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The Wickeds #7

Wicked Again

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A scandalous affair with a much younger man...

Lady Marissa Cupps-Foster has buried three husbands. Only one, her dear Reggie, was a love match. As a woman considered past her prime with two grown sons, she's decided on discreet trysts when she feels the need for male companionship. Lord Trenton Haddon was only a dalliance. Haddon is tempting but far too young for her. And love is out of the question. Clearly, she isn't good at it. Determined to forget Haddon, Marissa returns to London and immerses herself in society.

A former rake who has never been in love...

Seducing the widowed Lady Cupps-Foster was a way to pass the time at a dull house party, but, instead, Haddon fell in love. Unfortunately, the object of his affection ended the affair and returned to London before he could declare himself. But Haddon has the perfect excuse to see Marissa again. His eldest daughter is about to make her debut, and, as a widower, he is in dire need of direction. Marissa won't refuse his plea for help.

Another chance at love...

Haddon can be very persuasive when he wants something, and he wants Marissa. But Marissa is just as convinced he'll eventually break her heart.

Will Marissa allow herself to find love again, or will she stand by and watch Haddon marry someone else?

Wicked Again is a steamy historical romance set in post-regency London, where scandal meets happily ever after.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2020

302 people are currently reading
211 people want to read

About the author

Kathleen Ayers

42 books623 followers
Kathleen Ayers has been a hopeful romantic since the tender age of fourteen when she first purchased a copy of Sweet Savage Love at a garage sale while her mother was looking at antique animal planters. Since then she’s read hundreds of historical romances and fallen in love dozens of times. In particular she adores handsome, slightly damaged men with a wicked sense of humor. On paper, of course.

Kathleen lives in Houston and is married with one college aged son and two very spoiled dogs.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
Profile Image for Vintage.
2,714 reviews720 followers
November 3, 2020
Hmna hmna hmna.

This was delicious. Like Certs, this was two mints in one. On the one hand, we have a racy romance with the thrice wed widow and the slightly younger besotted bad, bad boy hero who wants more than a “dalliance”. On the other hand, we have a revenge a la the long con with the heroine gunning for the evil doers who killed her second husband (the love of her life). The murder was uncovered by her son in Tall, Dark & Wicked.

In regard to revenge, luckily Marissa was the daughter of a Duke, yes another Duke, who was the equivalent of a Regency mafia Don. It sounds like the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.

As the beloved daughter of the Duke of Dunbar, a man known for his brutality in dealing with those who opposed him, Marissa had learned early on the nature of deviousness. Of revenge. How to exact punishment on those who harmed the duke or his family.

Strong rumor has it that her father popped off her two other abusive husbands.

It was so much fun reading as Marissa and Arabella, the evil heroine from Wickedly Yours, plot on how to bring down the murderers without sullying the delicate sensibilities of the men in their lives. Arabella is the second heroine I’ve read this past week who uses her past evil ways for good. Marissa has a subtle but cold plan for revenge for the family that murdered her husband.

Arabella was a cunning little thing, though much less dangerous than before she’d married. And her niece was correct; Marissa was her father’s daughter. She’d learned well from Henry how to slowly destroy an adversary in the most excruciating way possible. An education Marissa was putting to good use on Pendleton.

The second plot line is Marissa’s struggle for her passion for the younger Haddon, her concern that he needs an heir in addition to the four daughters he has, and her pushing away which detracts from the romance and the plot.

So…

Four star heroine
Four star hero
Four star revenge plot
Three star romance
Profile Image for Samantha.
528 reviews137 followers
December 9, 2024


⭐💫
1½ stars.




➕ What I liked :





Older heroine. (49)👏👍👍👍


Older woman and younger man romance.













➖ What I disliked:



Annoying and unlikable heroine.
(The heroine was rather age obsessed when it came to the age difference between her and the hero…
The heroine is 49 years old but is at times a little immature for her age and is also not very self-assured/confident for a woman of her age and with her life experience etc. … especially when it comes to her body and in the beginning of the story.
She also sometimes behaves in a rather irksome and unpleasant way.)


Anachronistic.
( A little here and there… but also how the heroine talks about her body and compares her body in a negative way in the beginning of the story is a little too anachronistic…. And one of the scenes in the beginning of the story is kind of reminiscent of a scene in the Bridget Jones diary movie.
It also has some weird/negative vibes about women's bodies … about mature/older women's bodies and also about women that had children etc.)





Formulaic in the character description/visual appearance/character choice of the hero.
(Hero= tall, muscular, very handsome)


Underwhelming.

Profile Image for Jennifer Hammer.
43 reviews13 followers
March 31, 2022
What a wonderful way to end the series. A delightful story about how no matter how old you can still find true love again.

Window Marissa is bent on revenge (for the death of her husband). She is completely cut throat and savage in her munitions to bring down the family that killed her husband.(As a reader you admire and fear her 🥰)

Enter Trent utterly gorgeous very masculine widower after a brief dalliance with Marissa falls completely in love with her. Although it take quite a bit of time for him to convince her (it isn’t just physical) He Ultimately is willing to risk everything to prove his love. Their love story is unique it was a lovely story to unfold (also their sexual tension was very hot 🔥🔥🔥)

Worthy read would recommend!
Profile Image for Jessica.
193 reviews8 followers
October 10, 2021
Wicked Again by Kathleen Ayers! 😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰❤❤❤❤❤🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏👏👏

It is the 7th book of 7 in the Wicked Series. I have no idea if she will be writing more in this series - she certainly has more characters to work with!

But if it is the finish - wow! What a finish! The best book I have read this week (apart from some of my beloved rereads) - it is going to go on my favorites shelf.

The book has an older heroine (49) and a younger hero (40). The heroine is bent on revenge against the family that murdered her husband and stole from her family.

There is so much to like here
- the way the heroine is a bit self-conscious about her older body and how the hero deals with this. (Being 45 and having birthed a child, I found myself identifying with her).
- the hero is just mad for her. He is Alpha-precious™️
- the heroine is a strong woman who is in control of her life and herself. I found myself thinking the author has to be around the same age as the heroine because she clearly understands her heroine.
- I enjoyed having the perspective of one of the 'older widows' of the ton instead of the debutantes.
- I found myself smiling throughout the book because I was just *enjoying* it so much.
Profile Image for Pam  Bereznak.
1,819 reviews135 followers
January 8, 2021
I want to make sure I get this review right. Why? Let me explain.
I don’t write great reviews. I don’t rehash or dissect the books I just read. I find that most have very good synopsis when you purchase it. With that being said, I have read thousands of books in my lifetime but in 2019 I read almost 380 books and I’m already at 334 books for this year and have read over 1750 books in 5 years. I have read hundreds and hundreds of different authors but there is only about 15-20 that I truthfully can say are on the top of my list of favorites and have read all their books.

Kathleen Ayers is one of those authors. I have read all of her books. I love the depth of her characters and their stories and the well written sex scenes. I hate when I finish one because I know it will be awhile before I can read a new one.

I keep a 160 page word doc of all the books I’ve read, by author and the notes I keep for each author and/or individual book. Even though I loved all of Kathleen’s books, I wrote damn good book next to these specific books.

The Theory of Earls (The Beautiful Barringtons Book 1)
Tall, Dark and Wicked (The Wickeds Book 5
And this book, Wicked Again.

The major difference is this book, Wicked Again..of all the 410 books I’ve read just this year, it is by far my favorite and best I’ve read. I totally loved this story. It was so damn good and so well written. The sex scenes were written with such sizzle. I loved Marissa and Trent (Haddon). He sounded so freakin’ hot and yummy. I love that they were a bit older..mostly Marissa.

All I read is Regency Historical and sometimes I forget the main female characters are usually late teens or early 20’s they are so well written but still really young. I guess because I am older, I loved Marissa so much more. I can’t wait to read more from Kathleen.

If you love Regency Historical, you have got to read this awesome book, as well as the rest of hers. This was worth WAY more than 5 stars.
Profile Image for Mephala.
378 reviews15 followers
May 29, 2025
I read this book some time ago, but can safely say it was a great finale to a pretty amazing series.

I will admit I was most excited for this one solely because it features an older heroine - Marissa is almost fifty, thrice widowed with adult children, who (in previous books) already found their happily ever afters. I was intrigued how her story will be presented as the relationship explored in Wicked Again started in one of the previous books!

I really liked that, because we had a glimpse of the attraction between Marissa and Haddon already, and it was explosive even during small scenes they shared. What’s more, technically their affair ended at the end of Tall, Dark & Wicked.

Or, more precisely, Marissa decided her relationship with Haddon ended, not really taking into account how he felt about that. Hence, the angst and delicious tension between them in this book.

The chemistry was amazing; all the intimate scenes they shared were sensual and incredibly hot. I really liked how their relationship developed; there was some awkwardness here and there, but having a mature couple as a main protagonist was a treat!

I loved how Marissa found a new purpose in her life and allowed herself to love and be loved again. How Haddon was steady in his affection for her and didn’t allow to be discouraged in pursuing any relationship with her.

One thing I kind of didn't enjoy, though, was the fact that there was a moment when Haddon was so focused on his love for Marissa he seemed not to care that much he and his daughters might become impoverished. Of course all ended well, but still.

Very entertaining and romantic book! I wish we had more historical romances with older, more mature characters.

4,5(rounded to 5)/5 stars
Profile Image for Jacinta - Aussie Book Nook .
531 reviews
October 22, 2020
This is the first book I have read from this author, it definitely won't be the last.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It wasn't your usual historical romance and I loved it.
It is exciting,captivating and engaging. The writing was great, easy to read and the story flowed really well.

I absolutely loved that Marissa was older as usually in these types of books you get a super young heroine so this was a nice surprise.

I will definitely be finding and reading the other books in this series.

Great book, definitely recommend reading.
162 reviews5 followers
October 24, 2020
I received an ARC of this book and realized that I had missed out on the previous installment. I’m reading that next. I binged the first 5 books in the Spring, and enjoyed them, and I enjoyed this one too. You don’t need to have read the earlier books to enjoy this one, but they’re good too, so it wouldn’t hurt to start at the beginning.

Marissa is the mother and aunt of characters in previous installments. Thrice widowed and 49 years old, she considers a dalliance, but isn’t interested in marriage. Trent, Lord Haddon, widowed 40 year old father of 4 daughters, sees Marissa at a house party and he’s smitten.

Marissa is not convinced that someone so much younger would be interested in her, or that she should be involved with someone so “young”—especially when she cannot provide him an heir because of her “advanced” age.

If that were all, this would be a simple story, but plot aspects are here that were started in earlier books in the series, and Marissa is forced to decide whether avenging her beloved second husband’s murder is worth losing a future with Haddon.

I loved Haddon, and I especially enjoyed the opening scene—the book opens with Marissa getting busted by her son (grown, luckily)with Haddon in her bed at a house party. Marissa is embarrassed (Haddon most definitely is not embarrassed) and the experience starts her trouble with doubts over whether or not Haddon is a good idea. The book is not clean but not terribly dirty either. Clearly, there’s sex, but nothing beyond vanilla, and not as much as you might expect. If you want clean, this isn’t it, but if a few sexy interludes don’t bother you, you’ll enjoy this book.

There are several new characters introduced—Haddon’s daughter Jordana and the mysterious Captain Nighter look like good candidates for future installments.
817 reviews5 followers
November 1, 2020
Marissa is a widow. Widowed not once but three times. Her third husband Reggie was the one she loved. And one day he went out looking at his beloved fossils and just disappeared believed dead. Marissa has two adult sons Brendan and Spencer. And Brendan is the one that catches his friend Haddon in his mother's bedchamber! Marissa is embarrassed and is struck once again by how young Haddon is. Marissa calls their relationship a dalliance and meaningless. Haddon had asked Marissa to help his daughter Jordana in society. As she had already agreed she couldn't refuse him.
Haddon is in love with Marissa and he will do everything he can to win her - even let her destroy him.

Omggggg how much I LOVED this story ❤️ I loved so many things! I loved that Marissa and Haddon are on their mid to late 40s a mature romance that is just as passionate, sensual and sexual that it comes to the shock of her son's!! The bond between Brendan and Spencer to their mother is one of love, loyalty, friendship and protectiveness. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, suspense and revenge that Marissa finds herself in after the revelation that her Reggie had been murdered. The story is well written, fast paced and compelling to read. I was completely hooked! The story is told from dual POVs and reveals the thoughts feelings and emotions as they explore their relationship and navigate through the many obstacles that arise as Marissa tries valiantly to tell herself (and Haddon) that he is a mere dalliance. There is an epilogue and a HEA 💓
Profile Image for Sarah.
582 reviews8 followers
October 29, 2020
Wicked Again is Book 7 of the Wicked series by Kathleen Ayers. This story stands perfectly fine on its own and in fact, this is the first book I have read by this author. I enjoyed this story immensely and have already started checking out her backlist. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the stories in this series!

As I have gotten older, I started to steer away from some of the old school historicals as I really have no desire to read about teenagers finding love for the first time so this was a refreshing story of an "older" couple who were well beyond their first romance.

Haddon and Marissa made an amazing couple with great chemistry. An intriguing plot rounded this story out. Very enjoyable!
2,315 reviews11 followers
October 21, 2020
Vengeful Cougar!
Oh dear, I can't stop laughing at the antics between Marissa and Haddon. The more he pushes, the more she backs off.
Yet Marissa really is quite a powerful and strong character. So is he!
She is vengeful and he is as sexy as anything in my dreams. And such a wonderful lover! Do they really exist as fantastic he is? I wonder!
As the story unfolds, different facts come to light and slowly the whole picture evolves. It was like painting a picture where you have the basic background, then the outlines which are slowly and meticulously filled in and then the finishing touches and voila! Now you have the complete picture!
So it was with this story and I loved every second f it.
I happily read an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of the ebook and my voluntary and unbiased review is recorded above.
261 reviews3 followers
November 4, 2020
I really enjoyed this--the love story was entertaining, but I liked the revenge story best. I hope we meet the deliciously intriguing Captain Nighter again!
Profile Image for Candace.
799 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2022
Marissa & Trent/Haddon. Its rare when you have a love story with a 49 y/o thrice widowed woman and a widowed man with 4 daughters. Not gonna lie but I wasn't super excited about reading this book. But Mrs Ayers did both characters justice. Marissa wasn't a shriveled up widow and he wasn't some over the hill can't get it up man. We start out with them having a "dalliance" at the house party. Her son shows up to her room and she's freaking out because he's still in her bed and she's trying to get him to hide but yeah...he wasn't doing that. They're both adults and can do as they please. So fun having her son catching them. These 2 had great chemistry from the get but she's been widowed 3 times and her 2nd one Reggie almost killed her with grief. Not wanting to experience that kind of love again, she tries to keep their encounter as very surface level by telling him that she's older than him and he needs to remarry for an heir (he has 4 teenage daughters). But he wants her and doesn't care about all her excuses. He asks her to assist his oldest daughter, Jordana to make her way in society (but really just wants to keep her close). I loved his daughter and can't wait to hear her story. She shows up and is pretending to have no manners but in reality, she hated London society and not only didn't care about marrying but she wanted to return to the country and aid a local doctor or become a midwife. So she's being difficult but Marissa sees through her façade and they become to really like each other. They go on a walk in the park and Haddon shows up (he's secretly courting Marissa but she doesn't realize it). They run into this young debutante that all of society believes he is courting including Marissa and she has her jealous moment. It starts to rain and he rushes his daughter off to the carriage (she was getting over a chest cold and couldn't afford to get sick again) and he assists Marissa in retrieving a hat from a tree. They get soaked and return to her townhouse to dry off. He's strips down and they end up having sex. Immediately after, she dismisses him as a dalliance and it pisses him off royally. He decides to stay away from her and they stop seeing each other (her thinking it best but her heart is hurting). She maintains her relationship with Jordana and they go shopping. While returning to the carriage she sees Haddon with his deb and while distracted gets her foot caught in a hole. Some boxes fall off the carriage and she gets knocked out. She wakes up in his house where she admits, in a dream, that he wasn't a dalliance and she cared for him. She stops fighting him and they have sex again and come to an understanding. In the background Marissa is plotting to ruin the Pendletons (the deceased dad and his wife killed Reggie over the ownership of the mine which was on their land but according to a survey wasn't theirs). Mom had told her son and he kept the secret not wanting a scandal to hurt his political ambitions. The mom and sister are spend thrifts however Marissa has filed a lawsuit over the ownership of the mine and while the mine is open and the case is being litigated all of the funds are going in trust. Not having access to the mine funds and racking up lawsuit fees they are close to being in the poor house. Pendleton has debts outstanding all over town and Marissa has bought all of them up. She manages to prevent his sister from marrying a wealthy business man (by having him discover that she's a slut) and plans to ruin Simon's chances at marrying his heiress by ruining her (hiring a soldier that does things for $$$) at a ball forcing him to call off the engagement. Without her dowry he will be unable to repay all of the debts Marissa owns. Marissa finds out that all of Simon's debts have been paid. As a repayment for a debt his dad had given Haddon leverages his mines and gives the $$$ to Simon. He is to be repaid when Simon marries his heiress. If he doesn't then Haddon won't be repaid and will lose everything. Haddon knows what she's planning but doesn't tell her (he actually avoids her). At the ball, Marissa decides not to go through with her plan and stops the soldier from ruining the heiress and sending her back to Simon (even though he's a cold fish and doesn't care for her). Haddon comes in and she asks him why he didn't say anything to her. He said he loved her so much that he was willing to lose everything because he understood her feelings and wanted her to have peace. They admit they love each other, plan to marry and head back to her house...and are caught in bed together by her son AGAIN.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
244 reviews6 followers
October 21, 2020
Wicked Again is the seventh instalment in Kathleen Ayers’ excellent Wickeds series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I definitely say you should read the others because they are great.
This isn’t your usual historical romance. It has a mature hero and heroine, both experienced and where the heroine is actually quite a few years older than the hero. It’s not the usual type of story I would pick up but Kathleen is such a good writer, and having met Marissa and Haddon in the previous books, I chose to give it a go. I wasn’t disappointed.
Lady Marissa Cupps-Foster is very unlucky in love. She has buried 3 husbands quite early in life and has devoted the last twenty years in raising her sons and her niece and nephew. Now they are happily settled she decides to indulge herself a little. Meeting the charismatic Lord Trent Haddon at a tedious house party, she decides on a little dalliance. It’s quickly apparent that it is so much more. Marissa tries to cast Haddon from her mind - she needs to deal with a devastating truth about her beloved second husband Reggie, and orchestrate a bitter revenge - but she is irresistibly drawn to him. Can Marissa overcome her fears about the age difference and the scandal it would cause and trust she has finally found her happy ever after?
Lord Trent Haddon never had any doubts in his mind about his feelings for the fascinating Lady Marissa Cupps-Foster. The age difference does not bother him. He is a widower with 4 girls - certainly not a boy. He just needs to be patient and convince her that they are meant to be together. When she leaves the house party abruptly and then refuses all further contact, he pursues her to London. Playing on her compassion, he asks her help in helping ready his daughter Jordana for her first season. He will do all he can not to be banished and make Marissa admit her feelings.
This was a fantastic story. Marissa is such a strong, intelligent and capable heroine. She had natural fears about Haddon and the strength of his feelings for her and she did take a while to realise they could have something permanent. She was blinkered by her need for revenge but ultimately not cruel. You genuinely felt for her.
Haddon was just perfect. He was gorgeous, steadfast, so understanding, a little bit wicked, and his devotion to Marissa even when facing his own ruination was heart melting.
The secondary characters were really interesting. Loved Jordana, really intrigued by Nighter and so loved seeing glimpses of Arabella, Kelso and Elizabeth, Brendan and Petra again.
The story had everything - romance, revenge, suitably horrible villains, drama, humour and plenty of passion.
I was gifted an ARC for my honest review but my views are entirely my own. This is definitely worth reading.
557 reviews5 followers
October 30, 2020
Wow, oh my stars wow! This book is wickedly captivating right from the start! Kathleen weaves a tale of a woman 49 years old, and widowed thrice. Content with the occasional dalliance, Marissa has no desire for marriage again. This exciting story is filled with lots of witty banter, humor, intriguing plot, a mystery and a bit of sadness and revenge.

The imagery is amazing giving you a full view as the story unfolds. Kathleen has created fascinating characters who have fully faceted personalities that leap off the pages, yet flawed each in their own way. Each had their share of tragedies in life to deal with. The chemistry between the two was just perfect.

Of her three husbands Marissa felt that only one actually loved her. Having been missing for several years, rumors swirled that he had ran off with another woman but his body has recently been found and declared murdered. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Marissa at first but Haddon fell in love with her and was determined to woo her and when her at all cost. I wanted to shake some sense into her at some point… LOL.

I loved Haddon, he was the perfect swoon worthy hero, very much a gentleman. A widowed 40 year old father of four daughters. He had been jilted and ended up marrying a woman he didn’t love who has since passed away. He knew Marissa was the woman for him from the very beginning. But she had difficulty understanding why he wanted her considering the age difference and then she was too old to give him a son, an heir.

This is a fantastic story that unfolds beautifully. I laughed, I sighed, I swooned. A must read, to be sure. While it is a standalone you really must read the rest of the books in the series. I can’t wait for the next story to come out!

Thanks so much Kathleen for such an exciting love story.
Profile Image for Letschat1974.
821 reviews10 followers
November 8, 2020
4 Stars (Grace Callaway, Jennifer Ashley, Sarah MacLean, Jess Michaels, Lorraine Heath)

This book was good, worth reading in a few days. It hit pretty much most of my personal markers for a good read and well roundness of the book. my personal markers for a great read...1. smart and engaging writing, 2. Humorous, 3. sexy interactions and 4. stories with family/friends.

The development and interest in main characters, H/H well paired, and Secondary characters was enjoyable. It kept me wanting to know and read more. H/H were enjoyable and well paired.

Laugh out loud with humorous moments. The give and take dialogue was wonderful as well as action filled.

I loved the writing around the women empowerment (it wasn’t over the top for me). Badass women rock.

Movement of the book flowed for the most part. Book writing/conversation engaging. Not a lot of historical accuracy (no big deal to me), not a lot of internal character dialogue and not a lot of descriptive scenery written out.

Romantic /sexual content (kissing, oral and love making scenes) was throughout the book. Nothing over the top and was intertwined rightly in the story telling. 3/5 rating hotness and steam.

I love series around family members or a group of friends. I love the series even more when the author intertwines those characters throughout the book series (it’s a pet peeve when authors don’t do that because what’s the point of the series and introducing the characters if they are not going to interact throughout the series).

would absolutely recommend the book and the series. you don’t have to read the series in order however you’ll miss the true telling of the story around the series.
Profile Image for Laney.
54 reviews2 followers
October 22, 2020
I'm going to be honest - I don't typically gravitate toward mature heroines. I really love Kathleen Ayers' writing, though, so even though I wasn't sure when I received this book, I dove in. I AM SO GLAD I DID. (Yes, that needed all caps.)

I loved Marissa. But I REALLY loved Haddon. It was really interesting to read a 'love at first sight' from the male point of view. Haddon met Marissa, and he knew. And was all in. And in this case, it makes for one sexy story. I saw another reviewer say that Haddon is the hero of her dreams and yes, I can definitely see that being true for most of us.

The crux of this story, beyond the subplot of revenge, is that Marissa has done an amazing job helping her 'ducklings' find love - successfully - but has somehow missed out on love for herself. To the point where she almost lets it pass her by because despite the pull, she allows herself to be distracted and to believe that she isn't worthy of it. We should all have a Haddon who is there to show us that we are worthy.

The chemistry is on fire. You'll be cheering these characters on. And you'll be laughing along the way at some of the antics. The villians are painted perfectly. I enjoyed this one from start to finish and you will too!

I received an advanced copy, but all opinions in this review are my own.
Profile Image for TLynn.
1,467 reviews17 followers
November 2, 2020
Wicked Again is the seventh book in The Wickeds series but can be read as a stand-alone. Every time I finish a book in this series, I think it’s the best one then another one is released, and I must change my opinion! This series is all about strong women and alpha heroes with a hidden soft side. It’s fast-paced, attention-grabbing, and you won’t want to put it down.
Lady Marissa Cupps-Foster had lost three husbands but only loved one of them, Reggie. He had simply disappeared one day and never found. Now she is scared to allow someone into her heart and suffer that loss ever again. While attending a house party she decides on having a discreet dalliance with Lord Trenton Haddon who is younger than her. When her dear Reggie’s body is discovered, she leaves the party in a rush. She returns to London but can’t get Haddon out of her mind. She didn’t expect him to want to continue their relationship. Haddon was enchanted with Marissa and knew she thought their time together had ended. Following her to London and asking for her help with presenting his oldest daughter was the only way he could see her. Revenge, lost fortunes, and jealousy tangles their relationship, can their love survive all the obstacles?
I received an ARC from the author and am willingly leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Profile Image for Kaye.
7,177 reviews69 followers
November 1, 2020
🌟🌟ONE SPECTACULAR THRILL🌟🌟
Sensational! Kathleen unleashes this wickedly compelling piece of perfection, dishing up some fervent facts, harsh lessons and cunning deception, putting our characters through their paces, propelling this gem to staggering heights. Navigating the daring drama, riveting intrigue, underlying currents, devious agenda, escalating suspense and intense situations, along with a double dose of stunning revelations, you have one block busting masterpiece, bursting this baby to life brilliantly. The scorching attraction and combustible chemistry explodes as each layer is peeled back, highlighting incredibly profound emotions and intense affections, binding them together beautifully. The characters, banter, dialogue, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits, adding depth and diversity, transforming into outstanding personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and graphic descriptions creating an elaborate backdrop that feels as though you were transported to ground zero with them. Remarkable job Kathleen, thanks for sharing this amazing thrill with us.
4,168 reviews22 followers
November 2, 2020
A wickedly delicious addition to the series! I haven't read all of the books in this series, but this was surely a captivating and entertaining story that was well-written and grabbed my attention right from the start. The author did a nice job of pulling me right into the story and bringing the characters to life. I can really picture the story as it unfolds in my mind's eye. Marissa and Haddon were a wonderful couple and I also appreciated the fact that they were a bit older than in most other romances that you typically read. It made for a more intriguing read. Marissa isn't looking for love and after spending time with her, that's the only thing on Haddon's mind. He will do anything he can to woo her and get her to see they belong together. Such a swoon-worthy read! This book was amazing- I absolutely have to go back and read more of this series!
If you love Regency's with extra spice, don't miss out on this one!

I was gifted an advanced reader's copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving my review.
6 reviews1 follower
November 3, 2020
Another wonderful Wicked!

I couldn't wait to read Lady Cupps-Foster, Marissa's, story since Kathleen Ayers (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors) announced she would be writing it. Marissa is mother to 2 grown sons & widowed 3 times. She has just met Lord Haddon when she learns her second husband Reggie had been murdered as we learned in book 5. Marissa & Trent have a bumpy romance but it is such a wonderful romance to read about!
I love that the characters from the previous books appear throughout the serious, it makes it more enjoyable to keep the family scenes realistic & more enjoyable to read. I especially love Arabella! There's no "oh yeah I saw that coming in these books" they're filled with humor, grief & joy.
I hope we get to find out more about the mysterious Captain Nighter in the future. As well as more of Marissa's relationships with Lord Haddon's daughters especially Jordana
21 reviews1 follower
October 30, 2020
Kathleen Ayers delivers an unusual story about mature people who aren't looking for love, but find it with each other. The heroine isn't your normal 17-20ish year old wallflower, bluestocking, etc. aristocrat. No, this is a lovely widow of three husbands, and, like so many older women, beautiful and sensual. Enter our hero, an older widower (but younger than her), handsome and sexy, and he knows what he wants. He wants the widow! Ms. Ayers has a knack of character development and brings them to life with building sexual tension and humor. There's always a myriad of supporting characters who in drift and out of the Wicked series. If you love historical romance, you need to read the Wicked series. I've read her books many times and love them each time. I had the honor of reading an ARC for this book and was not paid for my review.
Profile Image for Ruchika Mahajan.
591 reviews8 followers
November 4, 2020
This is my first book in this series but after reading it I m going to start reading the entire series. A terrific, beautiful and delightful story. I fell in love with Trent. He was all what we ladies dream of, honourable, strong, loyal, persistent, understanding, handsome and above all his love was without any judgement. I can go on n on. He is one of the best written hero I have ever read.
Marissa was a strong independent woman who deserved a man like him. It was an unusual story of an older thrice widowed woman and a younger man. It wasn't an easy love story.trent had to earn Marissa's love. He fell in love quickly. Marissa had a tough life so she isn't so trusting.
It was so beautiful how they fall in love.
Go read it everyone. In the end you will have a big smile and a happy heart. Made my day.
Looking forward to read the entire series now.
I want captain Nighter's story...
Profile Image for Rebekah Carulli Hanson.
984 reviews1 follower
July 1, 2024
Great series ending!

Marissa has a dalliance with Trent a much younger man! In other words she’s a cougar!!!
Lord Haddon falls in love with Marissa a three times widowed woman.
Marissa has a great time with Trent but he is much younger and she is afraid of opening her heart again. She definitely doesn’t want to go through the pain of losing another man she loves.
In the middle of chaperoning Trent’s daughter, revenge plots, jealous debutants and a snobbish butler they find themselves in love. Will they be able to overcome all the trials against them? Get the book and become a part of The Wickeds! Kathleen is so talented she had me hooked from book one to seven. Each book has it’s own unique story and HEA. Some series become trite and repetitive but not this one!
Profile Image for Lisa Pohlman.
205 reviews10 followers
November 5, 2020
This is book 7 of the Wickeds series. You do not need to read the other books in the series first...but why wouldn't you!?!?!? This whole series is great!!! This book is about Marissa, Lady Cupps-Foster and Lord Haddon. Marissa has buried 3 husbands...she just wants to have some fun, not get married again. Lord Haddon, is a widower and has 4 daughters to raise. Haddon wants Marissa and will do whatever to make her his. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! It was my favorite of the whole series. I loved that this book had a mature women in it, they still want love and have insecurities too. I received a free copy of this book for my honest review.
1,119 reviews3 followers
September 8, 2024
Such a great author

I've now read 2 complete series by Kathleen Ayers, one after the other, and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. I have learnt a lot more historical facts and just how the aristocracy managed to get rich, and it was from all that trade that they pretended was beneath them. And just how ruthless they could be, and the English Govt too with their official - nonofficial assassins!
Such naughty carrying ons too in the shadows and alcoves of buildings, not to mention coaches. And of course, just how chancy pregnancy and birth was for women - always worth a reminder.
Nicely plotted, nicely written in a good style with enough humour.
Profile Image for Jan Hewitt.
6 reviews
October 22, 2020
I have enjoyed other books in this series and was ready to sink into this one. Then had one of those "why would you do this to me?" moments. I am, usually, not a fan of older woman with younger man stories. A couple of years are okay, but why almost a decade? I am, obviously, a foolish person. The story was great. I enjoyed the humor, the supporting characters, the way they rounded out the revenge aspects of her personality with the emotional support she showed for Jordana. I don't like spoilers, but will say, I appreciated how they made love conquer all problems.
Profile Image for Dominique Englebert.
566 reviews5 followers
October 28, 2020
I thank the opportunity that has been offered of being an ARC reader for this book.
I loved the book. Loved the spontaneity of the exchanges and quality of language.
The interactions between Haddon and Marissa, her uncertainties and hesitations about her physical appearance are typical for a relatively older woman having had children and looking at herself with the critical -in her eyes- flaws of post-pregnancy. It is all so real and I really could identify with her.
I certainly shall read the other books in the series now that my interest has been awakened by Wicked again.
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