Review: Wicked with the Scoundrel (Wicked Secrets #3) by

Print Length: 200 pages

Publisher: Entangled Publishing (February 11, 2019)

From Goodreads.com: After ten years of adventure, Colin Smith, the bastard son of a viscount, returns to the place he most despises ––London. But only until he can sell off some of his treasures. He has no use for the stifling rules of the ton, but he’s more than happy to play the game if it gets him what he wants. 

Lady Claire, daughter of a marquess, is everything Colin loathes about the ton, but she is determined to win him over. Her life is a catalog of dances and evening gowns, and thanks to an eidetic memory, she can remember every blasted, boring second of it. A treasure hunt for the Cleopatra Emerald promises adventure, but Claire wants more. If she can convince Colin Smith to take her with him as he travels the world, then she’ll have the life she’s always dreamed of. There’s just one problem, he doesn’t seem to like her much. 

But Lady Claire loves a good challenge and the intellectual beauty may be on her way to the grandest adventure of all.

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

UGH. I had such high hopes that this author (one I have read and loved before) would break my 2019 curse of only reading 3 star (or less) books. But unfortunately, this was another three star read.

It started off so promising. We meet Colin - an adventure hunter, and Claire - a girl who remembers absolutely everything. When Claire takes it in her head to find a lost treasure she once heard about and tries to enlist his help I was hooked. I remained interested when her father petitioned Colin to help her on this "fools errand", and I was even more encouraged when they actually manged to work together to find it. Their banter was amazing. The supporting characters (even those from other stories) kept my interest. I was 100% invested in their love story. 

And then Colin went stupid. And he seemed to think only of himself and forget all of the reasons why he fell in love with her in the first place (even if she is prone to moments of  life threatening stupidity). And then we got this drivel of how he's going to basically manipulate her into doing what he wants, only to be shocked when she goes against him. Did you hear my eyes roll? 

I will never understand why an author takes such strong and amazing characters and then de-evolves them into mere shadows of themselves (although I will say Claire showed more backbone than I would have thought possible).  

Overall, I know this story will be a fan favorite (the 4 and 5 star reviews ahead of mine cement this). And I would read more from this author. I just wish she wouldn't fall into such cliche moments.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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                      Wicked with the Scoundrel is available from Amazon.com