To Be Wicked With You

To Be Wicked With You (League of Unweddable Gentlemen) by Tamara Gill 2020 Regency

Finley Stone, Duke of Carlisle, must marry a local gentlewoman within 60 days to inherit the money needed to run the family estate. The Milton Girls are the only ones who qualify. Evie is 27, and he considers her too old for producing an heir so he proposes to Lucy, 22.

An author can use a will or family money to create a problem for the hero. Gill also adds a time factor to hurry the story along.

Lucy’s family is excited for her, but Evie realizes Lucy isn’t as happy as she should be and finds out that Lucy is in love with farmer Anthony Brown. When Lucy asks Evie to seduce Finn, she is determined to tell him the truth. Only Lucy and Anthony run off. Now Finn and Evie join forces to stop a scandal and make sure Lucy marries Anthony.

Gill has all the elements of a Regency romp with a forced marriage, runaway bride, and carriage chase that throws Finn and Evie together. Finn is honorable unlike his rake father who ruined their name. He is determined to do the right thing even if it means marrying a woman he does not love. Evie has accepted her spinsterhood but is drawn to Finn and wants to experience a kiss from him. When the two lovers seem to be ready to declare their love, Lucy reenters the story and throws a wrench into everyone’s plans.

Gill provides plenty of scenes where Finn and Evie imagine forbidden lusts with each other as their denied attraction heats up. It takes their friends to help sort out their true feelings, but will they admit them to each other?

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