Too Wicked to Wed by Cara Elliott
Publisher: Forever (November 1, 2011)
Series: Lords of Midnight, 1
Genre: Historical Romance
Summary (Amazon.com):
Outspoken and independent, Lady Alexa Bingham enjoys the heady freedom of making all her own decisions, even though the challenges of overseeing her family's country estate are daunting. But when a chance encounter with London's most notorious rake awakens a secret longing for adventure, she accepts her aunt's invitation for a Season in Town . . . only to find that breaking the rules of the ton has serious consequences.
 The Earl of Killingworth uses his rakehell reputation to hide the fact that poverty has forced him to work for a living. As the owner of a gambling den and brothel, Connor has no time for glittering ballrooms or innocent young ladies. But after a reckless wager leaves him with a new business partner, he is forced to take a risky gamble . . . Will the cards fall in their favor? Alexa and Connor begin to play a dangerous game of intrigue and deception as they seek to outwit a cunning adversary who wants to put them permanently out of business. But if they are not careful, it is the flames of their own fiery attraction that may destroy them.



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More Info: Author's Site | Book Site | Excerpt


My Review:

When Lady Alexa Hendrie walks into one of London's infamous brothels, The Wolf's Lair, she had no idea that she would be staking more than just her reputation by being seen in there. She might very well be risking her heart...



Connor Linsley, the Earl of Killingworth, is the owner of The Wolf's Lair, though his identity is kept secret from most people. Honestly, he couldn't give a fig about what the ton thinks of him, but despite what they seem to think about his character he has not sunk nearly as low as they think; he still respects some of their rules.... But when a lady with fire in her blood barges into his office, his usual biting remarks and sarcastic barbs are stunned into silence (if only temporarily). Instead, he finds himself thoroughly intrigued by Alexa, and when she asks for help in locating her brother, whom she believes to be in his club somewhere, he agrees—but only if she agrees to his cost. The price? A kiss. But neither one of them were prepared for the hot flames of desire to engulf both of them in it's snares after only a taste....



As the story continues, the flames flicker ever higher; but as tempted as the Irish Wolfhound is, even he has a code of honor and doesn't wish to see Alexa hurt, her captivating spark for life put out by his careless actions. But when various events leads the two of them to playing husband and wife for a few weeks while at his family estate, temptation proves to be far too hard to resist. Yet even after their night of passion he still hungers for her; not just physically, but rather something much deeper, more binding, and it scares the tough wolf who has managed to roam free all these years. Now one innocent, who is full of fire and wit and able to hold her own against him, is threatening to crumble the walls he has so carefully built around his heart...Will he be brave enough to let her in?



4.5 STARS! A truly magnificent start to what appears to be a sexy and witty new series, Too Wicked To Wed is easily one of the best historical romances of 2011! Alexa is not a meager miss, but rather an intelligent and strong woman that I respect and even came to love over the course of the book. Connor is an interesting hero, as he is not smooth and charismatic, but rather a man who has had his share of bad luck in the past and has turned to sarcasm to help smooth his rumpled appearance to others. I found myself laughing at the witty banter between the characters, especially the hero and heroine, and there was more than enough passion to go around; in fact, I think I literally saw a few sparks flying in the air during a scene or two! Delightful, delicious, and charming, I can't say enough about this book—Ms. Elliott has got herself another fan, as I plan on putting all her books on my list and I am confident that she will become another auto-buy author for me. I am anxious to read Cam and Gryff's stories, as they both were very strong characters in this book, allowing the readers to catch a glimpse of what is still to come. Like they say, a reformed rake makes the best husband—and two more very lucky women have got their work cut out for them in regards to the remaining Hellhounds of London!





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Thanks to Night Owl Reviews, where I received this book for free in exchange for reviewing the book. (Free book does not equal biased review, however!) This review is the property of NOR.
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Enjoy!



 Until Next Time,


*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!