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London's Greatest Lovers #1
Passions of a Wicked Earl
With Passions of a Wicked Earl, USA Today and New York Times bestseller Lorraine Heath kicks off a new series of delightfully sinful historical romance novels featuring “London’s Greatest Lovers.” The first romantic adventure involving the titled and rakish sons of a scandalous Dowager Duchess and their tales of passion, pleasure, and love, Passions of a Wicked Earl concerns the innocent and unfairly disgraced young wife of the first brother and her brazen attempts to win back the dashing rogue’s heart…by any means necessary!
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 26, 2010
179 people are currently reading
3950 people want to read
About the author
Lorraine Heath
92 books4,398 followersAlso writes Young Adult under Rachel Hawthorne, Jade Parker, and with her son as J.A. London.
Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."
She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero, (the Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She began her career writing training manuals and computer code for the IRS, but something was always missing. When she read a romance novel, she became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since.
Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA's RITA®. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA TODAY and the New York Times.
The author of more than 60 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers.
Under the names Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker, she writes popular contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance for teens readers. She also writes young adult novels with her son under the name J. A. London.
Lorraine Heath has always had a soft spot for emotional love stories. No doubt because growing up, watching movies with her mom, she was taught that the best movies "won't half make you cry."
She is the daughter of a British beauty (her mom won second place in a beauty contest sponsored by Max Factor® during which she received a kiss from Caesar Romero, (the Joker on the original Batman TV series) and a Texan who was stationed at Bovingdon while serving in the air force. Lorraine was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, but soon after moved to Texas. Her "dual" nationality has given her a love for all things British and Texan, and she enjoys weaving both heritages through her stories.
When she received her BA degree in psychology from the University of Texas, she had no idea she had gained a foundation that would help her to create believable characters—characters that are often described as “real people.” She began her career writing training manuals and computer code for the IRS, but something was always missing. When she read a romance novel, she became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since.
Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA's RITA®. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA TODAY and the New York Times.
The author of more than 60 novels, she writes historical and contemporary romance for adults and historical romance for teen readers.
Under the names Rachel Hawthorne and Jade Parker, she writes popular contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance for teens readers. She also writes young adult novels with her son under the name J. A. London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 458 reviews
February 12, 2017
At the tender age of 17, Claire marries Marcus Lyons, Earl of Westcliffe and begs his brother to help her delay the consummation. So the idiot climbs into her bed and gets caught by Marcus who exiles Claire to the country indefinitely while he bangs all of London. Claire comes back to town eventually to provide a credible plot, and Marcus's mistress goes off the rails to provide conflict. THIS BOOK IS SO RIDICULOUS I CAN'T EVEN PRETEND TO MAKE THIS SYNOPSIS MAKE SENSE. SORRY NOT SORRY.
1. The ending of this book literally takes logic out behind the barn and puts it down. The ex-mistress arranges to have Marcus find Claire in the arms of the brother AGAIN which results in the expected amount of angst and drama. Once the mistress's perfidy is finally revealed, Marcus ends it--AGAIN--and she shows up at the country estate to threaten Claire with hemlock and a pistol while confessing to murdering her first husband and hiring someone to shoot Claire earlier in the book.
The whole thing is a record scratch on a train that is derailing while on fire and loaded with TNT.
2. The emotional development itself is a monster: there's no clear through-line development. Marcus wanted Claire's joy; he is incapable of love; he wants a divorce; he wants children; he wants to marry his mistress because he likes having sex with her and she's ice-cold... It's kind of all over the place. And Claire is little better: she's sorry about what happened; she is terrified of Marcus; she wants to try to be a proper wife (WHY???); she is brave; she is in love with him; she's never gonna give him up... PICK A LANE, HEATH.
3. Beth was an obnoxious and pointless character.
4. Everyone was actually kind of gross, in retrospect. I liked Leo the best and he's really only in the first section of the book. :(
5. Next.
1. The ending of this book literally takes logic out behind the barn and puts it down. The ex-mistress arranges to have Marcus find Claire in the arms of the brother AGAIN which results in the expected amount of angst and drama. Once the mistress's perfidy is finally revealed, Marcus ends it--AGAIN--and she shows up at the country estate to threaten Claire with hemlock and a pistol while confessing to murdering her first husband and hiring someone to shoot Claire earlier in the book.
The whole thing is a record scratch on a train that is derailing while on fire and loaded with TNT.
2. The emotional development itself is a monster: there's no clear through-line development. Marcus wanted Claire's joy; he is incapable of love; he wants a divorce; he wants children; he wants to marry his mistress because he likes having sex with her and she's ice-cold... It's kind of all over the place. And Claire is little better: she's sorry about what happened; she is terrified of Marcus; she wants to try to be a proper wife (WHY???); she is brave; she is in love with him; she's never gonna give him up... PICK A LANE, HEATH.
3. Beth was an obnoxious and pointless character.
4. Everyone was actually kind of gross, in retrospect. I liked Leo the best and he's really only in the first section of the book. :(
5. Next.
December 23, 2014
The writing in this isn't bad but the plot is kinda stupid. Plus I have serious issues with a guy who hooks up with a psycho and can't see it. If that is the kind of chick you're attracted to, what are you seeing in the h? The h had TSTL issues as well, and frankly I just did not believe the HEA. In short, the h was an idiot and the H wasn't the most brilliant either and the whole plot was a disappointment. I don't think these two really belonged together and the HEA part just did not work for me.
May 9, 2022
3 Stars
This is my first Lorraine Heath, and it certainly was interesting enough to inspire many reactions (please read the updates).
Plot Summary
Lady Claire was betrothed to Morgan, the Earl of Westcliff, at birth. Married to him a week after she turns 17, Claire is very scared of Westcliff and her impending wedding night, for she feels hopelessly ill-prepared. To bring about a delay, she enlists the help of Stephen, Westcliff's younger brother, which, unfortunately for everyone, involves Stephen climbing into Claire's bed in a state of dishabille, with his arms around her. Westcliff walks in, is infuriated, beats Stephen within an inch of his life and Claire is banished in the country estate. Westcliff has been living in London since the betrayal of his wife. He has made no effort to be faithful to her and flaunts his paramour for all of the beu monde to see and gossip. 3 years go by, and Claire arrives on his doorstep, requesting a season for her younger sister and expressing her desire to be his wife in truth. Wary, tired and alone, Westcliff has a choice to make, trust his wife and claim her love or let her go!
My Thoughts
- I don't think I have ever read a plot like this. Although completely idiotic, the plot gets points for being unique. This book was a different type of a "second chancer" and I did enjoy reading it.
- The prose was well scripted and the pacing was fine.
- Infidelity is a sore topic for many readers, but the author has handled it with aplomb. You understand both sides, and I was not embittered, just lamenting the stupidity that could have been avoided very easily. But then again, we would have no book, hence cheers to the TSTL behaviour.
- The characters were distinctive simply because the plot was eccentric. Their reactions to this fiasco is what made them interesting. The secondary characters were also fun, especially Ransom, Duke of Ainsley.
The Problems
- I just cannot get over the idiocy of this plot, it warrants a second mention!
- For a book that is titled "Passions of a Wicked Earl" & series called "London's Greatest Lovers" it had shockingly little passion. Here is a series where the author could have gone crazy with egregious language, she didn't.
- It would have been even more enjoyable if it had been a little shorter.
- The main characters had steady development to a point and then the author decided to circle back and that is where I lost the plot, it had me rolling my eyes.
- The thing with Claire's sister was either unnecessary to the extent to which it was included or it should have been given some form of closure. I understand it provided a setting for H/h to spend time with each other, but did we need to have that much of Beth? No, we did not.
- The ending was very dramatic and abrupt, it felt forced. The villain was predictable and the confrontation ended up undoing most of the character development.
The Hero
Morgan was a betrayed hero done right. Poor thing never had anyone to connect to, emotionally. Father died pretty early on, mother was an absentee, she loved his siblings more, his youngest half-brother (Duke of Ainsley) had a better title & more money. His father left him with severe debts and he had to ask for loans from his brother until he married Claire for her dowry, add to that the betrayal of his wife and brother, a man's pride is bound to be battered. At the risk of getting a lot of heat, I was glad when Westcliff did not just drop his mistress right off the bat when Claire arrived (since he was contemplating a divorce), it made him more believable because he gradually let Anne the mistress go. The "will he - won't he" with Claire went on for a smidge too long in my opinion. He was a likeable hero with whom, I could empathize.
The Heroine
I have one word to describe her - stupid. Initially, she was young and stupid, later she was old and stupid, but stupid nonetheless. I mean so many women in the 1800s married at the age of 17, her reactions were exaggerated, if I am being polite. Woman, talk about your concerns honestly, please. Her daftness knew no bounds.
My Reccomendation
An interesting read to be sure. I am weirdly curious about Stephan's story. Needed more steam but I am going to read this entire series. I am not sure whether to recommend this book or not, so please read the review and decide!
This is my first Lorraine Heath, and it certainly was interesting enough to inspire many reactions (please read the updates).
Plot Summary
Lady Claire was betrothed to Morgan, the Earl of Westcliff, at birth. Married to him a week after she turns 17, Claire is very scared of Westcliff and her impending wedding night, for she feels hopelessly ill-prepared. To bring about a delay, she enlists the help of Stephen, Westcliff's younger brother, which, unfortunately for everyone, involves Stephen climbing into Claire's bed in a state of dishabille, with his arms around her. Westcliff walks in, is infuriated, beats Stephen within an inch of his life and Claire is banished in the country estate. Westcliff has been living in London since the betrayal of his wife. He has made no effort to be faithful to her and flaunts his paramour for all of the beu monde to see and gossip. 3 years go by, and Claire arrives on his doorstep, requesting a season for her younger sister and expressing her desire to be his wife in truth. Wary, tired and alone, Westcliff has a choice to make, trust his wife and claim her love or let her go!
My Thoughts
- I don't think I have ever read a plot like this. Although completely idiotic, the plot gets points for being unique. This book was a different type of a "second chancer" and I did enjoy reading it.
- The prose was well scripted and the pacing was fine.
- Infidelity is a sore topic for many readers, but the author has handled it with aplomb. You understand both sides, and I was not embittered, just lamenting the stupidity that could have been avoided very easily. But then again, we would have no book, hence cheers to the TSTL behaviour.
- The characters were distinctive simply because the plot was eccentric. Their reactions to this fiasco is what made them interesting. The secondary characters were also fun, especially Ransom, Duke of Ainsley.
The Problems
- I just cannot get over the idiocy of this plot, it warrants a second mention!
- For a book that is titled "Passions of a Wicked Earl" & series called "London's Greatest Lovers" it had shockingly little passion. Here is a series where the author could have gone crazy with egregious language, she didn't.
- It would have been even more enjoyable if it had been a little shorter.
- The main characters had steady development to a point and then the author decided to circle back and that is where I lost the plot, it had me rolling my eyes.
- The thing with Claire's sister was either unnecessary to the extent to which it was included or it should have been given some form of closure. I understand it provided a setting for H/h to spend time with each other, but did we need to have that much of Beth? No, we did not.
- The ending was very dramatic and abrupt, it felt forced. The villain was predictable and the confrontation ended up undoing most of the character development.
The Hero
Morgan was a betrayed hero done right. Poor thing never had anyone to connect to, emotionally. Father died pretty early on, mother was an absentee, she loved his siblings more, his youngest half-brother (Duke of Ainsley) had a better title & more money. His father left him with severe debts and he had to ask for loans from his brother until he married Claire for her dowry, add to that the betrayal of his wife and brother, a man's pride is bound to be battered. At the risk of getting a lot of heat, I was glad when Westcliff did not just drop his mistress right off the bat when Claire arrived (since he was contemplating a divorce), it made him more believable because he gradually let Anne the mistress go. The "will he - won't he" with Claire went on for a smidge too long in my opinion. He was a likeable hero with whom, I could empathize.
The Heroine
I have one word to describe her - stupid. Initially, she was young and stupid, later she was old and stupid, but stupid nonetheless. I mean so many women in the 1800s married at the age of 17, her reactions were exaggerated, if I am being polite. Woman, talk about your concerns honestly, please. Her daftness knew no bounds.
My Reccomendation
An interesting read to be sure. I am weirdly curious about Stephan's story. Needed more steam but I am going to read this entire series. I am not sure whether to recommend this book or not, so please read the review and decide!
November 6, 2010
3 ½ stars – Victorian/Historical Romance
I’m a fan of Lorraine Heath’s and have enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read, especially her Scoundrels of St. James series and contemporary romances, Hard Lovin' Man and Smooth Talkin' Stranger. So I was really excited about her new London’s Greatest Lovers series. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the series debut, Passions of a Wicked Earl, and found it to be just an okay, not great, read and overall rather unremarkable, forgettable, and at times exasperating.
The hero was often a jerk and kept unfairly punishing the heroine for an impetuous, immature action that she made as an overwhelmed, frightened, naïve seventeen-year-old girl. And there were frustratingly numerous misunderstandings between the H/h.
I honestly don’t know at this point if I’ll continue on with the series, but considering some of the low ratings I’ve seen already for the next book, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman (London's Greatest Lovers, #2), it doesn’t look promising.
I’m a fan of Lorraine Heath’s and have enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read, especially her Scoundrels of St. James series and contemporary romances, Hard Lovin' Man and Smooth Talkin' Stranger. So I was really excited about her new London’s Greatest Lovers series. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with the series debut, Passions of a Wicked Earl, and found it to be just an okay, not great, read and overall rather unremarkable, forgettable, and at times exasperating.
The hero was often a jerk and kept unfairly punishing the heroine for an impetuous, immature action that she made as an overwhelmed, frightened, naïve seventeen-year-old girl. And there were frustratingly numerous misunderstandings between the H/h.
I honestly don’t know at this point if I’ll continue on with the series, but considering some of the low ratings I’ve seen already for the next book, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman (London's Greatest Lovers, #2), it doesn’t look promising.
April 30, 2023
I can’t say how much I hated the plot. Those two are awful, both of them.
The heroine married the hero at 17 and was afraid of her wedding night so she listened to her young brother in law suggesting her to lay on the same bed so the hero would leave her alone.
Really??? Silly premises indeed. Unbelievable. So the whole plot crumbles.
Of course the hero who was young and quite besotted with her thinks they have an affair and sends her back to his county estate alone, proceeding with having affair after affair until now, three years later.
The heroine needs his help for her younger sister’s season and asks him to be her husband to promote her sister.
The hero hates her and wants to divorce her and marry his mistress, who is an evil cold bitch.
The whole affair was disgusting.
The first scene is the hero having very good sex with his mistress.
First big no no.
I understand that the hero has been hurt and betrayed by the heroine who had to be faithful and loyal to him and she was very wrong to act like she did on her wedding night.
The hero was never an ogre with her when they were engaged so she should have trusted him.
This was unforgivable.
But the hero became a cruel manwhore and even when she swore she never slept with his brother he kept seeing his mistress and wanting to marry her.
Second no-no for me.
Basically he was with his mistress until the 70 % of the book.
He was with countless women for three years while she stayed in the country alone with ladies telling her about his affairs.
That was another no no for me.
The mistress was his more important woman for all the book and all the heroine’s troubles happened because of her.
She even lost her child because of her.
I hated the hero.
I’m sorry to have to rate the book so badly because LH is one of my favorite writers but there’s not so much here to be saved except the writing style.
The heroine is gaslighted by the coward unfaithful hero until the end. He never really appreciated that it was her dowry that saved his sorry ass so he was living his high life while she was working her ass off in his country estate to keep his things going.
A girl of barely 17.
She’s more balls than him.
I don’t think there’s much to love in him.
He’s always resentful and sulking like a spoiled child, the typical useless gentleman of Victorian age, only thinking of women and pleasure and drinking.
The one who would end penniless if his young wife didn’t help him doing his job.
Yes, he was wronged but not once he tried to talk to his young-too young - wife to see if they could mend their marriage.
Until the 70% of the book he went to his mistress and wanted to marry her, and when the heroine told him that she wouldn’t be able to remarry if she was divorced he told her he didn’t care.
I wish he died in one of those accident he had in the book.
So, no there’s nothing i could recommend this book for.
The heroine married the hero at 17 and was afraid of her wedding night so she listened to her young brother in law suggesting her to lay on the same bed so the hero would leave her alone.
Really??? Silly premises indeed. Unbelievable. So the whole plot crumbles.
Of course the hero who was young and quite besotted with her thinks they have an affair and sends her back to his county estate alone, proceeding with having affair after affair until now, three years later.
The heroine needs his help for her younger sister’s season and asks him to be her husband to promote her sister.
The hero hates her and wants to divorce her and marry his mistress, who is an evil cold bitch.
The whole affair was disgusting.
The first scene is the hero having very good sex with his mistress.
First big no no.
I understand that the hero has been hurt and betrayed by the heroine who had to be faithful and loyal to him and she was very wrong to act like she did on her wedding night.
The hero was never an ogre with her when they were engaged so she should have trusted him.
This was unforgivable.
But the hero became a cruel manwhore and even when she swore she never slept with his brother he kept seeing his mistress and wanting to marry her.
Second no-no for me.
Basically he was with his mistress until the 70 % of the book.
He was with countless women for three years while she stayed in the country alone with ladies telling her about his affairs.
That was another no no for me.
The mistress was his more important woman for all the book and all the heroine’s troubles happened because of her.
She even lost her child because of her.
I hated the hero.
I’m sorry to have to rate the book so badly because LH is one of my favorite writers but there’s not so much here to be saved except the writing style.
The heroine is gaslighted by the coward unfaithful hero until the end. He never really appreciated that it was her dowry that saved his sorry ass so he was living his high life while she was working her ass off in his country estate to keep his things going.
A girl of barely 17.
She’s more balls than him.
I don’t think there’s much to love in him.
He’s always resentful and sulking like a spoiled child, the typical useless gentleman of Victorian age, only thinking of women and pleasure and drinking.
The one who would end penniless if his young wife didn’t help him doing his job.
Yes, he was wronged but not once he tried to talk to his young-too young - wife to see if they could mend their marriage.
Until the 70% of the book he went to his mistress and wanted to marry her, and when the heroine told him that she wouldn’t be able to remarry if she was divorced he told her he didn’t care.
I wish he died in one of those accident he had in the book.
So, no there’s nothing i could recommend this book for.
January 18, 2019
This began so strong! Till about halfway, the angst level was heartbreakingly satisfying – but sadly, it began to sputter thereafter with lack of substance.
So an overall 3.75*- for first making me cry and then making me mad!
Their marriage was arranged before she was even born. Her dowry is a big incentive for him as he’s been dependent on his youngest half brother (the duke) for too long, but he also sees this marriage as a means of establishing his home and hearth, as well as attaining peace and stability long denied him (blame a super dysfunctional family). While she, poor girl, is very young and running scared of the brooding elder brother of her playmate cum bff (the middle brother).
Things go horribly wrong on the wedding night courtesy naïve stupidity (on her and his brother’s part) and outraged pride (on his), and the H dumps the h at the country estate to rusticate (these estates are convenient that ways) while he works hard to gain that epithet on the cover – London’s greatest lover!
Likables?
Cooper, the old faithful is adorable.
I love his mother as well – thumbing her nose at society and taking lovers to rival her sons'! I see a hea coming up for her in the series.
So an overall 3.75*- for first making me cry and then making me mad!
Their marriage was arranged before she was even born. Her dowry is a big incentive for him as he’s been dependent on his youngest half brother (the duke) for too long, but he also sees this marriage as a means of establishing his home and hearth, as well as attaining peace and stability long denied him (blame a super dysfunctional family). While she, poor girl, is very young and running scared of the brooding elder brother of her playmate cum bff (the middle brother).
Things go horribly wrong on the wedding night courtesy naïve stupidity (on her and his brother’s part) and outraged pride (on his), and the H dumps the h at the country estate to rusticate (these estates are convenient that ways) while he works hard to gain that epithet on the cover – London’s greatest lover!
Likables?
Cooper, the old faithful is adorable.
I love his mother as well – thumbing her nose at society and taking lovers to rival her sons'! I see a hea coming up for her in the series.
May 29, 2018
I don’t understand why authors start off by writing about a scene between the H and his mistress! That too in detail!! And his logic is there that since his wife was found in bed with his brother, he had every right to pursue debauchery in every way possible. So he settles on this mistress who was a widow. He planned to marry HER after divorcing the h!
Didn’t he get it from the start that his mistress was crazy? She burst hot and cold and then got pacified on jewellery. Maybe greedy but oh well, I call that crazy.
So now the h wants to come to London and rightly so as she had been tucked away in the country for the past 3 years since her disastrous wedding night.
However, her reasons to come to London are not to do with herself but is to provide a season to her younger sister whom she adores. Her reasoning is that so that her sister doesn’t have to marry the 40 year old man their father had chosen for her sister and so that she doesn’t have to go through the misery the h had gone through by being forced into marriage to a stranger.
So background story - H is the son of an Earl, upon whose death, his mother married another man, a duke. His mother was scandalous of the time, spending her times in bed with men who were 15-20 years younger than her! Now I wasn’t born back in the 1800’s but I do know that kind of scandal is not something a duchess wants upon herself from what I’ve read from history. Anyways, what do I know about accuracy, this is just a fun novel right.
So now the Earl left his son broke, his son the H needs money so he has to borrow from his younger half-brother, the duke. So he was embarassed about this so by marrying the h, he would get a vast amount of dowry with which he can purchase anything and live the life like any aristocrat. So he was highly inclined to marry for the dowry and I don’f care how he tries to say he didn’t marry her for her dowry, I don’t believe it.
Since the wedding between h and H was pre-decided by both of their fathers, the 17 year old h couldn’t back out. She didn’t get a season and she was not asked whether she wanted to marry the H. See, these two are not exactly strangers but the 8 years older H didn’t spend time with the h who used to play with his younger brothers. She was intimidated by him and I think I can empathize with her.
So on her wedding day, she confides in the H’s youner brother that she is scared of her wedding night and if he could talk to the H or help her to delay it somehow. So the H’s brother’s stupid drunken idea is to jump into bed with the h. Although nothing happens and the h didn’t know this was what her childhood best friend had on mind, before she could say anything or push him out, the H walks into the room. And there goes his fuse.
The H believes he always comes second, to his mother and even the h loves his brothers, etc,etc.
Anyways the stupidity doesn’t end there, there is a lot of angst, he tells the h that he will divorce her and marry his mistress and obviously the h doesn’t want that. That’s scandal right there. She tries to get him to like her.
But the H keeps going to the mistress and although he doesn’t sleep with the mistress after the h arrived in London, he still keeps going back to the mistress.
So I don’t know, I didn’t find their HEA believable. The mistress was crazy btw.
And the H believed the mistress after something that happened again at a ball and so the h was packed off to the country again where she found out she was pregnant and miscarried! No just no! When you love someone, you listen to them and atleast try to find out if whatever you saw was actually true or not by talking to both parties who were involved.
Plus even a greater crime is that HE WENT BACK TO THE MISTRESS!! No, he doesn’t sleep with the mistress again but he did go out with her twice and made her believe they were back together. The H only goes back to the h after he gets notified about her near death situation when she miscarried. So......
This isn’t love!! the H didn’t believe the h at all, the first time around I get it, the second time around, no just no, you don’t do that.
Anyways, you should decide about it. Some might actually like it. I actually did like the h, she was innocent but she did try. The H was not the best. But oh well, it was entertaining. Anyways, I don’t think I will be continuing with the series.
Didn’t he get it from the start that his mistress was crazy? She burst hot and cold and then got pacified on jewellery. Maybe greedy but oh well, I call that crazy.
So now the h wants to come to London and rightly so as she had been tucked away in the country for the past 3 years since her disastrous wedding night.
However, her reasons to come to London are not to do with herself but is to provide a season to her younger sister whom she adores. Her reasoning is that so that her sister doesn’t have to marry the 40 year old man their father had chosen for her sister and so that she doesn’t have to go through the misery the h had gone through by being forced into marriage to a stranger.
So background story - H is the son of an Earl, upon whose death, his mother married another man, a duke. His mother was scandalous of the time, spending her times in bed with men who were 15-20 years younger than her! Now I wasn’t born back in the 1800’s but I do know that kind of scandal is not something a duchess wants upon herself from what I’ve read from history. Anyways, what do I know about accuracy, this is just a fun novel right.
So now the Earl left his son broke, his son the H needs money so he has to borrow from his younger half-brother, the duke. So he was embarassed about this so by marrying the h, he would get a vast amount of dowry with which he can purchase anything and live the life like any aristocrat. So he was highly inclined to marry for the dowry and I don’f care how he tries to say he didn’t marry her for her dowry, I don’t believe it.
Since the wedding between h and H was pre-decided by both of their fathers, the 17 year old h couldn’t back out. She didn’t get a season and she was not asked whether she wanted to marry the H. See, these two are not exactly strangers but the 8 years older H didn’t spend time with the h who used to play with his younger brothers. She was intimidated by him and I think I can empathize with her.
So on her wedding day, she confides in the H’s youner brother that she is scared of her wedding night and if he could talk to the H or help her to delay it somehow. So the H’s brother’s stupid drunken idea is to jump into bed with the h. Although nothing happens and the h didn’t know this was what her childhood best friend had on mind, before she could say anything or push him out, the H walks into the room. And there goes his fuse.
The H believes he always comes second, to his mother and even the h loves his brothers, etc,etc.
Anyways the stupidity doesn’t end there, there is a lot of angst, he tells the h that he will divorce her and marry his mistress and obviously the h doesn’t want that. That’s scandal right there. She tries to get him to like her.
But the H keeps going to the mistress and although he doesn’t sleep with the mistress after the h arrived in London, he still keeps going back to the mistress.
So I don’t know, I didn’t find their HEA believable. The mistress was crazy btw.
And the H believed the mistress after something that happened again at a ball and so the h was packed off to the country again where she found out she was pregnant and miscarried! No just no! When you love someone, you listen to them and atleast try to find out if whatever you saw was actually true or not by talking to both parties who were involved.
Plus even a greater crime is that HE WENT BACK TO THE MISTRESS!! No, he doesn’t sleep with the mistress again but he did go out with her twice and made her believe they were back together. The H only goes back to the h after he gets notified about her near death situation when she miscarried. So......
This isn’t love!! the H didn’t believe the h at all, the first time around I get it, the second time around, no just no, you don’t do that.
Anyways, you should decide about it. Some might actually like it. I actually did like the h, she was innocent but she did try. The H was not the best. But oh well, it was entertaining. Anyways, I don’t think I will be continuing with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2010
If you like your men tortured this this one is for you. This is a nice quick read that’s full of emotions. This one starts out with Morgan lying with his mistress. Why is he with her instead of his wife? Well you’ll have to read to find out what she done that was so bad. Needless to say this one just didn’t cut it for me in the romance department. The sex is good and this has a great ending. But it got too predictable for me by the middle of the book. I really didn’t like how Claire was treated even though she did what she did. I just felt she is the one that suffered the most from it all. If your one that loves a good sobbing story this would be an excellent book for you.
Few spoilers
Morgan is really messed up and thinks he cant find love or someone love him, so he settles for his mistress and he is with her for the biggest part of the book. His wife Claire was a silly young girl that is scared for her wedding night and does something she really shouldn’t have, so she wouldn’t have to have sex with Morgan that night. When Morgan finds out he is furious with her and takes her to another home and tells her that no man can touch her. Yet he can have all the women he wants (whatever is what I say LOL.). So Claire has to come back to his house in London and try to make a mends, it takes a long time to make it too.
Few spoilers
Morgan is really messed up and thinks he cant find love or someone love him, so he settles for his mistress and he is with her for the biggest part of the book. His wife Claire was a silly young girl that is scared for her wedding night and does something she really shouldn’t have, so she wouldn’t have to have sex with Morgan that night. When Morgan finds out he is furious with her and takes her to another home and tells her that no man can touch her. Yet he can have all the women he wants (whatever is what I say LOL.). So Claire has to come back to his house in London and try to make a mends, it takes a long time to make it too.
July 8, 2021
Lorraine Heath does it again. She presents you with a situation you don't see how it can possibly get to the HEA, and then she does.
I don't love having the mistress be villainized, but I did still enjoy this story a lot. I really felt for these two characters who were pushed into an arranged marriage too young and it caused problems for them real quick.
Overall this was a wonderful 2nd chance romance.
TW: death of a pet and cheating.
4.5/5 stars
I don't love having the mistress be villainized, but I did still enjoy this story a lot. I really felt for these two characters who were pushed into an arranged marriage too young and it caused problems for them real quick.
Overall this was a wonderful 2nd chance romance.
TW: death of a pet and cheating.
4.5/5 stars
January 15, 2018
Bleh. Pirmā puse vēl tā neko, bet tad atklājās, ka visiem varoņiem nav smadzeņu. Beigas.
October 24, 2021
“For God’s sake, Westcliffe, I’ve asked for forgiveness, which you withhold, and I’ve told you that I wish to be your wife in all matters. Why must you make this so blasted difficult?” “Because I no longer want you for my wife.” Lady Claire Michaels married Morgan Lyons, Earl of Westcliffe, three years ago. But it's a marriage in name only, because on their wedding night, Westcliffe was furious to discover his wife with his younger brother on their wedding bed. Enraged, he banished Claire to his country estate while he decided to live in town. Now three years had passed, and Westcliffe is surprised to find Claire in his house. She's demanding a season for her sister, and she wants to be his wife, not only in name, but to be an actual wife to him! Claire is quite aware of her husband's reputation and his illicit trysts. But in the years that passed, she was no longer that young girl who feared her husband, now she is determined to make their marriage work. But how could it be possible when her husband no longer trusts her and wanted nothing to do with her?
Passions of a Wicked Earl is another book from Lorraine Heath. Recently, I’ve been liking her stories and the way she writes so I gave this one a chance. While I am not very disappointed, I am not very satisfied with what I’ve read either. This book tells the story of a scandalous dowager duchess’s first son, Morgan Lyons and his disgraced wife, the countess.
Meet Claire, Lady Westcliffe, she was a young girl who had always been promised to Morgan Lyons. In their young age, they knew that they would eventually marry each other. She had always been closer to Stephen instead, Westcliffe’s younger brother. But the love they feel for each other is what one would feel for a sibling. On her wedding night, Claire lets Stephen know that she is afraid of her husband and what goes on in the marriage bed. And with that, they hatched a plan to delay the inevitable. Not quite knowing what she agreed to, and with too much champagne in her system, Claire and Stephen was caught by Westcliffe. Not doing the act, but they were together on a bed alone, which is very scandalous back then. So no, she is no cheater but simply a young girl who was afraid and unsure.
Morgan Lyons, Earl of Westcliffe, had been looking forward to his marriage with Claire. It was something done out of duty but also because of the glimpses he sees when she’s with Stephen. So, it was quite understandable that he was furious when he discovered her and his younger brother, in what should’ve been his position. He is a very insecure person. When his father, the Earl, died, her mother married a duke. Even when he’s the eldest in the trio, he’s been insecure because his youngest sibling, Ainsley, is more powerful and wealthy. Westcliffe’s marriage to Claire is something that would give him freedom and allow him to be his own man, especially since his wife’s dowry is quite a lot. So, we get that he was looking forward to that and fulfilling his husbandly duties. His mother always loved his siblings best. He thinks that in his marriage to Claire, there’d be someone who’ll come to care for him which is more reason why he felt very betrayed when he discovered her with Stephen instead.
I loved the heroine. I honestly think she deserved better. Though she had her dumb moments, I appreciated her strength and how she owned up to her mistakes and is genuinely trying to do better. Trying to make her marriage work even when she knows it would take a while. She was naive so what she did on her wedding night was understandable, however dumb. She was a young girl! Barely out of school room. She had been young and foolish. What I loved about her was that she held her head high, and did not let herself appear foolish in front of other people when she was finally in London. She stood up for herself and defended her husband, even when she knows his reputation is quite scandalous. She loved her sister very much too. She’s a good person and a good heroine. I loved getting to know her. There were moments when she made my eyes roll, seriously, she deserved better! But there was something about her that I loved. She was very tender to the hero even when he does not deserve it.
I had a hate-ok relationship with the hero but more hate than anything. He is a sorry excuse of a hero. I hated him. The heroine deserved better! He was an asshole. I hated that he was ready to divorce his wife, however taboo it was, because of a mistress that he does not even love? Like, Sir, are you actually thinking right now? He was so foolish. Hated him. Seriously! The heroine deserved so much better. I think that it would be better if he and his mistress ran away together and rotted in hell. He was so dumb and insecure. Well of course, I would not have preferred that, I would’ve been angrier if that happened. Now for the things I loved about him… actually there is nothing. I am thinking right now and there is actually nothing that comes to mind. I understand that he felt betrayed but for him to banish his wife the second time around? It was unforgivable and I can’t quite understand how it was Claire who tried to make amends the second time. There was no groveling in his part! It was Claire who put in all the effort to make their marriage work. There is nothing about him that’s redeemable. I usually love my tortured heroes but this one? Absolutely disliked him.
Their HEA is not believable to me. The ending felt very rushed. I do not believe that the man’s trust issues would suddenly go away. I think they would be very miserable with each other in the long run. She was so understanding and treated him so good, trying to make up for the past, and while I loved the parts where the readers get to see them falling in love and be nicer to each other, I felt very sad for the heroine when he did not bother listening to her explanation and decided to do the same thing he did three years ago. It was just unforgivable to me. And it shows that he did not trust her enough. What is love and relationship without trust? It would be nothing, it would crumble and they would make each other miserable and wish they married other people instead.
Overall, it was underwhelming. I love Lorraine Heath and her writing style but sadly this book did not work for me. It just bothered me that he seemed to care a great deal for his mistress then all of a sudden he decides he loves his wife. Just no. I love couples that put in the same amount of effort to make the marriage work. I love when they’re devoted to each other and this one is just not the coupe I am looking for in my romance books. Kind of confused if I should give this book 2.5 stars or 3. Because it is not deserving of 2 stars, however it's not quite a 3.. It was written well, it’s just that I hated the hero.
"Only she wanted so much more: love, respect, trust. She wanted him to want her to be his wife again, only she had no idea how to gain that."
"At the time, she’d thought only of her own fears and needs. How little she’d known about Westcliffe. How much more she was coming to know."
"His words humbled her. He’d no doubt expected her laughter to fill his house once they were wed. “I didn’t know,” she finally said, devastated by all that he’d revealed. “I didn’t know you watched, I didn’t know… I didn’t know you.”
"If he’d not turned to anger, he might have wept at the sweetness of the gesture. He had fought so long to be strong, not to need anyone, especially anyone in his own family—because they always seemed to disappoint—and yet, there he was finding himself needing Claire. And that awareness terrified him, made him more vulnerable than he desired to be."
Oh this one was so sweet...“But I want so much more. When your dog is dying, I want you to come to me, tell me, let me share the sorrow with you. When you have bad news, I want to know so I can share the worry or can help you find a way to make it all better. You don’t have to do everything alone, Westcliffe. It’s why I’m here. Not only to be beneath you, but to be beside you.”
Passions of a Wicked Earl is another book from Lorraine Heath. Recently, I’ve been liking her stories and the way she writes so I gave this one a chance. While I am not very disappointed, I am not very satisfied with what I’ve read either. This book tells the story of a scandalous dowager duchess’s first son, Morgan Lyons and his disgraced wife, the countess.
Meet Claire, Lady Westcliffe, she was a young girl who had always been promised to Morgan Lyons. In their young age, they knew that they would eventually marry each other. She had always been closer to Stephen instead, Westcliffe’s younger brother. But the love they feel for each other is what one would feel for a sibling. On her wedding night, Claire lets Stephen know that she is afraid of her husband and what goes on in the marriage bed. And with that, they hatched a plan to delay the inevitable. Not quite knowing what she agreed to, and with too much champagne in her system, Claire and Stephen was caught by Westcliffe. Not doing the act, but they were together on a bed alone, which is very scandalous back then. So no, she is no cheater but simply a young girl who was afraid and unsure.
Morgan Lyons, Earl of Westcliffe, had been looking forward to his marriage with Claire. It was something done out of duty but also because of the glimpses he sees when she’s with Stephen. So, it was quite understandable that he was furious when he discovered her and his younger brother, in what should’ve been his position. He is a very insecure person. When his father, the Earl, died, her mother married a duke. Even when he’s the eldest in the trio, he’s been insecure because his youngest sibling, Ainsley, is more powerful and wealthy. Westcliffe’s marriage to Claire is something that would give him freedom and allow him to be his own man, especially since his wife’s dowry is quite a lot. So, we get that he was looking forward to that and fulfilling his husbandly duties. His mother always loved his siblings best. He thinks that in his marriage to Claire, there’d be someone who’ll come to care for him which is more reason why he felt very betrayed when he discovered her with Stephen instead.
I loved the heroine. I honestly think she deserved better. Though she had her dumb moments, I appreciated her strength and how she owned up to her mistakes and is genuinely trying to do better. Trying to make her marriage work even when she knows it would take a while. She was naive so what she did on her wedding night was understandable, however dumb. She was a young girl! Barely out of school room. She had been young and foolish. What I loved about her was that she held her head high, and did not let herself appear foolish in front of other people when she was finally in London. She stood up for herself and defended her husband, even when she knows his reputation is quite scandalous. She loved her sister very much too. She’s a good person and a good heroine. I loved getting to know her. There were moments when she made my eyes roll, seriously, she deserved better! But there was something about her that I loved. She was very tender to the hero even when he does not deserve it.
I had a hate-ok relationship with the hero but more hate than anything. He is a sorry excuse of a hero. I hated him. The heroine deserved better! He was an asshole. I hated that he was ready to divorce his wife, however taboo it was, because of a mistress that he does not even love? Like, Sir, are you actually thinking right now? He was so foolish. Hated him. Seriously! The heroine deserved so much better. I think that it would be better if he and his mistress ran away together and rotted in hell. He was so dumb and insecure. Well of course, I would not have preferred that, I would’ve been angrier if that happened. Now for the things I loved about him… actually there is nothing. I am thinking right now and there is actually nothing that comes to mind. I understand that he felt betrayed but for him to banish his wife the second time around? It was unforgivable and I can’t quite understand how it was Claire who tried to make amends the second time. There was no groveling in his part! It was Claire who put in all the effort to make their marriage work. There is nothing about him that’s redeemable. I usually love my tortured heroes but this one? Absolutely disliked him.
Their HEA is not believable to me. The ending felt very rushed. I do not believe that the man’s trust issues would suddenly go away. I think they would be very miserable with each other in the long run. She was so understanding and treated him so good, trying to make up for the past, and while I loved the parts where the readers get to see them falling in love and be nicer to each other, I felt very sad for the heroine when he did not bother listening to her explanation and decided to do the same thing he did three years ago. It was just unforgivable to me. And it shows that he did not trust her enough. What is love and relationship without trust? It would be nothing, it would crumble and they would make each other miserable and wish they married other people instead.
Overall, it was underwhelming. I love Lorraine Heath and her writing style but sadly this book did not work for me. It just bothered me that he seemed to care a great deal for his mistress then all of a sudden he decides he loves his wife. Just no. I love couples that put in the same amount of effort to make the marriage work. I love when they’re devoted to each other and this one is just not the coupe I am looking for in my romance books. Kind of confused if I should give this book 2.5 stars or 3. Because it is not deserving of 2 stars, however it's not quite a 3.. It was written well, it’s just that I hated the hero.
"Only she wanted so much more: love, respect, trust. She wanted him to want her to be his wife again, only she had no idea how to gain that."
"At the time, she’d thought only of her own fears and needs. How little she’d known about Westcliffe. How much more she was coming to know."
"His words humbled her. He’d no doubt expected her laughter to fill his house once they were wed. “I didn’t know,” she finally said, devastated by all that he’d revealed. “I didn’t know you watched, I didn’t know… I didn’t know you.”
"If he’d not turned to anger, he might have wept at the sweetness of the gesture. He had fought so long to be strong, not to need anyone, especially anyone in his own family—because they always seemed to disappoint—and yet, there he was finding himself needing Claire. And that awareness terrified him, made him more vulnerable than he desired to be."
Oh this one was so sweet...“But I want so much more. When your dog is dying, I want you to come to me, tell me, let me share the sorrow with you. When you have bad news, I want to know so I can share the worry or can help you find a way to make it all better. You don’t have to do everything alone, Westcliffe. It’s why I’m here. Not only to be beneath you, but to be beside you.”
January 11, 2022
2.5 Stars
This is the story of Westcliffe and Claire. These two were married a few years earlier, and for some stupid reason her and his brother decided the best way to delay her wedding night was for him to crawl into bed with her. Unsurprisingly, this pissed the H off and he dumped her at his country house and proceeded to sleep his way through London.
Straight out the gate, you’re going to need to overlook a few things. The dumb plan from above, that she never explained what really happened (not even a letter), and that she avoided him (hid out anytime he visited) despite wanting the marriage to work. And it opens with him having sex with his mistress… so there’s that 😊 I can only think of one time he sexes up the mistress after the h returns, it’s off-page) but she’s still around much of the book so I wouldn’t recommend for readers concerned with safety.
The book starts with Claire arriving in London to help her sister through the Season and become a real wife. Westcliffe isn’t interested, he agrees to let her stay for her sis, but wants a divorce when the season is over. I found the Beth finding a husband side-plot quite boring. It reads like filler and serves no purpose to the plot.
The majority of the story is Westcliffe being angry/shitty and Claire wanting a real marriage. I can get down with a jerk, but I need the h to be miserable and pissed to generate some feels. I also need him to become an “unjerk” at some point. Claire wants W, but she’s pretty unemotional about the whole thing so it killed my feels. Cry, scream… do something to make him feel guilty. She pretty much has the “kill him with kindness” strategy for winning her man back. ZZzzz The OW was crazy, but most of their interactions are him giving her jewelry which isn’t exciting.
Bottom Line- Ok, but not great. I decided to round up because I did stay up to finish and it was a loaner from the library (free to read), but I found it sort of drab and quite predictable…. Seriously if I had a dollar for every time a female fell off her horse when she shouldn’t be riding….
**FYI- My copy had the epilogue after the other author’s kudos page, so keep going.
This is the story of Westcliffe and Claire. These two were married a few years earlier, and for some stupid reason her and his brother decided the best way to delay her wedding night was for him to crawl into bed with her. Unsurprisingly, this pissed the H off and he dumped her at his country house and proceeded to sleep his way through London.
Straight out the gate, you’re going to need to overlook a few things. The dumb plan from above, that she never explained what really happened (not even a letter), and that she avoided him (hid out anytime he visited) despite wanting the marriage to work. And it opens with him having sex with his mistress… so there’s that 😊 I can only think of one time he sexes up the mistress after the h returns, it’s off-page) but she’s still around much of the book so I wouldn’t recommend for readers concerned with safety.
The book starts with Claire arriving in London to help her sister through the Season and become a real wife. Westcliffe isn’t interested, he agrees to let her stay for her sis, but wants a divorce when the season is over. I found the Beth finding a husband side-plot quite boring. It reads like filler and serves no purpose to the plot.
The majority of the story is Westcliffe being angry/shitty and Claire wanting a real marriage. I can get down with a jerk, but I need the h to be miserable and pissed to generate some feels. I also need him to become an “unjerk” at some point. Claire wants W, but she’s pretty unemotional about the whole thing so it killed my feels. Cry, scream… do something to make him feel guilty. She pretty much has the “kill him with kindness” strategy for winning her man back. ZZzzz The OW was crazy, but most of their interactions are him giving her jewelry which isn’t exciting.
Bottom Line- Ok, but not great. I decided to round up because I did stay up to finish and it was a loaner from the library (free to read), but I found it sort of drab and quite predictable…. Seriously if I had a dollar for every time a female fell off her horse when she shouldn’t be riding….
**FYI- My copy had the epilogue after the other author’s kudos page, so keep going.
December 8, 2010
Have you ever read a book that was SO good that you couldn’t even think of what you’d like to say about it? That was Passions of a Wicked Earl. The story centers on Westcliffe and Claire, engaged from before her birth. In her fear, she does something so awful that she doesn’t interact with him for another three years, when she forces her way back into his life. By this point, he has tried in so many ways to show how little he cares about her, much of which centers around his relationship with his mistress Lady Anne. You might wonder what is so wonderful about this book. Well, for one, it’s how the characters act their age. His mother is a confident woman, comfortable with herself and where she is in her life, personally and sexually. Westcliffe and Claire begin to understand each other, the choices they made, who they were and who they are now. Second, the sibling relationships reveal such complexity, from Claire and Beth’s relationship (loving, understanding, and Beth acting her age) to Westcliffe, Stephen, and Ainsley. Westcliffe has the title but no funds, Ainsley has it all – title and funds, and Stephen is stuck between two strong and (now) successful personalities, and is always found lacking. Only Ainsley sees a family worth having amongst the three. Finally, the romance had depth. They didn’t jump right into bed with each other; there was a lot of emotional discovery, realizing that the person you thought so awful before is simply human, and that “you” aren’t perfect either. And the heat between the two is just lovely. I highly recommend Lorraine Heath’s latest novel, and I can’t wait to read the second in the series.
July 26, 2020
Not my fave... the hero was a total d-bag and IMO did not redeem himself in the least.
But I do love Heath’s books.
But I do love Heath’s books.
December 9, 2014
I hated Morgan, HATED him. What a selfish prat. I liked Claire for the most part, but man was slightly stupid at 17. She also just let everything go even as her husband continued to see another woman right in front of her. I shouldn't have read this, I hate cheaters in stories and the gullible lovers that forgive them. I think what I hated most about Westcliffe was how terrible he was to his wife and then how sweet and kind he was to his mistress, that he didn't even like or want anymore. The first scene with him, he is having sex with his mistress and utterly bored out of his mind and contemplating why he is bored and if he is done. He then turns around and tells his wife a couple weeks later that he wants a divorce so he can marry his mistress, THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY FEELINGS FOR...not even sexual feelings. WTF!!! Or the time he got down on his knees to begs Anne's forgiveness or ALL of the jewelry that he buys her, just about an expensive piece every day or every time he sees her as an apology. WTF WTF WTF WTF. No, I just couldn't. He gave me whiplash, one second going on about how amazing Claire is and all of the things he never noticed, how he wasn't fair to her before they were married or after and then 20 seconds later on his knees to Anne telling her to wait and be patient, he will make it up to her and they will get married. As he walks out the door thinking he doesn't know why he even went there...WELL DON'T GO MORON!
Ugh, the husband and the mistress deserve each other in my opinion and that is pretty bad.
Ugh, the husband and the mistress deserve each other in my opinion and that is pretty bad.
September 23, 2017
Reread it and loved it again!
August 30, 2021
Pains me to rate a lorraine heath novel 2 stars but it had themes in it I cannot stand.
March 2, 2013
Lorraine Heath is one of a select number of authors in the world of Historical Romance whose books are automatic buys for me. PASSIONS OF A WICKED EARL, the first book in her new series, London’s Greatest Lovers, is a deeply emotional story of two people who must look beyond their feelings of hurt, fear and betrayal to discover trust and ultimately love.
Finding his young bride in bed with his own brother on their wedding night was the ultimate betrayal for Morgan Lyons, eighth Earl of Westcliffe. He banishes her to his country estate, Lyons Place, and then returns to London indulging in a string of affairs.
Having languished at Lyons Place for three years, Claire Lyons believes that she has suffered long enough for the foolishness of youth. She wants forgiveness and the chance to be a true wife to Westcliffe but as far as he is concerned he no longer wants her. He intends to divorce her and marry his mistress, Anne. However, he promises to consider Claire’s request to use his influence to help her sister, Beth, to be accepted into Society. Their father has arranged a marriage for Beth with someone totally unsuitable and she has one season in which to find an alternative husband. Reluctantly Westcliffe agrees to Claire’s request and, as they spend more time together, he finds he can’t stop thinking about his wife, whose very presence brings warmth and laughter into his life. Even as he falls more and more under his wife’s spell, can he ever truly trust her again? Claire comes to care for her husband, seeing a lonely and vulnerable man with an overwhelming capacity for tenderness and love, but can she convince him that she will never betray him again?
Oh, how I hated Westcliffe at first! He is arrogant, callous and his response to Claire’s plea for forgiveness is cruel and hurtful:
“You are never a consideration. Quite honestly, Claire, from the moment I delivered you to Lyons Place, I’ve not given a single thought to you.”
However, I realised that to understand Westcliffe, I needed to understand why the marriage to Claire had been so important to him. His family relationships were fraught with difficulties; his mother showered love on his younger brothers, Stephen and Ainsley, whilst remaining distant with him and, because his father had left only debts, he was forced to go cap in hand to Ainsley whenever he needed funds. Not something a proud man like Westcliffe would relish. Marriage to Claire with her substantial dowry promised him complete financial independence and, on a personal level, he was attracted to Claire with her warmth and laughter, things sadly missing from his life:
He’d anticipated marriage to her to her as he’d anticipated nothing else in his life before or after.
So her betrayal totally devastated him and I could no longer hate this lonely, unfulfilled man.
It is Westcliffe’s small acts of kindness that made me see him in a whole a new light; such as making Beth’s first ball so memorable (even if it does mean bribing all the young bucks to dance with her!) and giving Beth and Claire each a beautiful bracelet to remember their first ball by. These are not the acts of someone uncaring. He says he is incapable of love but the scene in which Westcliffe is sitting on the floor in the kitchen with his faithful old dog, Cooper, trying to get him to eat, is so moving. He has been Westcliffe’s only companion for so long – the one creature with whom he’d shared all his secrets, his disappointments, his dreams – and Westcliffe shows so much love and compassion for his dying friend. I think this is probably the moment when Claire falls in love with him and I know he finally found a place in my heart as well.
I admire the fact that he is willing to admit that he has never considered the affect his affairs have had on Claire. When he discovers how humiliated she has been by the malicious gossip, he tries to make amends by protecting her from further gossip. He arranges for the first ball they attend to be the one held by the Duke and Duchess of Greystone fully aware that they would never permit anyone talking ill of someone else within their home.
I sympathise with Claire because, at seventeen, she was too young and naive to cope with the emotional turmoil she felt having to marry and be intimate with a virtual stranger. She had wanted to be courted so she could get to know Westcliffe first but, in his arrogance, he had assumed that she would fawn over him as other woman did and he wouldn’t need to woo her. Turning to her only friend, Stephen, she had fallen in with his plan, not realising what it involved and, by the time she did, it was too late. I appreciated how much she has matured in the intervening years. It takes a great deal of courage to approach Westcliffe about Beth’s season knowing the reception she will receive but she cares very much for her family. I admire her for being willing to accept how her actions on their wedding night hurt Westcliffe deeply:
For the first time she thought she might finally know what he’d experienced on that long-ago night. It shamed her that she’d been so young and self-centred not to have realised it immediately.
Their relationship develops slowly and their continuing conflict creates great sexual tension. I love the little things Westcliffe notices about Claire; her sweet rose fragrance, her delicate features, her freckles, the faint scars on her brow. It’s as though he is really seeing her for the first time. Claire finds Westcliffe darkly appealing and the way in which he exudes power, influence and confidence is more intoxicating than wine. As always with Ms Heath, we are treated to some hot and sensuous love scenes in which she conveys her characters’ feelings and emotions so well:
These moments were nothing like her aunt had described. There was no lying back while he lifted the hem of her nightgown. It was constant moving, constant stroking. It was giving and receiving pleasures. It was groaning while he growled, whimpering while he moaned. It was joy and satisfaction.
I love the secondary characters; Ainsley who demonstrates a maturity beyond his years; the scandalous Duchess of Ainsley and her much younger lover, Leo; Stephen still as irresponsible as ever and Beth full of youthful exuberance.
If I have one complaint about the book, it would be that the extra drama at the end seemed so unnecessary given the earlier scene in the conservatory but this is a minor complaint and in no way spoiled my overall enjoyment of the story.
Full of emotion and wonderful characters, PASSIONS OF A WICKED EARL is a book I can highly recommend. I’m now anticipating reading the next book in the series, Pleasures of A Notorious Gentleman, Stephen’s story.
http://www.theromancereviews.com/view...
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews (TRR)
Finding his young bride in bed with his own brother on their wedding night was the ultimate betrayal for Morgan Lyons, eighth Earl of Westcliffe. He banishes her to his country estate, Lyons Place, and then returns to London indulging in a string of affairs.
Having languished at Lyons Place for three years, Claire Lyons believes that she has suffered long enough for the foolishness of youth. She wants forgiveness and the chance to be a true wife to Westcliffe but as far as he is concerned he no longer wants her. He intends to divorce her and marry his mistress, Anne. However, he promises to consider Claire’s request to use his influence to help her sister, Beth, to be accepted into Society. Their father has arranged a marriage for Beth with someone totally unsuitable and she has one season in which to find an alternative husband. Reluctantly Westcliffe agrees to Claire’s request and, as they spend more time together, he finds he can’t stop thinking about his wife, whose very presence brings warmth and laughter into his life. Even as he falls more and more under his wife’s spell, can he ever truly trust her again? Claire comes to care for her husband, seeing a lonely and vulnerable man with an overwhelming capacity for tenderness and love, but can she convince him that she will never betray him again?
Oh, how I hated Westcliffe at first! He is arrogant, callous and his response to Claire’s plea for forgiveness is cruel and hurtful:
“You are never a consideration. Quite honestly, Claire, from the moment I delivered you to Lyons Place, I’ve not given a single thought to you.”
However, I realised that to understand Westcliffe, I needed to understand why the marriage to Claire had been so important to him. His family relationships were fraught with difficulties; his mother showered love on his younger brothers, Stephen and Ainsley, whilst remaining distant with him and, because his father had left only debts, he was forced to go cap in hand to Ainsley whenever he needed funds. Not something a proud man like Westcliffe would relish. Marriage to Claire with her substantial dowry promised him complete financial independence and, on a personal level, he was attracted to Claire with her warmth and laughter, things sadly missing from his life:
He’d anticipated marriage to her to her as he’d anticipated nothing else in his life before or after.
So her betrayal totally devastated him and I could no longer hate this lonely, unfulfilled man.
It is Westcliffe’s small acts of kindness that made me see him in a whole a new light; such as making Beth’s first ball so memorable (even if it does mean bribing all the young bucks to dance with her!) and giving Beth and Claire each a beautiful bracelet to remember their first ball by. These are not the acts of someone uncaring. He says he is incapable of love but the scene in which Westcliffe is sitting on the floor in the kitchen with his faithful old dog, Cooper, trying to get him to eat, is so moving. He has been Westcliffe’s only companion for so long – the one creature with whom he’d shared all his secrets, his disappointments, his dreams – and Westcliffe shows so much love and compassion for his dying friend. I think this is probably the moment when Claire falls in love with him and I know he finally found a place in my heart as well.
I admire the fact that he is willing to admit that he has never considered the affect his affairs have had on Claire. When he discovers how humiliated she has been by the malicious gossip, he tries to make amends by protecting her from further gossip. He arranges for the first ball they attend to be the one held by the Duke and Duchess of Greystone fully aware that they would never permit anyone talking ill of someone else within their home.
I sympathise with Claire because, at seventeen, she was too young and naive to cope with the emotional turmoil she felt having to marry and be intimate with a virtual stranger. She had wanted to be courted so she could get to know Westcliffe first but, in his arrogance, he had assumed that she would fawn over him as other woman did and he wouldn’t need to woo her. Turning to her only friend, Stephen, she had fallen in with his plan, not realising what it involved and, by the time she did, it was too late. I appreciated how much she has matured in the intervening years. It takes a great deal of courage to approach Westcliffe about Beth’s season knowing the reception she will receive but she cares very much for her family. I admire her for being willing to accept how her actions on their wedding night hurt Westcliffe deeply:
For the first time she thought she might finally know what he’d experienced on that long-ago night. It shamed her that she’d been so young and self-centred not to have realised it immediately.
Their relationship develops slowly and their continuing conflict creates great sexual tension. I love the little things Westcliffe notices about Claire; her sweet rose fragrance, her delicate features, her freckles, the faint scars on her brow. It’s as though he is really seeing her for the first time. Claire finds Westcliffe darkly appealing and the way in which he exudes power, influence and confidence is more intoxicating than wine. As always with Ms Heath, we are treated to some hot and sensuous love scenes in which she conveys her characters’ feelings and emotions so well:
These moments were nothing like her aunt had described. There was no lying back while he lifted the hem of her nightgown. It was constant moving, constant stroking. It was giving and receiving pleasures. It was groaning while he growled, whimpering while he moaned. It was joy and satisfaction.
I love the secondary characters; Ainsley who demonstrates a maturity beyond his years; the scandalous Duchess of Ainsley and her much younger lover, Leo; Stephen still as irresponsible as ever and Beth full of youthful exuberance.
If I have one complaint about the book, it would be that the extra drama at the end seemed so unnecessary given the earlier scene in the conservatory but this is a minor complaint and in no way spoiled my overall enjoyment of the story.
Full of emotion and wonderful characters, PASSIONS OF A WICKED EARL is a book I can highly recommend. I’m now anticipating reading the next book in the series, Pleasures of A Notorious Gentleman, Stephen’s story.
http://www.theromancereviews.com/view...
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews (TRR)
January 21, 2013
Cheater, cheater, cheater! That's the main thing I have to say about this book. I'm actually surprised that I kept reading until the end because it was apparent early on that the hero deals with the issues in his marriage by having lots of monkey sex with women that aren't his wife. Several times through the book, he runs off to his mistress (who turns out to be a psycho btw) when things get tough. I know, I know - his character arch required him to deal with the fact that he was under-loved as a child and learn to deal with conflict in relationships. But I just had no sympathy for the guy. And as for Claire, I was very disappointed in her behavior too. I mean really - going to the ball held by your husband's ex-lover? Galloping around on a horse while pregnant? She should have seen those disasters coming from a mile away. And then after all the angst and drama I felt like things were wrapped up just a bit too neatly. Overall I was not a happy reader.
August 16, 2017
This book is a masterpiece. I give it 5 Excellent stars . Lorraine Heath is one of my favourite writers ever . I read for her beofre Texas Destiny and Just Wicked Enough and they were awesome.
In this book, I had a mixture of feelings such as love , joy , humor and alot of sadness. There were those minutes when I couldnt stop my tears. I liked Clarie and how her character changed from being afraid from every thing to kowning what she want and going for it . The Earl of Wistcliffe had never been loved before and had troubled relationship with his mother and brothers. Sometimes I had a love/hate relationship with him . One of the sadiest scenes when he was saing goodbye to his dog.
I highly Recommend this book. Love it
In this book, I had a mixture of feelings such as love , joy , humor and alot of sadness. There were those minutes when I couldnt stop my tears. I liked Clarie and how her character changed from being afraid from every thing to kowning what she want and going for it . The Earl of Wistcliffe had never been loved before and had troubled relationship with his mother and brothers. Sometimes I had a love/hate relationship with him . One of the sadiest scenes when he was saing goodbye to his dog.
I highly Recommend this book. Love it
March 18, 2017
H28,h20
September 22, 2022
Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Als man en vrouw - Candlelight Historische roman 961 .
Dit is deel 1 van een nieuwe serie maar volgt direct op de voorgaande serie ( Scoundrels of St. James ) waarvan enkele hoofdrol spelers in dit verhaal ook hun opwachting maken .
Dit verhaal is helaas weer een voorbeeld van dat het in deze romannetjes niet meer om een sterk verhaal gaat maar om de vele seks scenes . Het verhaal kon mij niet echt boeien en met name de mannelijke hoofdrol speler kon niet mijn sympathie opwekken .
Dit is deel 1 van een nieuwe serie maar volgt direct op de voorgaande serie ( Scoundrels of St. James ) waarvan enkele hoofdrol spelers in dit verhaal ook hun opwachting maken .
Dit verhaal is helaas weer een voorbeeld van dat het in deze romannetjes niet meer om een sterk verhaal gaat maar om de vele seks scenes . Het verhaal kon mij niet echt boeien en met name de mannelijke hoofdrol speler kon niet mijn sympathie opwekken .
July 21, 2011
Lorraine Heath is one author who, in my eyes, can do no wrong. Her books are full of emotion and passion, characters who take up residence in your heart from page one and who you’d like to know every day of the week, a story that is compelling and heartfelt, and romance that both breaks your heart and then makes it sing. Yes, this author is one of my favorites. She always will be.
Right off the bat we get huge conflict between Morgan Lyons, the 8th Earl of Westcliffe, and his estranged wife, Claire. They’ve been married for three years, a union that has never been consummated due to the fact Westcliffe found his new bride in bed with his brother - on the wedding night. He lost it. As you can imagine. He packed his wife up and took her to his country estate, where she’s been living in the intervening years.
But now she’s back in London. Claire’s not the child who feared her husband on her wedding night and made the biggest mistake of her life. Her sister is now of marrying age and their father has chosen a man who would make a horrible husband, so Claire puts on a brave front and confronts her husband in his home, explaining why she’s there and hoping for forgiveness. But she’s going to have a long wait.
Westcliffe has not been celibate during their separation and he’s currently involved with a widow whom he only lusts after, and that’s good enough for him. Until he really begins to see his wife. He notices things about her he never took the time to notice before. Her gentleness and kindness move him as no one else has ever done. Her skin is soft and drives him wild, something his current lover does not do. However, it will take more than any of this for him to trust her ever again.
Seeing nearly the same things in her husband as he sees in her, Claire begins to have hope for their relationship. She sees his kindness and loneliness and vulnerabilities, and she also begins to realize how much she truly hurt him, how much she destroyed his trust, something that didn’t come to him easily even before her error in judgment. They’ve been enjoying each other’s company escorting her sister to balls, taking walks, and just talking. Little by little Claire believes Westcliffe has come to love her and they may have a chance.
Of course, betrayal hits again and all they’ve worked for is thrown for a loop one more time. And this time tragedy strikes as well, which leads to the realization of what one will do for the person they love. Such an emotional time for Westcliffe and I love him all the more for his vulnerabilities, his mistakes, his misunderstandings.
I really like the way Ms. Heath even uses Cooper, Westlcliffe’s dog, throughout this book. You get such an insight into the man through the companionship with his pet, just as Claire does. There are some wonderful moments with that collie.
Stephen’s book is next and I’m am very anxious to find out what Ms. Heath has done with him. He’s the middle brother and one who has not done well in life, causing havoc all around him. It’s going to take a lot for me to have a soft spot for him, but I have every faith in this favorite author of mine.
Lastly, I love these covers. My favorite is the next book, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman. Check out an enlarged copy of it somewhere. Depicts Stephen’s story before I’ve even read it!
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
Right off the bat we get huge conflict between Morgan Lyons, the 8th Earl of Westcliffe, and his estranged wife, Claire. They’ve been married for three years, a union that has never been consummated due to the fact Westcliffe found his new bride in bed with his brother - on the wedding night. He lost it. As you can imagine. He packed his wife up and took her to his country estate, where she’s been living in the intervening years.
But now she’s back in London. Claire’s not the child who feared her husband on her wedding night and made the biggest mistake of her life. Her sister is now of marrying age and their father has chosen a man who would make a horrible husband, so Claire puts on a brave front and confronts her husband in his home, explaining why she’s there and hoping for forgiveness. But she’s going to have a long wait.
Westcliffe has not been celibate during their separation and he’s currently involved with a widow whom he only lusts after, and that’s good enough for him. Until he really begins to see his wife. He notices things about her he never took the time to notice before. Her gentleness and kindness move him as no one else has ever done. Her skin is soft and drives him wild, something his current lover does not do. However, it will take more than any of this for him to trust her ever again.
Seeing nearly the same things in her husband as he sees in her, Claire begins to have hope for their relationship. She sees his kindness and loneliness and vulnerabilities, and she also begins to realize how much she truly hurt him, how much she destroyed his trust, something that didn’t come to him easily even before her error in judgment. They’ve been enjoying each other’s company escorting her sister to balls, taking walks, and just talking. Little by little Claire believes Westcliffe has come to love her and they may have a chance.
Of course, betrayal hits again and all they’ve worked for is thrown for a loop one more time. And this time tragedy strikes as well, which leads to the realization of what one will do for the person they love. Such an emotional time for Westcliffe and I love him all the more for his vulnerabilities, his mistakes, his misunderstandings.
I really like the way Ms. Heath even uses Cooper, Westlcliffe’s dog, throughout this book. You get such an insight into the man through the companionship with his pet, just as Claire does. There are some wonderful moments with that collie.
Stephen’s book is next and I’m am very anxious to find out what Ms. Heath has done with him. He’s the middle brother and one who has not done well in life, causing havoc all around him. It’s going to take a lot for me to have a soft spot for him, but I have every faith in this favorite author of mine.
Lastly, I love these covers. My favorite is the next book, Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman. Check out an enlarged copy of it somewhere. Depicts Stephen’s story before I’ve even read it!
See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com
November 12, 2015
I started this book after a pretty bad day at work and though I'd escape into my romance stories. My expectation was "make me forget what a crappy day it was".
And it did an ok job, albeit being rather abrupt and occasionally, ridiculous. It is full of cliche and features a hero who I cannot say that I respect.
What saved the book was:
1. Lorraine Heath's writing
2. The lead characters, even though Hero was kind of an ass.
Having read quite a few Heath novels I think I respond well to her writing. It flows and is no hardship to follow. But I think characters and plot lines need more work in this book. The hero, Earl of Westcliffe, was supposed to be really mad at his wife Claire for her "infidelity" on their wedding night. But he appeared to forget about it and went from "I hate you don't care about you" to being a good host overnight. This is just one example of how I experienced "huh? What?" In this story. One moment he was determined to marry his mistress the next he was in love with Claire then all of a sudden he was back with his mistress for dinner. WTF man?
I know the topic "infidelity" bother some readers. Me not so much. But what bothered me is that I don't get Westcliffe. I mean either you are a cad and repent later, or you never really were serious about your mistress. I noticed that Heath sometimes writes men like this. They are so fixated on another woman for a majority part of the story then come around in the 2nd half of the book to the heroine. I guess for me I am missing some evidence that the heros ever really wanted to be with the heroines. They just didn't seem all that interested in a relationship with the heroines and usually chose to be brutally honest about their feelings (I am not interested in you but this other woman who I am going to marry) too. Westcliffe was very fixated on his mistress and wanted to marry her. For a while I really thought he had a thing going with his mistress. This made his turn-about that much more unbelievable.
OK this is enough ranting about a man who obviously does not know what he wants. I liked Claire though. She is my type of girl, quiet and mature, no stupid "wishes" for fun and adventure. I think she saved the book for me, more than Westcliffe.
I followed the book with above average attention. It was not difficult to put down but I don't want to. It was a rather smooth read with a lot of cliche. It doesn't bother me so I had a ok time reading it.
p.s. 1: I don't think anyone called Westcliffe by his first name in this book. He was always referred to as Westcliffe, which is his title. His mother mentioned his name "Morgan" in passing twice maybe and I remember I was thinking Morgan who???
p.s. 2: I think the portrait a very nice ruse. I don't know why Heath did not continue that. She kind of started it and just left it there. I thought the portrait would play a larger role in the story, to capture the gradual changes in their relationship. But it was just left like that: the portrait was started and mentioned twice, and never to be heart from again. I thought it a pity.
And it did an ok job, albeit being rather abrupt and occasionally, ridiculous. It is full of cliche and features a hero who I cannot say that I respect.
What saved the book was:
1. Lorraine Heath's writing
2. The lead characters, even though Hero was kind of an ass.
Having read quite a few Heath novels I think I respond well to her writing. It flows and is no hardship to follow. But I think characters and plot lines need more work in this book. The hero, Earl of Westcliffe, was supposed to be really mad at his wife Claire for her "infidelity" on their wedding night. But he appeared to forget about it and went from "I hate you don't care about you" to being a good host overnight. This is just one example of how I experienced "huh? What?" In this story. One moment he was determined to marry his mistress the next he was in love with Claire then all of a sudden he was back with his mistress for dinner. WTF man?
I know the topic "infidelity" bother some readers. Me not so much. But what bothered me is that I don't get Westcliffe. I mean either you are a cad and repent later, or you never really were serious about your mistress. I noticed that Heath sometimes writes men like this. They are so fixated on another woman for a majority part of the story then come around in the 2nd half of the book to the heroine. I guess for me I am missing some evidence that the heros ever really wanted to be with the heroines. They just didn't seem all that interested in a relationship with the heroines and usually chose to be brutally honest about their feelings (I am not interested in you but this other woman who I am going to marry) too. Westcliffe was very fixated on his mistress and wanted to marry her. For a while I really thought he had a thing going with his mistress. This made his turn-about that much more unbelievable.
OK this is enough ranting about a man who obviously does not know what he wants. I liked Claire though. She is my type of girl, quiet and mature, no stupid "wishes" for fun and adventure. I think she saved the book for me, more than Westcliffe.
I followed the book with above average attention. It was not difficult to put down but I don't want to. It was a rather smooth read with a lot of cliche. It doesn't bother me so I had a ok time reading it.
p.s. 1: I don't think anyone called Westcliffe by his first name in this book. He was always referred to as Westcliffe, which is his title. His mother mentioned his name "Morgan" in passing twice maybe and I remember I was thinking Morgan who???
p.s. 2: I think the portrait a very nice ruse. I don't know why Heath did not continue that. She kind of started it and just left it there. I thought the portrait would play a larger role in the story, to capture the gradual changes in their relationship. But it was just left like that: the portrait was started and mentioned twice, and never to be heart from again. I thought it a pity.
May 21, 2013
Passions of a Wicked Earl is the first installment in Lorraine Heath's "London's Greatest Lovers" trilogy. Despite a trope I actually like quite a bit, this story has some major problems.
First, the setup. Morgan Lyons, the Earl of Westcliff is married to Claire who was betrothed to him when she was a baby … possibly before. He's eight years older than she is and when they married she was barely 17. Terrified of him, she turned to his younger brother for comfort. Said younger brother being part scamp, part dunderhead, comes up with a brilliant plan to help her avoid the wedding night she's so afraid of. He'll just let his older brother find her in his arms in her bedroom. Brilliant plan.
It works about as well as you'd expect. Cut to three years after she's been banished to the country and he's been living it up in London without her. No consummation of their marriage, no contact between them, total distance.
That's the trope I like. The angry husband banishes the wife and she makes the best of it, turning his revenge/punishment on it's head. But it's not quite like that here. See, she and Westcliff come back together because she needs him to help her give her younger sister a season. And, on top of that, she wants him back.
Now Westcliff hasn't been the least bit faithful to her in all these years and she knows it. There's always some kindly friend who wants to share. So she's been seriously humiliated as well as isolated all this time. He's got a steady mistress that everyone knows about and she's not the only one he's been with since dumping his wife.
Still, Claire does manage to give him fits which is nice, but her TSTL behavior on their wedding day (not to mention a few other choice moments) continues to lurk in the back of the mind as well as Westcliff's continued association (for the most part non-sexual) with his mistress. Well, the mistress part is not in the back of the mind, it's front and center as an integral part of the story.
Ultimately, it didn't completely work for me. It's a solid 3 star because it's Lorraine Heath and even her duds are usually worth 3 stars, but it definitely could have been better. Better setup, better arc, better conclusion. Meh.
First, the setup. Morgan Lyons, the Earl of Westcliff is married to Claire who was betrothed to him when she was a baby … possibly before. He's eight years older than she is and when they married she was barely 17. Terrified of him, she turned to his younger brother for comfort. Said younger brother being part scamp, part dunderhead, comes up with a brilliant plan to help her avoid the wedding night she's so afraid of. He'll just let his older brother find her in his arms in her bedroom. Brilliant plan.
It works about as well as you'd expect. Cut to three years after she's been banished to the country and he's been living it up in London without her. No consummation of their marriage, no contact between them, total distance.
That's the trope I like. The angry husband banishes the wife and she makes the best of it, turning his revenge/punishment on it's head. But it's not quite like that here. See, she and Westcliff come back together because she needs him to help her give her younger sister a season. And, on top of that, she wants him back.
Now Westcliff hasn't been the least bit faithful to her in all these years and she knows it. There's always some kindly friend who wants to share. So she's been seriously humiliated as well as isolated all this time. He's got a steady mistress that everyone knows about and she's not the only one he's been with since dumping his wife.
Still, Claire does manage to give him fits which is nice, but her TSTL behavior on their wedding day (not to mention a few other choice moments) continues to lurk in the back of the mind as well as Westcliff's continued association (for the most part non-sexual) with his mistress. Well, the mistress part is not in the back of the mind, it's front and center as an integral part of the story.
Ultimately, it didn't completely work for me. It's a solid 3 star because it's Lorraine Heath and even her duds are usually worth 3 stars, but it definitely could have been better. Better setup, better arc, better conclusion. Meh.
May 19, 2020
The H and h have been married for years but their marriage was never consummated due to the H’a brother’s interference. H sleeps with many women, just not his wife. He can’t forgive her for their wedding night when he caught her in bed with his brother.
The novel is basically the H withholding love and affection and punishing the heroine, even though she didn’t actually sleep with his brother and it was all a big misunderstanding. There is an OW who is very much a part of the picture. He showers her with gifts and affection.
There is eventually a HEA. I would be more generous with my rating, but our H doesn’t have many redeeming qualities at all. Our h is basically a patient paragon. Why on earth she tries so hard is beyond me. There was not a ton of chemistry between the MC’s. I would’ve liked a better resolution for the angst and betrayal. He should’ve groveled more. He even mentioned divorce at the end of the book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The novel is basically the H withholding love and affection and punishing the heroine, even though she didn’t actually sleep with his brother and it was all a big misunderstanding. There is an OW who is very much a part of the picture. He showers her with gifts and affection.
There is eventually a HEA. I would be more generous with my rating, but our H doesn’t have many redeeming qualities at all. Our h is basically a patient paragon. Why on earth she tries so hard is beyond me. There was not a ton of chemistry between the MC’s. I would’ve liked a better resolution for the angst and betrayal. He should’ve groveled more. He even mentioned divorce at the end of the book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2022
2019 september: 4 stars
2020 june: 4.5 stars
2022 July: 3 stars
2020 June review
this book started off with betrayal and betrayal between clair & westcliff. i enjoyed seeing how they try to fix their relationship and get closer as a married couple as a result. i also laughed when westcliff was talking to his dog.
one slight mistake i noticed at the end of chapter 8, was leo asking tessa to marry him, but it was 'Marry me, Clair' instead of 'Marry me, Tessa'. also, towards the end of the book, what happened between clair & anne felt rushed. but all in all, this was a terrific and enjoyable book!
2022 July review
I never did love love the hero and heroine. I liked the emotional scene of the dog and westcliff and the detailed sex they were having but other than that, I couldn’t find it in myself to love this book. I felt the romance was rushed and hence, unbelievable. An alright book to pass the time.
2020 june: 4.5 stars
2022 July: 3 stars
2020 June review
this book started off with betrayal and betrayal between clair & westcliff. i enjoyed seeing how they try to fix their relationship and get closer as a married couple as a result. i also laughed when westcliff was talking to his dog.
one slight mistake i noticed at the end of chapter 8, was leo asking tessa to marry him, but it was 'Marry me, Clair' instead of 'Marry me, Tessa'. also, towards the end of the book, what happened between clair & anne felt rushed. but all in all, this was a terrific and enjoyable book!
2022 July review
I never did love love the hero and heroine. I liked the emotional scene of the dog and westcliff and the detailed sex they were having but other than that, I couldn’t find it in myself to love this book. I felt the romance was rushed and hence, unbelievable. An alright book to pass the time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2022
***3.75 Stars***
Are you even reading a Lorraine Heath book if something bonkers doesn't happen? And yet somehow, she just gets you to go along with it.
Did I read this in one day? Yep, I sure did.
Another enjoyable read as I make my way through her backlist.
September 20, 2018
The story picks up three years after their wedding day. They have been living apart during this time after Morgan found his blushing bride in bed with his brother Stephen. Morgan has been living in London and conducting many affairs and flaunting to the ton his many paramours. While Claire lives in exile on the country estate Morgan owns. Morgan is still pretty angry at Claire and his brother Stephen.
In the three years since the debacle start to her marriage Claire has grown up and realizes her mistake in not speaking to Morgan about her fears. She shows up in London hoping that Morgan would give her another chance to truly be a wife and forgive her for her youthful mistake. She also wants his help in preparing her younger sister for her first season. She has promised to help her sister find a husband so she is not force to marry someone their father have chosen who is considerably older. Morgan grudgingly agrees to help prepare for the season in return he plans to divorce Claire so that he can marry his current paramour who is a widow.
As the two work together they begin to realize the mistakes they both made. We gradually see them learning things about one another and slowly falling in love and trusting each other. They're new found trust is put to the test that will either break them or bring them closer.
I really enjoyed the story of Morgan and Claire Lyons. I like the fact that lead couple are already married. Lorraine does a great job of having the story unfold slowly allowing the readers to follow in Morgan and Claire's discovery of one another. Morgan is a great hero. He acknowledges that there were things he could have done so that Claire felt comfortable enough to come talk to him prior to the wedding night. I love the interactions that he had with his dog. It allowed the readers and Claire to see a softer side of him. I wanted to slap him towards the end there but he did make up for his stubbornness. As for Claire she was great. I loved how she didn't let Morgan push her around. She definitely stood up for herself. You could really see her caring for Morgan and doing things to try and win Morgan back. There were some other great secondary characters that made the book enjoyable. I can't wait for the next book in the series about Stephen. Love to see how he grows up since he's a bit self absorbed during this book. Can't wait to see where Morgan's moms affair with the younger man heads and I definitely want to know more about the other younger brother Ainsley. If you're looking for a great historical with a great story-line then pick this book up. You won't regret it.
Great start to this new series! Loved it.
In the three years since the debacle start to her marriage Claire has grown up and realizes her mistake in not speaking to Morgan about her fears. She shows up in London hoping that Morgan would give her another chance to truly be a wife and forgive her for her youthful mistake. She also wants his help in preparing her younger sister for her first season. She has promised to help her sister find a husband so she is not force to marry someone their father have chosen who is considerably older. Morgan grudgingly agrees to help prepare for the season in return he plans to divorce Claire so that he can marry his current paramour who is a widow.
As the two work together they begin to realize the mistakes they both made. We gradually see them learning things about one another and slowly falling in love and trusting each other. They're new found trust is put to the test that will either break them or bring them closer.
I really enjoyed the story of Morgan and Claire Lyons. I like the fact that lead couple are already married. Lorraine does a great job of having the story unfold slowly allowing the readers to follow in Morgan and Claire's discovery of one another. Morgan is a great hero. He acknowledges that there were things he could have done so that Claire felt comfortable enough to come talk to him prior to the wedding night. I love the interactions that he had with his dog. It allowed the readers and Claire to see a softer side of him. I wanted to slap him towards the end there but he did make up for his stubbornness. As for Claire she was great. I loved how she didn't let Morgan push her around. She definitely stood up for herself. You could really see her caring for Morgan and doing things to try and win Morgan back. There were some other great secondary characters that made the book enjoyable. I can't wait for the next book in the series about Stephen. Love to see how he grows up since he's a bit self absorbed during this book. Can't wait to see where Morgan's moms affair with the younger man heads and I definitely want to know more about the other younger brother Ainsley. If you're looking for a great historical with a great story-line then pick this book up. You won't regret it.
Great start to this new series! Loved it.
August 20, 2017
Finding his young bride in bed with his own brother on their wedding night was the ultimate betrayal for Morgan Lyons, eighth Earl of Westcliffe. He banishes her to his country estate, Lyons Place, and then returns to London indulging in a string of affairs. A bitter Earl of Westcliffe is outraged when he finds his wife Claire at his London home. He had exiled her three years ago when he caught her in the arms of his younger brother, Stephen, on their wedding night. In need of her substantial dowry, Westcliffe remained married to Claire but banished her to their country estate without consummating their marriage. She was left alone to manage his estate while he lived the life of a bachelor in town. Morgan Lyons, the Earl of Westcliffe, finds pleasure in many women, but is cold and claims he has no heart. His wife betrayed him 3 years ago on their wedding night with his brother, and he has not forgiven either of them. He banished her to his country estate and has not seen her since.
Lorraine Heath is one of a select number of authors in the world of Historical Romance whose books are automatic buys for me. PASSIONS OF A WICKED EARL, the first book in her new series, London’s Greatest Lovers, is a deeply emotional story of two people who must look beyond their feelings of hurt, fear and betrayal to discover trust and ultimately love. The first in a series about 3 brothers. At first I was skeptical with the series. Based on the blurbs I thought I wouldn't like the three brothers. But Lorraine Heath manage to turn these three somewhat brooding brothers into passionate wicked likeable heroes.
“You are never a consideration. Quite honestly, Claire, from the moment I delivered you to Lyons Place, I’ve not given a single thought to you.”
He’d anticipated marriage to her to her as he’d anticipated nothing else in his life before or after.
For the first time she thought she might finally know what he’d experienced on that long-ago night. It shamed her that she’d been so young and self-centred not to have realised it immediately.
These moments were nothing like her aunt had described. There was no lying back while he lifted the hem of her nightgown. It was constant moving, constant stroking. It was giving and receiving pleasures. It was groaning while he growled, whimpering while he moaned. It was joy and satisfaction.
Lorraine Heath is one of a select number of authors in the world of Historical Romance whose books are automatic buys for me. PASSIONS OF A WICKED EARL, the first book in her new series, London’s Greatest Lovers, is a deeply emotional story of two people who must look beyond their feelings of hurt, fear and betrayal to discover trust and ultimately love. The first in a series about 3 brothers. At first I was skeptical with the series. Based on the blurbs I thought I wouldn't like the three brothers. But Lorraine Heath manage to turn these three somewhat brooding brothers into passionate wicked likeable heroes.
“You are never a consideration. Quite honestly, Claire, from the moment I delivered you to Lyons Place, I’ve not given a single thought to you.”
He’d anticipated marriage to her to her as he’d anticipated nothing else in his life before or after.
For the first time she thought she might finally know what he’d experienced on that long-ago night. It shamed her that she’d been so young and self-centred not to have realised it immediately.
These moments were nothing like her aunt had described. There was no lying back while he lifted the hem of her nightgown. It was constant moving, constant stroking. It was giving and receiving pleasures. It was groaning while he growled, whimpering while he moaned. It was joy and satisfaction.
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