Wicked Intentions

I'll probably never win another book through Goodreads' First Reads again with this review. What an anachronistic, ungrammatical, unfinished book that was.

The book opens with the widow Temperance Dews wending her way through the dank and dangerous streets of St. Giles, clutching a loaded pistol. She’s on her way back to the foundling home she runs with her younger brother, returning with her maidservant and an infant they pried from the arms of a dead young mother. Along the way, she overhears a scuffle in an alley and ends up fleeing from a frightening man with long white hair and a voluminous black cloak who she saw standing over an inert bleeding man. Not long after returning home, however, she discovers that the frightening man show more has let himself into her sitting room and has a proposition for her that she can’t turn down.

Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching St. Giles for a brutal murderer and he needs help navigating the streets and the people of the dangerous slum. Seeing how easily Temperance moves around the area, and knowing that the home is in dire financial straits, he offers her money in exchange for her guidance around the slum. She accepts, but with the caveat that he also introduce her to polite society so she may find a new patron for the home.

When a book begins with a contrivance, it’s a bad sign. Why, oh why, would a scandalous peer of the realm contract the services of a respectable woman as a guide to a slum in 1737? A woman? 60 years before Mary Wollstonecraft and her A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, I’m to believe a powerful man sees a lower-class woman as some sort of valuable helper?

Ok, but this is Romancelandia, you say, suspend your disbelief, you crone. Fine, I’ll ignore that absurdity. But must I also ignore the piano at the musicale many years before composers wrote for the pianoforte, much less the piano? Or how we never find out exactly what Caire’s title is? And all the anachronistic language? Why bother writing in a unique time period - the early Georgian era - if you’re going to go all wallpaper on me? Wouldn’t it be easier to just go with the familiar Regency period if you don’t want to set a scene? Constantly substituting “of the clock” for “o’clock” does not compensate for the modern tone. Quite the opposite, it grated on me. Set against a voice that could as easily have been telling a contemporary tale, it just glared at me, like a LARPer at the mall.

So, with the time period a silly theatrical setting, I would hope there’s a strong plot to make it all worthwhile. Unfortunately, I found the book alternately boring, absurd, untidy and confusing. Really, if I hadn’t won a copy and felt duty bound to finish and review it, I’d have quit the book at page 100. The suspense plot is poorly done with no clues or red herrings for the reader to use to play along, giving its resolution a shoulder-shrugging “Oh, that person” emotional impact. The hero’s motivation for undertaking the sleuthing is never resolved, just hinted at enough to raise unanswered questions. The side plot involving Temperance’s sister Silence adds nothing to this story but sequel bait. I don’t read romance to read about unresolved marital strife. The Ghost of St. Giles bit was freaking ridiculous. When Caire was ever fighting off hooligans back to back with a caped man in a harlequin mask with a long sword in one hand and a short sword in the other, I started to wonder if Hoyt had switched publishers and was now with Marvel Comics. There was so much going on that I never found myself invested in any of it.

I didn’t find much to like about the romance either. To begin with, I didn’t like either of the characters. Caire says terrible, insulting things to Temperance, mocking her and her dead husband because it amuses him to hurt her. He never makes amends, apologizes or grovels for it either. In fact, it’s Temperance who has to beg him to forgive her at the end. Not that she was much more likeable herself, being at times sanctimonious and others mindblowingly selfish. A breaking point came for me when her brother was sick, she just found out the home was again out of money and a baby was dying and she leaves the home unsupervised as she heads to Caire’s for some punishing rough sex. How could I respect someone so selfish?

***Slight Spoiler***

The bulk of their attraction was lust, rather than any sort of nuanced emotional connection. Throughout the first third of the book, a big to-do is made of Caire’s “unnatural desires,” all the secondary characters obliquely referring to them but not offering any details. As it turns out, Caire, who finds other people touching him to be mentally and physically painful (and bonus points for having the characters discuss mental pain 150 years before the birth of psychology), likes to tie women up during sex. Temperance, apparently, likes to be tied up and manhandled. Match made in heaven...except, Hoyt couldn’t commit to it. She tones down the bondage, having them grow out of it as a result of Twue Love, and ascribes its appeal to all sorts of psychological shortcomings. Now she decides to adhere to outdated medical info, nice. She has the characters freak out about bloodletting, which was definitely SOP then, but embrace the well-debunked idea that bondage is an unhealthy behavior one grows out of. FFS, girl, can we get some consistency please?

***And moving on...***

Added to the scatterbrained plot, unlikeable characters and unbelievable romance is some rather distracting writing. I admit to being a bit of a grammar pedant, but misusing reflexive pronouns in a published novel is just sloppy. Myself, herself and yourself are not fancier ways of saying “me,” “her” or “you.” It’s not okay when work email says “Please send all further inquiries to either Bill or myself” so it’s definitely not okay in something I pay for. See previous comment on “of the clock” for not making the voice sound like authentic 18th century.

I didn’t like the book, but I didn’t hate it either, so I give it two stars. Shamelessly setting sequel bait, more anachronism than a SCA event and a limp story just left me unsatisfied. After having enjoyed so many of her previous books I’m left to conclude that either she’s changed or I have. In any case, I’m reluctant to continue the series. Disappointing.

Also, the hero had long white hair. Long white hair = Sephiroth. Too weird. show less

Excellent book that drew me into its world from the very beginning. Temperance is a widow who runs a foundling home and school along with others of her family, in the slums of the St. Giles section of London. When the book opens, she is heading back to the Home with the newborn baby of a dead prostitute. She happens across Lord Caire, bent over the body of a man who had just attacked him. Later that evening, Lord Caire appears in her sitting room, with a proposition for her. If she will be his guide around St. Giles, he will endeavor to introduce her to members of society who could serve as patrons for the financially struggling Home.

I liked both Temperance and Caire. She is an independent woman who does what she feels is right, no show more matter what others say. She loves her family, and will do what she must to keep their Home running. She is also haunted by something in her past, an event that has caused her to ruthlessly protect herself from feeling things too deeply. She also has a passionate side that she keeps buried deep.

Caire is a man with a dark reputation, including his bedroom proclivities. Not only doesn't it bother him, he seems to take a fair amount of delight in it. He's cynical about his fellow man and seems to delight in scandalizing society. He is searching the slums of St. Giles, looking for the person who brutally murdered his mistress, not because he loved her, but to try to give her life some meaning. Caire is also haunted by his own issues, believing himself to be incapable of giving or receiving love, and physically unable to bear being touched.

Their chemistry is incredible from the very beginning. Temperance isn't happy about the attraction to him, as it only serves to prove to her that she has a wicked nature that needs to be controlled. Caire is much more willing to pursue the attraction he feels for her. He's very good at getting her worked up, and it isn't long before they are finding physical satisfaction together. Temperance is surprised to find that the more time she spends with him, the more she actually likes him. She also starts to see that there is a lonely, vulnerable man under the sordid reputation, just as Caire gets to know the passionate woman behind the do-gooder reputation that she has. That knowledge also comes at a price, and an exchange of heated words ends in unexpectedly hurt feelings. It looks like their chances of happiness together have been ruined, until a near tragedy brings them back together. I loved Temperance's big moment, in which she goes all out to show him how she feels. The depth of trust and emotion was incredible and truly moving.

The suspense of the story, the search for the murderer, was really good. I loved Caire's determination to find out who it was, no matter the motivation. It was really interesting to see how a woman like Temperance was actually able to get more useful information than a large, intimidating nobleman could. The danger intensified as they got closer to the discovery. I was surprised by who it turned out to be. The final confrontation was intense, extremely dangerous, and nearly fatal for Caire. There were a couple of appearances by the mysterious Ghost of St. Giles, including a vital one at the end. I have a couple suspicions on his identity, and look forward to reading the next book to find out.

I also enjoyed the various secondary characters. Temperance's brother Winter was fascinating. He is protective of her, but also seems to be accepting of her independence. I also got the feeling that there is more to him than the teacher and foundling home shows. Her sister Silence is another interesting sibling. She is shown to be very much in love with her sea captain husband, to the point where she does something reckless when he gets into trouble. I ached for her over his reaction. Their situation was left unresolved, so I hope to see them in a later book. Lady Hero is another one who fascinated me. She is independent, and has interests outside of those expected of young society women. I liked how she and Temperance connected so quickly. I also enjoyed how she and Caire's mother came to the rescue of the foundling home at the end. Caire's mother is one who I wasn't sure of at the beginning, as she seemed rather cold and disapproving, but by the end she had grown on me.

A fascinating part of the book was a look at the seamier side of London. There was very little of the usual balls and other society pursuits. Instead, there was a realistic portrayal of the hardships of the prostitutes, orphans, and other residents of St. Giles.

*copy received from Netgalley in exchanged for honest review. show less

Although I didn't like it quite as well as Elizabeth Hoyt's incomparable Princes Trilogy, Wicked Intentions was a good start to her latest series, Maiden Lane. With all the action and mysteries (the serial murders, the stolen cargo and the ghost of St. Giles), and a large part of the focus being on Lazarus and Temperance's investigation of gory Jack the Ripper style murders, this book was actually a historical romantic suspense. Even though I thought the romance and suspense were fairly well balanced, I can see where there might have been more opportunities for relationship building without all the investigating, which could explain why some readers seemed to be less than enamored with the story. Ms. Hoyt also chose to leave readers in show more the dark about a couple of things, most likely intending to resolve those mysteries later in the series, and I'll certainly be waiting anxiously to find out the answers.

In addition to the suspense angle, Wicked Intentions also has some other elements that make it quite unique to the historical romance genre. Other than the hero and heroine's attendance at a couple of society parties in search of a new patron for the foundling home, the narrative is completely set in the London slums, far away from all the glitz and glitter of the ton. Maybe it was the setting being so different or perhaps the author didn't quite describe it thoroughly enough, but I did have a hard time picturing it at first. The heroine herself is a poor commoner who spends her days caring for a large group of orphans, while the hero is a wealthy nobleman, making this something of a Cinderella story. I did like the orphanage and all the children even though they didn't play a huge role. Everything just came together to give the book a very distinctive feel unlike any other historical romance I've read.

Lazarus was an intriguing hero. He has earned a scandalous reputation for his “unnatural” sexual proclivities. Although the reader is teased with exactly what it is he prefers in the bedroom, I had my suspicions early on and ended up being correct. Lazarus is also very unusual in that he seems to have an inability to feel emotions, and he is repulsed and feels pain when touched. I could tell that there were things in his past that had likely contributed to his condition, and as some of those things were revealed, I sympathized with him. However, there were a couple of times when I wanted to smack him for being a bit of a jerk. Not only was he overtly sexual with Temperance right from the start which wasn't entirely my cup of tea, he also said some things to her that seemed to be deliberately calculated to cause her emotional pain, and I never quite figured out why he did that. I'll allow that perhaps I misunderstood or misinterpreted his words and intentions, because otherwise, he was rather charming in a dark, sensual sort of way. The other thing I couldn't quite get a handle on was why Lazarus chose Temperance as his guide in the first place. It just seemed a little odd to me that a “gentleman” would pull a respectable lady into what he must have known could be a potentially dangerous, and at the very least, sordid, investigation.

After being widowed nine years earlier, Temperance has devoted her life to serving the orphans alongside her brother at the foundling home started by their father. She struggles constantly against her passionate nature, feeling that there is something wrong with her for having such strong desires. At first, she is almost as emotionally closed-off as Lazarus, but with him, she finally finds the freedom to be the person she truly is inside. Temperance harbors a dark secret that has controlled her actions since her husband's death, and while I don't feel that she should have punished herself indefinitely, I did have mixed feelings about what she had done when it was finally revealed. In some ways it made me loose a little respect for her, not only because of the nature of the secret, but also because it made her seem less charitable to me, like she didn't truly enjoy working with the children and only did it because she felt she had to. However, the risks she took to protect a couple of the children I think proved that she did have a good heart and cared for them very much. I also like that she was able to intuitively sense Lazarus' inner pain the first time she touched him, even though he put on a brave face, and that she was completely accepting and even understanding of his “kinks” and why he needed those things.

As a couple, Lazarus and Temperance were good for each other, but they didn't quite spark off the pages for me like Elizabeth Hoyt's other heroes and heroines I've read to date. I think part of the reason for this lay in them both being so emotionally aloof for a large part of the story. I know that Lazarus couldn't exactly help being the way he was, and Temperance had her own demons to battle, but it often seemed like they were two separate entities rather than a couple in the making. I initially had a hard time making a connection with either one of them, but it did get better as the story progressed. My favorite parts were when Temperance was caring for Lazarus after he'd been wounded, and then toward the end when they both, in turn, gently pushed each other to face their pasts. As always, Elizabeth Hoyt knows how to write some incredibly steamy love scenes, and I will forewarn sensitive readers that the ones in this book are barely this side of erotic. I certainly didn't mind though, as I happen to think that Ms. Hoyt writes some of the best sex in romance today.;-)

In Wicked Intentions, Elizabeth Hoyt has also created a wonderful palette of supporting players, giving herself an enticing array of characters to work with as potential heroes and heroines of future books. Lady Hero Batten is a very nice young woman who treats Temperance with kindness and respect. I found it interesting that she's the sister of a duke, but seems to long for a more “normal” life, and I'm excited to see she is the heroine of book #2, Notorious Pleasures. Temperance's sister, Silence, is sweet and lovable with her ineptness with household tasks. What she lacks in basic skills, she more than makes up for in love and loyalty for her husband. What she does for him in going to the notorious pirate, Charming Mickey, was very brave, but no one believes the bargain she struck with him. Charming Mickey is well...charming, in a devilish sort of way. I wasn't too certain about him initially, but was left wondering if he wasn't quite the villain he seemed. I must admit I'm incredibly curious about exactly what transpired between these too, but alas it is one of those things that Ms. Hoyt left to the imagination but will hopefully be revealed in their book, Scandalous Desires, due to hit bookshelves in November (2011). I was very intrigued by Lazarus's one and only friend, Godric St. John. He seems to be a very kind, intellectual man who loves his wife dearly, but she appears to be not long for this world, which could free him in the future to be a great hero. Temperance's brother, Winter, is such a good man. He is completely committed to the foundling home, working himself almost to exhaustion, and is always gentle and caring with all the children. He's protective of Temperance, but never unreasonable with her like their other brothers can be. I just read breaking news on Ms. Hoyt's website indicating that he will become the hero of Book #4, tentatively titled, Thief of Shadows due for release in the summer of 2012. (Hooray!:-)) Last but not least is another of Temperance's brothers, Asa, who is quite mysterious. We see very little of him in this book, but there is just enough to make me think he might have a fascinating story to tell.

Other than the few small issues I've already outlined and the author's overuse of the question, “What?” which seemed both repetitive and anachronistic, I thought Wicked Intentions was very well-written overall. I enjoyed following along as Lazarus and Temperance solved the murder mystery, and I'm still eagerly anticipating finding out more about the questions that were left unanswered. Perhaps I didn't always relate to the hero and heroine as well as I would have liked, but they were still good characters, and if my speculation is correct, the supporting cast has left me with a tantalizing taste of what's in store for the rest of the Maiden Lane series. I'm really looking forward to the release of book three. In the meantime, I still have one more volume to keep me busy, and I can't wait to find out if Hero makes as great a heroine as I think she will. show less

The book that started it all.

"I rarely feel anything. But like the legless man, I'm unaccountably fascinated by those who can dance."

Our hero Lazarus started off the darkly mysterious, darkly intriguing, and darkly sexy man often found in romance. What distances him and makes him better than a lot was his layered personality of cool waters run deep and vulnerable and passionate soul. He was perfectly matched with our heroine Temperance with her mixture of kind spirit and desirous heart. As Lazarus searches for a murderer with Temperance's help, they poke and prod each other to break down the other's walls.

Above her, he moaned. "Please." Oh, to hear him beg. There was something in her, something wicked and base that lapped up that plea show more in his voice.

This is one hot potato book. It leans a little heavier on the sexual and steamy side of historical romance but never felt salacious. The sex scenes are quite descriptive but I would argue that the emotion between the two is what makes them hot. And ok, maybe the dirty talk, voyeurism, and neckties ;)

Knowing that she could be herself---all of herself---and he would not turn away.

When you first start reading this, you're going to think this is mainly Lazarus' story but a little more than halfway through, I realized this felt more like Temperance's story. Her guilt, self-punishing, joys, feelings, strengths, and weaknesses are all on display and as the reader, I was right there with her feeling them all. Again, she is a woman of her time, dealing with societal pressures of what is "proper" for women sexually. Through Lazarus' love and strength helping to bolster her own, she really comes into her own.

The secondary characters are numerous with Temperance's brothers and sisters, aristocrats, and a "ghost". This truly felt like an assemble piece but with Lazarus and Temperance getting the spotlight (Silence, Temperance's sister, edges in too with her own side story). Knowing this is book one, of currently eleven, I have it on good authority more than a few of the characters seen here get to shine under their own spotlight eventually. This was just a great all around story and I see why this series is still going strong. show less

2nd read- I liked this enough to read it again the following year. The gradual development of the hero and heroine, and their relationship, is very compelling. Two imperfect people who learn to see the other for who they are, and both become better for it. I love that. Not at all PG, lol.

3rd read- This is kinda dark and harsh in some ways, but I really enjoy it. I feel like it's well researched and written, and the dialogue sounds more historical than most HR authors try for, but it doesn't make it difficult to follow or anything. And the couple are really compelling to me. Very good character insight, lots of emotional growth. They’re both coping in difficult circumstances and wounded from dark pasts. And I love how he frees her to show more accept her whole self and she thaws his cold heart. ❤️ They’re really well suited to save each other. show less

Funny how this is a first historical romance with honest to God bondage I've ever read. Colour me surprised! This book pretty much ticks all the boxes I usually need to tick in a historical romance:

- strong plot
- sizzling attraction between two very mature characters who both know what they want
- interesting secondary characters

You won't believe how many HR authors I avoid because they lack this wonderful formula, and I'm happy to say Elizabeth Hoyt delivered and more.

Simply speaking, disreputable Lord Caire has been avoiding society and especially his mother most of his adult life because he can't forgive her for not saving his younger sister who died ill and neglected when she was a child. The man's got issues to a point where he show more doesn't trust anyone and experiences pain from a physical touch, thus his need for bondage. He doesn't even have lovers among The Society, he has mistresses or pay prostitutes for their services. His last mistress was found tied up and butchered, and he is determined to find the killer and avenge her.

Temperance is a middle class young widow who lives one step away from the abject poverty trying to run an orphanage left to her and her siblings by her dad. When Caire decides to enlist her help they make a deal - she who knows the poor area of London and its inhabitants really well will help him in his investigation, and he will pay her orphanage expenses and will help her find a patron for it among the society.

Spending time together among the slums of London, running away from assassins and simple thugs, meeting the famous ghost... Both Lazarus and Temperance realise that they are not really who they think they are. He might be capable of deeper emotional involvement and she hides wicked desires under her prim and proper appearance...

I just really loved this couple! They are equal partners, and essentially Temperance bests Lazarus who thinks he figured her out, in his own game. This was an absolute delight to read! show less

This was a very typical romance with a little bondage included, 17th century wantonness. Like most romance novels, the story was a little unrealistic. Writing was really good though, there was good character develop in the narrow channel of the romance story. The murder twist was fun, and added an element of danger.
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