After five years of travel and adventures, Lord Alaric Wilde is back on English soil and aghast at the throng of adoring females who had been awaiting his return. His books on his observations from abroad have made him a literary sensation, but the hysteria owes to placards and prints decorating London, and mostly a play that depicts him fallaciously: WILDE IN LOVE. And Alaric doesn't like it one bit. The duke of Lindow, Alaric's father, is hosting a six-week house party in Cheshire for his son North's betrothal, where Alaric will have to fend off lusty females. North -- the heir -- has turned into a proper fop in the meantime to impress his fiancée Diana. Diana has brought along her best friends, cousin Lavinia and Miss Wilhelmina -- Willa -- Everett. Lavinia is crazy about "Lord Wilde", but Willa is entirely unimpressed; she is an intellectual, has not read his books, and has no intention of doing so. Willa she does see why women fawn all over Alaric, although he is precisely the sort of man she will never marry. Willa has exquisite manners, is the picture of propriety, and is also exceedingly fetching, which has not escaped Alaric's vigilant eye, but what draws him to Willa is her total lack of interest in his notoriety.

Set in the Georgian era, WILDE IN LOVE is the first book in Eloisa James' brand new series The Wildes of Lindow Castle, and it is pure, unadulterated romantic fun! Infused with Ms. James' inimitable sense of humor, lavish depictions of the lush English countryside abound, vivid images of the extravagant fashion style add touches of color and authenticity. Alaric and Willa were not at all what I expected: he is confident, but basically your ordinary chap. He is charming, respectful of women, and admires Willa's intelligence and spunk. What he doesn't suspect is the lusty woman who lies behind her impeccable public façade. Willa is a welcome change from our usual brainy heroine: she is breathtakingly beautiful, has to fend off suitors; she is very popular. I loved her friendship with Lavinia; how they indulged in their bawdy jokes, simply being carefree young women.

There is quite a lot going on in WILDE IN LOVE, and done so smoothly that it doesn't feel like an introduction to a new series; from the first pages, the reader is simply swept away in this wonderful new world. There are quite a few characters, every one as appealing as the other, danger, romance, a stray cat and the most delightful baby skunk. I also liked that underneath it all, WILDE IN LOVE is a subtle study in perception of the self, and I kept thinking of Plato on the differences between how one perceives one's self as opposed to others' perception, as well as the masks most people hide behind.

WILDE IN LOVE does not end on a cliffhanger regarding Alaric and Willa's story, however the last chapter hints at what is to come in the next book, and it is very intriguing. With WILD IN LOVE, Eloisa James launches her new series in grand style!