Wicked Intentions [Mass Market Paperback]

I respect the majority opinion so far that this is a 5-star book, so please don't hate me when I say that I'm not so fond of it. Now, Elizabeth Hoyt books, in general, I do like, especially her first, THE RAVEN PRINCE, which ranks up there in my list of favorite HRs.

WICKED INTENTIONS has all the ingredients that usually work for me in a paperback romance. Relatively tormented hero, heroine with a secret in her past, a mystery to solve, interesting secondary characters from all walks of life, hot romantic interludes, moments of suspense, moments of tenderness, the necessary HEA. But I found myself not appreciating the H and h much. The hero, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, has, we are to understand, shocking sexual proclivities and a tormented past which leaves him as an adult with a revulsion to human touch and an inability to form emotional attachments. This dislike for touch is also, I assume, what is responsible for his preferences during sex. The problem for me is I read the whole book and then rechecked it after reading and still couldn't find much of a reason for it. I was expecting sexual abuse as a child or some other devastating trauma such as the hero was subjected to in Anna Campbell's CAPTIVE OF SIN, but could find no real reason for his 'touch' problem, only for his emotional attachment issues. In addition, this problem with touch was a bit inconsistent and particular: I can touch you/You can't touch me/Sometimes it's OK, sometimes not.

Heroine Temperance (and the rest of the Makepeace family) also puzzled me. The family has a brewery (not financially sound at this time) run by an older brother and also a charitable home for orphans which Temperance and her brother Winter are in charge of. The family exudes the piousness of Quakers, especially Temperance and Winter. So what's with the brewery in the family background? I believe Temperance denies being a Quaker but they behave in a very pious manner, with the reading of Psalms and prayers and good works and their whole way of being is inconsistent with a family that has been involved in the production of alcoholic beverages.

Next we have the puzzle of the deal between Temperance and Caire. She is familiar with the disreputable St. Giles neighborhood because her Foundling Home is located there. Caire needs a guide to the area as he searches for the murderer of his lover of 3 years. So she agrees to be his guide if in return he will escort her to ton engagements so that she can find a patron/sponsor for the Foundling Home, which is badly in need of funds. This sounds good on paper but in execution these two as a duo are extremely ineffectual and inefficient. Their outings together (whether to the slums or to the upper-class gatherings) serve to build up a sexual relationship but lead to little success in finding either murderers or patrons. Caire did his most productive search on his own and Temperance only found potential patrons through a plan she and Godric St. John, Caire's friend, come up with, without Caire's knowledge.

Speaking of Godric St. John reminds me that this book is full of secondary characters, some of whom are integral to the story, but some who are very incidental and seem to be there only to prepare us for future books. All are interesting, fortunately, especially those from the slums. And the ending of the book leaves us wanting to know more about poor Silence, Temperance's sister, but it appears that Lady Hero Batten will be the heroine of the next book. I hope we find out more about Silence's problems in that book, unless Ms Hoyt plans for Silence to have a book of her own.

I'm sorry to have been nitpicking in this review. I did like the book enough to continue reading future books in the series, but not well enough to give it a higher rating.

Most of us read romance novels to work through difficulties along with the main characters and to enjoy the euphoria they feel when they find happiness, love, and/or financial security. Those happy endings are all too rare in the real world, where the "bad guys" often win in our daily lives. Elizabeth Hoyt is incapable of writing a bad novel, but this one is unrelentingly dark and cheerless. Hoyt's quirky, amusing secondary characters are missing. Instead, readers are presented with a seriously ill infant, a maniacal dwarf, and an oppressive atmosphere both in the slums of St. Giles and in ballrooms--not to mention the prostitute-gutting and entrail dripping parts of the story.

The book seems to lack focus. This is the first of a series, so perhaps some unresolved issues and extraneous characters are to be expected. However, Hoyt handled the transition from novel to novel so deftly in her other two series that this one seems heavy-handed. Readers are left with the Ghost of St. Giles popping in and out--although clues are given to his identity--poor Silence devastated over the emotional and perhaps permanent physical absence of her husband, and Godric enduring the relentlessly declining health of his beloved wife.

The hero and heroine agree to a mutual assistance pact. He asks her to be his guide as he looks for a murderer in the backstreets of St. Giles. She asks him to introduce her to society in her quest to find a patron for her family's foundling home. Very quickly, he realizes that he is putting her in life-threatening danger--something he finds unacceptable and unnecessary, although he continues to put her in harm's way. She has her greatest patron-hunting success when she bypasses Lord Caire and seeks help from his best friend. Somewhere in there, the plot seems to get a little blurry.

I have ALL of Elizabeth Hoyt's books in my "keeper" file. Fairly or unfairly, I'm comparing her with herself. If there were half stars, I'd give this book 3.5. If some of that constant mist of St. Giles were blown away and the lens through which readers see the story were brought into sharper focus, this would be a better book.

Wicked Intentions is the first in a new and vibrant series by Elizabeth Hoyt. I would rate it 4  stars. It highlights the author's amazing ability to create real and vunerable characters that readers love to care for.

Temperance Dews is a do gooder on a mission to save those less fortunate. Nightly, she puts herself in danger to save the helpless at the expense of her own safety. She knows the streets of London intimately. But behind her work lays a very secret sorrow, one that she feels she can never atone for.

Lazarus Huntington is sensual and untamed. An irresistible combination for any woman. As a man of many talents he is on his own mission to hunt down a dangerous killer. However, he is at a disadvantage since he does not know where to find his prey. He coerces Temperance to aid him in exchange for the much needed connections to help her keep the orphanage open. But Lazarus does not count on his strange attraction to a beautiful woman who tries to deny herself any pleasure. Why is she punishing herself and why can't he stop thinking about her?

This story is filled with romance and mystery as Temperance and Lazarus search the deadly street of London to find the killer but also as Lazarus tries to unravel the secrets behind Temperance's past. Temperance is an amazingly sympathetic character that has made one mistake that she bitterly regrets but is unable to forgive herself for. It was interesting to read the cynical Lazarus be the one person to free Temperance from her self imposed prison. I loved the development of their growing respect and then love.

For readers who love suspense, lush historicals and well developed 3 dimensional characters they will find complete and utter enjoyment in this passionate love story.

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