Lord Ywain Hemingford is a wealthy, successful barrister.
As the son of a duke, he has high connections, including
the prince himself. As Ywain (who thankfully goes by
the name of Ives) is pondering the qualities he wants in
his next mistress, a distraught woman calls on him,
asking for his help. Padua Belvoir has just learned that
her father has been imprisoned, and waiting to be tried
for the serious charge of counterfeiting. Based on his
reputation, Padua has sought Ives to defend her father,
not knowing that high-ranking government officials have
already requested that Ives prosecute him.
Ives is an honorable man, and while he almost certainly
will have to take the case, he's intrigued by Padua and
curious as to why the government so adamantly wants him
to prosecute. He puts off giving his official reply
while he does some investigating. Ives' inquiries seem
to indicate that there is a whole lot more to this case
than meets the eye. The more time he spends with Padua,
the more he desires her, and he desperately wants her for
his mistress. While his honor keeps him from making that
offer, it doesn't stop the passion they feel for each
other, and soon they become lovers.
I love Ives' and Padua's forthrightness, both in their
dealing with her father's situation and their acting on
their feelings for each other. I admire how Ives was
honest about how his friends in high places would almost
surely guarantee that he couldn't defend her father
himself, yet he set out to help her. Though his station
in life is so far above Padua's, Ives always treated her
with respect and courtesy. Padua is determined to retain
her independence, refusing anything from Ives that even
remotely suggests that she is a kept woman. She also
maintains her loyalty to her father, though he barely
acknowledges her existence and pushes her away.
TALL, DARK & WICKED is an engrossing read that held my
interest and attention. The mystery was believable, but
the romance was the real focus, and it was emotional and
powerful. Ives and Padua are the kinds of lead
characters I love reading about - they're strong, honest,
determined, and not afraid to admit their feelings and
talk things out. It was a joy to follow their road to
love. TALL, DARK & WICKED is a book that is truly hard to put down, and I
recommend it highly.
Most women will give him anything he wants. She is
not most women…
As a well-known barrister and the son of a duke, Ives
confines his passionate impulses to discreet affairs with
worldly mistresses. A twist of fate, however, has him
looking for a new lover right when a fascinating woman shows
up in his chambers, asking him to help save her father from
the gallows. Unfortunately, he has already been asked to
serve as the prosecutor in the case, but that only ensures
close encounters with the rarity named Padua Belvoir. And
every encounter increases his desire to tutor her in
pleasure’s wicked ways...
Having always been too tall, too willful, and too smart to
appeal to men, Padua Belvoir is shocked when Ives shows
interest in her. Knowing his penchant for helping the
wrongly accused, she had initially thought he might be her
father’s best hope for salvation. Instead, he is her worst
adversary—not least because every time he looks at her, she
is tempted to give him anything he wants…
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