the muck of his past with him.

The characters have a good journey, but — for me – there was something missing. Intensity or emotional connection. Something that would pull me through the pages, pull at my heart and make me love the book.

Fans of Caldwell will find much to love here. The class conflicts are better developed here than in the last book. I enjoyed these characters together. The reading was easy and not particularly deep until the last quarter of the book.

The last quarter of the book was amazing. The intensity, the connection, the passion was wonderful. The rest of the book felt like a setup for the end, but the end definitely paid off.

WORTH MENTIONING: Trigger warning: sexual assault.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE VIXEN is the second book in the Wicked Wallflowers series. The book can be read as a standalone although the characters are overlapping between the books.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to assist with preparing this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.