Series: Bareknuckle Bastards (Book 1)When Wicked Comes Calling . . .
When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber
and offers his help in landing a husband, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees to his
suspicious terms--on one condition. She's seen enough of the world to believe
in passion, and won't accept a marriage without it.
The Wallflower Makes a Dangerous Bargain . . .
Bastard son of a duke and king of London's dark streets,
Devil has spent a lifetime wielding power and seizing opportunity, and the
spinster wallflower is everything he needs to exact a revenge years in the
making. All he must do is turn the plain little mouse into an irresistible
temptress, set his trap, and destroy his enemy.
For the Promise of Passion . . .
But there's nothing plain about Felicity Faircloth, who
quickly decides she'd rather have Devil than another. Soon, Devil's carefully laid
plans are in chaos, and he must choose between everything he's ever wanted . .
. and the only thing he's ever desired.
Very good book with fascinating characters that kept me
hooked from beginning to end. Felicity is a twenty-seven-year-old woman who
appears to be firmly on the shelf. She went from having glittering possibilities
to being stuck on the fringes of society thanks to a couple of poor decisions
that nobody will let her forget. As the story opens, Felicity is verbally
attacked by those who used to be her friends. Felicity wants nothing more than
to get back to being part of the in-crowd once again and show up those who have
treated her so badly. Her mouth gets the better of her, and she claims to be
engaged to the Duke of Marwick, even though she has never met him, and knows
that when the truth comes out, she'll be Finished Felicity for sure. What she
doesn't expect is a late-night offer of help from a mysterious stranger.
Devil is the bastard son of a brutal and manipulative duke,
one of three brothers and a sister. In a childhood pact, the brothers swore
that they would ensure that there would be no heirs to their father's line. Now
one brother, Ewan, who brutally acquired their father's title, has broken that
pact and is looking for a wife. Devil is determined to thwart Ewan's plans, and
Felicity is the perfect tool for him to use. He promises her that he will help
her land the duke, while at the same time intending to sabotage the engagement to
prove to Ewan that he won't get his way. Devil has no thought for what his
plans would do to the girl in question.
I loved both Felicity and Devil. Though Felicity seemed
to be a typical empty-headed society miss at first, it doesn't take long to see
that there is more to her. I liked seeing her lay down her own conditions with
Devil. She also isn't content to sit
back and wait for him to take action. She has a very unique talent that she regularly
uses to invade his space. She has a sharp mind and isn't afraid to use it,
which sometimes gets her into trouble. Devil is a man who made my heart ache. He
had a terrible childhood but has made a place for himself, with his brother and
sister, as the king of Covent Garden and head of the local crime ring. Though
Devil is a hard man who rules his kingdom with an iron fist, there is also another
side of him that, though not precisely soft, shows a depth of caring for the
people around him. It is especially evident in the treatment of his
"employees."
I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the relationship
between Felicity and Devil. The connection is there from the moment they met,
though both try to ignore it. Felicity is intrigued by Devil and takes every
opportunity to spend time with him. I loved her first appearance in his world,
his shock at how she got there, and her refusal to back down. Devil's reaction
is priceless, as is his trouble in figuring out how to deal with her. As
Felicity found herself drawn deeper into Devil's world, her outlook underwent
some significant changes. I loved seeing her take a good look at the life she
was trying to get back to and realize that it was no longer what she wanted. I
loved seeing her confidence in herself grow the more time she spent with Devil,
and discover that he and the Covent Garden life was what she wanted. All she
had to do was break down his walls and get him to let her in. Devil was in
trouble from the minute he met Felicity. He was fascinated by her and
increasingly reluctant to inflict the inevitable hurt that his plans would
cause. He was dismayed by the protectiveness he felt for her, suspecting that
it will cause him greater problems with his intentions for the duke. He fought
hard against his feelings for her, convinced that he is unworthy of her because
of who and what he is. The dialogue between Felicity and Devil spotlights their
connection and their growing feelings and emphasizes the attraction that
continues to simmer and bubble between them. I ached for them both when the
truth came out and was glued to the pages to see how they would find their way
back to each other. Their big moment together was fantastic and perfect for the
two of them.
The revenge portion of the story was well done. There is
enough of the backstory to show why Devil goes after Ewan, with details
revealed piecemeal through the book. The parts involving Ewan and Grace are
particularly intriguing and leave me with many questions about what is between
them. The tension built slowly as Devil helped Felicity in her desire to
captivate the duke, while at the same time planning his part. There were also
some questions as to whether Ewan is somehow involved in the trouble that Devil
and Whit are having with their business. The confrontation between Devil and
Ewan at the end was intense and did not go the way I thought it would. I loved
Felicity's part in it. There are still unanswered questions, and I can't wait
to see what is in the next book.
The secondary characters in the book were vital to the
story, too. There are Devil's siblings, Whit and Grace/Dahlia. Whit is quiet
but intense. His relationship with Devil is close, and their business is
successful because of it. I enjoyed seeing him try to keep Devil focused on the
plan, yet also support him in his love for Felicity. There were some funny
moments between them because of it. I loved their sister, Grace. She is a
strong woman who has made an interesting life for herself. I look forward to
her story because of it. Nik was another strong and independent woman. I
especially enjoyed seeing how the men respected her. My least favorite
characters were Felicity's family. They were incredibly selfish, looking to
Felicity to sacrifice herself so that they can maintain their position in
society. Her brother was perhaps a shade better because he at least felt guilty
about what they were doing. He redeemed himself a little bit at the end.
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