HER WICKED MARQUESS

A flirty historical romance with an undercurrent of revenge.

Lady Maryann Elanor Fitzwilliam just wants to be a bit wicked—not only to show the townspeople that she’s not a wallflower, but also to get out of a planned marriage to a 50-something friend of her father’s. While pulling a prank on some mean ladies at a party, Maryann realizes too late that the Marquess of Rothbury, Nicolas St. Ives, has unintentionally become entangled in her scheme. Nicolas had been planning to investigate her brother, Crispin, to see if he’s a villain he’s been searching for: a vile figure known as “the black Dahlia.” But when Nicolas finds himself dragged into Lady Maryann’s plot, he gives himself over to it as a fun diversion. Before long, she pops back into his life again—this time, falsely accusing him of sneaking into her bedroom to claim a kiss. Maryann does her level best to ruin her reputation, even though she knows that it will hurt her family. Later, Nicolas is worried that Maryann will be pulled into his own grim investigation, and he sneaks into her bedroom—for real, this time—to warn her away. But once again, her charms and wit are too formidable to resist. Unfortunately, Maryann’s plans don’t work out as she hoped. Over the course of this second novel in the Sinful Wallflowers series, author Reid pens an exciting and often entertaining historical tale. Nicolas and Maryann are amusing in their interactions with other, secondary characters, but they’re at their very best when verbally sparring with each other. If anything, readers will wish that there were even more of these pleasant scenes, because Nicolas’ investigation, which centers on domestic abuse and rape, brings a much darker element to the story that jarringly clashes with the lighthearted manner of most of the tale.

A novel with some appealing byplay that struggles with an inconsistent tone.