His Wicked Kiss: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

As a long awaited historical by Ms. Foley, "His Wicked Kiss" was more than worth the wait. The pinnacle of this wonderful series takes readers on a spectacular voyage of oceanic proportions. Make way for the story of Black-Jack Knight, scourge of the Knight family-or is he?

Eden Farraday is tired of her rugged existence in the wilds of Venezuela. Her father, brilliant though he is, has finally gone round the bend. He wants to take them even further into the untamed lands, into the very heart of the forbidden Amazon! Craving a life amongst London society, Eden is determined to escape her mad father. When the infamous Jack Knight floats downriver to their settlement, Eden hatches a plan to stow away. Her plan becomes reality when he refuses aid, forcing her to hide on his ship. Jack discovers the untamed beauty, and finding the close quarters of ship and berth too much to resist, the two embark on a journey of survival and discovery-of the heart. Someone pursues Eden though, a dangerous man not of mind to give her up. Enemies lurk as Jack further involves himself in the war between Venezuela and Spain. Can their differences be set aside and most important-can Jack learn to trust in love?

Many readers wondered as they savored Ms Foley's Knight series-will we ever read about the elusive Jack? Jack's story is the best of the series to date and this reader couldn't have come away more pleased. Appearances are not always what they seem, something Jack proves in his vulnerabilities. His reputation precedes him, but it does not define him. Eden is a rare lady; one raised without the negative and twisted attitudes of society. Her fresh approach to life is the catalyst for Jack's healing. Foley uses rich dialogue and plotting to engage the reader from start to finish. A superb example of a writer that improves more with every book. But is this the end of our beloved Knights? Why, no! Stay tuned for three more Knights, cousins, Georgina, Gabriel and Derek.

K. Montgomery

Official Reviewer for The Mystic Castle

Like many of Ms Foley's fans, I have been very much looking forward to second son and blacksheep Jack Knight's story since he was first mentioned in THE DUKE. I think Ms Foley really delivered in the way she developed Jack's character, the way his childhood affected him and in the way he built his business empire. I think pairing him with the wonderfully open and optimistic but lonely Eden was also genius. I loved the opening setting in Venezuela amid Bolivar's insurgency against Spain and the subsequent voyage to England on Jack's ship was great. So what's the problem? The last third of the book.

As another reviewer mentioned, the first two-thirds of this book are fantastic! Five stars good IMO. Jack Knight, owner of a far-flung and profitable shipping enterprise is also occasionally a supporter of causes and he believes in Bolivar's revolt against Spain. Jack has secreted guns to the rebels and has also promised to recruit and deliver mercenaries from England and Ireland to fight with Bolivar. While traveling down river back to his ship he and his crew come upon an amazing sight. A lovely young woman sitting high up in a tree in the rainforest along the Orinoco!

She is Eden Faraday, daughter of renown doctor and naturalist Victor Faraday, and she is desperate to return to civilization. She's been living here in the middle of nowhere for twelve years and she longs to travel to England, wear beautiful gowns, attends balls, have a season. She asks Jack to take her back with him, but he refuses. Undaunted, she stows away on his ship only to be discovered two weeks into the trip. She and Jack are immediately attracted to one another and so a really nice relationship begins and then grows for the duration of the journey. They become friends and confidantes sharing their difficult childhoods, their mutual loneliness, and eventually become lovers. All's well until they arrive off the coast of Ireland and Jack's fears get the better of him.

As with many stories that start out in exotic locales, they tend to lose their sparkle once the action moves back to England. In this case, it's the characters who seem to change from the people we got to know on the voyage home. Suddenly Jack is completely uncommunicative and Eden has lost all empathy with his feelings and the issues that make him tick. They become almost childish in their lack of trust in one another which is in stark contrast to how they related to one another before. I was so disappointed that these conflicts were contrived in order to set up the climax of the story. And though I was interested in "catching up" with the other siblings, their blissful domesticity and universally beautiful children made my teeth ache. And peppered throughout were references to her next trilogy of stories involving Jack's Knight cousins from India, Gabriel, Derek and Georgie.

Bottom line, for the first 280 pages or so I LOVED this book. Jack and Eden were great together until they reached civilization. I loved Jack's Uncle Arthur (whose advice Jack should have followed) and I liked how Lucien and Damien assisted Jack in his endeavors. And the villain of the piece was not her usual one dimensional eeeevil creep, but was just freakin' crazy! Recommended with caveats.

An exciting start, likeable leads, and lots of fascinating historical details quickly involved me in this adventure-filled romance. It is the seventh book in Foley's "Knights Miscellany" series, and focuses on black sheep Jack Knight. Jack is the product of an extramarital affair between the promiscuous Duchess of Hawkscliffe and an Irish prizefighter. The Duke claimed him as his son, but his true parentage was widely known. Jack had a loveless childhood, treated as an outcast by his parents and society alike and, at seventeen, left home angry and disillusioned when the girl he loved refused him due to his inferior pedigree. Now twenty years later, the mysterious Jack is a wealthy, world-hardened and powerful shipping merchant based in Jamaica. He has never married, preferring to keep his liaisons temporary and procurable.

Jack is visiting Venezuela, where he secretly meets with Bolivar's rebels and agrees to sail to England to obtain needed assistance for them. He has not set foot in England all these years, and lives in dread of it. On his way to his ship, he stumbles upon Eden Farraday in the Venezuelan jungle. The red-haired beauty has been toiling in the wilds with her scientist father for twelve lonely years and is desperate to return to England, but her father refuses. Eden and Jack are immediately attracted to one another - Jack is more captivated by this sweet, smart and resourceful angel than he can ever remember being. She pleads with him to take her with him, but Jack reluctantly leaves her behind. The cynical and solitary Jack does not want any woman on his ship, and his mission must be kept a secret from outsiders. Eden sees her only chance at freedom, so she runs away and eventually sneaks aboard Jack's ship. When it's too late to turn back, Jack discovers his tempting stowaway. Compelled to protect her in his own cabin, how long can he keep his distance, when maybe this angel is just what he needs?

I very much like this novel for about two-thirds of the way. The leads are charming, and the villains are less dark and pervasive than some earlier books in this series - which is a good thing. The shipboard yearning and passion between the love-struck couple is quite enjoyable. I appreciate that the inexperienced Eden is no goodie-two-shoes and can hold her own with the worldly Jack. The love scenes are a little hard-edged, but not overly so. The many historical details add heft and interest to the story, and Jack's troubled past and the promise of a reunion with his family keep the reader involved. However, Eden's unjustified resistance and thoughtless behavior once they arrive is annoying, and is inconsistent with her fine character up until this point. It is used to lengthen the story and the romance, detracting from both. Although I feel this book is worth reading, and all turns out well in the end, less could have been so much more.

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