Passions of a Wicked Earl has all the elements I enjoy in a romance: an arranged marriage combined with a friends-to-lovers plot, a jealous paramour, and a bit of mystery. It all adds up to a very sexy and irresistible historical, written by Lorraine Heath—the first in her London’s Greatest Lovers trilogy.
Countess Claire Westcliffe has been exiled to her husband’s country estate for three long years while he’s been bed hoping all over London. Her banishment wasn’t due to some slight indiscretion—in fact, she was caught in bed with the Earl of Westcliffe’s brother. Oh my! Imagine finding your new bride in bed with your brother on your wedding night, I’m not sure the circumstances are forgivable. And as I continued to read, I wasn’t sure the author could get me past it, or make the heroine sympathetic enough for me to care. I knew this was a romance, and I knew with certainty it would end happy, but is that always enough? While reading, I wondered if the author would bring me to a believable conclusion I could accept. All this wondering actually enhanced my enjoyment of the story, because you see, while reading, there were dual emotions warring inside my head. Do I like these characters? Do I trust these characters? The heroine has such spunk, but is it enough? The hero is so tender and sympathetic, but does that redeem him? I felt so many emotions while reading the story, I suddenly hit myself on the side of the head and said, “Self, this is why you read romance, for all the emotions it stirs up!” In truth, I ended up loving the characters and as Claire and Westcliffe developed trust for each other, my trust increased.
Of course the author threw in a zinger that had me shaking my head, and banging the book on the arm of my reading chair, but also compelling me to read on and find out if this really was a romance, or some new fangled genre that would leave me high and dry at the end. You see, when Westcliffe had to choose between the wife he’s always loved and the mistress who has made his life easier—well I was at my last wit. But once again, the author’s twist and turns compelled me to read on—and that’s the mark of a good book for me—urging me to continue and find out how it ends.
Lorraine Heath writes ‘live out loud’ emotions. When the characters are upset, it’s vivid; when they're sexy, the pages steam up; and when they’re afraid, you feel them shaking in their boots. If you’re looking for a historical, you’re in luck, because this one will keep you turning the pages. And, it’s the start of a brand new series, what more could a romance reader ask for?
Could you forgive your spouse for sleeping with your sibling?
Maria Lokken is an avid romance reader and an award winning television producer.
