Wicked, My Love by Susanna Ives
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Historical Romance
Book Two in the Wicked Little Secrets series
Published March 3, 2015
Source: Received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Why I picked up this book:
I'm a sucker for historical romance.
Blurb:
A smooth-talking rogue and a dowdy financial genius...
Handsome, silver-tongued politician Lord Randall doesn't get along with his bank partner, the financially brilliant but hopelessly frumpish Isabella St. Vincent. Ever since she was his childhood nemesis, he's tried—and failed—to get the better of her.
Make a perfectly wicked combination...
When both Randall's political career and their mutual bank interests are threatened by scandal, he has to admit he needs Isabella's help. They set off on a madcap scheme to set matters right. With her wits and his charm, what could possibly go wrong? Only a volatile mutual attraction that's catching them completely off guard...
My thoughts:
There's something very quirky about Wicked, My Love that I can't quite put into words. The book features an 'unconventional' lady - a woman with a head for mathematics and no interest in fashion or dances and the like. It pairs her with a politician known for his social graces and not for his intellectual pursuits.
Now, unconventional heroines are pretty much all the rage in historical romance these days so Isabella ends up not seeming that unusual at all to avid readers of the genre. This is fine by me. I think we need more of these women in fiction - women whose strengths are with logic and numbers rather than emotion and empathy (which isn't to say that Isabella isn't empathetic). I appreciated that Isabella had respect for Randall's social prowess, while he recognized her genius with finances. I loved that neither Isabella *nor* Randall were perfect. They were presented as opposites, but also as complementing each other.
The childhood-friends/enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favourites. I love having that established relationship to build on. The book handles the transition well - though it drove me nuts that everyone in their lives seemed to think Isabella was harbouring a secret crush on Randall.
There are some rather funny bits and bobs - I don't think Wicked, My Love takes itself too seriously, which was mostly amusing. There were a few points where I think the book held onto a running gag or concept too long (such as Isabella needing to stay focused on reason and rejecting emotions), but for the most part - very entertaining!
Bottom line:
If you like your historical romance to be very serious stuff, turn away! If you want to laugh out loud while reading about two seemingly mismatched people find their way out of almost-certain financial ruin and into love, grab Wicked, My Love!
4 stars
For fans of smart heroines, historical romance
But don't just take my word for it! I grabbed a few links to other blog reviews of Wicked, My Love:
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