His Wicked Reputation

I expected very little from this title given the reported story line and cover picture, but one reviewer's comments caught my eye, and I decided to go for it. As it happens - I loved it! I loved the narration - particularly the hero's rather deadpan-ish voice - as well as the heroine's sassy one, both contributing to my enjoyment of the story. Really the book is carried by the narration (for me anyway) and the characters. Eva, the heroine, is strong, intelligent and delightfully wicked, and I found myself laughing out loud at the interactions between the characters. The story is interesting enough, given the rather limited options for this genre (which I happen to love anyway), and I especially appreciated that when the plot line ran out, the author let it go and concentrated on the relationship between the lovers - which is the main interest anyway. It's a fairy tale to be sure but one with more humor and self-awareness than most romances, which is why I gave it such a high rating.

Reading Madeline Hunter's newest novel reminded me of why I love historical romance--rich historical detail, smart heroine, killer hero, great mystery, and a page turning love story. Highly recommended!

I'm not going to discuss the plot because that's available elsewhere. I liked Eva. A great, strong character. Gareth was good, too, but I felt something lacking in the way he was written. Their chemistry was steamy but I'm not really sure what she saw in him.

I have to admit that I had a difficult time getting into the story. For some reason I kept getting the sisters mixed up. Maybe it was listening instead of reading.

I also thought the ending left things wide open for the sequel - which I have already pre-ordered.

This is my first book by Madeline Hunter and it provided a captivating storyline with just enough sensual appeal read with delightful expertise. Well worth the credit as it offers a quick pace and enticing look into a woman discovering and fulfilling her desires with a man who has unlimited bedroom expertise. True the storyline is very familiar but I found it surprisingly fun and well written.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Refreshingly great read, full story development, realistic characters. I have been looking for such stories... THANK-YOU!

Yes, unequivocally! Mary Wells had great voices for both female and male characters as well as excellent delivery. I'm a little bummed that she isn't narrating the next 2 novels in this trilogy.

I love when MCs get to spend a decent amount of time interacting and Eva and Gareth do despite the societal restrictions placed on them.

She took several minutes to collect herself, then held his head and looked into his eyes. “That may be the most unusual proposal a woman has ever received.
“Thank you. I thought it inventive.”
“It will be hard to describe when friends ask for the particulars, however. Did he kneel, Eva? Did he wait for a glorious sunset? Actually, no, Sarah. He proposed while his tongue was making shocking explorations of my private parts.”
He pecked a kiss on her check. “At least you will never forget it.”

I liked the moment of reflection Gareth had after he'd insisted Eva stay the night for her safety.

The art mystery was a nice added element that played an important role in bonding these two delightful characters.

I accidentally read the books in the wrong order, but it really didn't matter at all. I listened to the audio version as well as read the book. The book was amazing in that it held my interest and made me a true fan. I can't wait for the third installment. Also, I must give kudos to Mary Jane Wells for her fabulous narration of the story. She did an amazing job of making the variety of characters all sound so believable with great accents. Through the writing and the narration, you almost feel you're actually in the story. Well worth the time and money to enjoy it. I'm eagerly awaiting the third book.

This was an ok story but the plot felt forced. The author wrote good sex scenes and the rest of the plot felt like fillers. I didn't even get the love between Eva and Gareth. It was more like chemistry which didn't hold up to a believable happy ever after. The narration was ok. You could hear some whizzing at some points which was strange. I wouldn't recommend using a credit for this book.

Can we have a plausible story around those hot sex scenes? It seemed the author said, "Ok, we have the sex, now let's throw in a Little Mystery, oh, can't forget the obligatory ball, even though there is not One plausible reason the heroine would be invited to a ball so high above her station, oh, well, let's just finish with more sex..." Boring!

The mystery was pretty good - although the background was sketchy and I figured it out quite early on. I like the hero-his wickedness was only naughty, not evil. But I could not abide the heroine's voice. She sounded like the downstairs maid.

I've read many of Madeline Hunter's books and enjoyed them all too varying degree. This one wasn’t the best, although again - it could have been the narration.

Unusual for a female narrator - her male voices were pretty good and easy to tell apart. The women's voices were too strident and the accent too 'downstairs'.

no

I don't mind having spent the credit for this slow moving story. But it only qualified for a decent way to pass time. Not an engrossing story or read. I am curious about the other 2 brothers so I will persevere with the series.