Wicked Nights With a Lover

The Penwich School for Virtuous Girls #3

by Sophie Jordan

What should a proper lady do when she believes her days are numbered?

Step One: Take a Lover.

After being told she will not survive beyond the year's end, prim and lovely Marguerite Laurent intends to live what remains of her life to the very fullest. Though she may never know love, she will know passion—and she agrees to a whirlwind romance with a former admirer. But hours before embarking upon her grand adventure, Marguerite is abducted—by an unscrupulous rogue who boldly announces his intentions to bed and wed her before the week is out!

Step Two: Live With No Regrets.

Ash Courtland pulled himself up from the gutter to become a successful man of business, and now he wants revenge on his one-time partner for betraying him. Still, his enemy's bewitching daughter is most certainly not about to surrender her innocence to the infuriating—if shockingly attractive—cad who took her captive. Yet with no more than a touch, Ash makes her tremble with desire...and resisting the heat of his passion could cost Marguerite her last, best chance for ecstasy.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Adult, Regency Romance, Historical Fiction

374 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 30, 2010

About the author

Pseudonym:
Sharie Kohler

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.

In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.

Reviews

[Sarah MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie Jordan just gets better and better. Seriously.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast-paced story, and written with Jordan's usual flare, but the weak plot and patchy characterisation meant this missed the mark for me.

I'm always interested in Fate vs Free Will stories, and for a time there was a nice thing shaping up there - with a mysterious fortune teller foreseeing the heroine's Death in the Lea Teaves (but only after a sexually satisfying marriage). But Margaret's reactions dithered too inconsistently between "I shall let this handsome man marry me, as it is clearly my Karma (Karma, Karma Chameleon)" and "If I flee into the freezing dark night miles from anywhere with no money, I shall clearly escape my Destiny". Have I used the words "vacillating nit-wit" in this review yet?

Under the circumstances, it's difficult for even a well-adjusted hero not to lose it occasionally, and unfortunately Ash came across as a self-interested bully too much of the time. And a rather silly one as well: forcing a rich man's daughter into a Gretna Green marriage does not automatically ensure that said rich man will bequeath the kidnapper a substantial cash sum, or even a used pocket handkerchief.

Happy to be signposted to better Sophie Jordans, if anyone's got suggestions.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that I haven’t read any other Sophie Jordan books in this series, but the hints of two other character’s HEA make me want to rush the shelves and find them. Marguerite and Ash had such wonderful chemistry that I felt antsy waiting for the two of them to realize what they meant to each other. Marguerite is determined to see the world and not be bound by propriety; Ash doesn’t want her proper, he just wants her married. To him. What’s unique is that Ash doesn’t try to finesse her and seduce her with sweet nothings. He tells her how it is, and then seduces her anyways. But what he doesn’t realize is that she’s not the only one being seduced. Marguerite has no false assumptions about either her father or Ash, and I liked that she was so refreshing and lacking naiveté. They are two people surrounded by people, and have never felt so alone. They find peace with each other, not just passion. And their relationship gives Marguerite a greater appreciation for the other relationships she has, with her best friends and with her newfound family. The question remains whether Ash might realize that revenge is a cold bedfellow when he has the opportunity for a lifetime of happiness and wickedness.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Sophie Jordan is one of those authors I just adore reading each and every time I grab her up and I have been working slowly on her backlist, and when I saw this book at my local library, I just knew that I needed to grab this one up. I was so intrigued by this one and I just couldn't wait to jump into it, and before I knew it I had read this book in just a couple of hours...CRAZY!! I just love that these backlisted books of Jordan I can get into so quickly, and become immersed.

Marguerite Laurent has been told by a seer that she has less than a year to live. That she will be killed in a tragic accident. And so Marguerite decides that she wants to really LIVE her life. Her first plan is to find a lover and she finds one, and right before she is ready to leave, her birth father wants to see her. He has had no interest in her life up until now, and she doesn't trust him at all. But she does want to meet her two sisters. And then she finds herself kidnapped, by her father's business partner who wants revenge against her father who cheated him and wants her to marry him.


Marguerite wonders if Ash is the man the seer spoke about...the man she would share passionate night with and  a marriage before she is killed. At first she doesn't know what to make of his kidnapping her. She is furious of course, but she understands his motives since she isn't endeared to her father who only wanted to use her to further his own gains. She is attracted to Ash, but fights the fact that she will be dead in less than a year but she agrees to marry him. Knowing he could be a great lover to her if his kisses mean anything.

I really liked this story, I won't say that I loved it....I found Marguerite to be a bit bi polar at times, I almost felt like I was receiving whip lash because she would say yes to Ash's proposal and then run away and she did this multiple of times and I never really understand her actions. Ash is your typical bad boy rake of Regency England but you know I LOVED his character. He was such a hoot....doesn't apologize for anything, hard worker, built up his empire practically out of nothing and you have to admire his tenacity.

The romance was sweet and sexy and I was cheering for these two from beginning to end. I just adored their chemistry which is powerful and so well written that you feel so immersed in the intensity. I wouldn't say the bedroom scenes are HOT but they are written in such a way that are beyond steamy, simply love the way that Sophie Jordan writes her historical's....simply pure smexy fun to delight in!!





[foogallery id="52110"]

[Ollie Z Book Minx · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is bullshit and Ms. Jordan should know better. I'm angry after reading this and most vehemently recommend against anyone else picking it up. Everything is in extremes - apparently the only options for our heroine are the hands-wringing passionless Viscount Roger or the vicious hypocritical brute of a working man Ash. Ash - who abducts her to force her to marry him, except he's sure he won't have to cuz he's such a catch and so great with the ladies. He who has never and would never harm a woman (apart from this one, of course). He "does right" by her on the journey to elopement - which is insulting - and claims he'll let her go if she doesn't want him, as long as she truly gives his proposal some thought. She says no - over and over and over again - but clearly she hadn't really thought it through yet, so this paragon of virtuous conduct toward women ignores her protests over the three days until she manages to escape - and even THAT isn't reason enough for him.

When he hauls her in front of the reverend, he says to himself "He should simply make the choice for her-he should just marry the blasted female who didn't seem to know her own mind and be done with it." Swoon, am I right? It continues "and yet he couldn't. He'd spent too much of his life lacking choices." Um. So, it's great that he's finally managed to rustle up a conscience but are we truly meant to buy this bs?

Then there's Marguerite. The reader is given no insight into her sudden (inexplicable and unexplained) acquiescence, other than her core warms at his hot bod and sexy voice - which, considering that she is supposed to be fearing for her life, is a stretch to say the least. I get that she's uncertain and dithers, she's got no reason to trust that he'll really let her go and plenty of evidence to the contrary, but she waits until he finally seems to accept her refusal and flip flops with no warning, no tense/deep internal reflection, just ok let's do it. Plus wtf is up with her 'break my heart by sending me away and I'll blow you and your mind' scene?

Ash is a violent man, beating people into pulps more than once - I think we're supposed to be thrilled for her that she's snagged such a passionate dude - and, despite his repeated statements about how he'd never harm a woman, he seems to do it pretty frequently - throwing her roughly into the carriage after beating up Roger, dragging her by her wrists so roughly she's worried about how bad the bruises will be, fucking her as hard and rough as he can even after he tells himself to be gentle because she makes him so crazy he just can't help himself, etc. His brutality is her fault cuz she brings the beast out. Riiiiiight.

Unacceptable.

[romancelibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really should not pay so much attention to reviews. I fully expected to hate this book based on the negative reviews, but I actually had a fun time reading it. The story isn't meaty; there isn't much happening. There isn't really a plot because the story is very much character-focused. We don't see the details surrounding either Ash's job nor Marguerite's. We only really get a glimpse of it, moreso of Marguerite's job. And I was okay with that because I was wholly engaged with Marguerite and her decision to live her life to the fullest after her encounters with Madame Foster. I was engaged with the couple and I got butterflies everytime they were together because the tension was so palpable.

This book is different from the first two as there's a light supernatural element to it, which made the story refreshing. It's obviously not for everyone, but I thought it was an interesting take on fatality. I loved that the hero and heroine were literally tied together by fate.

The epilogue briefly mentioned that Marguerite helps Ash out with the business. The story would have definitely been meatier and more developed if the author had further explored this angle rather than just briefly mentioning it in the epilogue.

That being said, I'm glad that author introduced Marguerite's sisters. They were not just cardboard characters. They were essential to the plot to some extent. Also, Grier is a Queen ♕ and I can't wait to read the Forgotten Princesses series. She obviously has some beef with a Prince. This should be interesting.

[♥ℳelody]

And here I thought I may give Marguerite's book a shot after reading Book 2 In Scandal They Wed. Only to realize this was a DNF fail from way back when where I couldn't get passed page 10. Oops.

[Desi · Rating 5 out of 5]

leído en Dic 2013

Me encantó esta historia!!

Argumento:

¿Qué debe hacer una dama cuando cree que sus días están contados?
Paso uno: Buscarse un amante...
Después de que le dijeran que no sobreviviría más allá del fin de año, la recatada y encantadora Marguerite Laurent toma la decisión de vivir al máximo lo que queda de su vida. Aunque puede que nunca conozca el amor, está decidida a conocer la pasión… y accede a mantener un breve romance con un antiguo admirador. Pero horas antes de embarcarse en su gran aventura, Marguerite es secuestrada por un granuja sin escrúpulos que osadamente anuncia sus intenciones de acostarse y casarse con ella ¡antes que termine la semana!
Paso dos: Vivir sin remordimientos...
Ash Courtland salió de las alcantarillas para convertirse en un exitoso hombre de negocios, y ahora quiere vengarse de su antiguo socio por haberlo traicionado. Sin embargo, la cautivadora hija de su enemigo ciertamente no piensa entregar su inocencia al indignante, aunque sorprendentemente atractivo, canalla que la ha hecho cautiva. Pero sólo con rozarla, Ash la hace temblar de deseo... y resistirse al calor de su pasión podría costarle a Marguerite su última y mejor oportunidad de conocer el éxtasis.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this and stopped somewhere around page 220.

I love Sophie Jordan's writing style because it is easy to read, but still gripping. She tells a good story. However, in this case, there just wasn't enough to go on. Both characters weren't likable. Marguerite acted TSTL on numerous occasions (there is an irony to my statement if you read the book since a seer tells her she is going to die) and the hero, Ash, is an overbearing ass most of the time. The two are constantly fighting after Ash impulsively kidnaps Marguerite to spite her father. Combine the unlikable characters with a flimsy kidnap/travel plot and it just didn't quite work for me.

Overall, it was not a good set-up for a believable romance. The heroine was wishy-washy and the hero was overly-possessive of a woman he had no right to claim. This one just didn't have the angsty, over-the-top romantic feel I had hoped, and instead left me irritated.

I'd recommend you read about Marguerite's half-sister, Grier instead. I loved her book, Wicked in Your Arms.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you encounter a fortune teller/psychic who appears to really know what's going to happen AND if she predicts your death within a year, what would you do?

Didn't love him when he kidnapped her.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

oddly paced?? gonna forget this one immediately

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the most fantastical of the this three book series!
Historical English romance about a lonely almost orphaned bastard daughter who has two wonderful friends (see Sins of a Wicked Duke and In Scandal They Wed) but are happily married so too busy to see their last single childhood best friend. Marguerite Laurens is a small but cute sick nurse that has been lucky with constant work and two great friends that help her survive a sickly awful childhood, but why would she believe that crazy fortuneteller when she seems like a practical smart woman? Seriously that was what really held me back from really liking Marguerite. So she gets kidnapped by her father's co-investor who decides to marry her so he can inherit her father's investments, but there is a growing attachment as well as lots of chemistry to finally get the wedding vows done.
I really couldn't get my mind wrapped around the superstitious nonsenses in this death omen business and up until the last page, I'm not sure if the reader is supposed to believe that Mrs. Foster is for real or just a talented conartist?
This was my least favorite story of the three. There wasn't enough character development of the Hero and heroine nor the two half sisters, of whom I would have liked to have more contact. But thanks go to the author for not having a secret baby plot or thinking that just one sexual experience would make a child which would be the only reason that the couple will stay together, these lovers have more to keep them together for a real HEA.
374 pages but with big spaced out print to it was more like 250 normal pages
2 stars

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: the book does not deserve 4 stars.

However, I am giving it 4 stars for the chemistry. Sophie Jordan seems to be good at creating lead characters that have strong pulls between them. I liked the characters well enough, while male lead signifincalt outshines the female lead. It reminds me of seven nights in a rogue's bed, where great sex presides over romance. You know they want each other, but you don't know why.

And for that, the book gets 3 stars for character development. I flipped through this book in less than 4 hours. But this is until 2am. So you see my dilemma. On one hand you really feel the pull between them, how they need each other and how the male character cannot let her out of his sight. On the other hand, the plots are thin, reasoning weak and many pages can be skipped. 2 good characters with great chemistry, wasted in this book. They are left hanging without a strong plot to support the development of their relationship. So they must make up for it by engaging in a lot of sexual activities. Overall a very weak and bland book, but the chemistry is not to be ignored. The story pulls at your stomach and is not without its tender moments. Ash kniving little wooden fingures for Margueritte = so very sweet (although I have to say Harry Pye in the leopard prince does a much better job).

This is not a great book. At best, a ok timepass. I need more complexity in my romance novels. More coming to terms with oneself, with a relationship that threatens your life-long beliefs. Great sex is, well, great. But from lust to love, show us how the characters have made that journey and leap of faith despite their better judgements.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marguerite Laurent grew up without a father. Well, he existed, he just wasn't very present. When her mother died, he shipped Marguerite off to school, and not a great school at that. But now she's been summoned to his presence. She's not really anxious to go, but she's recently been informed by a fortuneteller that she's going to die before the year is out. Not that she believes charlatans like that, but the rest of the woman's predictions have eerily come true. So Marguerite takes her life into her own hands. She wants to live before she dies. She decides that she's going to take up a former suitor on his offer to make her his mistress, but she wants him to take her to Spain, but, first, she wants to meet her sisters. While there, she's kidnapped by her father's business partner. Ash Courtland does not want the company that he helped to build up going to three "princesses." So he decides taht he'll save part of it for himself. But can he resist Marguerite's lure, and how can she fall in love when she knows she's about to die?
A very quick, fun read

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. I didn't realize that there were some before this one so I'll have to get those. And I'm hoping Grier and the other sister get their own books, too. I would love to see Grier with some stuffy duke or prince. The back and forth relationship got a little tiresome but with no other obstacles they had to have something to overcome. Overall, a very good book. And it's about time the author let the bad guy have it at the end!! Woo hoo, no redemption in site :)

[C JM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly my favorite Sophie Jordan book so far.

[Cozen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not as good as the first book in the series, "Sins of a Wicked Duke." Still, she can write a book.

[Viri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantó, solo el final fue algo fantástico y esas cosas hahaha pero estuvo bueno.

[The Bookshelf Wars · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really expected not to like this series, and I am thrilled with how well it turned out instead.

[Scoyphenson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Insta-love. Dominant man. Blah blah blah.

[Nicole Pelcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably closer to a 3.5 but decides to round up because I didn't think a three really suited my feelings.

I adored the introduction to Marguerite Laurent as she seemed like an ahead of her time death positive character. She basically works as an end of life companion. (I can't remember what they called it in the book). However, this all changes when a psychic tells her that she will die within the year. After she witnesses something that proves to her that the psychic was telling the truth she aims to go against her fortune and live her last year to the fullest. Unfortunately she is kidnapped by the handsome Ash Courtland who intends to marry her.

This set up ended up being a lot of they almost are there then not and a whole lot of back and forth. Though I really enjoyed a lot of it I did feel a bit frustrated when it kept going on and on. Though once they do get together you get some amazing scenes of them truly getting to know each other.

The only thing that kind of left me a bit disappointed was the ending that seemed to drag on and then suddenly out of no where abruptly end. Like it wasn't a bad ending just didn't really do it for me as much as I'd have liked.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the end of this trilogy of friends who survived a cruel boarding school. Marguerite remains unmarried and cares for patients at the end of their lives. She meets a psychic who predicts she will marry but die within the next year. Shaken, she decides to spend the next year living a more adventurous life, but before she can she is kidnapped by her estranged father’s business partner named Ash who wishes revenge upon her father for refusing to let him wed one of his daughters. He plans to marry her to antagonize her father, but they of course fall in love. The book manages conflict with her father and internal conflict within the couple, him trying to understand his love for her and her trying to get over the thought she would die and lose him. The ending was melodramatic and both of their internal struggles bugged me sometimes. I still enjoyed it.

[Ashley Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me so long to get through. I don’t even want to write this review but I feel the need to since I always write at least something. The heroine was just ok. Forgettable. A simple conversation would have solved a lot of issues. The hero was terrible. Then great! Then at the end she added another conflict, he loves her but CANNOT stand the possibility of hurting, so sends her away? Then two seconds after she leaves he’s like. Nope I can’t do this and how after her. The plot was weak. Just not for me. 3 stars because the style of writing is good. I might come back to this author but I need a break.

[Soni_e · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.... the books in this series are all to put politely meh. The characters from book one all the way to this are the same... the heroines wishy-washy with over the top outrage and the heroes being overbearing assholes who don’t understand boundaries. Nope....I tried giving this last book a chance but Marguerite was exactly like Fallon and Evie yet she was supposed to be the “calm and level-headed one”??? Don’t get me started on the over use of the word WRETCH!! And the constant slapping... why?? Ugh

[Janey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine. Nothing bad, nothing good. I felt like the book lingered a lot in some parts that werent needed. It felt like the author was planning a longer book and halfway through decided they couldn't do it anymore and tried to wrap it up.
I love sex scenes, but some of the ones in this book seemed unneeded like the scene when she was leaving, it took away from the moment. I did like the plot tho.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars
I rounded up because this was my favourite of the series, but
This was still just an average historical romance. The characters indecisiveness was annoying, but understandable. It felt like there was a definite Stockholm Syndrome situation going on.
I liked that Marguerite made things happen in her life when she realised it wasn’t what she wanted to be remembered for. I liked the ending for the most part. And I enjoyed Grier, her appearance is cool.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

ADORABLE! ❤️❤️❤️

Wholesome, passionate and fluffy! The attraction and bantering between the MCs just had me flipping the pages. Their first kiss had my toes curling! This might have been a stretch silly if you think about it, but it's fictional romance and there's no better way to end my day after a long day at work with a story that makes my heart race and gives me butterflies.

Enough said.

Full review to come!

[Korina Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

It began with an interesting premise. A death foretold. A woman who refuses her fate.

Then it descended into an insta-lovey mess where the H&H go from mutual distrust to married and super in love. Most romances nowadays suffer from this. Where was the emotional build-up? Didn’t quite buy into the romance.

[Lisa Pineo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good ending book in a three part series. Good characters again, this time the male love interest, Ash, was more than just an arrogant rich guy who has a troubled past so he can't love. I liked the psychic storyline woven throughout, even with the sketchy ending. I still like her more recent novels better but for only her second series, these books were enjoyable.

[Elena MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vamos a ver: muy lindos, muy preciosos, adoro a Ash con todo lo que se tiene para adorar 🫅🏼
Pero todo el momento esotérico, con el tema de la muerte de Marguerite, no una sino dos veces, con el momento de ella casi muriendo y viendo a su madre con la luz del cielo, ha sido simplemente demasiado. Not here for this.
Aun así, muy bonito; muy pesados, pero muy bonito todo.