I loved this book even better than the first in the trilogy, "His Wicked Reputation" which I also reviewed. Before Hunter's "Wicked" series came out, I always thought her early books set in the Middle Ages were her best work, but this story and the previous one both knocked it out of the park.
Lord Ywain Hemingford(known as Ives) is a younger son of a Duke, but he works as a barrister. He's serious about his career, dedicated to the pursuit of justice, and all around, a very alpha, controlling type, which carries over to his personal life as well. He meets the heroine, Padua Belvoir, because her father is in prison and she is looking for someone to legally represent him at trial, but Ives has already been asked to work as the prosecutor in the case. The two of them have an instant attraction, and in the course of trying to find out if her father is really guilty, they become more and more entangled with each other. Even though Ives knows he has a conflict of interest with the court case, he finds himself falling for Padua, who is smart, loyal to her father, and inconventional. She's also a math whiz.
What worked for me in this book was the intensity and slightly dark edginess of the hero. He's not angsty, or suffering from hidden traumas in his past, just very goal-oriented and intense. He was somewhat like the dark heroes in Elizabeth Hoyt's and Liz Carlyle's books. Ives brought that intensity to bed with him too. It was not anywhere near actual BDSM, but he does like to be in charge. Outside of the bedroom however, he is a believer in women's intelligence and independence, and supports Padua in her dream, which is to study mathematics at a university that admits women. OK, maybe a little bit bossy, but she pushes back, so he can't get away with it all the time.
The subplot is about who is behind the counterfeiting ring that Padua's father is accused of being part of, and adds a suspense/mystery element to the plot, besides providing an excuse for Ives' brothers to get involved assisting him. Well, actually they stick their noses in and get involved whether he wants them to or not! In fact the interactions between the 3 brothers was a big part of what made this book such a delight. Gareth, Ives' younger half brother and the hero of "His Wicked Reputation", is back from his honeymoon and his wife befriends Padua. Then there is Ives' older brother Lance, who recently became Duke, since their father died. In the previous book, Gareth was just getting to know the other two, but here they have an easy, brotherly relationship. There are very funny scenes where they are just doing their guy thing, hanging out, teasing and annoying each other, but when Ives needs help, they are right there backing him up. The dialogue and interaction was so good, I wanted to roll around in those scenes and never leave. I think I could have read chapters just about them and never gotten bored, they were so deliciously and idiotically manlike in their macho rivalries and blind spots, but with a deep caring for each other underlying it all, which they never articulate to each other of course, being guys!
It all gets wrapped up with a "perfect"(as Padua describes it) marriage proposal and HEA. A highly enjoyable read, and maybe the best thing Madeline Hunter has yet written!
I do recommend reading the first book of the trilogy before this one, to better understand the family dynamics and characters which reappear here, plus, it's another great read.
Lord Ywain Hemingford(known as Ives) is a younger son of a Duke, but he works as a barrister. He's serious about his career, dedicated to the pursuit of justice, and all around, a very alpha, controlling type, which carries over to his personal life as well. He meets the heroine, Padua Belvoir, because her father is in prison and she is looking for someone to legally represent him at trial, but Ives has already been asked to work as the prosecutor in the case. The two of them have an instant attraction, and in the course of trying to find out if her father is really guilty, they become more and more entangled with each other. Even though Ives knows he has a conflict of interest with the court case, he finds himself falling for Padua, who is smart, loyal to her father, and inconventional. She's also a math whiz.
What worked for me in this book was the intensity and slightly dark edginess of the hero. He's not angsty, or suffering from hidden traumas in his past, just very goal-oriented and intense. He was somewhat like the dark heroes in Elizabeth Hoyt's and Liz Carlyle's books. Ives brought that intensity to bed with him too. It was not anywhere near actual BDSM, but he does like to be in charge. Outside of the bedroom however, he is a believer in women's intelligence and independence, and supports Padua in her dream, which is to study mathematics at a university that admits women. OK, maybe a little bit bossy, but she pushes back, so he can't get away with it all the time.
The subplot is about who is behind the counterfeiting ring that Padua's father is accused of being part of, and adds a suspense/mystery element to the plot, besides providing an excuse for Ives' brothers to get involved assisting him. Well, actually they stick their noses in and get involved whether he wants them to or not! In fact the interactions between the 3 brothers was a big part of what made this book such a delight. Gareth, Ives' younger half brother and the hero of "His Wicked Reputation", is back from his honeymoon and his wife befriends Padua. Then there is Ives' older brother Lance, who recently became Duke, since their father died. In the previous book, Gareth was just getting to know the other two, but here they have an easy, brotherly relationship. There are very funny scenes where they are just doing their guy thing, hanging out, teasing and annoying each other, but when Ives needs help, they are right there backing him up. The dialogue and interaction was so good, I wanted to roll around in those scenes and never leave. I think I could have read chapters just about them and never gotten bored, they were so deliciously and idiotically manlike in their macho rivalries and blind spots, but with a deep caring for each other underlying it all, which they never articulate to each other of course, being guys!
It all gets wrapped up with a "perfect"(as Padua describes it) marriage proposal and HEA. A highly enjoyable read, and maybe the best thing Madeline Hunter has yet written!
I do recommend reading the first book of the trilogy before this one, to better understand the family dynamics and characters which reappear here, plus, it's another great read.
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