Tall, Dark and Wicked (Wicked Trilogy, #2) by Madeline Hunter Series: Wicked Trilogy #2
Published by Jove on October 6th 2015
Genres: Historical
Pages: 400
Goodreads
Loved This Intricate Historical Story of a Lawyer and the Daughter of a Defendant
“This lawyer was not merely handsome, but handsome in a way that made fools of women when they saw him.”
FINAL DECISION: I loved the story of Ives and Padua. There is a twisty mystery along with an intense romance between Ives and Padua. I love the romances where everything seems hopeless but then things work out in the end.
THE STORY: Lord Ywain “Ives” Hemingford is the younger brother of a duke and is a barrister who often works as a prosecutor for the English Crown. Padua Belvoir comes to Ives to ask him to represent her father who has been arrested and thrown in Newgate. Ives must say no because he has been engaged as the prosecutor against her father. Although Ives knows that he cannot risk having anything to do with a defendant’s daughter, he cannot resist the prickly and intelligent teacher Padua.
OPINION: I loved this story. Ives is a man who engages his romantic liasons logically and with much planning. Padua blows apart his ordered life and makes him take risks that he never would have expected himself to take. Her influence on his life is demonstrated by his brothers’ surprise at his actions. Padua is a woman who doesn’t fit into the social constraints of the day. She is a radical in her own small way and refuses to be shoved into a category or to be protected. She insists on making her own way even when it gets her into trouble. But she owns her mistakes and does not blame others. She challenges Ives but she also fits right into his desire for justice and doing right. Their romance is hot and also seems doomed even as Ives begins to realize that he wants more for Padua than he has ever wanted from a woman before.
WORTH MENTIONING: As with the first book in the series, I especially liked the relationship between the three brothers which is funny and caring and feels like a brotherly relationship with all the squabbling and affection one might expect.
CONNECTED BOOKS: TALL, DARK, AND WICKED is the second book in the Wicked Trilogy. It can be read as a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.