His Wicked Reputation
Wicked Trilogy, Book #1
By Madeline Hunter
ISBN# 9780515155167
Author’s Website: https://www.madelinehunter.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Gareth Fitzallen has quite the reputation, of loving and leaving women, and the women doing anything they can to hold on to him and the pleasure he brings. That’s quite an accomplishment for the bastard son of a duke!
His father has long since passed away, and he has not been able to get a hold of the land that was left to him, thanks to his half-brother Percy contesting it. But now Percy has passed and Gareth sees his chance to finally be able to claim what is rightfully his. His remaining half-brothers have no problem giving him the property, but he must do one thing for them. Find what happened to a huge collection of famous paintings that went missing long ago. They will even let him stay at his inherited house, which is severely run down with neglect now, while he investigates. While there Gareth runs into an intriguing spinster, Eva Russell, who he just can’t get out of his head.
I thought this was a decent start to a new trilogy. I enjoyed the characters and the plot in general.
Gareth is the usual sexy rake that is well versed in carnal pleasures. He is also a stand-up guy, never wanting to ruin an innocent’s reputation. This is why he generally beds the more experienced and often married ladies. Imagine his surprise when he starts to desire the poor virgin spinster, Eva!
“You are ill, correct? The warmth and shivering had no other particular cause, did it?”
“Not only am I ill, I am sure I am contagious.”
Eva is what you would expect from a character in a historical romance. Proper and doing whatever she must to survive. Her brother’s death left her alone to support her younger sister and herself. She’s had to do things she’s not proud of, like stealing from Gareth’s empty home. But now he’s back and it all must change! Once Eva opened up to Gareth in the most sensual of ways, she became pretty wicked herself … at least in the bedroom … and garden too!
But this book isn’t all about this couple heating up the sheets! I found the mystery over the paintings quite entertaining as well, even if I knew all along where the missing paintings were hidden!
This was a good story with likable characters and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Tall, Dark, and Wicked.
