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Inferno Club #1
My Wicked Marquess
To restore family honor the Marquess of Rotherstone faces his most dangerous mission—finding the perfect bride...
To London's aristocracy, the Inferno Club is a scandalous society of men no proper young lady would acknowledge. But though they are publicly notorious for pursuing all manner of debauchery, in private they are warriors who would do anything to protect king and country.
The Marquess of Rotherstone has decided it's time to restore the family's good name. But as a member of the Inferno Club, he knows there is only one way to redeem himself in Society's eyes: marry a lady of impeccable beauty and breeding, whose reputation is, above all, spotless.
Someone quite unlike Daphne Starling. True, she's temptingly lovely, but a jilted suitor has nearly ruined her reputation. Still, Max cannot resist her allure—or the challenge of proving London's gossips wrong. He would do anything to win her hand . . . and show that even a wicked marquess can make a perfect husband.
To London's aristocracy, the Inferno Club is a scandalous society of men no proper young lady would acknowledge. But though they are publicly notorious for pursuing all manner of debauchery, in private they are warriors who would do anything to protect king and country.
The Marquess of Rotherstone has decided it's time to restore the family's good name. But as a member of the Inferno Club, he knows there is only one way to redeem himself in Society's eyes: marry a lady of impeccable beauty and breeding, whose reputation is, above all, spotless.
Someone quite unlike Daphne Starling. True, she's temptingly lovely, but a jilted suitor has nearly ruined her reputation. Still, Max cannot resist her allure—or the challenge of proving London's gossips wrong. He would do anything to win her hand . . . and show that even a wicked marquess can make a perfect husband.
374 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 30, 2009
122 people are currently reading
2288 people want to read
About the author
Gaelen Foley
44 books1,894 followersGaelen Foley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of twenty historical romances set in the glittering world of Regency England. Her books are available in sixteen languages and have won numerous genre awards, such as the Bookseller's Best, the NJRW Golden Leaf (three times), the CRW Award of Excellence, the National Reader's Choice Award, the Beacon, and the Holt Medallion.
A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.
A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
May 3, 2019
Way too much . . . stuff is tacked onto this story for me to go on. I kind of like Daphne, though Foley lards on enough drama sauce for any ten story pies. I mean orphans? And a wicked stepmother? And done wrong by a man? And family newly in financial distress? It's like a party with a live band, jello wrestling, acrobats, and a dancing bear. Save some of that for the next story! Gads.
And she does the same thing to Max, only he doesn't have any charm or kindness or caring to draw me in. He's just a super-secret agent man who has been trained (trained I tell you!) in the wilds of Scotland to brood! And glower! And make people awkward at parties!
Someone take Foley's ladle away, she obviously has no portion control.
Frankly, the whole secret war thing was tedious from the first time it came up. And I kind of hated every time it was mentioned. And then we get a half-dozen pages from the PoV of one of their councils. Which included a murder and casual discussion of torture. Srsly?!?
Oh, and did I mention that both the good guys and bad guys are populated by titled noblemen (mostly British)? Earl was the lowest title mentioned! Max's team is a marquess leading an earl and a duke in covert operations that are both secret and deadly. Good thing they trained from their youth in Scotland (because lots of nobles sign their heirs up for brutal training to participate in a shadow war across Europe).
Also, they invented the clandestine cell system a good century early. So they are very, very smart and talented. Obviously.
Anyway, this is all breathless drama with little relatable content. I suppose if you want over-the-top broody angst, this might appeal. Personally, I was starting to laugh. But not in a good way...
And she does the same thing to Max, only he doesn't have any charm or kindness or caring to draw me in. He's just a super-secret agent man who has been trained (trained I tell you!) in the wilds of Scotland to brood! And glower! And make people awkward at parties!
Someone take Foley's ladle away, she obviously has no portion control.
Frankly, the whole secret war thing was tedious from the first time it came up. And I kind of hated every time it was mentioned. And then we get a half-dozen pages from the PoV of one of their councils. Which included a murder and casual discussion of torture. Srsly?!?
Oh, and did I mention that both the good guys and bad guys are populated by titled noblemen (mostly British)? Earl was the lowest title mentioned! Max's team is a marquess leading an earl and a duke in covert operations that are both secret and deadly. Good thing they trained from their youth in Scotland (because lots of nobles sign their heirs up for brutal training to participate in a shadow war across Europe).
Also, they invented the clandestine cell system a good century early. So they are very, very smart and talented. Obviously.
Anyway, this is all breathless drama with little relatable content. I suppose if you want over-the-top broody angst, this might appeal. Personally, I was starting to laugh. But not in a good way...
July 10, 2021
Es primera vez que leo a Gaelen Foley y la verdad no me ha dejado muy entusiasmada como para seguir incursionando en sus demás novelas. Mi perverso marqués es la primera entrega de una serie que tiene un trasfondo de espionaje muy atractivo y cuando esta subtrama despierta más interés que la historia de romance… en un libro de romance…no sé, algo no cuadra.
El libro está bien, pero se queda ahí, a pesar que la autora maneja muy bien las descripciones; no me costaba nada imaginar cada uno de los escenarios con lujo de detalles. También rescato la caracterización y evolución de los personajes principales, pero por lo demás, es una lectura que no despierta muchas pasiones.
Respecto de la serie, advierto que no es como en otras de romance histórico, en que las entregas se pueden leer de forma independiente. Aquí, si bien hay un cierre a la historia de la pareja principal, el argumento de espionaje queda totalmente abierto y, si le doy otra oportunidad, será exclusivamente para saber cómo se va desarrollando la lucha de poder entre el Consejo y la Orden, dos bandos enfrentados desde la época de lo templarios.
Reto Rita 5.0 (julio)
El libro está bien, pero se queda ahí, a pesar que la autora maneja muy bien las descripciones; no me costaba nada imaginar cada uno de los escenarios con lujo de detalles. También rescato la caracterización y evolución de los personajes principales, pero por lo demás, es una lectura que no despierta muchas pasiones.
Respecto de la serie, advierto que no es como en otras de romance histórico, en que las entregas se pueden leer de forma independiente. Aquí, si bien hay un cierre a la historia de la pareja principal, el argumento de espionaje queda totalmente abierto y, si le doy otra oportunidad, será exclusivamente para saber cómo se va desarrollando la lucha de poder entre el Consejo y la Orden, dos bandos enfrentados desde la época de lo templarios.
Reto Rita 5.0 (julio)
October 2, 2019
ME GUSTÓ!!
Gaelen Foley me gusta mucho como escribe y siento que la tenía abandonada.
Este libro fue un acierto, me gustaron mucho los personajes Daphne era muy valiente independiente pero sin dejar de lado la educación de una dama de sociedad y también era muy tierna y dulce.
Max es mi favorito me encantó, es inteligente, astuto, embaucador pero en el fondo era un hombre necesitado de amor. Es como el típico protagonista de la autora que amas.
Además es guapo, sexy y todos los puntos a favor.
Me gustó esa parte de misterio y acción que Gaelen imprime en sus historias siempre le da una aire diferente y eso se agradece.
En cuanto al romance también me gustó la pareja tenía química, sacaban chispas, se veía el deseo y la pasión, también eran bien tiernos, mi único pero es que sentí que se habían visto unas cuatro veces y ya se amaban.
Me he quedado con ganas de seguir la serie y como acaba todo este asunto con la orden.
Gaelen Foley me gusta mucho como escribe y siento que la tenía abandonada.
Este libro fue un acierto, me gustaron mucho los personajes Daphne era muy valiente independiente pero sin dejar de lado la educación de una dama de sociedad y también era muy tierna y dulce.
Max es mi favorito me encantó, es inteligente, astuto, embaucador pero en el fondo era un hombre necesitado de amor. Es como el típico protagonista de la autora que amas.
Además es guapo, sexy y todos los puntos a favor.
Me gustó esa parte de misterio y acción que Gaelen imprime en sus historias siempre le da una aire diferente y eso se agradece.
En cuanto al romance también me gustó la pareja tenía química, sacaban chispas, se veía el deseo y la pasión, también eran bien tiernos, mi único pero es que sentí que se habían visto unas cuatro veces y ya se amaban.
Me he quedado con ganas de seguir la serie y como acaba todo este asunto con la orden.
November 30, 2017
This novel would have been better if the heroine had not been such an annoying whiny little brat. She complained about every fucking thing. The H was too good for her. I almost gave up on this novel a couple times because I kept wanting to bitchslap the heroine. It took her too long to stop behaving like an asshole. I hate regency romances with heroines who act like they're from the 21st century. The one good thing about the heroine was her dedication to the orphanage. I loved the H though and the secondary story line about one of his fellow spies going missing somewhere in Europe was a delightful break from the trials and tribulations of a petulant heroine.
July 3, 2009
Has the right ingredients, but unfortunately falls a little short (3.5 stars)
Setting: London and Worcestershire, England, 1815
My Wicked Marquess is the first book in Gaelen Foley's new series "The Inferno Club." Foley is generally a hit or miss author with me - I absolutely loved Lord of Fire and Lord of Ice, Books 2 and 3 from her Knight Miscellany Series, however I had a lot of problems with The Duke (the first Knight book) and Prince Charming (the last in her Ascension Trilogy) - they are two of the few HR books that I have actively disliked.
After reading this book's excerpt on Foley's website a few weeks ago I was excited and looking forward to its release ... and I'm sad to say I was somewhat disappointed. It's odd, because the book is by no means bad and it seems to have all the right ingredients - wonderful leading characters with great chemistry, an interesting mystery/action subplot (which doesn't conclude here, but will continue in the other books of the series), and compelling supporting characters who promise to be wonderful future heroes and heroines. However, the book falls short in several areas and I feel like if a few things had been different, it could have been fantastic.
SUMMARY
(I know, I know - this section is so long I've practically rewritten the book - sorry, bear with me!)
Max St. Albans, Marquess of Rotherstone, is finally back in England following Napoleon's defeat, ready to become a civilian again after having given 20 years of his life to the Order of St. Michael, a highly secretive group that has been engaged in a fight of good vs. evil (evil being the Prometheans) for hundreds of years. His next "mission" is to find a suitable wife, settle down, and produce children, and he approaches this endeavor as he does all others: with careful preparation and reconnaissance work (is all quite amusing). Armed with a list of the five top candidates who fulfill his criteria, he is ready to pick a wife and get started. ... However, he finds himself intrigued and attracted to the one woman included on the list who, due to unfortunate recent happenings, may no longer be "in the running" - since one of the requirements is a "stainless reputation."
Miss Daphne Starling is daughter to a Viscount and the darling of the ton (seriously, no pun intended with the rhyming - and what was up with the name Starling anyway? Made me always think "Silence of the Lambs" - not exactly mood material). She is known as the "patron saint of newcomers," due to her tendency to befriend those in Society who feel out of place, are newly arrived, don't know anyone, etc. When we meet her, Daphne has recently rejected an offer of marriage from Mr. Albert Carew (a sorry excuse for a human being), who, in an effort to get revenge and salvage his pride, has been going around spewing his mouth off to anyone who will listen to his claims that Daphne is actually haughty and a cold-hearted jilt, as opposed to the sweetheart everyone thinks. This has unfortunately started a small scandal and is proving to be an increasing threat to her reputation.
However, Daphne is determined to continue on and ignore the unpleasantness, not knowing that a regular weekly visit to the orphanage she supports will change her life - and introduce her to the most interesting and compelling man she has ever met ... though the fact that he stumbles drunk out of a brothel does not leave much to recommend him - even if it is at an opportune moment when she is about to be attacked by one of the local street gangs. But Daphne has a sneaking suspicion that it might have all been a ruse in order to distract attention and save her, but then who is this handsome enigma who is such a good actor and can go from sloppy drunk to lethal fighter in the blink of an eye - and why would he go out of his way for her?
Daphne is relieved to see the man unharmed at a ball two evenings later (which Max attends on purpose, of course, knowing she will be there thanks to his detailed file on her) and delighted to finally speak to the man who has now saved her not once, but twice (the second being a nice little maneuver on his part at the ball to manipulate Albert and then warn him off). Max is equally intrigued by the vivacious and friendly young woman and determined to gain her as his wife - though in usual Max-fashion, he goes about it somewhat high-handedly (and that's putting it lightly). And so starts the relationship - and the pursuit! After having a small - though admittedly highly charged - encounter and chat at the ball, Max basically disappears from polite society and Daphne is convinced that he has forgotten about her, only to be presented two weeks after with a marriage between them as a fait accompli. (His marriage "proposal" - if one can even call it that - had me laughing out loud and cringing at the same time, bringing up memories of Darcy's painful first proposal to Elizabeth - what IS it with these guys?!) Daphne is understandably confused and angry; she feels manipulated by both her father and Max, who have taken away any control she might have in the matter and not even deigned to ask her what SHE wants.
Max begins an aggressive campaign to woo Daphne and make her forget her qualms (and yes, calculating man that he is, his methods leave something to be desired). Daphne finds herself torn between her obvious attraction, unwilling fascination, and increasing affection for this remote and complex man and the fear that he means only to control her, add her to his collection of beautiful things and then basically forget her, never really letting her into his life or his heart. Of course, things don't improve when she finds out that well-meaning her father is having money problems and basically sold her to Max, that Max is secretive and intends to remain so, and that he thinks dangling his money and title in front of her will be enough to lure her into marriage. ... All of this takes place in the first 250 pages of the book and essentially makes up the core of the story (with the action subplot going on at the same time - see below for more details). Daphne and Max's marriage and further development of the Promethean-Order battle (which goes hand-in-hand with the set-up for the next book) take up the remaining ~120 pages. (The development/pacing of Max and Daphne's relationship was the main problem, see "CRITICISM" below).
SPY/MYSTERY/ACTION SUBPLOT
Occurring simultaneously with the romance relationship is the Promethean-Order subplot and I thought it was one of the better and more interest aspects of the book. The series is called "The Inferno Club" because that's the name the Order uses to disguise itself from the world, appearing to be just a harmless rakehell/devil-may-care pleasure club. Despite Napoleon's defeat and the hiccup this causes in their plans, the Prometheans are ready to do what is necessary to achieve their goal once and for all - some type of benevolent (said ironically by Order members) world domination, which is all overly-dramatic, but whatever, use your imagination. Even as the evil-doers continue to seek power they have to contend with warring factions within the organization due to the recent setbacks. One faction's advantage is that it has captured and kept alive a member of the Order - Drake - whom everyone in England assumes to be dead. He has been held and tortured for many months and they now hope to sway him into revealing the Order's secrets.
Foley does a great job with Drake's character - he is extremely psychologically damaged after being extensively tortured and has withdrawn into himself, forgetting his past and who he is (and then starting to suffer a little Stockholm syndrome). All of this leaves the reader unsure of what he will do in the future books - will he succumb to the Prometheans and join their ranks, or will he remember who he is and what he fought for and help his "brothers" from the Order take them down? Personally, I hope he gets his own romance (would make SUCH a great hero!!) - and of course comes down on the side of "good." I think that Foley has added a nice and unusual touch by not resolving the Promethean-Order battle in this book and instead having it continue throughout the series. This will allow the subplot to unfold more slowly and build up to a big (and hopefully satisfying) finale.
MAIN CHARACTERS, Daphne and Max
Daphne (21) is a wonderful heroine and extremely easy to like; she's friendly, generous, amusing, and intelligent. She's beautiful and although she lost her mother at a young age (10) and has had to contend with her kind-of-but-not-really evil stepmother since, she has led a pretty charmed life - however, she was *not* written at all annoyingly, as is sometimes the case with heroines who are the "belle of the ball" type and come off as somewhat haughty, self-involved, and basically not very endearing. It was easy to see why Max was so drawn to her and considering his character and what he is seeking, she really is the perfect partner for him (see next paragraph).
Max (33) is one of those "tortured heroes" the HR genre (understandably) loves so much - he feels resentment towards his family for basically selling him off into psychologically and physically brutal training at such a young age, even though he knows that it is his family's legacy and that his male ancestors have been involved with the Order since its inception. He feels somewhat lost and basically has no ties or relationships outside of those he he's formed with his "brothers" from the Order; he is "painfully lonely" and what he really yearns for is to belong and feel loved. However, Max fears that what the Order has made him into has also made it impossible for someone to love him, due to all that he's done and seen, all that he's had to be and pretend to be. This is one of the main reasons he finds himself so attracted to Daphne - she is loving and generous to everyone and he thinks/hopes that if anyone could love him, it could be her - this woman who is so giving and has such a big heart. With himself, Max is upfront almost from the beginning about this and that was a nice change; although he is resistant for a long time to speak of his emotions to Daphne, with himself (and therefore the reader) he is very open about his desire to belong and feel needed, loved, and admired by someone.
CRITICISM
Although the book had the ingredients for a strong and engaging read that could have really sparkled, it fell short (IMHO) for several reasons, the main and most important one being that completely uneven progression of the book, and more specifically Max and Daphne's relationship. It's a complete stop-and-go production that leaves the reader feeling confused and unfulfilled:
1) They barely know each other when the courtship goes into full-swing - or rather, Daphne barely knows Max, since apparently he has a whole file on her and has gotten to know her that way. I will say though that it was luckily *not* one of those lust-at-first-sight relationships, which I always hate (though there is definite chemistry which they are both aware of - scene at his house in the portrait gallery ... whew, get out a fan, honey, and be prepared ;-).
2) I love the possessive alpha-male as much as the next girl, but Foley makes a significant mistake. Although WE know he is at times high-handed and manipulative only because he is afraid of losing (or rather not winning) Daphne, whom he sees as his salvation and a beacon of light when he's lived in the darkness, the fact is she DOESN'T know this. He acts this way for so long with her that when the scene in the hayloft occurs and he finally reveals his feelings to her, confessing his need to be loved and etc., I felt like it came out of *nowhere*! Page-wise it was well-placed, but not at all relationship-wise: there was no easing into it, no progression as he slowly reveals this side of himself. Instead, it's like wham-bam and next thing you know, they go from Daphne running away in the middle of the night to escape him to them being all lovey-dovey and getting married. All of this makes their closeness seem inauthentic and hard for the reader to truly believe.
3) The ending - ugh, the ending was completely unsatisfactory! Throughout the book there's tension surrounding Max's secret association with the Order and his inability to tell Daphne about that side of his life. Suddenly, we're practically at the end of the book, circumstances are such that he reveals all to her, she's happy that he told her and admiring of what he's done, he vows to end the whole battle soon and she promises to support him, they have great make-up sex there at headquarters ... and then suddenly it's the epilogue, everyone's at a ball, and we get a hint of where the story is going from here with Book 2 - THE END. It was *so* abrupt and there was NO chance to savor the HEA!!
BOTTOM LINE
I'm not sorry I read the book, just sorry that I bought my own copy - get it from the library and look forward to the second Inferno Club book, My Dangerous Duke (release date unknown), since I think that the series definitely has potential. We're set up for Book 2 with the end of this one and I'm hoping that the story featuring Rohan Kilburn, Duke of Warrington will be as good as My Wicked Marquess promised - but failed (SUCH a harsh word, I know!) - to be. I'm also looking forward to Jordan's story and though I had hoped Carissa (Daphne's friend) was Rohan's heroine, maybe she'll be Jordan's ... or get her own?
Setting: London and Worcestershire, England, 1815
My Wicked Marquess is the first book in Gaelen Foley's new series "The Inferno Club." Foley is generally a hit or miss author with me - I absolutely loved Lord of Fire and Lord of Ice, Books 2 and 3 from her Knight Miscellany Series, however I had a lot of problems with The Duke (the first Knight book) and Prince Charming (the last in her Ascension Trilogy) - they are two of the few HR books that I have actively disliked.
After reading this book's excerpt on Foley's website a few weeks ago I was excited and looking forward to its release ... and I'm sad to say I was somewhat disappointed. It's odd, because the book is by no means bad and it seems to have all the right ingredients - wonderful leading characters with great chemistry, an interesting mystery/action subplot (which doesn't conclude here, but will continue in the other books of the series), and compelling supporting characters who promise to be wonderful future heroes and heroines. However, the book falls short in several areas and I feel like if a few things had been different, it could have been fantastic.
SUMMARY
(I know, I know - this section is so long I've practically rewritten the book - sorry, bear with me!)
Max St. Albans, Marquess of Rotherstone, is finally back in England following Napoleon's defeat, ready to become a civilian again after having given 20 years of his life to the Order of St. Michael, a highly secretive group that has been engaged in a fight of good vs. evil (evil being the Prometheans) for hundreds of years. His next "mission" is to find a suitable wife, settle down, and produce children, and he approaches this endeavor as he does all others: with careful preparation and reconnaissance work (is all quite amusing). Armed with a list of the five top candidates who fulfill his criteria, he is ready to pick a wife and get started. ... However, he finds himself intrigued and attracted to the one woman included on the list who, due to unfortunate recent happenings, may no longer be "in the running" - since one of the requirements is a "stainless reputation."
Miss Daphne Starling is daughter to a Viscount and the darling of the ton (seriously, no pun intended with the rhyming - and what was up with the name Starling anyway? Made me always think "Silence of the Lambs" - not exactly mood material). She is known as the "patron saint of newcomers," due to her tendency to befriend those in Society who feel out of place, are newly arrived, don't know anyone, etc. When we meet her, Daphne has recently rejected an offer of marriage from Mr. Albert Carew (a sorry excuse for a human being), who, in an effort to get revenge and salvage his pride, has been going around spewing his mouth off to anyone who will listen to his claims that Daphne is actually haughty and a cold-hearted jilt, as opposed to the sweetheart everyone thinks. This has unfortunately started a small scandal and is proving to be an increasing threat to her reputation.
However, Daphne is determined to continue on and ignore the unpleasantness, not knowing that a regular weekly visit to the orphanage she supports will change her life - and introduce her to the most interesting and compelling man she has ever met ... though the fact that he stumbles drunk out of a brothel does not leave much to recommend him - even if it is at an opportune moment when she is about to be attacked by one of the local street gangs. But Daphne has a sneaking suspicion that it might have all been a ruse in order to distract attention and save her, but then who is this handsome enigma who is such a good actor and can go from sloppy drunk to lethal fighter in the blink of an eye - and why would he go out of his way for her?
Daphne is relieved to see the man unharmed at a ball two evenings later (which Max attends on purpose, of course, knowing she will be there thanks to his detailed file on her) and delighted to finally speak to the man who has now saved her not once, but twice (the second being a nice little maneuver on his part at the ball to manipulate Albert and then warn him off). Max is equally intrigued by the vivacious and friendly young woman and determined to gain her as his wife - though in usual Max-fashion, he goes about it somewhat high-handedly (and that's putting it lightly). And so starts the relationship - and the pursuit! After having a small - though admittedly highly charged - encounter and chat at the ball, Max basically disappears from polite society and Daphne is convinced that he has forgotten about her, only to be presented two weeks after with a marriage between them as a fait accompli. (His marriage "proposal" - if one can even call it that - had me laughing out loud and cringing at the same time, bringing up memories of Darcy's painful first proposal to Elizabeth - what IS it with these guys?!) Daphne is understandably confused and angry; she feels manipulated by both her father and Max, who have taken away any control she might have in the matter and not even deigned to ask her what SHE wants.
Max begins an aggressive campaign to woo Daphne and make her forget her qualms (and yes, calculating man that he is, his methods leave something to be desired). Daphne finds herself torn between her obvious attraction, unwilling fascination, and increasing affection for this remote and complex man and the fear that he means only to control her, add her to his collection of beautiful things and then basically forget her, never really letting her into his life or his heart. Of course, things don't improve when she finds out that well-meaning her father is having money problems and basically sold her to Max, that Max is secretive and intends to remain so, and that he thinks dangling his money and title in front of her will be enough to lure her into marriage. ... All of this takes place in the first 250 pages of the book and essentially makes up the core of the story (with the action subplot going on at the same time - see below for more details). Daphne and Max's marriage and further development of the Promethean-Order battle (which goes hand-in-hand with the set-up for the next book) take up the remaining ~120 pages. (The development/pacing of Max and Daphne's relationship was the main problem, see "CRITICISM" below).
SPY/MYSTERY/ACTION SUBPLOT
Occurring simultaneously with the romance relationship is the Promethean-Order subplot and I thought it was one of the better and more interest aspects of the book. The series is called "The Inferno Club" because that's the name the Order uses to disguise itself from the world, appearing to be just a harmless rakehell/devil-may-care pleasure club. Despite Napoleon's defeat and the hiccup this causes in their plans, the Prometheans are ready to do what is necessary to achieve their goal once and for all - some type of benevolent (said ironically by Order members) world domination, which is all overly-dramatic, but whatever, use your imagination. Even as the evil-doers continue to seek power they have to contend with warring factions within the organization due to the recent setbacks. One faction's advantage is that it has captured and kept alive a member of the Order - Drake - whom everyone in England assumes to be dead. He has been held and tortured for many months and they now hope to sway him into revealing the Order's secrets.
Foley does a great job with Drake's character - he is extremely psychologically damaged after being extensively tortured and has withdrawn into himself, forgetting his past and who he is (and then starting to suffer a little Stockholm syndrome). All of this leaves the reader unsure of what he will do in the future books - will he succumb to the Prometheans and join their ranks, or will he remember who he is and what he fought for and help his "brothers" from the Order take them down? Personally, I hope he gets his own romance (would make SUCH a great hero!!) - and of course comes down on the side of "good." I think that Foley has added a nice and unusual touch by not resolving the Promethean-Order battle in this book and instead having it continue throughout the series. This will allow the subplot to unfold more slowly and build up to a big (and hopefully satisfying) finale.
MAIN CHARACTERS, Daphne and Max
Daphne (21) is a wonderful heroine and extremely easy to like; she's friendly, generous, amusing, and intelligent. She's beautiful and although she lost her mother at a young age (10) and has had to contend with her kind-of-but-not-really evil stepmother since, she has led a pretty charmed life - however, she was *not* written at all annoyingly, as is sometimes the case with heroines who are the "belle of the ball" type and come off as somewhat haughty, self-involved, and basically not very endearing. It was easy to see why Max was so drawn to her and considering his character and what he is seeking, she really is the perfect partner for him (see next paragraph).
Max (33) is one of those "tortured heroes" the HR genre (understandably) loves so much - he feels resentment towards his family for basically selling him off into psychologically and physically brutal training at such a young age, even though he knows that it is his family's legacy and that his male ancestors have been involved with the Order since its inception. He feels somewhat lost and basically has no ties or relationships outside of those he he's formed with his "brothers" from the Order; he is "painfully lonely" and what he really yearns for is to belong and feel loved. However, Max fears that what the Order has made him into has also made it impossible for someone to love him, due to all that he's done and seen, all that he's had to be and pretend to be. This is one of the main reasons he finds himself so attracted to Daphne - she is loving and generous to everyone and he thinks/hopes that if anyone could love him, it could be her - this woman who is so giving and has such a big heart. With himself, Max is upfront almost from the beginning about this and that was a nice change; although he is resistant for a long time to speak of his emotions to Daphne, with himself (and therefore the reader) he is very open about his desire to belong and feel needed, loved, and admired by someone.
CRITICISM
Although the book had the ingredients for a strong and engaging read that could have really sparkled, it fell short (IMHO) for several reasons, the main and most important one being that completely uneven progression of the book, and more specifically Max and Daphne's relationship. It's a complete stop-and-go production that leaves the reader feeling confused and unfulfilled:
1) They barely know each other when the courtship goes into full-swing - or rather, Daphne barely knows Max, since apparently he has a whole file on her and has gotten to know her that way. I will say though that it was luckily *not* one of those lust-at-first-sight relationships, which I always hate (though there is definite chemistry which they are both aware of - scene at his house in the portrait gallery ... whew, get out a fan, honey, and be prepared ;-).
2) I love the possessive alpha-male as much as the next girl, but Foley makes a significant mistake. Although WE know he is at times high-handed and manipulative only because he is afraid of losing (or rather not winning) Daphne, whom he sees as his salvation and a beacon of light when he's lived in the darkness, the fact is she DOESN'T know this. He acts this way for so long with her that when the scene in the hayloft occurs and he finally reveals his feelings to her, confessing his need to be loved and etc., I felt like it came out of *nowhere*! Page-wise it was well-placed, but not at all relationship-wise: there was no easing into it, no progression as he slowly reveals this side of himself. Instead, it's like wham-bam and next thing you know, they go from Daphne running away in the middle of the night to escape him to them being all lovey-dovey and getting married. All of this makes their closeness seem inauthentic and hard for the reader to truly believe.
3) The ending - ugh, the ending was completely unsatisfactory! Throughout the book there's tension surrounding Max's secret association with the Order and his inability to tell Daphne about that side of his life. Suddenly, we're practically at the end of the book, circumstances are such that he reveals all to her, she's happy that he told her and admiring of what he's done, he vows to end the whole battle soon and she promises to support him, they have great make-up sex there at headquarters ... and then suddenly it's the epilogue, everyone's at a ball, and we get a hint of where the story is going from here with Book 2 - THE END. It was *so* abrupt and there was NO chance to savor the HEA!!
BOTTOM LINE
I'm not sorry I read the book, just sorry that I bought my own copy - get it from the library and look forward to the second Inferno Club book, My Dangerous Duke (release date unknown), since I think that the series definitely has potential. We're set up for Book 2 with the end of this one and I'm hoping that the story featuring Rohan Kilburn, Duke of Warrington will be as good as My Wicked Marquess promised - but failed (SUCH a harsh word, I know!) - to be. I'm also looking forward to Jordan's story and though I had hoped Carissa (Daphne's friend) was Rohan's heroine, maybe she'll be Jordan's ... or get her own?
November 13, 2022
Ya había leído con anterioridad a esta autora y me había gustado bastante. En esta ocasión no ha sido diferente y ha vuelto a atraparme.
En esta historia podemos destacar dos tramas, pues creo que por la importancia de ambas ninguna podría ser subtrama.
Una esta basada en la parte romántica, que fue la que más me gustó hasta el 50% del libro. Me encantó ese tira y afloja entre ambos, aunque a veces Daphne me pareciese un poco insufrible. Es cierto que una vez pasado el epicentro, la relación entre ambos se vuelve demasiado azucarada, pero de manera muy diferente a la relación inicial. Es difícil de explicar sin desvelar pero hubo algo que me chirrió.
Por otro lado está la parte de suspense que te atrapa y que promete mucho en los próximos libros.
En cuanto a los personajes, como he comentado con anterioridad, Daphne en ocasiones me ha resultado pesada, pero bueno al menos no ha sido la típica personaje tonta. En cuanto a Max… solo puedo decir tosco pero dulce. Me gustó mucho el personaje a pesar de ser un manipulador. 😆.
En resumen decir que ha sido una buena lectura que me ha hecho disfrutar y engancharme, a pesar de mi atareada semana.
Voy a por el segundo.
En esta historia podemos destacar dos tramas, pues creo que por la importancia de ambas ninguna podría ser subtrama.
Una esta basada en la parte romántica, que fue la que más me gustó hasta el 50% del libro. Me encantó ese tira y afloja entre ambos, aunque a veces Daphne me pareciese un poco insufrible. Es cierto que una vez pasado el epicentro, la relación entre ambos se vuelve demasiado azucarada, pero de manera muy diferente a la relación inicial. Es difícil de explicar sin desvelar pero hubo algo que me chirrió.
Por otro lado está la parte de suspense que te atrapa y que promete mucho en los próximos libros.
En cuanto a los personajes, como he comentado con anterioridad, Daphne en ocasiones me ha resultado pesada, pero bueno al menos no ha sido la típica personaje tonta. En cuanto a Max… solo puedo decir tosco pero dulce. Me gustó mucho el personaje a pesar de ser un manipulador. 😆.
En resumen decir que ha sido una buena lectura que me ha hecho disfrutar y engancharme, a pesar de mi atareada semana.
Voy a por el segundo.
February 11, 2017
Me gusta mucho cómo empieza y la química que tienen los protagonistas, pero no tanto el desarrollo de su historia. Aún así es un libro bastante recomendable.
November 14, 2022
Dame romance y una buena trama de misterio y ya me tienes enganchada. Pues eso me ha pasado con esta estupenda historia.
La acción se sitúa en Londres, tras la victoria de Wellington sobre Napoleón. Nos movemos entre las típicas fiestas de la temporada social y los entresijos de una Orden secreta que busca erradicar el mal que intentan sembrar los Prometeos, una organización criminal extendida por el mundo.
La trama entremezcla la historia de amor de los protagonistas con la de misterio, mucho más amplia, ya que ocupa no solo este libro sino, al parecer, el resto de la serie, por lo que no queda resuelta en este primer volumen. Todo en torno al tema del Club del Inferno y su lucha contra los prometeos está muy bien trabado, enganchando al lector desde el primer momento. La autora va desvelando, poco a poco, detalles de la organización, al mismo tiempo que va enredando más y más la trama. Esta base de misterio sirve de soporte para el desarrollo de la historia de amor de los protagonistas.
Los personajes me han parecido estupendos y muy convincentes. Tenemos en primer lugar a Max, lord Rotherstone, el marqués Perverso. Reconozco que es de esos protagonistas que me encandilan: con un fuerte atractivo, seguro de sí mismo, decidido, burlón, un tanto canalla, con un corazón bueno y que nunca ha conocido el amor.
Tras varios años de ausencia de Inglaterra, luchando en secreto contra las fuerzas de Napoleón dirigidas por los prometeos, vuelve a Londres dispuesto a sentar cabeza y formar una familia, para lo cual, sin duda, necesita una esposa. Y la busca como lo hace todo, recabando información, espiando y... mintiendo. Hay un cierto instantlove, que no queda demasiado forzado, ya que parece encajar con la personalidad de los dos protagonistas y con las circunstancias. Max escoge a Daphne y la persigue hasta conseguir que le dé el "sí", aunque esto le saldrá caro, porque la mujer que ha escogido no soporta un amor a medias. Sin embargo, para darse a ella por completo, Max tendría que revelar todo lo que oculta en su interior, secretos demasiado importantes y que no le pertenecen solo a él.
Daphne es una dama con bastante personalidad y carácter, no es ninguna florecilla inglesa, justo lo que Max necesita. A pesar de que se siente atraída por el marqués, no desea renunciar a casarse por amor y tampoco está dispuesta a perder el control de su vida y de sus decisiones. Esto convierte los diferentes encuentros entre los protagonistas en un tira y afloja en el que, la mayoría de las veces, gana la pasión desbordante que arde entre ellos. A pesar de lo cual, ninguno se apea del burro, y ambos desean tener la última palabra.
Son una pareja muy bonita, cuyo amor va profundizándose a medida que se van conociendo el uno al otro más y más, hasta que caigan todas las barreras entre ellos. Para esto, será necesario que la parte de misterio y suspense llegue a un momento cumbre.
Como he dicho, esta parte queda sin resolver por completo. Lo irá haciendo, suponemos, en los siguientes libros, en los que, además, conoceremos las historias de los diversos secundarios que aparecen, los amigos de Max, de los que quieres saber más sí o sí. 😍
El estilo de la autora me parece impecable. Sabe mantenerte pegada a las páginas, tensando la cuerda lo necesario antes de aflojarla para dejarte respirar. Las estupendas descripciones del ambiente hace que te sumerjas por completo en la época.
Una historia que recomiendo y una serie que, sin duda, continuaré leyendo, lo mismo que a la autora.❤️
La acción se sitúa en Londres, tras la victoria de Wellington sobre Napoleón. Nos movemos entre las típicas fiestas de la temporada social y los entresijos de una Orden secreta que busca erradicar el mal que intentan sembrar los Prometeos, una organización criminal extendida por el mundo.
La trama entremezcla la historia de amor de los protagonistas con la de misterio, mucho más amplia, ya que ocupa no solo este libro sino, al parecer, el resto de la serie, por lo que no queda resuelta en este primer volumen. Todo en torno al tema del Club del Inferno y su lucha contra los prometeos está muy bien trabado, enganchando al lector desde el primer momento. La autora va desvelando, poco a poco, detalles de la organización, al mismo tiempo que va enredando más y más la trama. Esta base de misterio sirve de soporte para el desarrollo de la historia de amor de los protagonistas.
Los personajes me han parecido estupendos y muy convincentes. Tenemos en primer lugar a Max, lord Rotherstone, el marqués Perverso. Reconozco que es de esos protagonistas que me encandilan: con un fuerte atractivo, seguro de sí mismo, decidido, burlón, un tanto canalla, con un corazón bueno y que nunca ha conocido el amor.
Tras varios años de ausencia de Inglaterra, luchando en secreto contra las fuerzas de Napoleón dirigidas por los prometeos, vuelve a Londres dispuesto a sentar cabeza y formar una familia, para lo cual, sin duda, necesita una esposa. Y la busca como lo hace todo, recabando información, espiando y... mintiendo. Hay un cierto instantlove, que no queda demasiado forzado, ya que parece encajar con la personalidad de los dos protagonistas y con las circunstancias. Max escoge a Daphne y la persigue hasta conseguir que le dé el "sí", aunque esto le saldrá caro, porque la mujer que ha escogido no soporta un amor a medias. Sin embargo, para darse a ella por completo, Max tendría que revelar todo lo que oculta en su interior, secretos demasiado importantes y que no le pertenecen solo a él.
Daphne es una dama con bastante personalidad y carácter, no es ninguna florecilla inglesa, justo lo que Max necesita. A pesar de que se siente atraída por el marqués, no desea renunciar a casarse por amor y tampoco está dispuesta a perder el control de su vida y de sus decisiones. Esto convierte los diferentes encuentros entre los protagonistas en un tira y afloja en el que, la mayoría de las veces, gana la pasión desbordante que arde entre ellos. A pesar de lo cual, ninguno se apea del burro, y ambos desean tener la última palabra.
Son una pareja muy bonita, cuyo amor va profundizándose a medida que se van conociendo el uno al otro más y más, hasta que caigan todas las barreras entre ellos. Para esto, será necesario que la parte de misterio y suspense llegue a un momento cumbre.
Como he dicho, esta parte queda sin resolver por completo. Lo irá haciendo, suponemos, en los siguientes libros, en los que, además, conoceremos las historias de los diversos secundarios que aparecen, los amigos de Max, de los que quieres saber más sí o sí. 😍
El estilo de la autora me parece impecable. Sabe mantenerte pegada a las páginas, tensando la cuerda lo necesario antes de aflojarla para dejarte respirar. Las estupendas descripciones del ambiente hace que te sumerjas por completo en la época.
Una historia que recomiendo y una serie que, sin duda, continuaré leyendo, lo mismo que a la autora.❤️
July 7, 2009
There were some spots I loved and some spots I disliked, and too many spots that were just mediocre in this uneven beginning to this series.
Max, Lord Rotherstone, has just returned from his successful mission during Waterloo, and he is dead-set on doing his duty by his title and making his family name more respectable. To do this, he asks his lawyer to draw up a list of potential brides who are beyond reproach. The fifth name on the list, Daphne Starling, intrigues him because she has just rejected a proposal from Max's boyhood nemesis, and so Max begins his investigation. What he finds is that Daphne is kind, generous, and stunningly beautiful, and his search for a bride goes no further.
Daphne is bemused when the Demon Marquess flirts with her and steps in several times to protect her. She finds him attractive and mysterious, but his reputation precedes him. He's a member of the infamous Inferno Club, he traveled the whole world during war for nothing more than a whim, and she herself saw him leaving a brothel. Nonetheless, she can't stay away, and though she is furious when she finds out that her father has accepted Max's proposal on her behalf after only a few meetings, she can't say no to his charm. Until she begins to realize that there is something that Max is keeping from her and she can never really know him or trust him until he opens himself to her.
Daphne skirts the edge of begin TSTL: visiting bad parts of London to help orphans, running away from home, visiting an infamous man's house without a chaperone, but I couldn't really dislike her. She jumps to conclusions like it's a pasttime and is very naive and managing. It's clear, though, that all she really wants is Max's whole heart, and when he won't give it to her, she goes to great lengths to dissuade him from his goal.
I didn't even dislike Max. He was a good hero, if a little too autocratic at times and definitely deceitful, but he was trained to be that way from a very young age. He held a lot of bitterness and hurt, and wanted more than anything for Daphne to love him.
The main problem I had with this story was it seemed very choppy, and like too many stories blended into one. It had the do-gooding protector of orphans like London's Perfect Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch, the rakish-but-hurt and somewhat overly-dramatic hero like Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, and a spy storyline very like the Liars' Club series by Celeste Bradley. Had I not read any of these books previously, I'm sure I would have enjoyed this one much better. In fact, had I never read a Gaelen Foley novel before, I probably would have enjoyed this one better as well, because compared to the Knights Miscellany series, this one falls far short. Although I will probably read the rest of the series. :D C+
Max, Lord Rotherstone, has just returned from his successful mission during Waterloo, and he is dead-set on doing his duty by his title and making his family name more respectable. To do this, he asks his lawyer to draw up a list of potential brides who are beyond reproach. The fifth name on the list, Daphne Starling, intrigues him because she has just rejected a proposal from Max's boyhood nemesis, and so Max begins his investigation. What he finds is that Daphne is kind, generous, and stunningly beautiful, and his search for a bride goes no further.
Daphne is bemused when the Demon Marquess flirts with her and steps in several times to protect her. She finds him attractive and mysterious, but his reputation precedes him. He's a member of the infamous Inferno Club, he traveled the whole world during war for nothing more than a whim, and she herself saw him leaving a brothel. Nonetheless, she can't stay away, and though she is furious when she finds out that her father has accepted Max's proposal on her behalf after only a few meetings, she can't say no to his charm. Until she begins to realize that there is something that Max is keeping from her and she can never really know him or trust him until he opens himself to her.
Daphne skirts the edge of begin TSTL: visiting bad parts of London to help orphans, running away from home, visiting an infamous man's house without a chaperone, but I couldn't really dislike her. She jumps to conclusions like it's a pasttime and is very naive and managing. It's clear, though, that all she really wants is Max's whole heart, and when he won't give it to her, she goes to great lengths to dissuade him from his goal.
I didn't even dislike Max. He was a good hero, if a little too autocratic at times and definitely deceitful, but he was trained to be that way from a very young age. He held a lot of bitterness and hurt, and wanted more than anything for Daphne to love him.
The main problem I had with this story was it seemed very choppy, and like too many stories blended into one. It had the do-gooding protector of orphans like London's Perfect Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch, the rakish-but-hurt and somewhat overly-dramatic hero like Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, and a spy storyline very like the Liars' Club series by Celeste Bradley. Had I not read any of these books previously, I'm sure I would have enjoyed this one much better. In fact, had I never read a Gaelen Foley novel before, I probably would have enjoyed this one better as well, because compared to the Knights Miscellany series, this one falls far short. Although I will probably read the rest of the series. :D C+
August 21, 2021
La reseña en el blog https://alacamaconunlibro.blogspot.co...
July 7, 2009
Started out great, and initially I really liked Max and Daphne. They had great chemistry in the beginning. But then the story itself didn't really go anywhere - it was mostly laying out the good vs. evil background story that will follow into other books. It was interesting, but still not much happens. And then Daphne started to become annoying, but not TSTL (thankfully!). And it had a long, drawn out ending just to set up the next book. In summary: I loved the opening, started to get bored about halfway, and struggled to finish the last 50 or so pages.
This book is clearly the start of a series as there are lots of unresolved loose ends that no doubt will get wrapped up in future books. I will likely continue with at least one more book in this series, but I don't expect this series to be as good as the Knight series. But maybe the next book will prove me wrong.
This book is clearly the start of a series as there are lots of unresolved loose ends that no doubt will get wrapped up in future books. I will likely continue with at least one more book in this series, but I don't expect this series to be as good as the Knight series. But maybe the next book will prove me wrong.
December 6, 2012
This book was being given away by my local library, and I picked it up despite the godawful cover because, as a mortal human female, I am constitutionally incapable of passing by any novel with "Marquess," "Duke," or "Earl" in the title. Besides, I thought, how bad can it be?
Mmm. Yes. About that. My Wicked Marquess REALLY IS THAT BAD. To take one of many demonstrative instances from the opening pages: our heroine Daphne, we are informed, takes a special interest in the plight of orphans, because she is one herself. Except that she lives with her father, who appears to be quite alive. Two options, clearly: 1. The author didn't bother to check the definition of "orphan"; 2. Daphne, unable to cope with the death of her parent, keeps his corpse in the house and interacts with it as if it is alive.
Sadly, it is not option number 2.
I sometimes feel that it's unfair to pick on bad romance novels, but then I remember that there are brilliant authors working in the field who deserve better than to have their reputations yoked with the likes of Gaelen Foley, and any compunction leaves me. Gaelen! Do better!
Mmm. Yes. About that. My Wicked Marquess REALLY IS THAT BAD. To take one of many demonstrative instances from the opening pages: our heroine Daphne, we are informed, takes a special interest in the plight of orphans, because she is one herself. Except that she lives with her father, who appears to be quite alive. Two options, clearly: 1. The author didn't bother to check the definition of "orphan"; 2. Daphne, unable to cope with the death of her parent, keeps his corpse in the house and interacts with it as if it is alive.
Sadly, it is not option number 2.
I sometimes feel that it's unfair to pick on bad romance novels, but then I remember that there are brilliant authors working in the field who deserve better than to have their reputations yoked with the likes of Gaelen Foley, and any compunction leaves me. Gaelen! Do better!
December 21, 2017
Sanırım ilk defa bir Tarihi Aşk romanında erkek karakterden çok kadın karaktere hayran kaldım.
Daphne sen nasıl bir Kralsın yahu!
Ana kurgu aşırı sağlam, romantizm dozunda, karakterler muazzam.
Özellikle kadın karakterin hikayenin başından sonuna kadar gelişimi beni mest etti bee!
Kendi düşüncelerini sonuna kadar kabul ettirebilen, gerektiğinde hayatı için çirkeflik yapıp kurguya yön veren bir karakterimiz var ve erkek karakterimizin bütün hatalarını yüzüne yüzüne vurup adamı yontması kitap boyunca okuması en zevkli şeylerden biriydi.
Alışmışım erkek görünce uslu hanımefendi tribine giren Tarihi aşk kızlarına, Daphne'yi okuyunca şaşırdım, sevdim, bir miktarda hayran kaldım.
Hellllaaalll olsun be
Daphne sen nasıl bir Kralsın yahu!
Ana kurgu aşırı sağlam, romantizm dozunda, karakterler muazzam.
Özellikle kadın karakterin hikayenin başından sonuna kadar gelişimi beni mest etti bee!
Kendi düşüncelerini sonuna kadar kabul ettirebilen, gerektiğinde hayatı için çirkeflik yapıp kurguya yön veren bir karakterimiz var ve erkek karakterimizin bütün hatalarını yüzüne yüzüne vurup adamı yontması kitap boyunca okuması en zevkli şeylerden biriydi.
Alışmışım erkek görünce uslu hanımefendi tribine giren Tarihi aşk kızlarına, Daphne'yi okuyunca şaşırdım, sevdim, bir miktarda hayran kaldım.
Hellllaaalll olsun be
May 22, 2021
Un 3.5 en realidad. El romance entre Daphne y Max empezó genial, pero me hubiesen gustado que se conocieran un poco más antes de sentir ese amor tan profundo. La trama de La Orden me tiene completamente enganchada y con muchas ganas de más. Me lo he pasado muy bien leyendo, tanto que me duró 2 días.
April 13, 2023
I really REALLY want to give this five stars because it was a really enjoyable fun read and well written. Loved the set up and loved the Inferno Club members. The love story in this was really sweet and nicely done, had a lot of passion which I wasn't expecting and is why I loved it all the more. I just had some problems with the heroine in this.
This is the first book in the Inferno Club series. The Marquess of Rotherstone, Max is a leading member of the Inferno Club. He's decided it's time to settle down and get married in order to restore his family's good name. On his hunt for a wife he discovers Daphne Starling, the social butterfly who in Society's eyes has a open forgiving heart and befriends newcomers who are new to Society.
I loved Max. Really loved him! His charm and rakish looks, and sense of humor with a sweet tender heart that nobody knows about was really enthralling. He was just delicious all over. He has a tough cold-wall exterior but inside he fears he will never be loved and is very lonely and just wants someone to love him. You can see how much he struggled to keep his dual identities separate and just wanted somebody to truly love him. So I was rooting for him from the very beginning. Daphne on the other hand was up and down for me. I really liked her in the beginning. Yes she was a sweet girl with a big heart who was dedicated to helping out an orphanage (it's always the heroines who help out orphanages who are the most holier-than-thou for some reason--why is that?) and friendly to new people but it went downhill for me with how she handled and reacted to Max's steadfast pursuing of her. She morphed into a psycho-bitch after that. I understood her reservations to not wanting to get married unless it was for love. Who doesn't want that? But her persistence in pushing him away, accusing him of wanting to 'control her' and running off to get away from him because she was angry got to be real tiring and a little immature. Plus, plot-wise it dragged the story out and made things go along incredibly slow. I'm not a big fan of plots where the hero has to chase and beg and scheme his way to win the lady's hand in marriage. When the woman is at that point of sneering and yelling in the man's face to get away from her it just makes me cringe. Naturally Max could have handled the whole marriage proposal a lot better but I still understood where he was coming from and it broke my heart how desperate he was to make her happy.
So of course they FINALLY talk it out (after a ridiculous mess of miscommunication and misunderstanding) and get married. I can't say I hated Daphne considering how much she loved Max and just wanted his love in return but those control and trust issues of hers kept flaring up. She kept second guessing Max's real intentions and worrying about giving up her 'control' to him when there was none of that. Max never once tried to control her and was an incredibly attentive adoring husband. I mean where can I get a husband like that? And this is the thing that I had trouble understanding. Yes given the time frame and the society at the time, woman didn't have has much freedom to do whatever they wanted. I totally get that and understand the heroine's fear of not having a choice. Daphne wanted control of her future but her constant fear and accusation of Max and her father wanting to control her I did not understand because it was non-existent. Her father pretty much let her do whatever she wanted and was very lenient on her, her stepmother pretty much ignored her except for her meddling moments. So I felt it was more of an excuse to point against Max when she started to notice he was hiding something from her.
My main problem and the moment that made me cringe was her reaction to finding out Max was keeping a secret. Good Lord. She really knows how to play the victim card. I really felt she was selfish with the way she kept going on and on about being betrayed, how deceitful her husband was, how wronged she was and how she was going to teach HIM a lesson. She never once thought the reasons why Max didn't tell her or thought of confronting him (only for a second but justified not doing it because once again he would 'control her', oh brother give it a damn rest lady!). Trust in a marriage is very important but she acted like he killed her best friend. She goes into a complete rage and runs off once AGAIN instead of a confronting him like any normal person would do. I thought it was melodramatic and just taking it too far. For someone who supposedly had a very forgiving big sympathetic heart, I didn't see any of those shining qualities come out. I thought she was really hard on Max and loved to set rules and ultimatums. Her attitude and how she handled it turned me off completely. Plus another thing that bothered me was the whole time after she found out the truth she was smug and excited about seeing his face to prove she won one over him. Whaaat? I mean really?? She seemed to enjoy getting back at him and not even once did she show signs of guilt or actual heartbreak over finding out her husband lied to her, it seemed more of a contest to her. I found it irritating and unsettling. It just left a bad taste in my mouth how she acted about the whole thing.
Aside from that I would have given this a 5 star. Gaelen Foley really knows how to write a yummy HR with some adventure thrown into the mix. I forgot how steamy her love scenes are. Wooh! Talk about passionate and intense. The romance side of this was 5 stars but for characters I give it a 4.
This is the first book in the Inferno Club series. The Marquess of Rotherstone, Max is a leading member of the Inferno Club. He's decided it's time to settle down and get married in order to restore his family's good name. On his hunt for a wife he discovers Daphne Starling, the social butterfly who in Society's eyes has a open forgiving heart and befriends newcomers who are new to Society.
I loved Max. Really loved him! His charm and rakish looks, and sense of humor with a sweet tender heart that nobody knows about was really enthralling. He was just delicious all over. He has a tough cold-wall exterior but inside he fears he will never be loved and is very lonely and just wants someone to love him. You can see how much he struggled to keep his dual identities separate and just wanted somebody to truly love him. So I was rooting for him from the very beginning. Daphne on the other hand was up and down for me. I really liked her in the beginning. Yes she was a sweet girl with a big heart who was dedicated to helping out an orphanage (it's always the heroines who help out orphanages who are the most holier-than-thou for some reason--why is that?) and friendly to new people but it went downhill for me with how she handled and reacted to Max's steadfast pursuing of her. She morphed into a psycho-bitch after that. I understood her reservations to not wanting to get married unless it was for love. Who doesn't want that? But her persistence in pushing him away, accusing him of wanting to 'control her' and running off to get away from him because she was angry got to be real tiring and a little immature. Plus, plot-wise it dragged the story out and made things go along incredibly slow. I'm not a big fan of plots where the hero has to chase and beg and scheme his way to win the lady's hand in marriage. When the woman is at that point of sneering and yelling in the man's face to get away from her it just makes me cringe. Naturally Max could have handled the whole marriage proposal a lot better but I still understood where he was coming from and it broke my heart how desperate he was to make her happy.
So of course they FINALLY talk it out (after a ridiculous mess of miscommunication and misunderstanding) and get married. I can't say I hated Daphne considering how much she loved Max and just wanted his love in return but those control and trust issues of hers kept flaring up. She kept second guessing Max's real intentions and worrying about giving up her 'control' to him when there was none of that. Max never once tried to control her and was an incredibly attentive adoring husband. I mean where can I get a husband like that? And this is the thing that I had trouble understanding. Yes given the time frame and the society at the time, woman didn't have has much freedom to do whatever they wanted. I totally get that and understand the heroine's fear of not having a choice. Daphne wanted control of her future but her constant fear and accusation of Max and her father wanting to control her I did not understand because it was non-existent. Her father pretty much let her do whatever she wanted and was very lenient on her, her stepmother pretty much ignored her except for her meddling moments. So I felt it was more of an excuse to point against Max when she started to notice he was hiding something from her.
My main problem and the moment that made me cringe was her reaction to finding out Max was keeping a secret. Good Lord. She really knows how to play the victim card. I really felt she was selfish with the way she kept going on and on about being betrayed, how deceitful her husband was, how wronged she was and how she was going to teach HIM a lesson. She never once thought the reasons why Max didn't tell her or thought of confronting him (only for a second but justified not doing it because once again he would 'control her', oh brother give it a damn rest lady!). Trust in a marriage is very important but she acted like he killed her best friend. She goes into a complete rage and runs off once AGAIN instead of a confronting him like any normal person would do. I thought it was melodramatic and just taking it too far. For someone who supposedly had a very forgiving big sympathetic heart, I didn't see any of those shining qualities come out. I thought she was really hard on Max and loved to set rules and ultimatums. Her attitude and how she handled it turned me off completely. Plus another thing that bothered me was the whole time after she found out the truth she was smug and excited about seeing his face to prove she won one over him. Whaaat? I mean really?? She seemed to enjoy getting back at him and not even once did she show signs of guilt or actual heartbreak over finding out her husband lied to her, it seemed more of a contest to her. I found it irritating and unsettling. It just left a bad taste in my mouth how she acted about the whole thing.
Aside from that I would have given this a 5 star. Gaelen Foley really knows how to write a yummy HR with some adventure thrown into the mix. I forgot how steamy her love scenes are. Wooh! Talk about passionate and intense. The romance side of this was 5 stars but for characters I give it a 4.
February 23, 2022
En realidad es un 4'5
Una atracción escandalosa los llevará a conocer la perfección en el amor.
Mi perverso marqués de Gaelen Foley es una novela preciosa con la que el lector disfrutará de una romántica historia de amor llena de pasión y con dos protagonistas intensos que sabrán mantener su interés sin ningún problema, así, un marqués con una pésima reputación aceptará el desafío de seducir a la dama más bella de la ciudad, impetuosa y arriesgada, la cual no tendrán ningún problema en conquistar su corazón, desnudar su alma y darle aquello de lo que el destino le privó.
Link de la reseña completa: http://florecilladecereza.blogspot.co...
Una atracción escandalosa los llevará a conocer la perfección en el amor.
Mi perverso marqués de Gaelen Foley es una novela preciosa con la que el lector disfrutará de una romántica historia de amor llena de pasión y con dos protagonistas intensos que sabrán mantener su interés sin ningún problema, así, un marqués con una pésima reputación aceptará el desafío de seducir a la dama más bella de la ciudad, impetuosa y arriesgada, la cual no tendrán ningún problema en conquistar su corazón, desnudar su alma y darle aquello de lo que el destino le privó.
Link de la reseña completa: http://florecilladecereza.blogspot.co...
October 12, 2017
leído en Dic 2010
Me encantó este libro.... y los personajes principales!!
Me encantó este libro.... y los personajes principales!!
August 6, 2024
Review from 2015
C- for narration / D for content.
My Wicked Marquess is the first book in Gaelen Foley’s Inferno Club series, and having enjoyed reading some of the later books, I was pleased to see this appear in audio format. Annette Chown is a new-to-me narrator (and from reading an interview with her posted on Ms Foley’s website, it seems she’s fairly new to the world of audiobook narration, too), but I like to give new narrators a chance – everyone has to start somewhere, after all!
Unfortunately, however, My Wicked Marquess is a bit of a mess. The pacing is very uneven, the heroine is annoying to the point of being TSTL and there is a lot of info-dumping going on, whether as back-story or setting up future books; and Ms Chown’s narration, while decent, isn’t sufficiently engaging as to be able to carry the listener through those portions of the story that are, shall we say, less than interesting.
The eponymous wicked marquess is Max, Lord Rotherstone who, together with his two closest friends, is a member of a top secret organisation – the Order of St. Michael – that has been dedicated to the protection of England’s shores since medieval times. The principal threat over the centuries has come fromSMERSH a group known as the Promethean Council, whose aims are supposedly to unite the world under one peaceful government, but in reality all they want is power. (Cue evil laugh.) The Prometheans were backing Napoleon, but now he has been defeated, Max wants nothing more than to settle down to a normal life, and asks his solicitor to draw up a list of potential brides. Number five on the list is Miss Daphne Starling, who catches his interest for no reason other than that she is currently under a bit of a cloud because of rumours that she rejected a marriage proposal from a boyhood rival.
Having been taken away from his family at a young age to fulfil an ages old vow, and trained to be a kind of 19th Century James Bond, spying is something that comes naturally to Max – and so he makes it his business to stalk check up on Daphne and see how she spends her time. His first sight of her is when she is visiting an orphanage in the East End and Doing Good Deeds – because, of course, historical heroines have to be kind and charitable, and what is more kind and charitable than helping the poor orphans?
(And incidentally – spot the deliberate mistake: “But she knew how it felt to be orphaned young. At least she still had a loving father…”)
Unfortunately, Daphne’s nice clothes and carriage attract the wrong sort of attention – and I had to ask myself why it was on this particular visit that the local ruffians noticed given she’s been there lots of times – meaning that Max has to do a spot of quick thinking to rescue her. But for anyone thinking this is their first meeting – think again. That doesn’t actually happen until TWO HOURS into the audiobook, when they meet again at a ball. And then Daphne gets all in a huff because he doesn’t make a move to see or speak to her for weeks after.
What she can’t know, of course, is that, being a proper gentleman, Max has approached her father to ask for her hand, as was the done thing at the time. But when he tells her that, she gets on her high horse and complains that he should have asked her first and turns him down in a snit. Max is nothing if not persistent, however, and continues to court Daphne and break down her resistance – because of course, he’s a handsome and charming chap – and just as it looks as though he’s finally won her over, he lets slip that he’s paid all her father’s debts. Cue more ranting and refusals from Daphne, who accuses him of trying to buy her and absolutely refuses to hear Max’s explanation that he had withheld that information AT HER FATHER’S REQUEST, because he didn’t want her to think badly of him. She has also worked out that Max is Keeping Secrets and Not Telling Her All; and here, I will admit that she had the right of it. Although his work with the Order of St. Michael is ostensibly over, one of Max’s colleagues, who has been presumed dead, has been seen alive and in the company of members of the Promethean Council (which is the set up for book four, by the way) and Max and his friends have to find out what is going on. Max has such strong feelings about his work for the Order, and is still harbouring huge resentment at the fact that he was ripped from his family at such a young age, that he doesn’t want Daphne anywhere near it – but with her personality type, there was never any way he was going to get away with that!
Eventually, Max is in a position where he is able to tell Daphne the truth of his past and then – The End.
Wait – what? Yep. Having stumbled across a sooper-sekrit-spy-message from Max’s boss, Daphne gets all self-righteous and angry that Max lied to her, and runs off in yet another fit of temper. He catches up with her, takes her to his London HQ and finally tells her everything. And that’s it. The rest of the book is the set up for book two, and the entire romance basically boils down to Daphne accusing Max of wanting to control her (he didn’t), being a liar (which he was by omission, but he was trying to protect her), yelling at him and running away from him when he didn’t do what she wanted; and him being reasonable and trying to look out for her. Honestly, the man was a saint and I have no idea what he saw in her, which never bodes well for a romance.
When the storyline of a book is so poorly paced and the heroine so unsympathetic, it would be a difficult job for the most experienced narrator to turn it into a decent listen. Ms Chown does a fair enough job in terms of her performance, but unfortunately, her voice, while generally pleasant, lacks colour and nuance, so that the longer narrative passages of exposition and back story – which are quite long, even in print – seem to drag on interminably, and I have to admit that I lost the thread on several occasions. She differentiates well between all the different characters, and employs a number of regional British accents to good effect; and the bright tone she uses in her portrayal of Daphne works well. She does a reasonable job with Max and manages to make him sound vaguely masculine, but there were a few times in scenes between them when I couldn’t always work out who was speaking. This comes down to personal preference, but when listening to a female narrator, I like one whose natural pitch is in the mezzo/contralto range (like Rosalyn Landor, Kate Reading or Heather Wilds) all of whom are able to perform male characters easily and without sounding strained. Ms Chown is more of a soprano, and thus her male voices are disappointing, and I will never understand why, in a genre that is full to the brim with powerful alpha males, narrators with very obviously feminine voices are so often used. Ms Chown differentiates well between Max and his friends, but sometimes, they sound like they’re all on the hockey team at the local girls’ school. The biggest problem with the male voices comes with the villains, none of whom sounds at all menacing, and whom I envisaged twirling their moustaches and swishing their cloaks before mincing off into the distance with an evil MUAHAHAHAH!!
I also noticed a number of mispronunciations, usually of words of French origin – for instance, debacle is pronounced “deborkle”, hauteur comes out as “haut-ewer” and the grand armée is called the “grahnd army” – to name but a few.
As is obvious, I can’t recommend My Wicked Marquess. Annette Chown has potential, but would perhaps be better suited to women’s fiction or young adult books, and the story, as I’ve said before, is a mess.
C- for narration / D for content.
My Wicked Marquess is the first book in Gaelen Foley’s Inferno Club series, and having enjoyed reading some of the later books, I was pleased to see this appear in audio format. Annette Chown is a new-to-me narrator (and from reading an interview with her posted on Ms Foley’s website, it seems she’s fairly new to the world of audiobook narration, too), but I like to give new narrators a chance – everyone has to start somewhere, after all!
Unfortunately, however, My Wicked Marquess is a bit of a mess. The pacing is very uneven, the heroine is annoying to the point of being TSTL and there is a lot of info-dumping going on, whether as back-story or setting up future books; and Ms Chown’s narration, while decent, isn’t sufficiently engaging as to be able to carry the listener through those portions of the story that are, shall we say, less than interesting.
The eponymous wicked marquess is Max, Lord Rotherstone who, together with his two closest friends, is a member of a top secret organisation – the Order of St. Michael – that has been dedicated to the protection of England’s shores since medieval times. The principal threat over the centuries has come from
Having been taken away from his family at a young age to fulfil an ages old vow, and trained to be a kind of 19th Century James Bond, spying is something that comes naturally to Max – and so he makes it his business to stalk check up on Daphne and see how she spends her time. His first sight of her is when she is visiting an orphanage in the East End and Doing Good Deeds – because, of course, historical heroines have to be kind and charitable, and what is more kind and charitable than helping the poor orphans?
(And incidentally – spot the deliberate mistake: “But she knew how it felt to be orphaned young. At least she still had a loving father…”)
Unfortunately, Daphne’s nice clothes and carriage attract the wrong sort of attention – and I had to ask myself why it was on this particular visit that the local ruffians noticed given she’s been there lots of times – meaning that Max has to do a spot of quick thinking to rescue her. But for anyone thinking this is their first meeting – think again. That doesn’t actually happen until TWO HOURS into the audiobook, when they meet again at a ball. And then Daphne gets all in a huff because he doesn’t make a move to see or speak to her for weeks after.
What she can’t know, of course, is that, being a proper gentleman, Max has approached her father to ask for her hand, as was the done thing at the time. But when he tells her that, she gets on her high horse and complains that he should have asked her first and turns him down in a snit. Max is nothing if not persistent, however, and continues to court Daphne and break down her resistance – because of course, he’s a handsome and charming chap – and just as it looks as though he’s finally won her over, he lets slip that he’s paid all her father’s debts. Cue more ranting and refusals from Daphne, who accuses him of trying to buy her and absolutely refuses to hear Max’s explanation that he had withheld that information AT HER FATHER’S REQUEST, because he didn’t want her to think badly of him. She has also worked out that Max is Keeping Secrets and Not Telling Her All; and here, I will admit that she had the right of it. Although his work with the Order of St. Michael is ostensibly over, one of Max’s colleagues, who has been presumed dead, has been seen alive and in the company of members of the Promethean Council (which is the set up for book four, by the way) and Max and his friends have to find out what is going on. Max has such strong feelings about his work for the Order, and is still harbouring huge resentment at the fact that he was ripped from his family at such a young age, that he doesn’t want Daphne anywhere near it – but with her personality type, there was never any way he was going to get away with that!
Eventually, Max is in a position where he is able to tell Daphne the truth of his past and then – The End.
Wait – what? Yep. Having stumbled across a sooper-sekrit-spy-message from Max’s boss, Daphne gets all self-righteous and angry that Max lied to her, and runs off in yet another fit of temper. He catches up with her, takes her to his London HQ and finally tells her everything. And that’s it. The rest of the book is the set up for book two, and the entire romance basically boils down to Daphne accusing Max of wanting to control her (he didn’t), being a liar (which he was by omission, but he was trying to protect her), yelling at him and running away from him when he didn’t do what she wanted; and him being reasonable and trying to look out for her. Honestly, the man was a saint and I have no idea what he saw in her, which never bodes well for a romance.
When the storyline of a book is so poorly paced and the heroine so unsympathetic, it would be a difficult job for the most experienced narrator to turn it into a decent listen. Ms Chown does a fair enough job in terms of her performance, but unfortunately, her voice, while generally pleasant, lacks colour and nuance, so that the longer narrative passages of exposition and back story – which are quite long, even in print – seem to drag on interminably, and I have to admit that I lost the thread on several occasions. She differentiates well between all the different characters, and employs a number of regional British accents to good effect; and the bright tone she uses in her portrayal of Daphne works well. She does a reasonable job with Max and manages to make him sound vaguely masculine, but there were a few times in scenes between them when I couldn’t always work out who was speaking. This comes down to personal preference, but when listening to a female narrator, I like one whose natural pitch is in the mezzo/contralto range (like Rosalyn Landor, Kate Reading or Heather Wilds) all of whom are able to perform male characters easily and without sounding strained. Ms Chown is more of a soprano, and thus her male voices are disappointing, and I will never understand why, in a genre that is full to the brim with powerful alpha males, narrators with very obviously feminine voices are so often used. Ms Chown differentiates well between Max and his friends, but sometimes, they sound like they’re all on the hockey team at the local girls’ school. The biggest problem with the male voices comes with the villains, none of whom sounds at all menacing, and whom I envisaged twirling their moustaches and swishing their cloaks before mincing off into the distance with an evil MUAHAHAHAH!!
I also noticed a number of mispronunciations, usually of words of French origin – for instance, debacle is pronounced “deborkle”, hauteur comes out as “haut-ewer” and the grand armée is called the “grahnd army” – to name but a few.
As is obvious, I can’t recommend My Wicked Marquess. Annette Chown has potential, but would perhaps be better suited to women’s fiction or young adult books, and the story, as I’ve said before, is a mess.
December 31, 2022
3.5 Stars
Highlights...
- My first Gaelen Foley, and I am glad to say that I liked this book, considering she came highly recommended.
- Let's go from bad to good. This book suffered from something I like to call "over-plotting". Max and Daphne had a lot of shit going on in their lives. He had work trouble, and she had family issues.
- Daphne was a bit of a paradox. She started well and then turned into an entitled idiot.
- Say what you will, but I liked Max. He was sweet and sexy. Plus, who doesn't like a super spy hero?
- The romance was utterly adorable from Max's side, but from Daphne's not so much.
- Less steamy.
- It ended on a cliffhanger viz the sub-plot, so it looks like I shall be reading the following books in the series.
- I liked the Inferno Club characters.
- The writing was engaging and gritty.
Highlights...
- My first Gaelen Foley, and I am glad to say that I liked this book, considering she came highly recommended.
- Let's go from bad to good. This book suffered from something I like to call "over-plotting". Max and Daphne had a lot of shit going on in their lives. He had work trouble, and she had family issues.
- Daphne was a bit of a paradox. She started well and then turned into an entitled idiot.
- Say what you will, but I liked Max. He was sweet and sexy. Plus, who doesn't like a super spy hero?
- The romance was utterly adorable from Max's side, but from Daphne's not so much.
- Less steamy.
- It ended on a cliffhanger viz the sub-plot, so it looks like I shall be reading the following books in the series.
- I liked the Inferno Club characters.
- The writing was engaging and gritty.
December 14, 2017
Bu kadar çok seveceğimi bilseydim sanırım elime aldığım o ilk anda yarım bırakıp köşeye kaldırmazdım. Başlangıç için durağan olduysa da ilk yüz sayfa sonrasında kitap hareket kazanarak soluksuz ilerlemeye başladı. Bol aksiyonlu, eksik olmayan gizemi, bitmeyen sırlarıyla merak unsuru hep arttı.
Kitap Waterloo Savaşından sonrasını anlatıyor. Yıl 1815. Tarihi aşk romanlarında genele sıkça rastlanan soylu beyfendilerin bir kulübe üyeliği bu kitapta da var. Cehennem Kulübü dışarıdan bir gözle ahlaksızlar kulübü olarak görülüp bilinse de durum tam olarak öyle değil. Yaptıkları asıl işi gizlemek adına dahil oldukları paravan bir kulüp... Ve bu kulübün üyelerinin bir özelliği de, babadan oğula geçen üyeliği olması. Cehennem Kulübü üyesi Rotherstone Markisi Max'de küçük yaşta kulübe verilmesinden dolayı babasını affedemiyor, sanıyor ki babası onu kumar borcu için kulübe sattı. Max savaş bitimi, yirmi yıllık hizmetinden sonra evlenmeye karar veriyor. Amacı aile kurup adını devam ettirmek. Bunun için avukatından kendisine gelin adaylarının olduğu bir liste hazırlamasını ister. Kulağa oldukça heyecan verici geldi, öyle değil mi?
Daphne Starling üvey annesinin evlenmesi için planlar kuran genç ve güzel leydimiz. Çocuk yaşta kaybettiği annesinin ardından kendi kararlarını kendi almış bir kadın, hal böyle olunca üçüncü kişilerin evlenmesi için olaya dahil olmasını hazmedemiyor. Yardım sever, altın kalpli olmasının yanı sıra babasının maddi durumunun kötü olması onu yapmayı istediklerinden alıkoyuyor.
Markinin onu izlediği bir gün, Daphne’nin çocukları ziyaret ettiği yetimhanenin olduğu, Londra’nın en tekinsiz sokağında ikili karşılaşırlar. Max zor durumdaki Daphne’yi kurtarmak için sarhoş taklidi yaparak tehlikeyi üzerine çeker. Yaşadıkları bu olaydan sonra güzelliği ve ışıltısına kapıldığı Daphne aklından çıkmaz ve onunla evlenmeye karar verir. Max gizli sırlarını, devlete olan görevini Daphne’den saklarken kaybettiği arkadaşını hiç beklemediği bir anda görür. Sonrasıysa dillere düşecek bir macera...
Kurgu olarak beğendiğim bir kitap oldu Şeytan Diyor Ki. Her bir karakteri sevdim. Max baş döndürücü bir adamdı ama Warrington Dükü Rohan Kilburn aklımı çelip kalbimi çalmayı başardı ama yine de kayıp üye Driven Westwood, yani Drake en merak ettiğim karakter oldu. Onun hikâyesini daha bir merak ediyorum ve en çok onu okumayı istiyordum. Umarım en yakın zamanda da okumak kısmet olur.
Dolu dolu bir kitap okudum. Aşkın bol olduğu, entrikanın eksilmediği, bitmeyen savaşı, cesur casusluk hikayesiyle harmanlanmış eşsiz bir serüven, kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
Inferno Club / Cehennem Kulübü
1. My Wicked Marquess (2009) / Şeytan Diyor ki
2. My Dangerous Duke (2010) / Davetsiz Misafir
3. My Irresistible Earl (2011) / Küllerinden Doğan
4. My Ruthless Prince (2011)
5. My Scandalous Viscount (2012)
6. My Notorious Gentleman (2013)
http://sonsayfasiask.blogspot.com.tr/...
Kitap Waterloo Savaşından sonrasını anlatıyor. Yıl 1815. Tarihi aşk romanlarında genele sıkça rastlanan soylu beyfendilerin bir kulübe üyeliği bu kitapta da var. Cehennem Kulübü dışarıdan bir gözle ahlaksızlar kulübü olarak görülüp bilinse de durum tam olarak öyle değil. Yaptıkları asıl işi gizlemek adına dahil oldukları paravan bir kulüp... Ve bu kulübün üyelerinin bir özelliği de, babadan oğula geçen üyeliği olması. Cehennem Kulübü üyesi Rotherstone Markisi Max'de küçük yaşta kulübe verilmesinden dolayı babasını affedemiyor, sanıyor ki babası onu kumar borcu için kulübe sattı. Max savaş bitimi, yirmi yıllık hizmetinden sonra evlenmeye karar veriyor. Amacı aile kurup adını devam ettirmek. Bunun için avukatından kendisine gelin adaylarının olduğu bir liste hazırlamasını ister. Kulağa oldukça heyecan verici geldi, öyle değil mi?
Daphne Starling üvey annesinin evlenmesi için planlar kuran genç ve güzel leydimiz. Çocuk yaşta kaybettiği annesinin ardından kendi kararlarını kendi almış bir kadın, hal böyle olunca üçüncü kişilerin evlenmesi için olaya dahil olmasını hazmedemiyor. Yardım sever, altın kalpli olmasının yanı sıra babasının maddi durumunun kötü olması onu yapmayı istediklerinden alıkoyuyor.
Markinin onu izlediği bir gün, Daphne’nin çocukları ziyaret ettiği yetimhanenin olduğu, Londra’nın en tekinsiz sokağında ikili karşılaşırlar. Max zor durumdaki Daphne’yi kurtarmak için sarhoş taklidi yaparak tehlikeyi üzerine çeker. Yaşadıkları bu olaydan sonra güzelliği ve ışıltısına kapıldığı Daphne aklından çıkmaz ve onunla evlenmeye karar verir. Max gizli sırlarını, devlete olan görevini Daphne’den saklarken kaybettiği arkadaşını hiç beklemediği bir anda görür. Sonrasıysa dillere düşecek bir macera...
Kurgu olarak beğendiğim bir kitap oldu Şeytan Diyor Ki. Her bir karakteri sevdim. Max baş döndürücü bir adamdı ama Warrington Dükü Rohan Kilburn aklımı çelip kalbimi çalmayı başardı ama yine de kayıp üye Driven Westwood, yani Drake en merak ettiğim karakter oldu. Onun hikâyesini daha bir merak ediyorum ve en çok onu okumayı istiyordum. Umarım en yakın zamanda da okumak kısmet olur.
Dolu dolu bir kitap okudum. Aşkın bol olduğu, entrikanın eksilmediği, bitmeyen savaşı, cesur casusluk hikayesiyle harmanlanmış eşsiz bir serüven, kesinlikle tavsiye ederim.
Inferno Club / Cehennem Kulübü
1. My Wicked Marquess (2009) / Şeytan Diyor ki
2. My Dangerous Duke (2010) / Davetsiz Misafir
3. My Irresistible Earl (2011) / Küllerinden Doğan
4. My Ruthless Prince (2011)
5. My Scandalous Viscount (2012)
6. My Notorious Gentleman (2013)
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January 27, 2016
Classic case of ok writing but no story to tell.
I didn't mind the writing at all. Foley has her way with words. I have read writers whose eloquence really amazes me. Foley isn't one of them but she is definitely not a bad writer.
But this book is a bit thin in the plots for me. Too much spy business with all the spy men (yeah that's what I call them. lol) I had trouble keeping all the male names straight. The good men, the bad men, it is raining men, man!
Then relationship development was hardly original. Max returned from his spy business, decided to get married and set his eyes on Daphne. They met, boom Max must wed Daphne or he would suffer from a fatal problem which is his inflated penis. I think Max wasn't the most high-handed regency hero I have read. He was pretty mild and courteous. I do not mind insta-lust because I think that is how lust works. And I also don't mind if the characters progress quickly as a couple, as long as the story supports that claim. I feel that in this story Max's pursuit came out of nowhere. He can pursue but there have to be other events that ligitimize the ardentness. I feel that this is lacking. He was just hot for Daphne every time they met. And I do not know why.
What I really don't get is Daphne. Woman refused to marry Max over and over again. In a way I could relate but it was just irritating when she kept saying that Max wouldn't open his heart and kept pushing for a proclamation of love. Are we in a romance novel or what!? Oh wait, we are. But I thought it a little silly of Daphne to want to hear "I love you" from Max so early on in the book. And if anyone asks me, I think "I love you" is overrated.
I also thought there was too much talking, not enough showing. Max and Daphne talked about things which I thought would be better for the story if those feelings were "shown" in events. Not by the characters saying oh I cannot stop thinking about you. I prefer such feelings to be "demonstrated" than "said". But that's just my thing.
I think it is an ok read. Not bad but also not very memorable. For a fluffy romance it is more than enough. For me it was exactly what Goodreads' 2 stars: it was ok.
I didn't mind the writing at all. Foley has her way with words. I have read writers whose eloquence really amazes me. Foley isn't one of them but she is definitely not a bad writer.
But this book is a bit thin in the plots for me. Too much spy business with all the spy men (yeah that's what I call them. lol) I had trouble keeping all the male names straight. The good men, the bad men, it is raining men, man!
Then relationship development was hardly original. Max returned from his spy business, decided to get married and set his eyes on Daphne. They met, boom Max must wed Daphne or he would suffer from a fatal problem which is his inflated penis. I think Max wasn't the most high-handed regency hero I have read. He was pretty mild and courteous. I do not mind insta-lust because I think that is how lust works. And I also don't mind if the characters progress quickly as a couple, as long as the story supports that claim. I feel that in this story Max's pursuit came out of nowhere. He can pursue but there have to be other events that ligitimize the ardentness. I feel that this is lacking. He was just hot for Daphne every time they met. And I do not know why.
What I really don't get is Daphne. Woman refused to marry Max over and over again. In a way I could relate but it was just irritating when she kept saying that Max wouldn't open his heart and kept pushing for a proclamation of love. Are we in a romance novel or what!? Oh wait, we are. But I thought it a little silly of Daphne to want to hear "I love you" from Max so early on in the book. And if anyone asks me, I think "I love you" is overrated.
I also thought there was too much talking, not enough showing. Max and Daphne talked about things which I thought would be better for the story if those feelings were "shown" in events. Not by the characters saying oh I cannot stop thinking about you. I prefer such feelings to be "demonstrated" than "said". But that's just my thing.
I think it is an ok read. Not bad but also not very memorable. For a fluffy romance it is more than enough. For me it was exactly what Goodreads' 2 stars: it was ok.
July 28, 2024
Hace mucho que leí este libro y tengo que decir que me ha gustado tanto como la primera vez. Gaelen Foley es una autora que aunque la historia no sea gran cosa, tiene una maestría que hace que te olvides de que la historia ha sido mil veces contada y la disfrutes como algo nuevo y original.
Max es un protagonista que me ha ido gustando más a medida que avanzaba la lectura. Es un seductor nato, un encantador de serpientes que sabe cómo persuadir a Daphne y llevarla a su terreno, a pesar de sus iniciales reticencias.
Daphne es a simple vista una joven perfecta para ser la esposa de un aristócrata, pero Max no espera encontrar una pareja tan a su medida.
La química de la pareja queda de manifiesto cada vez que están juntos, además que la autora sabe narrarlas con elegancia y sensualidad. Tengo que decir que la trama de espionaje solo la encuentro útil para explicar las siguientes historias y la presentación de los demás secundarios, es entretenida pero sin ser nada especial.
No es su mejor serie, para mi gusto Los Knight son una maravilla, pero esta serie también tiene su sello. Lástima que no esté traducida al completo, pero eso por desgracia pasa con otras autoras también.
Siempre es un placer leer a una autora como Gaelen Foley, que es una de las grandes para mí. Si te gusta la romántica, es una de las imprescindibles.
Max es un protagonista que me ha ido gustando más a medida que avanzaba la lectura. Es un seductor nato, un encantador de serpientes que sabe cómo persuadir a Daphne y llevarla a su terreno, a pesar de sus iniciales reticencias.
Daphne es a simple vista una joven perfecta para ser la esposa de un aristócrata, pero Max no espera encontrar una pareja tan a su medida.
La química de la pareja queda de manifiesto cada vez que están juntos, además que la autora sabe narrarlas con elegancia y sensualidad. Tengo que decir que la trama de espionaje solo la encuentro útil para explicar las siguientes historias y la presentación de los demás secundarios, es entretenida pero sin ser nada especial.
No es su mejor serie, para mi gusto Los Knight son una maravilla, pero esta serie también tiene su sello. Lástima que no esté traducida al completo, pero eso por desgracia pasa con otras autoras también.
Siempre es un placer leer a una autora como Gaelen Foley, que es una de las grandes para mí. Si te gusta la romántica, es una de las imprescindibles.
April 25, 2016
I was excited about this one because I could tell from the start the main characters weren’t the run of the mill characters. The hero and heroine were two socially conscious rebels in a time when the ton is preoccupied with material things and outward appearances. In fact, they seemed to be too perfect and selfless, but I knew Max and Daphne’s flaws would soon show.
Max St. Alban, the Marquess of Rotherstone, had returned to the ton after years as an agent for a governmental agency that doesn’t exist on paper. He needed to marry a woman with reputation above reproach to be his bride. He intended to rebuild his family’s reputation as well their coffers. Max’s list of possible brides included the slightly odd maiden Daphne Starling. What elevated Daphne to the top of his list was the fact that she turned down the proposal from Max’s rival. Further investigation into Daphne showed a humanitarian who is devoted to helping the orphans in the London area. That, among other factors gained through investigation leads Max to decide she is the one. The problem now is how to convince Daphne to accept his hand when she has no intention of ever marrying. Plus, when Max’s past life intrudes on the new life he has built for himself, how can he explain the lies and secrets he must perpetuate? Can Daphne accept who he was and is?
I looked forward to how Max was going to win Daphne’s heart and I was waiting for when Daphne would truly see Max and appreciate the man he is. They had a lot of miscommunication and Daphne just couldn’t see Max for more than the Demon Marquess so it made things drag a bit. The writing was okay, I wanted Daphne to be less wishy-washy and Max to be more upfront. It’s my first book by this author, so I don’t feel like I have gotten a good feel for her writing style. The narrator did a good job, but I still felt quite unresolved. Overall, this one was okay for a series beginner, I look forward to the next installment in the series.
**I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast.com.
Max St. Alban, the Marquess of Rotherstone, had returned to the ton after years as an agent for a governmental agency that doesn’t exist on paper. He needed to marry a woman with reputation above reproach to be his bride. He intended to rebuild his family’s reputation as well their coffers. Max’s list of possible brides included the slightly odd maiden Daphne Starling. What elevated Daphne to the top of his list was the fact that she turned down the proposal from Max’s rival. Further investigation into Daphne showed a humanitarian who is devoted to helping the orphans in the London area. That, among other factors gained through investigation leads Max to decide she is the one. The problem now is how to convince Daphne to accept his hand when she has no intention of ever marrying. Plus, when Max’s past life intrudes on the new life he has built for himself, how can he explain the lies and secrets he must perpetuate? Can Daphne accept who he was and is?
I looked forward to how Max was going to win Daphne’s heart and I was waiting for when Daphne would truly see Max and appreciate the man he is. They had a lot of miscommunication and Daphne just couldn’t see Max for more than the Demon Marquess so it made things drag a bit. The writing was okay, I wanted Daphne to be less wishy-washy and Max to be more upfront. It’s my first book by this author, so I don’t feel like I have gotten a good feel for her writing style. The narrator did a good job, but I still felt quite unresolved. Overall, this one was okay for a series beginner, I look forward to the next installment in the series.
**I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast.com.
January 8, 2017
2.5
While My Wicked Marquess has all the expected traits of a historical romance featuring a rogue and an almost perfect woman, this one has a couple of things added into the mix. They may make or break the reading experience for a reader. Personally, I found the origins and the mission of the Inferno Club interesting enough to continue with the series. Yes, there is that pesky requirement of suspending your disbelief, but everyone knows that.
I liked Rotherston. Now, he may annoy a particular group of readers who tend to forget what they are reading, but I liked him. He doesn't really know how to behave properly.
Next, his background story is sad and infuriating. After reading about it, I am still not sure how his side is the good one, but never mind that for now. His friends are an interesting lot too. One can see where the rest of the series is going and I don't mind that direction.
There is another, a bit darker story that will get its resolution in one of the future books (the fourth book in the series). I can't wait for that one.
I hated Daphne. She starts interestingly enough. She goes against the flow, she visits an orphanage in a dangerous part of the town, she doesn't feel the need to accept just about any creep who proposes and so on. Promising start, right? I wish.
Think of the most annoying thing a character could do when in danger or close to it anyway, and I bet you won't get even close to Daphne's behaviour. I won't get into any particular situation since it could be a spoiler. The thing is, for the rest of the book you only need your suspension of disbelief as far as the Inferno Club goes, and a bit of understanding when it comes to Rotherstone. In her case, I don't think anything could help. Or, I just couldn't get into her character.
Overall, I liked the rest of it enough to continue with the series. I just hope there won't be any more Daphnes.
While My Wicked Marquess has all the expected traits of a historical romance featuring a rogue and an almost perfect woman, this one has a couple of things added into the mix. They may make or break the reading experience for a reader. Personally, I found the origins and the mission of the Inferno Club interesting enough to continue with the series. Yes, there is that pesky requirement of suspending your disbelief, but everyone knows that.
I liked Rotherston. Now, he may annoy a particular group of readers who tend to forget what they are reading, but I liked him. He doesn't really know how to behave properly.
Next, his background story is sad and infuriating. After reading about it, I am still not sure how his side is the good one, but never mind that for now. His friends are an interesting lot too. One can see where the rest of the series is going and I don't mind that direction.
There is another, a bit darker story that will get its resolution in one of the future books (the fourth book in the series). I can't wait for that one.
I hated Daphne. She starts interestingly enough. She goes against the flow, she visits an orphanage in a dangerous part of the town, she doesn't feel the need to accept just about any creep who proposes and so on. Promising start, right? I wish.
Think of the most annoying thing a character could do when in danger or close to it anyway, and I bet you won't get even close to Daphne's behaviour. I won't get into any particular situation since it could be a spoiler. The thing is, for the rest of the book you only need your suspension of disbelief as far as the Inferno Club goes, and a bit of understanding when it comes to Rotherstone. In her case, I don't think anything could help. Or, I just couldn't get into her character.
Overall, I liked the rest of it enough to continue with the series. I just hope there won't be any more Daphnes.
March 22, 2020
İlk okuduğum zamanki yorumu kapatayım şöyle...
İkinci seferde de sevdim.Ama çok üzgünüm ki serinin devam kitapları -ilk üç dışında- ortalarda yok.Ben tabi kaç yıl önce okuyunca unutmuşum.Hem konuyu hem devamının olmadığını.Nalet olsun ki Drake'nin hikayesi çıkmamış hala..Çok mutsuzum bu konuda :'(
October 14, 2019
Al principio me estaba gustando mucho pero desde el 65 % el libro comenzó a decaer y el protagonista se me hizo demasiado cursi, pero lo que sin duda me encantó fue la acción y la intriga.
October 21, 2019
Romance histórico. Me gusto, no WoW! pero bien.
Es el primero de la serie "Club Inferno" que trata de una grupo de aristócratas que forman parte de la "Orden de San Miguel Arcángel", un grupo de élite entrenado para combatir a los malos, los "Prometeos", otro grupo que desde la época de los templarios busca infiltrar sus miembros en los gobiernos para conquistar el mundo.
Más acción que romance.
En cada libro de la serie, aparecen miembros del Club que son muy distintos en carácter y funciones y pasados.
En este el protagonista es Max, un tipo muy estructurado y ordenado y quiere casarse con una mujer aristocrática, dócil y de impecable comportamiento. Dafne es así, pero más o menos. Y Max va a tener que arrastrarse mucho para conquistarla y, luego, mantener el matrimonio.
Leída hace mucho, no me acuerdo bien.
Es el primero de la serie "Club Inferno" que trata de una grupo de aristócratas que forman parte de la "Orden de San Miguel Arcángel", un grupo de élite entrenado para combatir a los malos, los "Prometeos", otro grupo que desde la época de los templarios busca infiltrar sus miembros en los gobiernos para conquistar el mundo.
Más acción que romance.
En cada libro de la serie, aparecen miembros del Club que son muy distintos en carácter y funciones y pasados.
En este el protagonista es Max, un tipo muy estructurado y ordenado y quiere casarse con una mujer aristocrática, dócil y de impecable comportamiento. Dafne es así, pero más o menos. Y Max va a tener que arrastrarse mucho para conquistarla y, luego, mantener el matrimonio.
Leída hace mucho, no me acuerdo bien.
December 8, 2023
Ne zaman okumuştum hatırlamıyorum tam olarak ama @Esra ile ilk ortak kitabımızdı adama baya laf ederek okumuştuk diye hatırlıyorum 😂
July 20, 2024
Max St. Albans, marqués de Rotherstone es un conocido libertino, uno de los miembros de El club Inferno, un club de “mala reputación” donde nada es lo que parece. Max quiere darle un giro a su vida y establecerse. Por ello se propone buscar a una joven que cumpla con todos sus requisitos y se convierta en su esposa.
Daphne Starling parece tener todo lo que busca Max, pero esta joven y educada señorita tiene un carácter fuerte y no se dejará conquistar fácilmente.
Hacía mucho tiempo que tenía a esta autora olvidada y no sé el motivo por el cual es una de las pocas que me gusta su estilo, su pluma, esa capacidad que tiene para traernos historias interesantes con unos protagonistas que conquistan al lector.
Gaelen Foley nos trae un romance intenso, con personajes con mucha química, espías, secretos, misterios, mucha aventura. El inicio de la serie “Inferno club”, donde nuestros protagonistas masculinos forman parte de La Orden, una organización secreta encargada de acabar con una especie de secta que quiere dominar el mundo, son los llamados Prometeos.
Max St. Albans, marqués de Rotherstone, es un conocido calavera, pero tras esa fachada se esconde un agente, encargado de erradicar a un grupo conocido como los Prometeos. Algo que Max no eligió, es un legado que pasa de generación en generación. Tras haber cumplido con todas las órdenes y creer que no existe peligro, Max se atreve a soñar con formar una familia. Por ello, encarga encontrar a las jóvenes más destacadas de la sociedad... sigue en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
Daphne Starling parece tener todo lo que busca Max, pero esta joven y educada señorita tiene un carácter fuerte y no se dejará conquistar fácilmente.
Hacía mucho tiempo que tenía a esta autora olvidada y no sé el motivo por el cual es una de las pocas que me gusta su estilo, su pluma, esa capacidad que tiene para traernos historias interesantes con unos protagonistas que conquistan al lector.
Gaelen Foley nos trae un romance intenso, con personajes con mucha química, espías, secretos, misterios, mucha aventura. El inicio de la serie “Inferno club”, donde nuestros protagonistas masculinos forman parte de La Orden, una organización secreta encargada de acabar con una especie de secta que quiere dominar el mundo, son los llamados Prometeos.
Max St. Albans, marqués de Rotherstone, es un conocido calavera, pero tras esa fachada se esconde un agente, encargado de erradicar a un grupo conocido como los Prometeos. Algo que Max no eligió, es un legado que pasa de generación en generación. Tras haber cumplido con todas las órdenes y creer que no existe peligro, Max se atreve a soñar con formar una familia. Por ello, encarga encontrar a las jóvenes más destacadas de la sociedad... sigue en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
September 16, 2013
My first full review in months! Sorry about the lack of proper reviews but I have of course been adding status updates.
So I discovered Gaelen Foley just recently with Princess which bagged a spot on my favourites shelf. Of course I'm now trying to read every book of hers I can get my hands on. This one was my second book by her, currently I'm on my third: My Dangerous Duke.
My Wicked Marquess was another fabulous effort by Gaelen Foley and she has truly cemented her status as my author of the moment and one of my favorites. Although this one didn't earn a spot on my faves shelf like Princess did, I'm still incredibly impressed. After reading reviews on this book I got the general idea that most of you found the heroine, Daphne, extraordinarily infuriating whilst the hero, Max, was extremely endearing. I definitely agree with the general consensus here but I don't think Daphne's hot and cold act was enough to ruin the book for me.
"Marry him? Ha! She would rather marry a toad. In love with the Demon Marquess?
She scoffed. Far from it."
...
"She felt tears beginning to sting the backs of her eyelids. She wanted to take him into her arms. He was such an expert at so many things, and so hopeless when it came to affairs of the heart. Clearly, he needed her."
Simply put, this book was just too well-written for the heroine's annoying antics to impact on my opinion on it. I am the first to groan at wilful heroines and it is something that touches on my nervous VERY often and VERY easily but I don't think Daphne was too bad on my scale of annoying heroines. Maybe a 5 out of 10?
What did infuriate me was the sudden introduction of the history of the dark war between the Promethean Council and the Order. I understand the whole spy theme was running through the book. There are constant glimpses of the villains' points of view which is supposed to heighten tension, but towards the end, Foley just hits readers with the entire backstory which put a shadow on the happy ending of Max and Daphne. I guess I could say it sort of went downhill towards the end but I do understand that she needed to set up the plotlines for the other books in the series. I'm not a big fan of the running plotline and cliffhanger endings that this series seems to incorporate but it is a side dish to the romance so I could overlook it. Some of you might find it interesting though. It brings in a different approach to your typical historical romance but a lot of the things seem hard to believe. There is a lot of deaths, kidnappings and danger, but all the while the romance stays in complete focus.
I'm very pleased by this book though. Gaelen Foley is definitely a favorite author of mine now. Two great books by her (and I'm in the middle of a third) which is enough to tell me that she's certainly not a one hit wonder and her historicals are something to be reckoned with.
I highly recommend her books to historical romance readers, but perhaps don't start with this one if you don't like hot and cold heroines!
*** If you needed added incentive to try her books I'm putting it out there that her sex scenes are the most sensual I've ever read.
Rate: 4.5-5 stars
So I discovered Gaelen Foley just recently with Princess which bagged a spot on my favourites shelf. Of course I'm now trying to read every book of hers I can get my hands on. This one was my second book by her, currently I'm on my third: My Dangerous Duke.
My Wicked Marquess was another fabulous effort by Gaelen Foley and she has truly cemented her status as my author of the moment and one of my favorites. Although this one didn't earn a spot on my faves shelf like Princess did, I'm still incredibly impressed. After reading reviews on this book I got the general idea that most of you found the heroine, Daphne, extraordinarily infuriating whilst the hero, Max, was extremely endearing. I definitely agree with the general consensus here but I don't think Daphne's hot and cold act was enough to ruin the book for me.
"Marry him? Ha! She would rather marry a toad. In love with the Demon Marquess?
She scoffed. Far from it."
...
"She felt tears beginning to sting the backs of her eyelids. She wanted to take him into her arms. He was such an expert at so many things, and so hopeless when it came to affairs of the heart. Clearly, he needed her."
Simply put, this book was just too well-written for the heroine's annoying antics to impact on my opinion on it. I am the first to groan at wilful heroines and it is something that touches on my nervous VERY often and VERY easily but I don't think Daphne was too bad on my scale of annoying heroines. Maybe a 5 out of 10?
What did infuriate me was the sudden introduction of the history of the dark war between the Promethean Council and the Order. I understand the whole spy theme was running through the book. There are constant glimpses of the villains' points of view which is supposed to heighten tension, but towards the end, Foley just hits readers with the entire backstory which put a shadow on the happy ending of Max and Daphne. I guess I could say it sort of went downhill towards the end but I do understand that she needed to set up the plotlines for the other books in the series. I'm not a big fan of the running plotline and cliffhanger endings that this series seems to incorporate but it is a side dish to the romance so I could overlook it. Some of you might find it interesting though. It brings in a different approach to your typical historical romance but a lot of the things seem hard to believe. There is a lot of deaths, kidnappings and danger, but all the while the romance stays in complete focus.
I'm very pleased by this book though. Gaelen Foley is definitely a favorite author of mine now. Two great books by her (and I'm in the middle of a third) which is enough to tell me that she's certainly not a one hit wonder and her historicals are something to be reckoned with.
I highly recommend her books to historical romance readers, but perhaps don't start with this one if you don't like hot and cold heroines!
*** If you needed added incentive to try her books I'm putting it out there that her sex scenes are the most sensual I've ever read.
Rate: 4.5-5 stars
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