An Affair Most Wicked

American Heiresses #2

by Julianne MacLean

Clara Wilson has come all the way to London to clear her name (after her wilfulness has left her quite unweddable across the ocean). But before she even has a chance to practise her curtsey, she stumbles into the arms of Seger Wolfe, Marquess of Rawdon. Clara has never felt love before, but she has no doubt when she meets the Marquess that this is what it feels like. Too bad love is the last thing on her mind—she's here to find a husband, not a rake.

Every good gossip knows that the notoriously wealthy Marquess loved and lost years ago, and few have missed the way his broken heart drove him from society ballrooms into society ladies' bedrooms. But when he meets the misplaced Clara Wilson at one of the town's ever-so-scandalous secret balls, the desire he feels for her is too strong, and it pulls him back into the swirl of aristocratic London. Now he finds himself competing for the heart of the inappropriate beauty, and risking his own heart in the game.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adult

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 27, 2004

About the author

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.

For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).

Reviews

[♥ℳelody · Rating 1 out of 5]

What idiotic incoherent dramatic mess was this Julianne MacLean?

Jesus on a stick.

This had a really promising start. A rakehell hero and an American heiress "spitfire" (😂) heroine. They meet under accidental clandestine circumstances when the heroine ends up at the wrong ball and meets the hero incognito. Both are turned on enamored by each other immediately and can’t stop thinking about each other. And the story goes from there.

What started to make things buckle quickly unfortunately was the obsessive focus on the hero’s sigh-inducing good looks and all his nonstop talk about his pleasure giving skills and how much he wanted to boink the heroine. Like….we get it. He’s an Adonis. He wants to bone the girl. Please, move on. Every paragraph you are reminded how amazingly stunning this guy is, how perfect, seductive, beautiful and gorgeous he is that it quickly made things two-dimensional and overdone. Instant. mood. killer. I honestly thought MacLean had a lady boner herself for this hero with how she kept waxing poetic about him. Unreal. I don't think I've ever read the words 'gorgeous' and 'beautiful' more in one book.


I mean you want to talk about purple prose...

He was the personification of sexuality. Charismatic, erotic and enticing, he made her quiver from within and forget all the concerns of the day. All that mattered when he touched her was that he continued to touch her, with his expert hands and his astounding talent to please. All she wanted was his body.

“But you made me promise,” he replied, ribbing her on, without withdrawing from the tight, sopping heat of her womanhood.

His whole being shook with excitement as the swollen head of his desire came to a quiet pause at the entrance to her dark, divine haven.

He was still inside her, moving with the hypnotic cadence of a poem.

Her breath caught in her throat at the awesome sight of him.

She recognized his acute sexual instinct alerting to her desires.

Because of the endless Odes to Seger Wolfe's Sexual Prowess the connection between the leads is questionable at best and doesn’t come off genuine or deep through most of the story. And that starts to show when they are continuously tested. The lack of trust between the two is bounced between them like a hot potato through 90% of the book.

It pretty much went like this:

She’s not sure of him.
He’s not sure of her.
She doesn’t trust him.
He doesn’t trust her.
She kinda?....trusts him.
He sort of?...trusts her.
She trusts him.
He trusts her.
Wait...she doesn’t trust him.
Omg....he doesn’t trust her.



And can I just point out that having your hero feeling a sense of doom and dissatisfaction after the couple say their wedding vows (and this doesn't happen early on in the book BTW) isn’t the greatest sign that these two are a good match? I'm just saying. I was cringing. It almost seemed like he wasn’t marrying the heroine with how the author approached it. These two honestly should have just humped each other in the shadowy alcove beneath the stairs at the Pleasure ball and call it a day and part ways.

If anything Clara and Seger's relationship is summed up perfectly in the dialogue itself which would be ironic if it wasn't so sad:

He did not want to delve into her emotions. He wanted only light conversation and sex. All he knew was how to be casual.

Their whole relationship is purely based on lust. Period. The author brings that home endlessly with how little they know each other and Seger constantly putting on his rakish charm and seducing Clara whenever things got too emotional and personal because “he doesn’t know how to handle female emotions”. Oh please.

Now enter the third party interloper(s): Seger’s stepmother Quintina and his shy quiet wallflower cousin Gillian who secretly has been in love with him since she was a child. Never mind the fact that this girl has done nothing to try and win him over through the years except stare at her feet and not say more than 3 words to him but I digress. The minute they find out that Seger is saying au revoir to debauched bachelorhood, these 2 try to get rid of Clara by any means necessary because Seger "belongs to Gillian".

Clara, you in danger girl.



At first I didn’t mind this, seeing a quiet character who flies under the radar start to slowly crack was interesting. But when it became obvious that conniving Gillian's only purpose was to simply drive a bigger wedge between Seger and Clara with even more distrust and jealousy, I started to lose my patience. I cannot stand meddling party tropes, hate hate haaaaaate it. Triangles I don't mind. This? Hell no. Especially when it’s dragged out so long and the sole purpose is for the hero to constantly question the heroine’s innocence. It’s so obnoxious and gimmicky to me. Of course Clara catches on that Gillian is in love with Seger and shares her suspicions with Seger only for him to laugh it off and give her “girl, you are crazy” looks. #triggered 😫 This shit makes my eye twitch like nothing else. Not only is it unnecessary but it makes the hero come off like an oblivious dismissive asshole.

Attention Authors: It’s NEVER a good look for your hero to side with the third party meddler over the heroine (who happens to be his wife in this case). Never ever. It's just nonsensical. I love angst and discord but not this kind. Especially when the heroine hasn’t given him enough reasons to not believe her word. I really wish authors would stop using this annoying ploy because it only does more damage and makes the couple’s HEA look very questionable. Take this outdated trope OFF your storyboard and move on to the next.

*steps off soap box*

To be completely honest, I thought both the hero and heroine acted like irrational confused stupid dingbats with all the back and forth blame game. At first, I couldn’t entirely blame Clara’s mistrust of Seger given his ripe reputation with the ladies. When you think of the term 'man whore', this guy is the king of it. And every time the hero and heroine are together in public one of his former paramours saunters up nearly groping him, pretty much waving their “heeey we used to fuck, do you want to do it again?” freak flag right in front of Clara, with Seger being very blase about it.

So I got her frustration at first. But after awhile......this girl was seriously making my hand itch wanting to slap some sense into her with her irrational obsessive paranoid behavior. Her quick 180 emotional jumps is a test in patience. He kisses another woman's hand and OMG HE'S CHEATING ON HER! 😒

And I have to say for the "wild" reckless Wilson sister, Clara was rather insipid and fickle through most of this book. With all the constant wavering and emotional seesawing, her much toted "no nonsense" personality slips away quickly.

Now Seger’s unfounded mistrust starts when he finds out (no thanks to evil Stepmama) Clara didn’t divulge the full story of her scandalous broken engagement from 3 years ago. She didn’t tell him that the fiance she was planning to run off with was arrested for embezzlement.

Seger is angry because she didn’t tell him the full story, as if the rest of the story she left out reflects on any part of her character or is important. And it's not, at all. *crickets* I failed to understand why he got so high and mighty over this since the missing detail was a totally moot point and again....HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH CLARA. But let’s ignore this reaching contrivity and keep on slugging on with the misery.

So readers have to sit through the annoying mousy vile cousin planting seeds of doubt in Clara’s head, telling her lies and making backhanded but very pointed insults to her while Clara tries to deal with it and ignore it. And every time Clara figures something is off, Seger either doesn’t believe her and thinks she’s jealous or his stepmother Quintina runs interference when Clara asks for help from her family. Copy, paste, repeat, copy, paste, repeat.

At this point I was beyond ready to give up. I don’t like reading books that give me anxiety and make me angry. And this was making me seriously angry. So angry I jumped ahead first to see how this would all end because I seriously wanted Seger or Clara to go all Game of Thrones on Gillian’s ass. But oho! Guess what happens next? Holy unnecessary PLOT TWIST Batman! Seger’s deceased first love Daphne who was the only woman he was planning to ever marry (and who Clara is jealous of for some idiotic reason) is not dead after all!😱😱

Dun dun dunnnn!

😒😒😒😒😒😒

Are you kidding me?

This book has everything and the kitchen sink thrown in. The author tried to do too much and tried very hard to make this story as miserable and convoluted complicated as possible. If you have your characters not making any sense and contradicting themselves on the very same page then you know you've written your story into a ditch. A muddy, sticky, sloppy deep ditch with no way out. The last stunt was so unnecessary and ridiculous that I'm surprised this book didn't end up being 500 pages since it seemed endless. And yes in case you were wondering, this undead person is used as ANOTHER source of contention/angst/jealousy/mistrust between the hero and heroine. At the fucking 90% mark. *bangs head*

Judith MacNaught is that you? I mean, seriously. Come on. I was laughing at this point because if anything, this just showed that these two are so ill suited and don’t belong together. I mean on top of everything else, it wasn't enough that we have to endure hearing about Seger's long lost love and Clara's annoying histrionic jealousy over his dead first love Daphne--which I found exceedingly WTF ridiculous---but the last 30% was Daphne this, Daphne that, Daphne, Daphne, Daphne.


And the fact that she's used as a final "test" for the couple?


And she's yet another woman who wants to throw her cooch at the Adonis pleasure-stick-on-two-legs hero?


I'm so glad it's over. 😓😭

[Izzah ꒰Duchess of Cabria ಇ ⭑✧ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ ✧ ⋆꒱ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow what tragic train wreck

Why is that I love the 'she changes him' trope when it's implicit but when it's explicit,
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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[Alba Turunen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Estrellas. El primer libro de ésta serie me dejó un gran regusto y quizás por eso esperaba encontrarme algo del mismo estilo, aunque “Un romance indiscreto” me ha gustado, no he sentido lo mismo por sus personajes, que creo, han sido lo que ha fastidiado un poco la novela.

Este libro no cuenta nada novedoso, y estoy segura de haber leído más libros de éste mismo estilo a lo largo de mi trayectoria de lectura romántica. En ésta ocasión, y como nos dice el título de la serie, tenemos a otra heredera americana, Clara Wilson, la hermana menor de Sophia, la protagonista del primer libro. Han pasado dos años entre ambos libros y Clara acaba de desembarcar en Inglaterra dispuesta a buscarse un marido respetable para huir del casi escándalo que formó en América dos años antes.

El objeto de los afectos de Clara es Seger Wolfe, el marqués de Rawdon, un reconocido libertino que ha perdido toda respetabilidad y no es bienvenido en ningún acto social de la aristocracia. De modo que ¿Cómo se conocen los protagonistas? Aquí tengo el primer escollo de la novela, que por más que quiera no puedo creerme: en un baile de máscaras, privado e impúdico, casi una orgía. ¿Cómo llega una inocente y debutante americana allí? Porque su dama de compañía se equivoca de invitación de fiesta, cuando esa era para su hermana Sophia y su cuñado. A pesar de la indecendia de éste baile, Clara puede conservar su anonimato debido a la máscara y a que no entabla conversación con nadie, salvo ése atractivo caballero que la sacó a bailar y la besó bajo la escalera. Tras averiguar él que ella se ha equivocado de fiesta, hace lo posible para que pueda escapar con su reputación intacta.

A partir de aquí tendremos una persecución por parte de la protagonista para descubrir y averiguar quién fue el caballero que la besó, y por otro a Seger, que no ha podido olvidar a la doncella americana que conoció en dicha fiesta. Pero ¿Tenemos en Seger al típico libertino que juega con las mujeres y las seduce para abandonarlas? No, en el fondo, Seger es un caballero que ha llevado una vida licenciosa tras haber perdido al amor de su vida años atrás. Actualmente está satisfecho con la vida que lleva, sus amantes temporales y resuelto a escapar del matrimonio, hasta que conoce a Clara Wilson.

La novela tiene un ritmo muy bueno y en seguida engancha a su lectura, el problema que he tenido es que los personajes me han parecido muy flojos, ninguno me ha dicho nada, y en ciertos momentos me parecían tontos y desesperantes, sobre todo Clara. Desde el principio vemos mucha química entre ambos, y enamoramiento por parte de Clara, aunque los sentimientos de Seger prácticamente desde el principio son atracción y deseo por ella. El romance me ha gustado en parte, cuando podían hablar las cosas, confiar y respetarse, pero cuando empiezan los celos y la desconfianza desesperaban bastante.

Así que tenemos un romance que está bien desarrollado a pesar de que la historia de ambos parezca algo rápida, pero si en algo ha podido meter emoción la autora, aunque muy exasperante y con mala leche, ha sido en la figura de la madrastra de Seger, y la sobrina de ésta, Gillian. La madrastra de Seger no parará hasta destruir lo que hay entre Seger y ésa advenediza americana, para que su sobrina Gillian sea la próxima marquesa. Ambas villanas hasta me han parecido mejores personajes que los sosos de los protagonistas.

Aun así el libro ha tenido su dosis de emoción y ha estado muy entretenido, no voy a negarlo, Julianne MacLean escribe muy bien, la he descubierto este año, y seguiré leyéndola, sólo espero que en los siguientes libros pueda disfrutar algo más de los personajes, no tardaré en leer el libro de la siguiente hermana Wilson, Adele.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a hard time understanding most of Julianne MacLean's heroines. In the first book in this series, the heroine, Sophia, believes she's marrying a man who loves her, only to find out after the honeymoon that he's a little emotionally retarded. That made a little sense and that conflict pushed the plot along nicely for me. Sophia had to try and come to terms with things after the fact.

In this book, however, Clara just pushes and scrapes and claws to get her man at any cost, only to turn around and have doubts the instant he proposes. It's incomprehensible, and a little infuriating. She knows what he is, she knows how he behaves, and she knows he's got some issues, but she declares over and over that he can change, that he's a better man than anyone realizes, that he just needs a loving woman, that once they marry and she earns his love, he'll be faithful, and she's insistent that if he asks her to marry him, she'll say yes and they'll ride off into the sunset. But when he proposes, she's all, "Well, I don't know. How can I trust you?"



It's not good when I look like this while I'm reading...

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one point in the book, the hero and heroine are engaged to be married. He expects her to be faithful to him. But when she asks if he will be faithful to her, his response is, "I'll try." Ugh. While that was normal for the time period, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I just can't believe the happily ever after knowing the hero went into marriage with that kind of wishy-washy attitude towards fidelity.

[Aneca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book in the American Heiresses series and although the others I've read weren't as good I decided that I would like to complete the series so to see all the characters have some closure. An Affair Most Wicked is about sister nº 2, Clara Wilson, and the Marquess of Rawdon.


I must say that at first I thought I was going to have another winner in my hands - curious but not TSTL heiress flaunts the rules a bit to meet an acknowledged rake, and acknowledged rake with a troubled past but a good heart is ready to be reformed by the love of a good woman.


This is actually what happened in the end, my problem is that the road to get there was mostly sex based instead of characters actually getting to know each other and liking each other. While Clara feels very attracted to Rawdon she doesn't want to force him to propose, however he feels obliged to do it since their relationship (already sexual but no one knows that) is already provoking some scandal. He bases his decision on the fact that he is too honourable not to face the consequences of his actions towards an innocent, but at the same time he distances himself from her by only admitting to physical desire between them.


Clara is one patient heroine. She marries hoping that one day he will fall in love with her but she has to put up with his cousin and aunt who are trying their best to ruin the wedding, she has to put up with Rawdon's distrust whenever he receives an anonymous letter trying to ruin her reputation and she has to put up with the memories of his lost first love. Also, most of their time together was spent in the bedroom and I really wished they had some quality time together outside so I could actually see them fall in love besides of falling in lust.


Eventually all the troubles of his past are solved and not all is what it seemed to be so he is freed of his memories and realises that he does love Clara. However, by the time he went looking for her I was wishing her brother in law would just punch his nose and tell him to grow up a bit.


I'm afraid that I'm making sound all bad which it wasn't, Clara was very likeable and it was a really fast read meaning that it kept me interested. But it definitely had the above mentioned flaws.


Grade: 3.5/5

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow another great story in the American Heiress Trilogy!!

Falling for the Marquess is the 2nd Wilson sister story. Miss Clara Wilson has arrived back in England to find a titled husband. She stumbles into a Cakras Ball. Mrs. Gunther stupid Chaperon picked up the wrong invitation to the Livingston Ball/Cakras Ball where married Peers go to have sex with other married peers.
Clara meets Seger Wolfe the Marquess of Rawdon. Clara notices this is an unusual ball not like anything her sister Sophia now the Duchess of Wentworth told her about. Sophia's story is in bk.1 To Marry the Duke.

Seger realizes something is very different about Clara she looks and seems to innocent to be at this type of Ball. He takes her below stairs and kisses her senseless. Once he realizes she is a Debutant he escorts her and Mrs. Gunther out of the Ball and warns Clara that she was in danger if she stayed there any longer.

Once they meet again there sexual attraction overtakes them and soon they are married.

Seger's stepmother Quintina is not going to have an American Heiress stopping her from marrying her niece to the Marquess Seger. Quintina and her niece Gillian plot and plan to destroy Seger and Clara's marriage.

The only thing I didn't like about this story was Seger should have know his stepmother was back at her old tricks. This was not the first time she had helped destroy a relationship between him and the women he loved. I also, think once found out Quintina didn't get enough of a retribution for her lying and scheming to destroy Seger and Clara's marriage.

I loved revisiting James and Sophia the Duke and Duchess of Wentworth. They now have 2 sons, 10 months apart Liam and John. The Heir and the Spare. I love it went the Titled Lords get there son first in a storyline. I don't like it when the girls are born first. Bring on the Heir for Clara and Seger!!

[Ceren Ünlü · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julianne MacLean'in yazdığı ''Aşkın Kollarında'' büyük bir keyifle okundu, bitti. Hemde yutarcasına. Kitap bittiğinde, bende gözlerim şaşı bakıyordum artık. :-)
Yazarın kalemi kuvvetli ve sürükleyiciydi. Okurken kendini kaybediyorsun. Betimlemeler başarılıydı. Türünün zirvesinde bir roman. Konu ve karakterler hem büyülüyor hemde kendine kenetliyor.
Aşkın Kollarında, Amerikalı Varisler serisinin ikinci kitabıydı. 'Beni Aşka inandır' romanında ki Sophia'nın kız kardeşi Clara'nın aşkı bulmasını anlatıyordu.
Clara, olağanüstü canlılıkta, heyecan arayan, tutkulu bir varis. Rawdon Markisi Seger ise aşktan kaçan bir hovarda. Bu iki çarpıcı karakter ilk kez çok, aah ama çok özel bir partide karşılaşıyorlar. İşte beni kitaba daha en başında bağlayan ise bu parti oldu. Şimdi soracaksınız. 'Ne var bunda ? Ne iş ?' diye. Fakat bu partide; İngiliz kuralları bir gece için askıya alınıyor ! İşte bu iki karakter ancak ateşli ve sınır tanımaz bir partide aşkın ilk kıvılcımlarını atabilirdi zaten. :-) :-) :-)
Ve olaylar... Olaylar...
Clara'nın tutkuyu 'öğrenmesi.' Seger'in aşka izin vermesi. Şeytan bir kuzen. Sinsi bir üvey anne. İlk aşklar... Geçmişin sırları... Serinin ilk kitabında ki Sophia ve James'de kitapta oldukça büyük bir yer tutuyor.
Bu kitap hakkında tek bir cümle kurayım ya; çok sevdim, okurken de büyük bir keyif aldım ! :-) Clara'nın yerinde olmak isterdim ki Seger benim olsun. :-p Yalnız şu da var ki... Seger'i her defasında Serger diye okuyup da aklına Sergen Yalçın'ı getiren bir manyakoş ben varımdır herhalde. [Baaah gülme!] :)):)):))
Mükemmel bir öyküydü, kapılıp gidiyorsunuz ya. Herkese tavsiye ederim. Bu yazar okutur !!!

[HÜLYA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karakterler fazlaca yüzeysel gibidi. Çok fazla entrika vardı o neydi öyle.. Sergeri herkes kandırdı adamcağız teselliyi zamparalıkta buldu ne yapsın. Evlilik doğru şekilde başlayamadığı için çok olaylı oldu ama sonuçta layık olduğu şekilde yola girmiş oldu. Bu Arada olan da Clara'ya oldu. Kız çok çekti..

[Gloria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author has a lovely way with prose, and I really liked the first book I read by her, a later novel in this series, so I decided to begin at the beginning with the first book.

I liked half of that one. So I moved on to this book. And now I’m done. For the second book in a row, the plot is propelled by lack of communication and misunderstandings. For the second book in a row, the heroine takes a chance on love-but-with-misgivings, and finds herself insulted, neglected, and/or treated like a prostitute by her husband—only she really, really likes the sex and it’s the only way she has of reaching the cold toad she’s married. And because he’s handsome. And she loves him. So what if he and his family treat her like a doormat? If it looks like a doormat, and acts like a doormat, and sounds like a doormat…well, I don’t enjoy reading about doormats.

As I said, I’m done.

[Just A Girl With Spirit · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of my first Julianne Maclean, An Affair Most Wicked-3 1/2 🌟s

Our hero, Segen, is a socially banished rake that only seeks out and cares about pleasure. Or heroine, Clara, is an American heiress sent to have a season with her sister (A new duchess and MC of book 1, which I didn’t read). They meet when Clara and her chaperone end up at a very inappropriate ball after grabbing the wrong invitation for the night.

I loved the first half of this book. It was all about the MC meeting, getting to know each other, falling into lust and infatuation. The excitement, nervousness, and anticipation of love. There were a lot of wonderful parts. Watching our hero go from pushing her away to an undeniable interest was so sweet. When he starts doing things he never does, having internal doubts about if the things he said were stupid or offended, and basically behaving like a man in love, I just loved it. Their relationship was so sweet and open. They had issues and doubts but I loved the frankness of their discussions. The possibility of trust but not being there yet. It was all very real feelings of a new relationship.

There is a scene where they write letters to each other and it’s my favorite in the book. It might be one of my favorite just sweet romance moments I’ve read in awhile. I love when the hero and heroine interact through letters! (Really I should have loved Julia Quinns To Sir Philip with Love but I’m weird and that’s my exception 😆)

I did like the heroine but she did feel very young. She acted young sometimes in the things she said, the lack of confidence and her internal doubts all exasperated this. I would have liked for her to have a bit more spunk. Which she did in the parts that mattered but she let her own fears really derail her a lot in the book.

I do wish the book focused more on the relationship building than the sex. I felt like that progressed really fast and while being hot and descriptive it left me wanting, something. More feeling? I’m not sure. The tension was there but not in the amount I like.

There was a great opportunity for character and relationship growth and instead I got just enough to keep me going. For example,
“They chatted about their favorite pastimes, unusual tastes, embarrassing moments.”
I felt jipped. I want to know those things as well. That’s what makes characters original, unique, memorable and loved. So while these characters aren’t boring, they weren’t as 3 dimensional as they could have been.

The book took a downward turn for me about halfway through. After having this wonderful open relationship, all of a sudden it was filled with doubts. After doing anything to get him to the alter and finally succeeding our heroine spends massive amounts of time internally debating if she made a mistake and if she can trust him. It’s like a very long, drawn out, catty, high school drama when family members start trying to rip their marriage apart. Lies, deceit, schemes swirl and neither character trusts enough. I don’t mind the plot in itself but it was drug on way too long. I also thought the plot twist at the end was really just unnecessary. It was used as a way to prove the hero’s love but I prefer that done internally though his own words and actions. It came down to a generic I choose you scene.

I would try her again though!

[Yumru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zaman zaman keyifliydi, zaman zamanda sıkıldığım anlarda oldu,takıldığım bir çok şey sıralayabilirim.İlk olarak Seger ismi habire benim aklımda Sergen olarak geçti:))ikinci olarak yazarın anlatım tarzındanmı yoksa bize sunulan çeviridenmi anlamadım ama bazı kelimeler sıkıntı yarattı bana,arada sırada dönem romanımı okuyorum yoksa günümüz romanımı diye sorup durdum:)

Konu olarak güzeldi ama erkek karakterin eski sevgilisi sorunu beni bazen sinir etmedi değil...Aralarındaki diyaloglar eğlenceliydi , birbirlerine olan güvenlerinin dozunda olması kapris ve kıskançlıkların abartılmaması da iyi işlenmiti bence.Neyse ben biraz daha devam edersem detaya gireceğim.


Kısaca söylemek gerekirse ufak tefek takıldığım şeyler haricinde zaman zaman keyif aldığım bir hikaye oldu...

[Nihann~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aslında 4 yıldızlık bir kitaptı ama o son 20 sayfa yok mu? Onun sayesinde 4,5dan 5 oldu benim için. Yazarın olay belli sonda dumur ediyor. Devamı da çabucak gelirinşallah :)
Bizimlasin Canim!

[Nazlıcan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serinin bir önceki kitabına göre bir tık daha iyi olduğunu düşünüyorum. Aslında başlarda oldukça iyiydi ancak kitabın ikinci yarısında karakterler iyi ifade edilememişti. Özellikle Seger’i kişiliği, duygu ve düşünceleriyle bir bütün olarak düşünemedim. Son kısımda ise Clara’nın aniden, bir sözle yaptığı fikir değişikliği çok basit ve saçma geldi.
Kitabın en sevdiğim kısmı Chakras baloları oldu. Özellikle bu balolar sayesinde roman ilk yarıda gerçekten çok iyiydi.

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

ADULT Historical Victorian era Romance 💕and Adventure.
This novel features a Rake of a Marquess🐺🍆⛲ who finally finds love💘 and wants to become a husband and father. His step mother tries to interfere.

[Melis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yorumun aslı: http://kordugumhayaller.blogspot.com/...

Kitabımız gerçekten güzeldi. Tabi sizlerde benim gibi söz konusu historicallar olunca kendimize çektirdiğimiz o acı verici olayları kanıksamaya başladıysanız :D Zira artık ben okuduklarımdan çok az olsa da artık alıştım gibi. Ama itiraf edeyim bitirince kitabı fırlatmıştım. Çünkü dayanamıyorum bu durumlara. Ama onun öncesinde yaşananlar kesinlikle güzeldi. O yere kadar insan yavaş yavaş bir eriyor... :) Hangi yer mi?? Okuyun öğrenin ;)

Şimdi de kitabımızın konusundan bahsedelim bir ara verip:

Kitabımız, serinin ilk kitabındaki kızımız Sophia'nın kızkardeşi Clara'nın İngiltere'ye soylu birini bularak evlenmesi amacıyla gelişini ve başından geçenleri anlatıyor. En başta, bu kitaptaki yakışıklımız Seger ve Clara hakkında merak uyandırıcı bir sayfayı okuyoruz. Daha sonra ise yazar yakışıklımızdan bir bölüm veriyor ve bizi bugüne, yani Clara'nın katılacağı davet için refakatçisiyle davetiyesini aradığı zamana götürüyor. Bu önemli, çünkü davette prens de olacak ve kızımızın Londra sosyetesine katılıp katılamayacağını onaylayacak. Malum kızımız Amerikan geldi, o çooook soylu İngiliz sosyetesine uygun mu değil mi bir bakılsın ama değil mi?? :P

Neyse, sonuçta bir davetiye buluyorlar ama yanlış yerin davetiyesi çıkmasın mı bu da??! O.o Çok çok yanlış bir yer hem de! :D Ama iyi tarafından bakalım, kızımız orada kalbini yakışıklımız Seger'e kaptırıyor. Hele ki ne kaptırma :) Yakışıklımız Seger'in hasretine dayanamayıp katılmaması gereken bu baloya tekrar katılıyor sırf bu yüzden. Ve katıldığına da değiyor. Çünkü Seger'in ilgisini kesin bir şekilde üstüne alıyor. Bundan sonrası ablamız Sophia'nın yardımıyla uzun bir görüşme ve tanışma sürecine giriyor. Yalnız ortada bir sorun var, hatta iki, yok yok üç. Evet, evet, üç sorun var. Bunlardan biri yakışıklımız Seger ünvanlı biri olsa da yaşadığı bazı olaylar nedeniyle artık sosyetenin arasında değil. Bir diğer sorun/sorunlar ise Amerikalılardan nefret eden üvey annesi olacak uyuz mu uyuz kadın ve onun o gereksiz yeğeni. Peki sizce çiftimiz tüm bu zorlukları aşıp evlenebilecek mi??? Evlenseler bile -historical bu rahat durur mu yazarlar!!!- tüm olumsuzluklara rağmen huzura ve mutluluğa kavuşabilecekler mi?? Tüm bu soruların cevapları ve daha fazlası için kitabı almalı ve okumalısınız... ;)

Karaktere geçelim birazda:

Kızımız Clara; kendilerini çok çok sevdim. O döneme göre gerçekten kıpır kıpır, cesur ve net bir kızdı. Milletin ne diyeceğine umursamadan ya da sevdiğini bir şeye zorlamadan sevdi. Ve güzelliğinin yanında bu davranışları da artı olarak Seger'den bu güzel hislerinin karşılık bulmasını sağladı :) Çok acılar çekti ve bunlara değdi. Kitabın sonunda beni halini merak eder bir şekilde bıraktı. Bir sonraki kitabını merak ediyorum artık ;)

Yakışıklımız Seger; kendilerini başlarda çok sevdim. Hatta uzunca bir süre :) Ama ne zaman hendekten atladılar adam beni deli etmeye başladı. O kadar hata yaptı ki en sonunda ofsaytı yedi benden uyuz -.- Gözünün önündekini göremedi. Uyuz adam, sana oyun oynayanların gerçek yüzlerini nasıl bilmezsin bunca yıldır da sana en başından beri açık ve net olan güzeller güzeli Clara'ya güvenmez ve üzersin?? Tüm bu sebeplerle yazarımızın kızımızla aralarında kitabın ortalarında aralarının bozuk olduğunu varsayıyorum. Zira yakışıklımızı sonlara doğru kızımıza karşı çok gaddarlık yaptı :(

Bu türü çok iyi bilmem ama bu türde okuduklarıma bakarak tüm bu olayların normal olduğunu düşünüyorum. Aralarında geçenler ve Seger'in -her ne kadar sonradan sıksa da- daha önce yaşadığı aşk ile ilgili hisleri çok güzeldi. Yazar hem karakteri hem de ilişkileri iyi incelemişti. Olayların hızlı olması beni rahatsız etmedi, zira karakterlerimizde enerjikti.

Benim için en büyük eksiyi, Seger'in sonradan beni sinir edecek birine dönüşmesi ve kızımızı çok üzmesi aldı. Dediğim gibi, gözünün önünde dönenleri başkası demese anlamaması beni oldukça sinirlendirdi. Tabi bir de sonun çok çabuk bitmesi var. Ama düşününce, devam kitabı olacağı için sanırım yazar olacakları oraya saklamış...

[Canan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okuduğum yorumlarda geçen ve sık sık tekrarlanan bu kitabın ilk kitaptan daha iyi olduğuydu.
Bende yorumuma bunu yenileyerek başlayayım.Bu hikaye bence daha iyiydi.Serinin 2. kitabında Clara
ve Seger'in hikayesini okuduk.
Konu; Clara'nın refakatçisiyle beraber adres şaşırmaları sonucu "UYGUNSUZ" bir baloya katılmalarıyla
başlıyor.Bu baloda Clara maskeli ve oldukça yakışıklı bir erkekle dans eder ve birde öpücük alır.
Derken gittiği balonun Yalnızca Evli Kadınlar(YEB) için olduğunu ve bekar kızları değil içeri almak
yanından bile geçirmediklerini öğrenir.Neyseki başı daha fazla derde girmeden gizemli yakışıklı
tarafından uyarılır ve sorunsuz kapıya kadar geçirilir.
Ama bizim kız ismini bile bilmediği bu adamı yeniden görme arzusundan vazgeçemez.Ve ablası Sophie'yi
de kandırıp bir kez daha gider baloya.Ve tabi yine kesişir yollar yakışıklıyla.İsimler öğrenilir
aralarındaki çekim tazelenir.
Aslında ben çok uzun yorum yaparım.Elimde değil yazmaya başlayınca duramam.O yüzden kısaca fikrimi belirteyim :)
Seger sosyete tarafından geçmişte olan bir hadise yüzünden dışlanmıştır.Clara ise Amerikada başına küçük bir iş açmıştır.Bu yüzden çiftimizin geçmişi biraz sorunlu.Ama olay örgüsü mü desem kader mi desem çiftimizin yolu mihrapta "Evet" demek üzere kesişir.Evlenirler yani.
Ama olay burda biter mi.Hayır tabiki.Yakışıklı Markimize göz koymuş kadınlar sürüsü, Gillian(kuzen) ve üvey anne adlı cadolozlar ve tabi evlenirken Seger'in "seni aldatmamaya çalışırım" sözleri Clara'da bi güvensizlik yaratır.Seger'e aşıktır ama bir türlü güvenemez ona.
Seger ise ayrı bi alem.Elinden geleni yapar, karısına iyi davranır ama Clara'nın hala onan güvenmemesi,üstelik mnatıksız kıskançlıkları onu üzmektedir.

Ben zaten hep derim "İLETİŞİM" önemlidir.Yüzyüze ve direkt olacaksınız diye.

Neyse Gün geçtikçe çiftimiz yakınlaşır birbirini anlamaya çalışır derken araya fitne-fesat girmese olmaz tabi.
Ahh çok konuştum sanki.Devamı kitapta bu kadar ipucu yeter yani.
Ben kitabı sevdim..akıyor bence.Öyleki bir günde bitti.
Hani ooo şahaneymiş bu kitap dedirtmesede yer yer (özellikle flörtleşme sahneleri) beni çok güldürdü.Bazende delirtti tabi.Ben Adele'yi merak etmekteyim.Umarım biran önce okuruz küçük kardeşi :)

[ѕєяєηιтι · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çok fazla yorum yapamayacam herkes beğenmiş ben erkek kahramana özellikle gıcık olduğumdan istediğim ölçüde beğenemedim. Ayrıntılarda özellikle takıldığım sinir olduğum yerler oldu ama genel gidişat iyiydi diyebilirim.

[Amafle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo amo la narrativa de la MacLean esa mujer me ha conquistado con cada uno de sus libros. Una historia linda, romántica, divertida, con un poco de acción y momentos de pasión(calientes y divertidos) este es su libro, Seger es tan adorable y Clara no se queda atrás.

[Melis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Herşey o 'lort' kelimesi yüzünden!

[NA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chapter 4 and rapidly losing my will to continue reading this dribble...

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

enaguas pawa!!!

[Huong · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, skip. DNF.

[Neşe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julianne MacLean - Aşkın Kollarında

Sophia'nın bir dükle evlenme başarısı annesinin diğer kız kardeşi Clara'yı da İngiltere'ye yollama isteği doğurmuştur. Hem bundan iki yıl önce karıştığı yolsuzluk olayları(nasıl bir yolsuzluksa yolu bulamıyor ve olayı asla öğrenemiyoruz) ve son anda babasının engellemesiyle gerçekleşmeyen skandal evlilik yüzünden Amerika'dan uzaklaşmak Clara için de cazip gelmiştir.

Koca bulmak için katılacağı ilk balonun bilgilerini bir türlü hatırlamayan refakatçisi hangi baloya gideceklerini gelen davetiyelerden çözeceğini iddia eder ve sonunda bir baloda karar kılar. Aslında gittikleri baloya davetli olmayanların giremeyeceği bir çeşit maskeli eş aldatma balosudur. Clara gözüne çarpan kişiyle dans edip merdiven altına gittiklerinde Seger olanları anlar ve Clara ve refakatçisini derhal oradan uzaklaştırır. Bu nasıl desem beyefendice hareket Clara'nın aklından çıkmaz. Seger'i yeniden görmek ister ve ablasına yalvarır maskeli eş aldatma balosuna yeniden gitmek için. Ve giderler...

Neyse işte bir ara aşırı sıkıldım okurken hiç bitiremeyeceğim sandım ama neyseki bitti. Çünkü bir yerde kısır döngüye girdi olaylar oraları biraz biraz bana göre gereksiz yok balo salonu davetliler yok bilmem ne sahnelerini atlayarak okuyunca nihayet bitirdim. Yazarın Seger için sürprizi aslında bana sürpriz olmadı tahmin ettim ama bunun ortaya çıkış şekli biraz kitabı kurtardı. Yoksa Seger'in çapkınlık dolu geçmişi Clara'nın endişeleri hiç çekilir gibi değildi. Bittiğine mutluyum bakalım 6 kitaplık serinin bizde çıkan son kitabı 3 numaralı kız kardeşte neler yaşayacağım. Elimde sürünmeden biter inşallah.

Bir dk bunu yazmazsam hatrım kalır. 1880ler İngilteresinde tıp aşırı ilerlemiş doktorlar 1.ayda hamileliği belirleyebiliyorlar. Çok ilginç 😂😂😂

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant

Seger and Clara are meant to be together. This story is somewhat convoluted and very loving.
Miss Wilson,

I have no wish to spoil your chances of meeting the decent and respectable man you desire. Yet I find I cannot idly sit back and accept that I will never see you again, or – forgive me for my candor – kiss you again. If I were like other gentlemen, I would say good-bye to you now and wish you the best. But I have not behaved as a gentleman for many years….Do you understand my meaning?
-S.
So begins a very wicked correspondence between the scandal-ridden Marquess of Rawdon and Clara Wilson, an American heiress with more than a few of her own secrets to hide. Clara has come all the way to London to find respectability, but she has always craved excitement, and adventure has always sought her out.
This time, excitement is a man unlike any she has ever met before, one who is stunning, brilliant, and definitely not what her mother had in mind. Clara’s cautious younger sister Adele warns her to be wary and remember her past follies, but her spirited older sister Sophia urges her to risk it all for love. Clara knows the answer lies somewhere in between, but with her heart and her future on the line, the stakes will never be higher.
Julianne MacLean has written another very good story.
I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Jeanie Womack · Rating 5 out of 5]

To love or just to enjoy one another!?

Clara has come to London for the season, after a rather disastrous start two years before, when she debuted in New York. Her father had come just in time to keep her from sailing away with her near betrothed. Now , she's just looking for a man of integrity, who's kind and wise and will love her and the children they produce.

Its been 8 years since Seger's father paid off the merchants daughter he planned to make his wife. He even arranged for Daphne to sail to America to start a new life. When her ship went down half way across the Atlantic, Seger was heart broken and violently angry toward his father, the Marques.

They meet across a crowded ballroom, each of their first times to be out--Clara's first in England and Seger's first since the death of his love. She sees him walk into the room. He's magnificent and she's mesmerized! When his eyes meet hers, all bets are off. The only problems are that he doesn't believe in love and never plans to marry! Well, there are always other fish in the sea, as they say. Truly enjoyable and well written. Find a perfect place to read and relax into a good book!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected

Characters are interesting and had depth. The main issue that provided the framework for the plot is all about trust in a relationship and working together to have a successful foundation for a relationship. There were scheming antagonists planting seeds of doubt, a past that came back to challenge the relationship and Clara and Seger themselves coming to terms with how they really feel and where each other stand in the relationship. There was no cheating during the course of the relationship of Seger and Clara. There are sex scenes but nothing too graphic or sordid (although I will not recommend this to teenagers). As the story unfolded it became riveting. I wished it had more drama towards the end in terms of Seger winning back Clara but that is just my melodramatic side trying to be appeased. There is an epilogue though so the HEA is guaranteed.

[Lore Mona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clara Wilson es una ilusa que piensa que puede cambiar a un libertino y tener un matrimonio feliz lleno de amor.

Siempre ha sido una apasionada, que se deja llevar por los sentimientos antes de pensar bien las cosas. Apenas logró salvarse de un escándalo en el pasado y no aprendió mucho. Hace cosas alocadas para perseguir a Seger Wolfe, el marqués de Rawdon, hasta lograr casarlo. Se mete en este matrimonio y la pasa bastante mal con las maquinaciones de su familia, cuando ni siquiera tiene el apoyo, el amor y la credibilidad de su marido.

Seger tuvo un amor de juventud el cual nunca ha podido superar. No era hija de nobles, entonces los separaron y la chica murió. Desde entonces ha vivido la vida loca y no piensa enamorarse otra vez. Pero termina atrapado por los encantos de Clara y se casa con ella para salvarla de un chantaje, que puede arruinar su reputación.

La madrastra de Seger, y la sobrina de ella, son un par de manipuladoras obsesivas que a toda costa quieren romper este matrimonio. Gillian ha estado enamorada de él toda la vida y siempre albergó la esperanza de algún día ser la marquesa. Vamos, no le hizo caso en todos estos años y la vieja cree que puede meter a su sobrina en medio. Hacen de todo para arruinar la relación entre los protagonistas. Ya mediquen a ese par de locas. :D

Es un matrimonio que inició sin una base sólida, es muy fácil sembrar las dudas y crear conflictos entre ambos. Ella espera más de lo que le pueden dar y él sigue atrapado en el pasado. A Clara le toca luchar con dos villanas y un fantasma.

A diferencia de su hermana mayor, Sophia. Que le vendieron el cuento del príncipe azul y luego se encontró con la dura realidad. Clara sabía donde se estaba metiendo. No me compadezco de sus problemas. Solita se lo buscó.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara meets the Marquess when she accidentally goes to the wrong ball. The Marquess lets her know where the correct ball is. They meet again and realize they have chemistry. The Marquess, Seger, keeps to himself until he meets Clara. When Clara gets a proposal from another gentleman and turns him down. He doesn't take it well and Seger has to help Clara out of a bind. These two get to know each other and grow close. Seger proposes and after they marry Seger's step-mother and cousin give Clara grief. It was interesting watching these two navigate Seger's coming back to balls and Clara learning to deal with Seger's family. The ending was really good! I have really enjoyed this series!!