A Hint of Wicked

A Hint of Wicked is the story of one voracious woman and two very hunky men. As is always the case when we find ourselves in this situation, there is bound to be some great drama. Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, is our heroine and although she's different from the normal rear-kicking tough girls I've been reading lately, she's still strong in her own right. She might not go around wearing tight leather, chasing down the world's evil, but she has a fantastically strong personality that just bleeds off the page. Haymore has done an excellent job with creating a strong woman in this time period and has obviously done her research. For the most part, Sophie conforms to the time period's rules of propriety without coming across as meek, mild show more and completely bland. Just as the colors of the cover pop out and dance with the eyes, Sophie is a wonderfully colorful character who draws the reader in, becoming a real, flesh and blood person rather than just black words on a grey page.As in any good romance, there's the beautiful femininity of the heroine and the roguish attraction of the hero. In this case we have two heroes. Holy cow, ladies, you better grab your loveliest fan because these guys are guaranteed to steam up the room. Garrett, Sophie's childhood sweetheart and husband is powerfully built and comes complete with roguish charm. Nothing holds sway over his heart the way that Sophie does. If possible, he would literally turn the world upside down for her. Enter Tristan. Impeccably dressed to the nines, he holds a different charm from Garrett. Completely attractive, his personality is as much as turn-on as Garrett's body is. When Garrett leaves for war and news of his possible death at the battle of Waterloo reaches Sophie and Tristan, it just about breaks them both. Years later, when hope of Garrett's return finally dies away, the two friends realize the flame of desire between them and wed, beginning a happy life as husband and wife. What could be better? They are Duke and Duchess, wanting for nothing, safe in each other's arms. Right up until the moment that Garrett returns that is.What follows is a harrowing story of love, betrayal, passion, madness and intrigue. What will Sophie's fate be when she's confronted by two husbands? Will she have to choose between them? Is she even capable of doing that? With her two men vying for her heart and fighting against one another, Sophie wants no more than to welcome happiness back into their lives, but it seems that the entire world is set to fight against her.As you may have noticed, I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. Did I mention that I loved it? I usually tend toward Urban Fantasy when choosing books to read, but this one called out to me and I am so ecstatic that I welcomed it. I have not read a book so full of passion and emotion in a long while. I was literally perched on the very edge of my seat, my eyes ripping through the words, trying very hard to force myself not to skip down just to find out what happens next. As with any Regency novel, this one was full of the intrigue that seemed to flow throughout the time period. Haymore does a fantastic job of creating twists, turns and side stories to keep us guessing throughout the book.The characters! Oh, man the characters. What a fantastic job Haymore did with her character development. We continued to watch Sophie, Garrett and Tristan develop throughout the book, but from the moment they stepped foot on the page, they had already become real people. Their complexities, beauty and quirks all made them so very realistic. At times, it was difficult to remember that I was reading a book and not sitting, watching a beautifully produced play.Haymore did a fantastic job of bringing her story to life and I highly recommend everyone go out, buy the book and read it. That being said, here it is: Fair Warning Time. There are adult themes in this book. There are intimate scenes sweetly depicted within these colorful pages. While not overflowing, there are enough scenes that I would be amiss if I didn't let readers know. In no way does it detract from the story and the scenes are written so beautifully that it really does play an integral part in what makes this book so fantastic. I would give it a sensuality rating of 4.I give A Hint of Wicked a giant A. Seriously, I would not be surprised in the slightest if people are talking about this book for a while. It will hold an honored spot on my bookshelf and I imagine I'm going to have to protect the cover so that it doesn't fall off after I've read it over and over again. What are you waiting for? Go read it! show less

A Hint of Wicked had something of a rarity for a romance novel -- a love triangle between three sympathetic characters. That makes for a more suspenseful conclusion, but it also leaves you worrying the heroine won't end up with the man you prefer. It also means less time between the heroine and each man. However, Jennifer Haymore's writing is already good for such a new author and that made this book a pleasurable read.

Hint of Wicked was a rollercoaster! Jennifer Haymore takes you on a ride through a particularly tumultuous time in Sophie, the Duchess of Calton's life. After mourning the loss of her husband for over 6 years, she decides to move on and marries her deceased husband's friend & heir, Tristan. During a night of passion with Tristan, Garrett returns (unannounced) demanding his life and his wife back! However, Tristan will not let her go without a fight (he was tired of loving her from afar)! Now Sophie is stuck between her two husbands; her first love and her new love. What's a girl to do?

I really enjoyed getting to know Sophie's character. She was loving and endearing, but incredibly strong and protective of those she loves. I am a huge show more fan of period pieces and I especially love it with the heroine isn't just another piece of decoration. The plot was complicated and intricate enough to keep you enveloped in the story. One of my favorite features of this book was that Jennifer jumped right into it without wasting too much time in setting up the storyline. At first, I was concerned that the story would lose steam along the way and to my pleasant surprise it didn't...it was a definite page-turner! It doesn't wrap up until the very end and even then, it leaves enough of an opening for the sequel (that I'll now be waiting anxiously for come April 2010).

In addition, this book also offers quite a bit of heat too! I think Jennifer did a great job at narrating the love scenes without getting too raunchy. It was just enough to make you blush :)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good, well-written historical romance! show less

This is sort of weird because I read the second and third book in this series way before I read this first book. I definitely missed out, not in content, just by the fact that I missed out on this book for so long. This book had me like squirming every few pages because it just kept me on my toes.

The beginning of the book is INSANE! I read the back copy and then started to read and was like, NO...oh no...and then it happened. The book gets you started on the crazy foot and keeps going from there. I really had no idea where the book was going to go. The ending is seriously a surprise which is always nice in a romance novel, and not always possible.

In short, I love this book, this series, and this author.

This book was a great debut into the regency genre, though some of Sophie's attitudes seemed a bit modern to me. The plot was certainly complicated, and doesn't all wrap up by the final pages (most probably because there is a sequel in the works). I found Sophie and Garrett to be satisfying characters, but felt Tristan was more two dimensional despite his primary role in the novel. Miranda was also surprisingly well-drawn, though Gary was a bit of an after-thought. I did think the narrative seemed rushed at the end, with a lot of action popped in and resolved rather quickly; the pacing just felt a bit off to me. One thing this book does have in overabundance is heat- there is none of the chaste "fade to black" you sometimes find in show more period romances! All in all, a great read; I for one will be on the lookout for the next book in the series. show less

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, lost her husband Garrett at Waterloo. After seven years of mourning and searching, she finally moved on and married their mutual best friend Tristan, who lost his own wife. Though Sophie still harbors feelings for Garrett, she loves Tristan with a passion never experienced before, not even during her previous marriage to Garrett. The two of them have gotten through their grief together and are very much in love.

In the midst of carnal passion, Sophie and Tristan are surprised by the sudden homecoming of Garrett who did not die at Waterloo, but instead spent the past years with amnesia in Belgium. But now that Garrett has his memory back, he wants his wife and his name returned to him. Sophie and Tristan show more are now at a loss of what to do-- nullify their marriage or fight it out. Sophie's position is especially difficult since she is still very much in love with Garrett and is overjoyed that he alive and home, back to her and their daughter. But yes, she loves Tristan and does not want to separate from him either. Since Sophie can't be married to two men, she has to choose. Of course, Garrett wants to give her no choice by declaring her marriage to Tristan illegal.

Flanked by his trusted assistant William, Garrett is having trouble coming to terms with the war. He is prone to hallucinations, flash backs, and violence. His doctor is very grim about Garrett's eventual outlook, which makes it even harder for Sophie to give up on him. Very soon, Sophie and Tristan suspect that something is amiss, that Garrett isn't as sick and out of control as William and his doctor say. Now not only must Sophie decide between the two and Tristan fight for his wife, but the two of them have to uncover what plot Garrett is unknowingly in the middle of.

I am a novice when it comes to romance, but I decided to give A Hint of Wicked a try because it is historical fiction and I am constantly searching for that one romance book that will seal the deal for me and make me love the genre. Or even just appreciate it. Though new to this genre, it didn't hinder my ability to appreciate Haymore's elegant writing style or her vast variety of adjectives that were never overused. It was, of course, predictable who Sophie would turn out with. Still, I tried not to let that bother me and instead took the book for what it was worth. Rather than accept the story as a mystery unfolding, I understood it as a progression of events I would see to the end, just to know how the events play out and what the means to the end are.

Need I mention that the book is very steamy? I don't think I have to once you see the cover. Haymore certainly doesn't shy away from being descriptive, she doesn't hold back and cut out before the passion starts in full force, but her writing is such that she never descends into being crude. It is so easy to ruin a good love scene, you see, at least for me. Truthfully, sometimes Sophie annoyed me. Sometimes reading about how perfect she is got to me. But I never got bored of the love scenes. show less

RATING: 3 stars.

It was ok, but it was a bit messy. Too many things happening and the hero didn't appear nearly enough. :/

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"Um Toque de Perversão" é mais um daqueles romances que tinha lá para casa (não faço ideia de por que é que o comprei), que ficou abandonado, à espera de vez, talvez devido ao foco da história: um triângulo amoroso.

No entanto, uma vez que estou numa de "romances históricos" e de experimentar novos autores, decidi que tinha chegado a altura de ler este.

O primeiro romance de Jennifer Haymore centra-se em três personagens, dois homens e uma mulher, que se conhecem desde pequenos. Garrett e Sophie sempre gostaram um do outro e casaram-se cedo. O primo de Garrett, Tristan (que raio de nome show more é este, senhores?), também amava Sophie, mas vendo que ela gostava de Garrett e que Garrett gostava dela, nunca disse nada. Tudo parecia bem, até... Waterloo. Por qualquer razão estranha, um Duque sem herdeiros foi enviado para a frente de batalha e dado como morto. E, claro, quase oito anos depois, Tristan o primo e Sophie uniram-se na sua desgraça, por assim dizer. Mas nem tudo é o que parece... o Garrett não estava morto afinal e quando ele volta é o caos total! Ao mesmo tempo, um inimigo escondido tenta magoar a família James.

Esta premissa algo estranha e inverosímil é a base de "Um Toque de Perversão". O marido volta a Inglaterra e encontra a mulher casada com o melhor amigo (drama!). Um inimigo ataca das sombras (mais drama!). O melhor amigo chama-se Tristan (oh woes!).

Devo dizer que não sou grande fã de triângulos amorosos, mas estava curiosa para saber com qual dos dois homens é que a Sophie ia ficar e por isso era-me difícil parar de ler.

Infelizmente, fora isso e a escrita competente, "Um Toque de Perversão" não tem assim muito mais que se recomende. O herói aparece muito pouco, o vilão é bastante óbvio e o romance é muito pouco romântico. A autora farta-se de nos dizer que a nossa heroína mudou, pois sim e que os seus sentimentos são complexos, mas sinceramente nenhuma das acções de Sophie me deu essa sensação. O final não é propriamente uma surpresa mas como se chega a esse final... é que eu, enquanto leitora, tive alguma dificuldade em perceber. Porque como disse, a Sophie não mostra uma preferência clara por nenhum dos dois homens.

As personagens não me cativaram por aí além. Para além dos já mencionados "defeitos", a Sophie não tinha assim grandes características distintivas; o mesmo se pode dizer de Tristan e de Garrett (se bem que gostei mais deste último). Deste modo, o potencial dramático da história não foi aproveitado; não senti absolutamente nada no final, quando a Sophie faz a sua escolha: nem alegria pelos protagonistas, nem tristeza pelo homem que não foi escolhido.

No geral, um livro com potencial, mas algo "morno". Não consegui ligar-me às personagens ou gostar verdadeiramente da história. Está bem escrito, mas não puxa pelas emoções de um leitor, na minha humilde opinião. show less