So Wild a Heart

Aincourt's Hearts #1

by Candace Camp

Generations ago, the Aincourt family was given a title and land for their loyalty to the king. But the former abbey they received came with a price—a curse that no family member would ever know happiness.

Devin Aincourt, Earl of Ravenscar, makes no apologies for who he is—a drinker, a womanizer, a gambler. Having been cast aside by his disapproving father years before, Dev is content to live out his cursed life in this hedonistic manner. Until his mother asks him to make a bold move to restore the family name and fortune: marry a rich American heiress.

Believing it will be a marriage in name only, Dev agrees to marry Miranda. But he never imagined that this feisty, unconventional foreigner would have plans of her own: to restore Blackwater, the old abbey, to its former glory, to extricate Dev from the clutches of a devious mistress and to win his heart for her own. All while risking her own life to an unknown enemy.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Marriage Of Convenience, Historical Fiction, Regency, Fiction

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2002

About the author

Candace Camp is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty books.

Her first novel, *Bonds of Love*, was published by Jove Publishing in 1978, under the pseudonym Lisa Gregory. Two pseudonyms (Kristin James and Sharon Stephens)and many books later, Candace writes under her own name Candace Camp and still loves creating stories.

Candace lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and is the mother of Young Adult author Anastasia Hopcus.

Reviews

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Shelves may contain spoilers*

I meant to write a long eulogizing review with the h as the star of this book but I’m a bit dazed and speechless right now. Still making some rapid mental adjustments!

So just three things…
This h is like no other h I've ever read about (in historical or contemp rom). Smart, independent, confident - even wily. She runs a covert campaign, to catch and truss up the H nice and good, with military precision (an alarmingly competent ow notwithstanding) and she manages to achieve that just fine.

Triggers and twists abound and some may find things ickily uncomfortable. (I had to catch my jaw from hitting the floor more than once and not in a good/funny way.)

The H is an alpha-beta db but clearly redeemable. Some superfluous skimmable stuff (especially the house/Estate renovations part) but still nicely done. Certainly original!

So keep an open mind! Do!

[Debbie "Buried in Her TBR Pile" · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to re-read this one years ago and then other books took its place. When I saw this one on sale and available for my Kindle, I 1-clicked it so I could re-read to see if it stood the test of time for me. This one felt like an old friend and it did not disappoint.

Sometimes, when you reread a book you liked from years ago, you can be left wondering what held your interest (or heart) and/or why you liked it in the first place. I enjoyed So Wild A Heart as much now as the first time I read it (and read it....)

My description may sound clichéd, but a very beautiful but conniving (kind of evil) older married woman (Leona) seduces Devin (H) when he is 18 and holds him "in her clutches" for 14 years. She manipulates him and his feelings to wrap him around her finger and truly leads him astray. He lives a truly worthless and debauched lifestyle based on lies, deceit, betrayal and sex that Leona has used to instill self-doubt, guilt, emotional entanglement, etc. to keep Devin obsessed with her and "in love" with her.

American heiress Miranda did not want to buy a husband, however, she finds something in Devin that holds promise and agrees to a MOC - her money bails him out and she gets to live a free life as a married woman(an arrangement free of emotional entanglement with Devin.)

Miranda plays a deep game very well. She confounds Devin at every turn - she is not easily seduced or overawed by his title and good looks. Miranda knows she has to play it cool so she does not become deeply hurt in an emotional entanglement if Devin could not "disentangle" himself from Leona. Miranda has a few great scenes with Leona that are classy but great in causing doubt, jealousy and anger in Leona.

Devin grew emotionally and found his moral compass again during his growing friendship/relationship with Miranda. The final confrontation between Devin and Leona is pretty good and so is Devin's final discovery and understanding of Leona's betrayal leaving no doubt in his mind as to Leona's true nature or her "love" for him.

Overall, I'm glad I re-read this one. It didn't disappoint me. So why 4 stars? I hovered over the 5 star and the highlight showed "it was amazing". Well, I wouldn't go that far. 4 stars shows "i really liked it", so I can definitely say that. And I can stretch to 4.5 and be happy that I rated it correctly (IMHO).

[Luana ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is a long one I read it quite fast, it just flows. I am not sure how to rate it tho. This author knows how to bring strong emotions on her readers. And the prominent emotion I felt in the beginning was rage. OMG, I hated how gullible the hero was. I loved the heroine, she's so smart and hands on action kind of person. I loved her attitude and I maybe can compare her with Miss Charlotte from The devil is a Marques by Elisa Branden.

I guess if you like reformation, being that of a rake or a house, than you will enjoy this book. There are twists and the plot has quite some action, I am definitely going to read the next two ones. I am super intrigued by both heroes that were already introduced here.

3.5 stars.

[Desi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few minor things to quibble about yes, but I very much enjoyed the slow build of their relationship, the transparency of the situation when they entered into it, including her knowing about the mistress up front.

I liked the sensible discussions about what everyone wanted from each other and the rediscovery of his art. We spent time with them, and saw a legitimate relationship develop.

Admittedly that was a weird twist at the end, I know there's six degrees of separation between us all or some such, but I could have used at the very least a couple more than the bare minimum of one degree that the twist allowed for between the characters.

It was an unnecessary reveal to a story from the past that could have been left as it was, in its anecdotal, if poignant, state.

[Darbella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely 3 stars. Miranda and Devin. A total unbelievable story to me. The story starts with Devin needing money for his broke estate and his lover Lenora wants him to marry the rich American so they can continue with their sexual pleasures and fun. Lenora has been married for years even before he met Lenora and has been his mistress for over 14 years now. As if that is not hard enough of a hurdle this couple has the following issue to handle.
While Miranda and Devin are married--living with them are Miranda's dad, step mom, and her step mom's daughter (age 14). Even though Devin was not around the step mom much she was at their wedding and around the estate without Devin knowing that he knew her. Suddenly, weeks into their marriage, the step mom confesses that her daughter is the hero's daughter. Ick! Her dad is married to her husband's former lover. Sigh-- O and of course Devin does not even recognize her until after this confession. It a bit more convoluted than that but still this person has had sex with the heroine's dad and husband. ICK!
Devin has been in love with an evil person name Lenora who he has let control him in ways that are just too weird for 14 years for him to not accept some of the decisions he has made as an adult.
The hero takes forever to stop loving Lenora and then when he does he gets an instant child that her dad gets to raise. They are not ever going to tell his daughter the truth. Sigh. However, even more villains appear and after they are taken care of bam....hea. Sigh.

[shms · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've had this in my to read pile a very long time and being in the mood for ow drama, it seemed like a good idea to pick this up. It was shaping to be 2* read, by not holding my attention in parts and I was going to add another star for the the h who is likable and a strong, confident and intelligent character. So refreshing when they're clearly head and shoulders above the H in out witting him. And the H was no H. There is a thread of suspense inter woven into the plot line where someone's out to get the H or h but its weak at best.
Unfortunately it got way worse when the plot made a sharp turn into Makjang territory. Those not in the know this is the term in Korean drama, for an extreme soap opera type melodrama. I think it literally means ridiculousness in Korean. I don't like it in my korean drama's and I certainly don't like it in my books. An example would be whenthe 'step mum in law is suddenly revealed as the H's ex lover. But all the time they were around each other he NEVER remembers?!?. The author tries to play it off but it wasn't only a hard pill to swallow, it wouldn't fit into my mouth let alone get as far as sticking in my craw. (apologies for the badly mangled use of idioms). Nah I wasn't having any of it.
1* remains for the h.

[Jena]

Self note
Moc
H in love with his mistress since 18.
The h is in love with the h,
heroine in pursuit.

Love triangle .
(Reviewers spoilers said he decides he loves the h more than the ow, because he wants to have sex with her more than his mistress🙄).

Not my jam.🤷🏻‍♀️

[Lucy Qhuay · Rating 2 out of 5]

No! This book just was not for me. If it wasn't for the heroine completely stealing the show I would not have finished it. The hero aggravated me almost until the end and the romance was no romance at all. In fact, I would be hard-pressed to say what they saw in each other. Very lackluster in the emotional department.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this book I wasn’t sure if I should keep reading it or throw it across the room. Devin Aincourt is a pig; a scheming, womanizing, drunk who doesn’t even care that he’s been cast out of polite society. His estate is falling into ruins and he is hounded by creditors, and he couldn’t care less. Worse, he is having an affair with a married woman who is surely the devil incarnate. I really, really hated this guy at first.
Enter Miranda: a kind and strong American girl who can stand up for herself better than anyone else. She is outspoken, independent, and is a whiz at property management. Very convenient, yes? What I love most about her is that when she makes up her mind she sticks to it; even if she wavers she will never fail. Who better to reform our so-called hero?
The way these two characters interact is so perfect, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. They start out hating each other, but when Miranda sees some good in Devin she makes up her mind to manipulate him into being a better person.
There are some nice twists, though not all are surprising if you pay attention. It is a very well written story with a nice angle on the “rake with a good heart” kind of character.

[Izzie (on pause) McFussy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story. At the beginning I wasn’t keen on Devin, but with every one of Miranda’s machinations she employed to reform her rake I came around to her point of view. It was like watching a dog trainer tame a killer poodle, and I loved it. Some sweet twists and turns at the end that I didn’t see coming. Perhaps, a little over the top, nevertheless a fun ride.

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devin Aincourt, Earl of Ravenscar, needs some money in order to keep up his life of sloppy fuckery. Miranda Upshaw, an American heiress, ends up intrigued by the dissolute Devin and ends up gently stalking him until she decides she will marry him. Except she'll keep him at arm's length until his loins have tightened to the optimal degree in order to keep him for herself. Also, someone is trying to kill them OH NO.

1. Seriously: the tightened loins were a lot. Like, get that shit tenderized.

2. The secondary (and....tertiary) question of who was attempting to do what to whom was ridiculous. Also, I called both things.

3. This also started extremely slow—I nearly put it down after an extended threesome scene in the first 20% of the book between Devin, his emotionally abusive mistress, and some woman hired to do "exotic dancing" and apparently have sex with both of them without speaking a single word. Especially because the alleged "goodness" of the hero has been NO WHERE on page, yet, so it's just his dickery + his dick and it's THICK, y'all.

3.5 Extra bullet to once again point out the extreme grossness of the hired person of color hired to have sex with the hero and his mistress who isn't given a single line of dialogue.

4. But once Miranda actually makes her marriage proposal, the general development of a relationship was interesting and decently done. The fact that Miranda proposes a marriage that seemingly gives Devin everything he would ever want sets up the arc of Devin discovering that what he thinks he wants may just be the things everyone has always told him he wants. And it's nice to read about a hero growing the fuck up!

5. I would have liked a little more development on page for Devin, as well as an actual confession of feeling. Instead, we get his announcement of horniness, but we don't even get a revisit of the fidelity conversation or his attachments to Miranda. It's not hugely disappointing, but it would have been worth another star for sure.

[Mariannj · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like how independent, mature, sensible, decisive, strong-willed and smart the heroine is. She really knows what she wants and thinks things through before acting on her decisions. However, I was much less impressed when she decided to marry the hero (The hero’s mum pushed him to marry the heroine for money so their marriage was basically a business arrangement. The heroine’s family, in turn, wanted her to marry into the English nobility) based on lust and circumstantial instinct. It was uncharacteristic of her. I just didn’t agree with the heroine’s reasoning in marrying the hero. Also, the author doesn’t make it clear. It comes off as superficial to do for someone who’s sensible and wise. The book actually talks about how dark and wild the hero is. A libertine and a wastrel. But his behavior is passive. I think the author doesn’t want to make him appear so vile. So he basically seems like a nice guy on the surface. Unfortunately, it’s hard to understand why he never makes any conscious resolution to change himself. He just doesn’t seem to have anything better to do. I never felt the hero was worth the effort, and was overall a bad risk.

P.S. The ending was rushed and to sum up the plot twist? It’s icky. Meh.

[La testa fra i libri · Rating 3 out of 5]

La possibilità di dare la propria figlia in moglie a un nobile era, solitamente, un’ambizione di ogni genitore, sopratutto le madri che durante la Stagione dei balli valutavano ogni minima possibilità.

Purtroppo la fama di Devin, conte di Ravenscar, ha fatto terra bruciata attorno a lui e la possibilità di rimpolpare le finanze delle sue proprietà sono nulle. La rovina del suo casato è dietro l’angolo ma l’abitudine al gioco e il suo essere sfacciatamente donnaiolo, sono dure a morire. È tanto bello e atletico, sicuro di sé, menefreghista, ozioso e disinteressato nel rimettere in sesto il suo titolo nobiliare. Prova pena per la sorella costretta a un matrimonio di convenienza, astio nei confronti dell’assillante madre che non perde occasione di paragonarlo al marito defunto e spavaldo nel girare a testa alta fra le vie di Londra. Ha un talento per la pittura, ma non tocca più un pennello da molti anni preferendo godere una vita dissoluta.

Le origini borghesi di Miranda non bastano a far storcere il naso all’aristocrazia inglese. L’essere un’ereditiera americana, molto più ricca degli stessi spocchiosi nobili, alimenta i pettegolezzi su di lei sopratutto perché il padre la vuole far maritare al dissoluto conte di Ravenscar. Infatti il padre di Miranda sogna un matrimonio con il conte, anche se squattrinato e donnaiolo, perché ambisce ad avere quel titolo e la residenza di famiglia. Secondo lui i soldi possono comprare davvero tutto.
La ragazza ha un forte temperamento, dimostra una solida predisposizione per l’indipendenza e l’educazione con cui è cresciuta, si nota in ogni suo gesto e parola che pronuncia con schiettezza. Il termine intraprendenza non rende merito al suo essere.

I primi tre incontri fra Devin e Miranda sono diversissimi fra loro e suscitano emozioni contrastanti nei due probabili promessi sposi. Solamente a carte scoperte iniziano le scintille e i battibecchi, le resistenze e tante provocazioni tengono brillante la narrazione del libro. Il percorso lungo la navata è tortuoso e la loro relazione si riempie di tensione, resistenza e molte esitazioni.
Accanto a loro ci sono le diverse famiglie che si comportano secondo le loro origini e cultura e esaltano le personalità di Devin e Miranda. Quello che più colpisce sono i temperamenti dei due protagonisti e il confronto educativo, ma anche di provenienza, che viene inserito nei discorsi e atteggiamenti.

I personaggi secondari sono equilibrati fra quelli marginali da chi invece ha dei ruoli fondamentali nella vita di Devin e Miranda come Rachel, l’amabile sorella di Devin che funge da tramite fra i due e Michael, il marito di Rachel, una sorta di paziente grillo parlante.

Ho fatto un pochino fatica a riconoscere lo scenario londinese, forse l’autrice ha preferito sorvolare su alcuni dettagli perché ormai l’epoca è presente in tante letture di questo genere e non ha voluto annoiare il suo lettore, però qualcosina in più poteva inserirlo. Solamente la residenza Darkwater, lasciata andare in rovina, ha un occhio di riguardo dove non lesina le descrizioni sia del castello che della campagna che lo circonda.

La lettura è molto gradevole, mai noiosa, alcune situazioni si intrecciano e scorrono bene, mentre altre fanno storcere leggermente il naso poiché non inserite e amalgamante bene al contesto. Di certo, l’inserimento e la caratterizzazione della protagonista femminile di origini americane, modifica leggermente gli standard narrativi che solitamente si trovano in libri dello stesso genere, e questo porta il lettore a non annoiarsi o il prevedere l’evolversi della storia.

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
Devin , misunderstood and deceived, but with a loving nature would be my description of him .
Miranda, strong with a heart of gold , sassy with tender feelings.
The two have come together in this book and created a wonderful , romantic and heartwarming story .
Candace is a great writer and has achieved a level in this book that had me in awe , I loved it so much I had to give it Five stars .

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Μαρία Γεωργοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story! Why? Because Ravenscar seems the ultimate bad material for husband but it's not true, so it is a pleasure to get to know him slowly and Miranda is a very different heroine in a HR because she thinks before she acts and she does it cleverly!
The only reason that this book isn't a 5-star-review is because I found the last part of the story hastily written! I wanted more details! Nevertheless, it is definitely a great HR!

[Lori D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. I loved this story and all the twist and turns that I never expected. Really different from anything I have read in some ways due to the heroine, American Heiress Miranda, turning the tables on the hero. Usually it is the male scheming to entice the female, but in this case, Miranda set out to enchant Devon Aincourt, Earl of Ravenscar to fall in love with her. But I am jumping ahead. Devon is the worst kind of wastrel and has no plans to change until his mother asks him to marry a rich American heiress to restore the family name and estates. Miranda is not objectionable but she is an extremely intelligent,confident and a take charge woman who has plans of her own for Devon. Devon has been in love with his mistress Leona since he was 18 years old and does not want to give her up. But as things slowly come to light, one can see that Leona is a seducer looking out for herself.
I really cannot say enough about this book. There is an abundance of mystery, scheming characters and a lot of unexpected emotion. I loved Miranda and came to love Devon after my initial disgust with him! Candace Camp has an amazing ability to bring the characters to life and make you feel what they are feeling! The only problem with this book was I had to turn the last page and it was over!! Seriously, this is a keeper and will go on my to be read again shelf!!

[Jazzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ✨

I live a smart, strong-willed heroine and this book served. This girl knew what she wanted when she first saw the mmc, set out to get him, and getting him she did. I didn’t like the mmc at the beginning, but character development did happen and he got better. The romance was a good slowburn one with plenty tension. Girly made him wait till she got exactly what she wanted.

[Chanelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only read Camp once before, one of the novels in the Matchmaker series which I unfortunately only dimly remembered. Having received some of her series and confident, at least, in the knowledge that I didn't want to toss her novel away I attempted this one.

I don't regret it at all.

I always lament reading romance at times, possibly because I am picky, but sometimes they seem more fantastical that most fantasy novels. Camp doesn't break new ground in the field, but she does deliver a romance with some dark themes (for a romance especially a historical one like this) while never losing the true aim of one - a happy ever after.

Camp's cast of characters and her plot support each other rather well, using structured scenarios to quickly reinforce the characters' personalities. An excellent example is the first interaction between Devin and Leona. Leona's seduction not only reveals his own desire for debauchery, but also demonstrates the strength of Leona's hold on him. Also it serves to give us a definite example of Devin's depravity, rather than relying on a loose interpretation of the phrase "rakish behaviour".

Miranda is quite an exceptional character as she is a woman who is independent, intelligent, diligent and wealthy marries for love although the object of her affections is believed to be already engaged. I thought that she was a interesting and especially admired her actions as she supports Devin, even when she believes he's thinking of Leona. She is well-crafted as her independence does not rely only on sexual freedom, but also intellectual and emotional expression as well as physical development - a direct contrast to Leona who is purely a sexual creature and Elizabeth who is weak in spirit.

The development of Veronica being Devin's daughter does add to the suspense element of this novel, which while not forceful, attains some sort of balance for the romantic nature of the work.

Other characters are given limited focus, but I am already intrigued by the relationship between Lady Westhampton and her husband.

All in all, it was a good novel about the reformation of a character, and it achieves this aim without being completely predictable.

[Caroline Yamashita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Era uma vez uma maldição... nenhum homem da família Aincourt seria bem-sucedido e encontraria a felicidade!

O sexto conde de Ravenscar sabia bem do que essa maldição se tratava, e sinceramente não estava dando à mínima! O negócio dele era beber com amigos, jogos, farra e mulheres, especialmente uma, Leona, sua amante há anos!

Ser libertino e cafajeste estava em sua índole, e ele gostava disso. Estava muito bem, obrigado, até ser intimado pela sua mãe a se casar com uma americana rica!

Só que ele preferiria ser preso por inadimplência a se casar com uma selvagem americana, que com certeza seria muito feia para encontrar um marido na América e ter que vir comprar um marido inglês, ledo engano!

Miranda era uma mulher forte, encantadora, que fez sua própria fortuna trabalhando e investindo. Não era uma menininha boba. Era muito esperta, isso sim. Apesar das ideias liberais de seu pai, se casar com um inglês nobre e esnobe, não estava nos seus planos, e continuaria assim! Mesmo interessada em salvar uma propriedade elisabetana da ruina e restaurando-a, casar sem amor seria um preço muito alto a pagar. Ainda mais depois que ela conheceu o Conde de Ravenscar, Devin Aincourt.

Devin foi persuadido pela sua amante a pedir a americana em casamento, e se apropriar de todo seu dinheiro e larga-la as minguas, e quando ele faz o pedido e ela o rejeita, ele fica MUITO bravo! Ele ver vingança de todas as formas! Vai seduzi-la, fazê-la se apaixonar e abandoná-la, afinal, quem ela pensava que era para rejeitar o sexto Conde de Ravenscar. Acontece que ele não se lembra de sua vingança quando está por perto, o seu desejo por ela é tão intenso que a vingança vai para o beleléu!

“— Senhor isso não me parece apropriado. Estamos sozinhos no jardim.
— Sim, estamos. — A voz dele era rouca. Suas mãos deslizaram para a cintura dela e puxaram-na delicadamente mais para perto.
— As pessoas vão...
— Ao inferno com as pessoas. — Ele baixou a cabeça e beijou-a.”

Leia Mais no Cantinho da Caro

[Raffaella · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love historical you can't not love Ms Camp.
She's one of the old school best.
Her romances are real romances with love, action, a lil bit of mystery and villains that you never imagine.
And bitchy ow.
Without the splatter and gory of bodice rippers.
That is, you can have a good and angsty romance without the excesses of those books where the heroine had to go through all kind of trials and abuse before being happy.
In this one I have to admit I loved both characters.
They made sense, and they make sense together as a couple.
-We have a smart, no nonsense, sensible and fun heroine, who knows exactly what she wants and knows how she can get it.
- We have a debauched hero, who's the epithome of english gentleman, lazy, drunk, manwhore and profligate.
-We have an awful ow, who keeps the hero with her depraved ways and is evil and manipulative
-We have a villain, a mystery, an old manor.
So, the hero has debts and has to marry for money, the heroine is an american heiress whose father would like her to marry a title, but she's not forced at all. The father is a caring and loving person and doesn't want her to marry the first rogue with a title.
-There are some fun meetings between the heroine and the hero where she is very stingy and actually is quite fun because she tells him exactly what she thinks of him and what he actually is considered by his peers.
Since he's very smug and thinks she should be honored to be his wife, she, an unknown american woman, he's quite surprised and very angry when she not only refuses his proposal, but also tells him exaclty what she thinks of him, and makes him understand that she would rather accept any other proposal than his.
The heroine actually considers him with amusement and since she's smart she tries to understand the real man behind the facade.
-There's a lot of stolen kisses, where the hero feels more than he expected and eventually the heroine proposes a MOC where both are free to have lovers. She basically tells him that he can keep on seeing his mistress- that she knows about- and it is kind of cute because she is very manipulative and he accepts without realizing that she is manipulating him big.
She's understood that he is not a bad chap and with some help he could be good husband material.
She's not afraid of the competition and thinks he's already very attracted by her without realizing it.
Actually she understands him better than he understand himself.
The hero is quite clueless, he doesn't understand he's being manipulated by both ow and heroine.
He's no alpha for sure, but he's kind of nice, the typical rakish gentleman, handsome and charming, but with a lot of pride.
He's also an artist, he loved to paint until he met ow, then she persuaded him to give it up for other kind of entertainments.
Ow is older and of course smarter than the hero, she's married, and she made him wait almost one year before having sex with him, he was actually very young, only 18 and of course naive and very fascinated by this older, more experienced and beautiful woman who showed her preference for him.
He's been with her for 14 years, yeah I know it's a lot and some readers could not digest it, but the woman was quite shrewd because she kept him with his libido, providing him a free relationship and other women, then always making him wait and frustrating his desire.
So we understand he's not really in love with her, it was a matter of lust combined with too much drinking.
He accepts the heroine's proposal, but he soon realizes he wants her very much and can't have a marriage without sex.
The heroine, tricky bitch that she is, tells him that with her it's all or nothing.
The hero can't think of leaving his mistress, and by the way, he hasn't had sex with her since his second meeting with the heroine.
(the first time he met the heroine he was quite drunk and he couldn't actually see her properly, it was dark and she had a hat so I don't consider it a cheating because after the meeting he went to ow and then spent the night with her)
ow: she had a plan and the heroine thwarted it. She asked the hero to marry the rich heroine so they could live with her money and the idiot hero accepts it, she's quite awful because she manages to go to their marriage to humiliate the heroine but the heroine is too smart and acts like she was her mother-in-law's friend and makes remarks about her older age. She goes visiting her another time and again the heroine manages to make stingy remarks about her. I loved the heroine, too good for the hero.
-To be true the hero doesn't want ow near him and when he sees her at his marriage he's quite upsed and annoyed and hopes she will go back to London and never comes back.
-The hero is quite slow in the uptake and doesn't understand he's falling in love- true love - with the heroine. He starts painting again on the heroine's suggestion while following the restoration of his manor with the heroine. His lust for ow is suddenly stopped and he eventually decides he wants a true marriage and dump ow. Actually I felt quite sorry for this ow, who basically jumped through hoops for years to keep her younger lover interested and then at almost 40 he dumps her for a younger and better model. She's really angry and upset, probably realizing that her chances to find a lover who is rich, besotted and with all his teeth and hair on are very low.
-There's a mystery and some other things that I don't want to spoil because 1-they don't add much to the hero/heroine love affair 2-they are really bizarre and we could have done without.
-The hero understands he was never in love with ow, that the heroine is his one and only love (which is quite sad for ow after all she did to keep him) and he's happy and redeemed painting and working to keep his manor and his other properties productive.
I liked the book, it was interesting because let's be real, there are very- very -few authors that can really keep you interested after 400 and more pages, and CC is one of them.
She is very good with feelings and emotions and her hystoricals are believable from language (that isn't a modern slang as it often happens in hystorical nowadays) to behaviors.
There's angst because the heroine has feelings for the hero and doen't know if he will ever reciprocate them, but she isn't a doormat and she is definitely much smarter than the hero, but as you know in romances, you can't have a sexy, handsome, gentleman with all his hair and teeth on and without a paunch or a gout and also expect him to be a smart one.

[Gerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a 4.5 star or A- book. Since those ratings weren't available, I gave it 4 stars, but it deserves more. The characters were really well drawn and sympathetic. The hero was a rake who had done some pretty bad things, but it was also quite believable that he had an essential inner decency. The heroine, who was wonderfully mature and sensible, saw that inner decency, and felt that she could help him to rediscover it. She definitely had the stronger character of the two, but she believably helped him to become a better and more responsible person. Their developing love and relationship were very convincingly portrayed. The story was beautifully written.

[Betty Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This gets a one because of the plot twist at the end that can be summed up with one word: icky.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

«La ragazza a cui sto pensando è perfetta. Il suo patrimonio è immenso e suo padre è entusiasta di questa unione. Desidera molto che sua figlia diventi contessa. Dovevi vedere come gli si sono illuminati gli occhi quando ho cominciato a parlare di Darkwater. Sembra che non desideri niente di meglio che restaurare la vecchia dimora.»
«Stai parlando di una borghese?»
«No. Di un'americana.»
«Che cosa?» proruppe subito Devin, guardandola esterrefatto. «Vuoi che sposi un'ereditiera americana?»
«È una soluzione perfetta.»

4 - il primo romanzo della serie non è male e si fa leggere.
Devin è un po' il solito rampollo debosciato, che passa la vita a non far nulla e a trovare alternative al lavoro (giammai) per rimpinguare le casse familiari.
Sua madre, donna dotata di maggior acume, ha pronta la soluzione: gli Aincourt sono belli e nobili, possono pur permettersi di barattare geni di buona qualità per procurarsi ereditiere borghesi, addirittura selvagge americane. Da lì le nozze.

Non ho ben chiaro cosa veda la pragmatica Miranda in uno come Devin: un esperimento per mettersi alla prova? Il mezzo per poter ottenere un maniero da ristrutturare? Un marito fascinoso da sfoggiare?
Mah. C'è pure un sottofondo giallo, perché qualcuno vuole vendicarsi e, nel frattempo, conosciamo quelli che saranno probabilmente i protagonisti dei prossimi volumi.
Nel complesso, gradevole; un buon antipasto in attesa dei successivi volumi che auspico più sostanziosi.

[Lori Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance readers copy for an honest review. I know So Wild a Heart has been out for a few years. The re release is today! I was very excited to be able to read this book. Once I started, it was hard to put it down. What a roller coaster ride this one was. I can not wait to read the other books in this series.

This book has marriage of convenience, a mistress, suicide, illegitimate children, kidnapping, attempted murder, love, family loyalty, a hero and a heroine, and of course a HEA. I highly recommend this story.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good romance. The characters were interesting and different. However, it was very much a wallpaper historical. You knew they were in England but that was about it. It could have been set in any time between 1800 to 1850. There were horses and carriages and generic long dresses. Some things seemed to suggest it was set later then another thing would lead me to think it was earlier. There were no dates mentioned, no notable people, no notable happenings that would set it in time. Hmmm.

[BJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the capable American heroine from the first. Good writing (at first) offers good insight into her character and thoughts into this smart and genuinely nice woman. The H as grown into a weak man after being lured into a bad relationship, when he was a teenager. The h wakes him up, and he sees an opportunity and takes it. It was a very good read until the final chapters. The final reveals were so OTT and spoiled what should have been a 5 star read. Disappointing.

[Santhiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book certainly was entertaining. I liked the characters and the principles they were built on. I loved the heroine. She knew what she wanted and worked towards getting them. I liked how the story and their romance was developed.


I couldn't quite understand how Miranda was attracted to Dev on first glance but it's alright. I also wished the epilogue could be better. But I enjoyed the book.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not angsty enough, h is too composed for my liking always hiding how she truly felt all the time it was agitating, the H was meh, too lusty gave me the ick, weird plot twist & deciding not to tell Veronica who her father is rubbed me the wrong way 😐
I skipped so many unnecessary boring parts

2.5 ⭐️🤷‍♀️

[Kat Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nearly quit this book two or three chapters in. It got better the further along into the story I read. Some points I definitely wasn’t too keen on, but on the whole a solid 3 stars. I didn’t looove it and I didn’t fling it across the room either.

[Angela Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lectura para pasar el rato, pero siento que hizo falta que resolvieran muchas cosas fue todo al final como muy precipitado, por eso no le doy 5 estrellas porque lo senti incompleto, pero estuvo pasable.