Hidden Gems & Treasures features older book titles, some rare, some forgotten, some I have only recently discovered. All books featured are at least five years old.
This weeks spotlight is on:
WICKED INTENTIONS BY ELIZABETH HOYT
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A man controlled by his desires...
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand— she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.
A woman haunted by her past...
Caire makes a simple offer—in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control—one that may well destroy them both.
A bargain neither could refuse.
READ A SAMPLE:
WATCH THE BOOK TRAILER
MY REVIEW:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt is a 2010 Grand Central Publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book in the Maiden Lane series. As I began this book, it occurs to me that while I have at least ten books by Elizabeth Hoyt in my TBR pile, I’ve only read one book by this author. I don’t know why or how that happened, but I am glad I was invited to review this one, because I now understand more fully why the author’s writing appeals to so many.
As a person who complains long and loud about the saccharine sweet content in so many current historical romance novels, this book certainly appealed to my dark and twisty nature when it comes to books.
Temperance works in a foundling home with her brother, Winter, giving of herself so selflessly, but the home is in terrible financial straits at the moment. So, when she is approached by Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, out of the blue, to help him navigate certain areas in his search for a murderer, in exchange for a sponsor for her foundling home, she readily accepts, despite Caire’s outrageous reputation.
So begins a dark journey into the light for Temperance and Lazarus as they find they have more in common that anyone would ever guess, each taking from the other the thing they need most to make them feel whole again.
There were a few small complaints I had with the story, one of which is that erotica is not favorite and some of the sexual situations come precariously close to overstepping my boundaries, but… these passages were a part of the reason the story was so darkly seductive and it was handled with taste, so I didn’t mind all that much.
I was also puzzled by the big build up to Temperance’s admission, the revelation of her big dark secret, because it ended up being rather anticlimactic and, other than the horrible coincidental occurrence that wracked her with even more guilt, I had trouble mustering up much sympathy for her based on the information she provided, which was precious little.
Lazarus has a strange problem and while the reader is given some insight into his upbringing, which was far from warm, I’m not sure how that led to his having this… malady, if you will. Once again the reader is left without a full explanation, but I did enjoy seeing him find peace and solace with Temperance, who soothes him and opens the door for love to help him heal.
All of this takes place while the couple searches for a murderer in the underbelly of the city, which lent a truly sinister and dark atmosphere to the story, which I really liked.
The secondary characters and additional storylines are also compelling and I am hoping really hard that poor Silence will finally regain the happiness she lost.
For me the darker tone of the book was the clincher. I love the conflicted, flawed hero, and found it interesting that Temperance, who was so saintly on the surface, was also flawed and conflicted, which meant the couple didn’t judge, and accepted one another warts and all, loving each other despite of, or because of those flaws, which is what true love is all about.
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Intentions-Maiden-Lane-Elizabeth/dp/044655894X
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-intentions-elizabeth-hoyt/1100298212
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Elizabeth Hoyt is a New York Times bestselling author of historical romance. She also writes deliciously fun contemporary romance under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with three untrained dogs and one long-suffering husband.