A Hint of Wicked (James Family, #1)

Aug 03, 2012 Isabel Almeida (Os Livros Nossos) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: em-leitura, lido-e-revisto

Um toque de perversão, (com o título original - A Hint of Wicked) é um romance histórico, cuja acção decorre em Inglaterra no Século XIX, na sequência da Batalha de Waterloo.
Garrett, o Duque de Calton, é dado como desparecido na referida batalha, e durante sete anos, a Duquesa Sophie e o primo do Duque - Lorde Tristan Westcliff - envidam todos os recursos ao seu dispor para o procurarem, mas sem sucesso.
Entretanto, o destino prega uma cruel partida a este trio aristocrático, e o Duque de Calton...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2009 Kim H rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me. The middle 2/3 of it nearly put me to sleep, and there wasn't a single character in it I could really identify with. It's wallpapery, neither of the heroes were fleshed out enough, and I suppose that was so that the reader could be happy with the outcome either way it went, but the end result for me was that I could have cared less. Either one would have been fine for a lackluster romance - which is all this ended up being:P I to...more

9 likes · like · see review

Mar 17, 2009 Kelly Moran rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews

Author Jennifer Haymore grew up in Hawaii, where she surfed, learned how to fly airplanes, raced bicycles, and developed a love for sailing. She has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in Education from UCLA. Before she became a full-time writer she held various jobs from bookselling to teaching inner-city children to playing bit roles in soap operas. A Hint of Wicked is her first published title. Jennifer resides in Southern California with her husband...more
Author Jennifer Haymore grew up in Hawaii, where she surfed, learned how to fly airplanes, raced bicycles, and developed a love for sailing. She has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in Education from UCLA. Before she became a full-time writer she held various jobs from bookselling to teaching inner-city children to playing bit roles in soap operas. A Hint of Wicked is her first published title. Jennifer resides in Southern California with her husband and their three children.
When Sophie’s husband, Garrett, died at the battle of Waterloo, it was their childhood friend, Tristan who picked her up and helped the Duchess of Calton get over the tragedy. Giving her body and soul to him, Tristan introduced her to a passion she never knew. Now married seven years later, they are happy with their newly formed family and life together. That is until Garrett returns and wants his land, his title, and his wife back. Garrett, scarred in both body and mind, will do anything to regain all of his memories and make up for lost time. Unsure which man she is even legally married to, Sophie is forced to choose between the childhood love from then, and the best friend she grew to love after. As the two men battle for her affections, Sophie begins to question the motives behind the man Garrett brought home with him- a supposed confidant and war hero. They soon discover that this is more than a question of love, it is a dangerous game of revenge and reprisal. One in which someone may not survive.
The only fault I can find with the book was the title. I understand why it was chosen, or used, but it didn’t seem a great fit for me.
I have to give a lot of credit to the author, Jennifer Haymore. To use this plot in a regency historical romance, and in a debut novel no doubt, was brave, unique, and intriguing. So, bravo Jennifer! She truly understands the style and period for regency. The characters were relatable and engaging. You could feel their frustration and torment seeping out of the page. The secondary characters moved the plot along nicely and were charming, as well. There weren’t any moments throughout the story where I lost interest, nor were where any dead spots. The setting was spectacular and you could envision it easily.
A Hint of Wicked is a clever, provoking, and steamy story from an upcoming author to keep your eye out for!
Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2012 Dácil González rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Creo que hacia mucho tiempo que no me encontraba con una novela tan pésima como esta. Aunque a decir verdad ya viendo que la recomendaba Nicole Jordan tenía que haberme imaginado que muy buena no podía ser.

En Infiel nos vamos a encontrar con una mujer casada que su marido se va a la guerra y desaparece y ella se enamora del primo de este. Como no podía ser de otra manera su marido regresa y se encuentra con el pastel.
No es la primera vez que leo un argumento de estas caracteristicas y la mayorí...more Creo que hacia mucho tiempo que no me encontraba con una novela tan pésima como esta. Aunque a decir verdad ya viendo que la recomendaba Nicole Jordan tenía que haberme imaginado que muy buena no podía ser.

En Infiel nos vamos a encontrar con una mujer casada que su marido se va a la guerra y desaparece y ella se enamora del primo de este. Como no podía ser de otra manera su marido regresa y se encuentra con el pastel.
No es la primera vez que leo un argumento de estas caracteristicas y la mayoría de las veces las autoras saben llevarlo bien e incluso salvar la historia.

Solo me he encontrado dos novelas que la autora no ha sabido por donde salir y han sido Dos veces amada de Lavyrle Spencer, novela que abandoné y esta, que la terminé por pura cabezonería.

Intento imaginarme una manera de que la novela se hubiera podido salvar pero creo que deberia haberla escrito otra persona directamente.
La protagonista es de lo más inmaduro que me he encontrado nunca. Tranquilamente le dice a sus dos maridos que los ama a ambos y que lo mejor sería que ellos lo aceptaran y dejaran que ella los amara a ambos sin más problemas...
Total...que hombre no ansia compartir a la mujer que ama con su propio primo? es de locos.

Por si fuera poco estos dos lores no tienen sangre en las venas, son dos hombres a los que la protagonista mangonea a su antojo, que babean y suspiran por ella a pesar de que esta juega a dos bandas sin esconderse un segundo. Ellos están como dos niños esperando que les toque su turno para jugar...

Creo que el argumento encajaría más en una novela erótica donde la protagonista se podría dar el gusto de estar con los dos a la vez y ellos tendrían la mente mas abierta a ello o incluso en una novela actual. Pero sinceramente esta situación y muchas otras que me he encontrado en la historia no tienen sentido en una novela ambientada en la regencia...

Este ha sido mi primer contacto con la autora y aunque el mes que viene sale su segundo libro yo tengo claro que no lo voy a leer.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 31, 2009 Sandy Vaughan rated it 4 of 5 stars

CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE . . .

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his best friend and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.

TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destr...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 27, 2011 Sandy M rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

After hearing so much about this book, I did hope that it would live up to the hype going around the internet. It definitely did that and so much more. Ms. Haymore does a beautiful job of interweaving the lives of three characters you can’t help but like and sympathize with when fate takes an ugly and tragic turn, turning their lives into a living nightmare where before nothing but love had been between them.

Garrett, Tristan, and Sophie grew up together, inseparable until Garrett made his intent...more After hearing so much about this book, I did hope that it would live up to the hype going around the internet. It definitely did that and so much more. Ms. Haymore does a beautiful job of interweaving the lives of three characters you can’t help but like and sympathize with when fate takes an ugly and tragic turn, turning their lives into a living nightmare where before nothing but love had been between them.

Garrett, Tristan, and Sophie grew up together, inseparable until Garrett made his intentions toward Sophie known. Tristan gracefully bowed out, roaming the world and allowing his cousin to marry the woman they both loved. The newlyweds are ecstatically happy, but war intervenes and Garrett heads out to fight for his country, leaving behind a pregnant Sophie, never knowing he will some day be a father.

Word of Garrett’s death reach Tristan and Sophie and they take comfort in each other as they grieve. It takes a few more years before Sophie is ready to move on, but she’s fallen in love with Tristan and they marry, only to have their happiness torn in two a year later when Garrett storms back into their life, demanding their marriage be invalidated by the court while not giving a thought to how they feel about the situation. Sophie finds herself caught between the two men who mean everything to her, the two men she loves with all her heart, but there’s nothing she can do when her life with Tristan is annihilated with the stroke of a pen.

Garrett is not the same man she married, just as she’s not the same woman, and living with him again is both a joy and quite painful; she still loves him in spite of everything. He begins to exhibit strange behavior and doesn’t believe a word the quack of a doctor that her husband’s aide pulls out of thin air says; Garrett is not going insane. All the while, living without Tristan is also taking its toll; she loves him and misses him in her bed. And Tristan is not letting go this time, he’s doing everything he can to have their marriage re-validated, all the while trying to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Garrett. The closer she and Tristan get to uncovering that evil plot, the closer danger is to all of them, and it’s Sophie who is about to pay the highest price of all, in more ways than one.

Ms Haymore has given Sophie a dilemma that no woman would ever want to face. How do you choose between your best friends, the men you’ve loved all your life, loved in more than one way? She does a terrific job of giving the reader the points of view from all three characters; you get inside their heads and hearts to feel all those swirling, angry, tumultuous but poignant emotions, to live through all those painful memories, all that tragic heartache. Of course, the writing has to be terrific to get all of that across in the way that it is, and Ms. Haymore does one spectacular job of it all.

I loved every last word of A Hint of Wicked.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com (less)

like · see review

Jul 09, 2011 Cocktails and Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-ebook, historical-romance

Thank you Amazon for having this a one of your $.99 specials this week, otherwise I may not have downloaded.

As children, no one could separate Garrett, his cousin Tristan and Sophie when they were children. So it was no surprise when Garrett and Sophie married when she was eighteen. They had four short years together before he was assumed dead after the battle of Waterloo.

Fast forward eight years and we find Sophie and Tristan married. While she still loves Garrett and misses him, she is deeply...more Thank you Amazon for having this a one of your $.99 specials this week, otherwise I may not have downloaded.

As children, no one could separate Garrett, his cousin Tristan and Sophie when they were children. So it was no surprise when Garrett and Sophie married when she was eighteen. They had four short years together before he was assumed dead after the battle of Waterloo.

Fast forward eight years and we find Sophie and Tristan married. While she still loves Garrett and misses him, she is deeply in love with Tristan and he with her. Sophie feels as if she's finally able to being the woman she's become, rather than the grief stricken widow.

When Tristan is ripped from Sophie during an intimate moment, both of them are shocked to find a dirty and ragged looking Garrett is standing in their bedroom ready to kill Tristan. The three of them aren't able to process the turn of events. Garrett thinks Tristan was raping his wife, Tristan's first thought was now he'd lose the woman that he loves and Sophie doesn't know what to think.

I loved Tristan and Sophie. Through the pages (electronic as they were) you could feel the depth of feeling they had for each. Even when Sophie was torn between the two men, you could tell that the feelings she had for Tristan were those of a woman, compared to the girlish love she had for Garrett. They truly were a team, even when they were forced apart.

Although Garrett was the villain of this story, I didn't like him. Didn't like the way he saw Sophie as a possession, rather than a person. Didn't like that he couldn't excuse her moving on with her life when she thought he was dead. And most definitely didn't like the way he tended to discount her feelings. I know he'd gone through some horrific events, but it just seemed like he couldn't get past his hurt to take a look at the bigger picture.

We do have a nice villain, who worms his way into the Duke of Carlton's life and then takes off with a precious piece of Carlton property. Of course, this is after he has completely wreaked havoc through Garrett, Tristan and Sophie's lives.

The only thing I didn't like was the way the book ended. It seemed like we were left hanging. I know there are 2 other books to the series and that the next book will probably answer all the question I felt were left hanging out there, but I wanted a little bit more closure than what we got at the end.

Overall, this was freaking good read. I know it's good when I have to force myself not to skip to the end of the book to see what's happening (which was one of the first things I had learned to do on my Kindle and then on my e-reader apps on my iPad. I know...I'm bad)

4 Cocktails

(less)

like · see review

Sep 18, 2009 Bookaholics rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore
Historical Romance June 1st, 2009
4 stars

I loved 'A Hint of Wicked' by up and coming author Jennifer Haymore.
Haymore's writing is clean and crisp. Her book was easy to read and hard to put
down.

The thing that I enjoyed most about the novel were the likeable characters. The story has all the conflict and angst a reader could want. It is a twist on a classic love triangle story. Sophie first husband disappeared and was presumed dead after years of hopeless waitin...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2009 Terra rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore is a heartfelt romance that will make you feel yourself lucky to not having been put in the position that our heroine is. A touching love that will take you on a journey of happiness, pain, anger, confusion, patience, and oh so much more.

Sophie our heroine is the Duchess of Calton not only with husband number one but with husband number two. Upon finding out that her first husband is presumed dead at the Battle of Waterloo, Sophie along with Garrett's cousin,...more

like · see review

Aug 03, 2009 Kat Bryan added it

Imagine this: You're married to your childhood sweetheart for 4 years and he goes off to war. You get word that he's been wounded and later, that they can't find his body. You're pregnant and after having the baby, you and your husband's best friend go to search for him but he's nowhere to be found. A year goes by with no word. Two years, still nothing and your friend's wife dies in childbirth. Five years, nothing, six..... Finally, after almost 7 years the court declares your husband dead and a...more

like · see review

May 31, 2009 Romance Novel TV rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Stacy Ahlgren
4 Stars

CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE . . .

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his best friend and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.
TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no ma...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 09, 2009 Journeywoman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this arc (advance readers copy) for a bit of light reading on the way home from work. I was astonished to find myself drawn into the book and cheering for the love triangle.

More often than not, romance novels are black and white. The hero is good, the other suitor is bad and the heroine doesn't know it. This book showed all the shades of gray that comes when a woman loves two men in two different ways.

I recommend this book to everyone who loves romance novels.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Daneesha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorites

I didn't even get a chance to add this book to my "currently reading" shelf. I started it and couldn't put it down until I finished it. I don't know if the writing was the best I have ever read, but the anguish I felt for this little love triangle was real.
I read even faster hoping to come to the end and figure out who she would choose. I am happy with her choice, only mad that she dragged it out so long. There was no way they could all be equally happy.
I can't really go into too much detail w...more

like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Dinjolina rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People dazzled by summaries

Shelves: angst, adventure, bipolar-alert, brain-dead-heroine, cheating-jerk, drama-queens, crime-romance, crime-adventure, historical-romance, kid-that-was-supposed-to-be-cute, pretentious-read, ripped-my-heart-out, stress-inducer, took-me-a-while-to-read, underdeveloped

There is just no way to salvage this book.
I felt that all the relationships that were going around were already tainted in some way.

Let me start with Sophie and Tristan
Tristan was in love with Sophie. She loved Garret. Garret and Sophie married. Tristan lived in hurt. Then he married. And all would have been strained if at this point Garret was gone. Because he was. But then we have Sophie and Garret's child in the mix. And then...and... then Nancy got pregnant and Tristan started loving Nancy....more

4 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2009 Cinnamon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

A Hint of Wicked is the story of one voracious woman and two very hunky men. As is always the case when we find ourselves in this situation, there is bound to be some great drama. Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, is our heroine and although she's different from the normal rear-kicking tough girls I've been reading lately, she's still strong in her own right. She might not go around wearing tight leather, chasing down the world's evil, but she has a fantastically strong personality that just bleeds...more A Hint of Wicked is the story of one voracious woman and two very hunky men. As is always the case when we find ourselves in this situation, there is bound to be some great drama. Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, is our heroine and although she's different from the normal rear-kicking tough girls I've been reading lately, she's still strong in her own right. She might not go around wearing tight leather, chasing down the world's evil, but she has a fantastically strong personality that just bleeds off the page. Haymore has done an excellent job with creating a strong woman in this time period and has obviously done her research. For the most part, Sophie conforms to the time period's rules of propriety without coming across as meek, mild and completely bland. Just as the colors of the cover pop out and dance with the eyes, Sophie is a wonderfully colorful character who draws the reader in, becoming a real, flesh and blood person rather than just black words on a grey page.

As in any good romance, there's the beautiful femininity of the heroine and the roguish attraction of the hero. In this case we have two heroes. Holy cow, ladies, you better grab your loveliest fan because these guys are guaranteed to steam up the room. Garrett, Sophie's childhood sweetheart and husband is powerfully built and comes complete with roguish charm. Nothing holds sway over his heart the way that Sophie does. If possible, he would literally turn the world upside down for her. Enter Tristan. Impeccably dressed to the nines, he holds a different charm from Garrett. Completely attractive, his personality is as much as turn-on as Garrett's body is. When Garrett leaves for war and news of his possible death at the battle of Waterloo reaches Sophie and Tristan, it just about breaks them both. Years later, when hope of Garrett's return finally dies away, the two friends realize the flame of desire between them and wed, beginning a happy life as husband and wife. What could be better? They are Duke and Duchess, wanting for nothing, safe in each other's arms. Right up until the moment that Garrett returns that is.

What follows is a harrowing story of love, betrayal, passion, madness and intrigue. What will Sophie's fate be when she's confronted by two husbands? Will she have to choose between them? Is she even capable of doing that? With her two men vying for her heart and fighting against one another, Sophie wants no more than to welcome happiness back into their lives, but it seems that the entire world is set to fight against her.

As you may have noticed, I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. Did I mention that I loved it? I usually tend toward Urban Fantasy when choosing books to read, but this one called out to me and I am so ecstatic that I welcomed it. I have not read a book so full of passion and emotion in a long while. I was literally perched on the very edge of my seat, my eyes ripping through the words, trying very hard to force myself not to skip down just to find out what happens next. As with any Regency novel, this one was full of the intrigue that seemed to flow throughout the time period. Haymore does a fantastic job of creating twists, turns and side stories to keep us guessing throughout the book.

The characters! Oh, man the characters. What a fantastic job Haymore did with her character development. We continued to watch Sophie, Garrett and Tristan develop throughout the book, but from the moment they stepped foot on the page, they had already become real people. Their complexities, beauty and quirks all made them so very realistic. At times, it was difficult to remember that I was reading a book and not sitting, watching a beautifully produced play.

Haymore did a fantastic job of bringing her story to life and I highly recommend everyone go out, buy the book and read it. That being said, here it is: Fair Warning Time. There are adult themes in this book. There are intimate scenes sweetly depicted within these colorful pages. While not overflowing, there are enough scenes that I would be amiss if I didn't let readers know. In no way does it detract from the story and the scenes are written so beautifully that it really does play an integral part in what makes this book so fantastic. I would give it a sensuality rating of 4.

I give A Hint of Wicked a giant A. Seriously, I would not be surprised in the slightest if people are talking about this book for a while. It will hold an honored spot on my bookshelf and I imagine I'm going to have to protect the cover so that it doesn't fall off after I've read it over and over again. What are you waiting for? Go read it!(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2009 Isalys rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, owned, historical-romance

Hint of Wicked was a rollercoaster! Jennifer Haymore takes you on a ride through a particularly tumultuous time in Sophie, the Duchess of Calton's life. After mourning the loss of her husband for over 6 years, she decides to move on and marries her deceased husband's friend & heir, Tristan. During a night of passion with Tristan, Garrett returns (unannounced) demanding his life and his wife back! However, Tristan will not let her go without a fight (he was tired of loving her from afar)! Now...more

like · see review

Jun 09, 2009 seton rated it 4 of 5 stars

A steady, slightly above-average historical mass-market debut from Haymore (who also writes erotic romances as Dawn Halliday). This looks to be the first of at least a Trilogy and the author leaves some storylines dangling so that they can be explored further in the next two books.

I have read two of the Dawn Halliday ebooks and for the most part enjoyed them but I am unsure whether I will continue reading this Regency trilogy as I have higher standards when reading historicals.

I didnt care for...more

10 likes · like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

{Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/06/...

Jennifer Haymore escreveu, definitivamente, um romance muito atípico. A história pode não ser original, mas não costuma figurar em romances literários com muita frequência.

Em Um Toque de Perversão acompanhamos a indecisão de Sophie entre dois homens - o seu supostamente falecido marido e o seu novo marido...E a esta emocionante indecisão, a autora adicionou ainda algum mistério e intriga que mantêm o nosso interesse vivo.

Muitas vezes, neste tipo d...more {Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/06/...

Jennifer Haymore escreveu, definitivamente, um romance muito atípico. A história pode não ser original, mas não costuma figurar em romances literários com muita frequência.

Em Um Toque de Perversão acompanhamos a indecisão de Sophie entre dois homens - o seu supostamente falecido marido e o seu novo marido...E a esta emocionante indecisão, a autora adicionou ainda algum mistério e intriga que mantêm o nosso interesse vivo.

Muitas vezes, neste tipo de enredo, a escolha apresenta-se-nos bastante óbvia, mas neste livro atravessamos a mesma indecisão que a protagonista, hesitamos com ela na escolha, de tal forma que a sua ideia de ficar com os dois homens começa até a tornar-se lógica para nós. Haymore faz-nos querer participar da escolha, leva-nos a avaliar meticulosamente o carácter dos dois homens, a julgá-los pelas suas acções.

Estes personagens masculinos, bastante distintos um do outro, vão ganhando e perdendo pontos ao longo da narrativa, pendendo a balança ora para um lado, ora para o outro. E questionamos como é que Sophie irá conseguir escolher realmente entre eles - observamos a sua luta interior, enquanto tenta não magoar nenhum dos homens que ama, chocando o seu sentido de lealdade e sentimento de amizade por eles contra a percepção daquilo que ela realmente deseja.

Apesar de decorrer em 1815, a história de Um Toque de Perversão apresenta-nos uma mulher muito desinibida, sem problemas em exprimir a sua paixão fisicamente: três personagens muito sensuais, protagonizam cenas íntimas bastante tórridas, aumentando o carisma deste livro! E na edição portuguesa penso que é excelente que a editora tenha conseguido puxar esta sensualidade para o exterior do livro através da escolha de uma magnífica capa e da adição do pormenor da fita para laçar e fechar o livro...reforçando a ideia de secretismo e intimidade.

Contudo, este clássico triângulo amoroso não é tudo o que compõe o livro...há bem mais...

Como ponto negativo, que o ponto de vista masculino podia estar mais desenvolvido porque nem sempre são perceptíveis as emoções de Trevor ou Garrett.

Bem escrito, provocador e irreverente, Um Toque de Perversão é o primeiro volume da trilogia James Family - daí que falte alguma substância ao seu final e que este pareça ligeiramente inacabado.

Uma leitura fácil e diferente...longe de previsível - Garrett era a sua paixão fervorosa de sempre, mas ambos mudaram nestes anos que passaram...e Trevor era o seu melhor amigo, apoiando-a quando ela mais precisou...Qual deles deve Sophie escolher?
(less)

like · see review

Jun 01, 2009 Readdiction rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicalromance, lovetriangle, heroineunfaithful

The Players:
Sophie (Duchess of Calton); Garrett (Duke of Calton); Tristan (aka Lord Westcliff - a viscount- and Garrett's heir)

The Plot:
Sophie, Tristan and Garrett grew up together, becoming best friends, and while Garrett did marry Sophie, Tristan had been in love with her as well. However, Garrett leaves for war but ends up missing. After 8 years, Garrett is proclaimed legally dead and during that period, Sophie fell in love and built a life with Tristan. While engaging in a very intimate ac...more The Players:
Sophie (Duchess of Calton); Garrett (Duke of Calton); Tristan (aka Lord Westcliff - a viscount- and Garrett's heir)

The Plot:
Sophie, Tristan and Garrett grew up together, becoming best friends, and while Garrett did marry Sophie, Tristan had been in love with her as well. However, Garrett leaves for war but ends up missing. After 8 years, Garrett is proclaimed legally dead and during that period, Sophie fell in love and built a life with Tristan. While engaging in a very intimate act, Tristan and Sophie are interrupted when a man crashes in to their bedroom and immediately starts pummelling Tristan. Lo and behold, Garrett was actually alive! He had been suffering from amnesia. And Sophie now has to choose which one of her husbands she will want to stay married to.

I had a feeling I was going to be disappointed after this and that the story would follow most love triangle plot lines where it so happens that one of the character's "true colors" are discovered etc etc and well, it'd be very easy for the heroine to make her choice.

Thankfully I was wrong! Sophie's relationship between both men are subtly illustrated and even though she loves both, and (gasp) desires both, I think she chose the right hero for her. (Sorry, but its not an erotic romance so she could only choose ONE, although Sophie does explore that very wicked fantasy of having both!)
There were moments where I wished Sophie wasn't so passive and I understood that it was linked with the fact that she loves both men and didn't want to hurt them. Plus, it was the 1800s and stayed true to that time. What could a woman who loved her family really do? My respect for her grew when she became more involved in her own fate and take action - however impotent it was at times. She was a strong heroine and it was obvious that she'd do anything for those she loves.

Tristan and Garrett were real to me. They were complicated and both had their share of weaknesses and strengths that complemented Sophie. They were essentially honorable, good men in an impossible situation. As the story progressed I could see that although she loved both, and both loved her, only one of them could really make her happy - I was rooting for him!

I'm glad the author didn't cop out but I did wish that there was more emphasis on the internal elements of the characters and their subsequent relationships. The story also involved a secondary character and his evil machinations to bring Garrett humiliation and, quite possibly, death. I felt that the subplot with the evil villain was a bit ... contrived. It was predictable and the evil villain one dimensional.

I was unclear about one thing though - Garrett's motivation to participate in the war seeing as he was the Duke and Tristan was his heir, I'd've expected Tristan to have gone. But that's trivial.

All in all, an atypical romance that is sure to make some people absolutely hate (the heroine was not very 'pure') but one which I was absolutely delighted over and hope there'll be more like it in the future. Grade B.
(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 24, 2009 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This book was a great debut into the regency genre, though some of Sophie's attitudes seemed a bit modern to me. The plot was certainly complicated, and doesn't all wrap up by the final pages (most probably because there is a sequel in the works). I found Sophie and Garrett to be satisfying characters, but felt Tristan was more two dimensional despite his primary role in the novel. Miranda was also surprisingly well-drawn, though Gary was a bit of an after-thought. I did think the narrative seem...more

like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Linda Kage rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, adult-romance

For people into the love triangle, this is an amazing story. I can't handle them myself. I need to to know who the H/H are from the beginning. I need to know who I'm rooting for. Luckily I started reading this book after Haymore had already completed the James Family series so I could peak at the blurb for the next book to see who starred in that and therefore I deduced who'd end up together in this book. Since I'm not a fan of the love triangle, it was also very hard for me to watch the heroine...more

like · see review

Jun 02, 2009 Valorie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, fiction, historical-fiction, romance, women

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, lost her husband Garrett at Waterloo. After seven years of mourning and searching, she finally moved on and married their mutual best friend Tristan, who lost his own wife. Though Sophie still harbors feelings for Garrett, she loves Tristan with a passion never experienced before, not even during her previous marriage to Garrett. The two of them have gotten through their grief together and are very much in love.

In the midst of carnal passion, Sophie and Tristan ar...more Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, lost her husband Garrett at Waterloo. After seven years of mourning and searching, she finally moved on and married their mutual best friend Tristan, who lost his own wife. Though Sophie still harbors feelings for Garrett, she loves Tristan with a passion never experienced before, not even during her previous marriage to Garrett. The two of them have gotten through their grief together and are very much in love.

In the midst of carnal passion, Sophie and Tristan are surprised by the sudden homecoming of Garrett who did not die at Waterloo, but instead spent the past years with amnesia in Belgium. But now that Garrett has his memory back, he wants his wife and his name returned to him. Sophie and Tristan are now at a loss of what to do-- nullify their marriage or fight it out. Sophie's position is especially difficult since she is still very much in love with Garrett and is overjoyed that he alive and home, back to her and their daughter. But yes, she loves Tristan and does not want to separate from him either. Since Sophie can't be married to two men, she has to choose. Of course, Garrett wants to give her no choice by declaring her marriage to Tristan illegal.

Flanked by his trusted assistant William, Garrett is having trouble coming to terms with the war. He is prone to hallucinations, flash backs, and violence. His doctor is very grim about Garrett's eventual outlook, which makes it even harder for Sophie to give up on him. Very soon, Sophie and Tristan suspect that something is amiss, that Garrett isn't as sick and out of control as William and his doctor say. Now not only must Sophie decide between the two and Tristan fight for his wife, but the two of them have to uncover what plot Garrett is unknowingly in the middle of.

I am a novice when it comes to romance, but I decided to give A Hint of Wicked a try because it is historical fiction and I am constantly searching for that one romance book that will seal the deal for me and make me love the genre. Or even just appreciate it. Though new to this genre, it didn't hinder my ability to appreciate Haymore's elegant writing style or her vast variety of adjectives that were never overused. It was, of course, predictable who Sophie would turn out with. Still, I tried not to let that bother me and instead took the book for what it was worth. Rather than accept the story as a mystery unfolding, I understood it as a progression of events I would see to the end, just to know how the events play out and what the means to the end are.

Need I mention that the book is very steamy? I don't think I have to once you see the cover. Haymore certainly doesn't shy away from being descriptive, she doesn't hold back and cut out before the passion starts in full force, but her writing is such that she never descends into being crude. It is so easy to ruin a good love scene, you see, at least for me. Truthfully, sometimes Sophie annoyed me. Sometimes reading about how perfect she is got to me. But I never got bored of the love scenes. (less)

like · see review

Aug 03, 2009 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: haymore-jennifer

I just finished "A Hint of Wicked". This is a Historical Romance packed full of action, mystery and plenty of romance. The books main characters are: Sophie, Garrett and Tristan. As the story explains, Garrett has been missing from the war for 7 years. Tristan which is Garrett and Sophie's friend since childhood helps her look for Garrett and ultimately he is declared dead. Sophie and Tristan marry. Then out of the blue Garrett shows up, decides that Sophie is still his wife and claims his place...more

like · see review

Jul 06, 2009 Wendy rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Sophie's husband, Garrett, is believed to be lost at Waterloo and eight years has gone by, she marries her best friend and Garrett's cousin and heir Tristan. A year into their marriage, Garrett reappears with some memory loss. His long absence is explained by the fact that he was seriously injured at Waterloo and didn't know who he was or where home was. Tristan and Garrett fight over Sophie, physically and legally. When the courts determine that SOphie is Garrett's wife, Tristan tries to a...more

like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Ana Luisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...

Leitura terminada e novamente aquele terrível sentimento de querer mais… Este foi um livro que não poderá ser colocado nas primeiras posições do meu top10, mas mesmo assim foi uma leitura memorável e umas horas muito bem passadas na companhia das personagens criadas por Jennifer Haymore.
Este foi o primeiro livro da autora que tive a oportunidade de ler. Encontrei uma história muito cativante e imensamente sensual que não me deixou descansar até chegar ao f...more http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...

Leitura terminada e novamente aquele terrível sentimento de querer mais… Este foi um livro que não poderá ser colocado nas primeiras posições do meu top10, mas mesmo assim foi uma leitura memorável e umas horas muito bem passadas na companhia das personagens criadas por Jennifer Haymore.
Este foi o primeiro livro da autora que tive a oportunidade de ler. Encontrei uma história muito cativante e imensamente sensual que não me deixou descansar até chegar ao final e, apesar do tema do livro não ser nenhuma novidade, este teve momentos imprevisíveis que me deixaram com uma vontade imensa de ler o segundo volume desta trilogia. Gostei bastante das personagens, principalmente o doce Tristan que pareceu desesperado quando viu o seu casamento ser anulado, mas também compreendi Garrett, que apesar de parecer maquiavélico apenas queria de volta tudo aquilo que tinha perdido. Ao contrário de outros livros, esta foi uma história que não tinha personagens frágeis, que se poderiam deixar subjugar pelos outros, a única personagem que poderia ser colocada nessa categoria seria Rebecca, irmã de Garrett, mas essa tem um papel tão pequeno e introdutório neste livro que, na minha opinião, não conta. Sophia foi para mim uma surpresa, devido ao facto de no início me parecer bastante recatada. Ela acabou por mostrar ser a personagem de mente muito aberta e que desejava sempre o impossível. Ela era uma senhora com uma mentalidade demasiado aberta para o seu tempo e que deixava muitas vezes a sua imaginação voar, mostrando ao leitor o seu lado mais irreverente.
No final do livro fui completamente surpreendida! Aquele não era, de todo, o que eu estava à espera de ler no final do livro. Fiquei contente com aquela conclusão, mas depois de tanto desenvolvimento com determinada personagem, pensamos sempre que o “happily ever after” será com essa personagem e não com outra completamente diferente. De qualquer forma, foi um final perfeito para deixar em aberto a continuação para o próximo livro, livro esse que não irei deixar escapar.(less)

like · see review

May 26, 2009 Nely rated it 5 of 5 stars

Talk about getting stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, is devastated when she is informed that her husband Garrett has perished at the Battle of Waterloo. Tristan, both Sophie and Garrett's childhood friend, is the one who helps her through her grief, pregnancy and eventually the one to help her overcome the loss of her first love and learn to find love once again in his arms. Eight years after the dreadful news of Garrett's death, Sophie and Tristan are happilly...more

like · see review

Aug 04, 2011 Terree rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really couldn't get with the concept of the female lead basically going from one bed to another...of men she was in love with... and wanting to have them in bed with her at the same time... mmmm not my cup of tea. The synopsis really didn't say the book was anything like this, it just said that her husband was presumed dead and she married again, then he came back and the trouble started... It really wasn't like that... It was dark, she was weak where men are concerned... I don't know... I gue...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2010 J.K. Coi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book has continued to sit in my head for a little while even though I finished reading it a few days ago, because I wasn't quite sure what to think about it. For certain, I really liked it. For sure, it was a different approach to the traditional historical romance genre, and I applaud this debut author for taking such a calculated risk. It paid off. I was completely hooked by the challenge of this book and had to read to the end in one sitting. It was beautifully written and each character...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2010 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, february

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Dec 27, 2011 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This is sort of weird because I read the second and third book in this series way before I read this first book. I definitely missed out, not in content, just by the fact that I missed out on this book for so long. This book had me like squirming every few pages because it just kept me on my toes.

The beginning of the book is INSANE! I read the back copy and then started to read and was like, NO...oh no...and then it happened. The book gets you started on the crazy foot and keeps going from there...more

like · see review

title link	preview: A Hint of Wicked
avg rating	preview: A Hint of Wicked Goodreads rating: 3.63 (486 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6044578-a-hint-of-wicked?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322372450l/6044578.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6044578-a-hint-of-wicked?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore[/url]

A Hint of Wicked (James Family #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Jennifer Haymore

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About A Hint of Wicked

A Hint of Wicked (James Family #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (4)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by Jennifer Haymore

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About A Hint of Wicked

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (4)