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Wicked Intentions
RECOMMENDED: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt is $1.99! I listened to this on audio after Elyse’s great review and loved it. I’ve since listened to the next two Maiden Lane books on audio as well. Elyse really enjoyed this book and gave it an A-:
Serial killer. And Ghost of St. Giles vigilante. And river pirate. And bondage.
If any or all of those things appeal to you, I’d really recommend this book. If you’re looking for a spicy historical, or one not focused around the glittering aristocracy, Wicked Intentions fits the bill. Aside from a few ball scenes, this book takes place among the working class of London.
A man controlled by his desires…
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London’s most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand— she’s spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.
A woman haunted by her past…
Caire makes a simple offer—in return for Temperance’s help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London’s high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control—one that may well destroy them both.
A bargain neither could refuse.
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Recipe for Kisses
Recipe for Kisses by Michelle Major is 99c at Amazon! The heroine owns a toy shop, which I think is pretty neat. The hero is a chef who wants the heroine’s location to open up his own restaurant. There’s definitely lots of lust going on, if that is or isn’t your preferred element when it comes to a romance. This is the second book in the Colorado Hearts series and all four books are available for less than $4.
Chloe Daniels doesn’t need a man—after escaping a marriage gone bad, she guards her heart as closely as the details of her past. So when hot-tempered celebrity chef Ben “the Beast” Haddox storms into her struggling toy store, Chloe is determined not to be drawn in by his broad shoulders…or baby-blue eyes.
In his hometown, Ben’s culinary career is almost as famous as his bad-boy rep. He’s out to prove to naysayers he’s a success by opening a new restaurant—and the only thing standing in his way is Chloe’s store. But before he has a chance to convert her space into his signature eatery, she cooks up a plan to show him that her shop is worth saving.
As things start to sizzle between them, Chloe must figure out how to avoid getting burned. Can she trust herself to love again, or has she jumped out of the frying pan and into desire?
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Torn
Torn by Rowenna Miller is $1.99! This is a fantasy novel with a seamstress main character. Not sure if this is YA though. Carrie read this one and gave it a C+. The pacing was too slow for her, but it’s possible future books may pick up in momentum:
This book is the first in a new series. It has a lot of potential – good technical writing, multiple female characters, discussion of class and class mobility, clothes porn, and more. If other books pick up the pace, it could be great, but this first book was too slow to keep me invested.
TORN is the first book in an enchanting debut fantasy series featuring a seamstress who stitches magic into clothing, and the mounting political uprising that forces her to choose between her family and her ambitions, for fans of The Queen of the Tearling.
Sophie is a dressmaker who has managed to open her own shop and lift herself and her brother, Kristos, out of poverty. Her reputation for beautiful ball gowns and discreetly-embroidered charms for luck, love, and protection secures her a commission from the royal family itself — and the commission earns her the attentions of a dashing but entirely unattainable duke.
Meanwhile, Kristos rises to prominence in the growing anti-monarchist movement. Their worlds collide when the revolution’s shadow leader takes him hostage and demands that Sophie place a curse on the queen’s Midwinter costume — or Kristos will die at their hand.
As the proletariat uprising comes to a violent climax, Sophie is torn: between her brother and the community of her birth, and her lover and the life she’s striven to build.
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Most of All You
Most of All You by Mia Sheridan is $1.99! This is an emotional standalone contemporary romance. I haven’t read this one, but have read some of Sheridan’s other books. They are high on drama and angst if that’s your thing. If not, maybe skip this one. It has a 4.1-star rating on Goodreads.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Archer’s Voice, Mia Sheridan delivers a heartwrenching new stand-alone contemporary romance.
A broken woman . . .
Crystal learned long ago that love brings only pain. Feeling nothing at all is far better than being hurt again. She guards her wounded heart behind a hard exterior and carries within her a deep mistrust of men, who, in her experience, have only ever used and taken.
A man in need of help . . .
Then Gabriel Dalton walks into her life. Despite the terrible darkness of his past, there’s an undeniable goodness in him. And even though she knows the cost, Crystal finds herself drawn to Gabriel. His quiet strength is wearing down her defenses and his gentle patience is causing her to question everything she thought she knew.
Only love can mend a shattered heart . . .
Crystal and Gabriel never imagined that the world, which had stolen everything from them, would bring them a deep love like this. Except fate will only take them so far, and now the choice is theirs: Harden their hearts once again or find the courage to shed their painful pasts.
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This is my favorite Elizabeth Hoyt, and Caire is one of my favorite romance heroes ever, and if anyone wants to make recommendations based on that, I would appreciate them.
Amanda, I agree about the angst in the Sheridan books. My experience was one-and-done, it was just too much. Thanks for helping me feel like less of an outlier.
I think Wicked Intentions was my first Hoyt, and I really enjoyed it! Haven’t read a ton of hers yet, but they’re all super hot. The only one I DNF’ed was Duke of Sin, in which the H read to me as more “holy F’ing psychotic creep” than sexy.
@Kim, I LOVE Hoyt and I had big problems with Duke of Sin too. For me it was primarily the power imbalance – I’m not really capable of suspending disbelief to a degree sufficient to buy a romance between a duke and a housekeeper given how frequently domestic servants were subject to sexual assault.
Courtney Milan’s The Governess Affair is one of my favorite romances for that reason – it doesn’t shy away from that reality (in fact, that reality is integral to the plot).
@cbackson I also loved that book and loved Cairo which is why that cover is driving me nuts. He’s described very distinctively as having long, silvery white hair. What’s the deal with generic blonde hunk?
I really loved Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan, but I DNF’d two of her other titles because they seemed to tip into melodrama—Dane’s Storm and Brant’s Return (both were Audible Originals when I had the romance package). For any Sheridan fans: should I try some of her older titles that might be more similar to Archer’s Voice?
I think Duke of Sin was mentioned as a Slytherin/Hufflepuff pairing in another post.
Speaking of Potter stuff, has Hoyt ever confirmed or denied that the hero of Wicked Intentions is modeled after Jason Isaacs playing Lucius Malfoy? I happened to attend a panel she cohosted a couple years back and I still regret not asking her. 🙂
@Mrs. Obed Marsh: I can’t find it now but I recollect that she used to do threads somewhere with her sort of fantasy casting for these roles, and that was correct. I may be full-one fabricating that, though.
I fully understand people having some problems with Duke of Sin, but it was my favorite of the series. The power dynamic wasn’t really a problem for me — maybe because she was there with her own agenda and it felt like she could leave/make her own choices. For all his power, she was a strong character and I liked her a lot. Plus the moments of humor (his horror at her name! lol) won me over.
Hoyt has a Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy photo on her Pinterest board.
Huh. Apparently “Wicked Intentions” has been sitting in my Audible library for months. Guess I need to listen to it.
Wicked Intentions was the first Hoyt that I read and she’s an autobuy for me. I’ll be honest, I think the earlier Maiden Lane books were her best work. I don’t think the newer stuff is bad, but it feels less deep in some way to me. If you haven’t read it, pick it up on sale because you’re in for a treat.
I’m also on the train to Nopesville on Duke of Sin. It wasn’t even the power imbalance that killed me, it was the fact that the H was clearly antisocial and the love of a good woman just does not fix a violent personality disorder. I absolutely understand why a person with his background would grow up to be incapable of empathy but his tragic back story doesn’t convince me that he wouldn’t abuse and manipulate every single person in his life, including the person he claimed to love.
I am a big Elizabeth Hoyt reader. I am not always as excited by the story lines, but enjoy her writing. I do come on the side of Duke of Sin. I couldn’t image Val from the previous books becoming the main male character, but she pulled it off for me. I do agree after that the newer books lack…something. They are just not as memorable. Duke of Midnight is my favorite–the polar opposite of Duke of Sin. Overly noble Duke feels he can’t marry the woman he loves as it would harm the dukedom and a realization of Artemis (the heroine) of what it would mean to be a mistress. Oh and yes, he’s basically Batman.
Side note rant/curiosity: is the proliferation of Dukes generated by readers or editors? If I was a writer and they said I would increase my sales by X if I added Duke or Billionaire to the title I probably would (competitive world out there). I miss the world of Earls, Lords and Misters.