42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
PLEASE READ THIS before you buy!, February 23, 2004
Well, I was VASTLY disappointed with this novel!! I was a fan of "To Marry The Duke" (you can read my review on its page on Amazon) but THIS was a big comedown. In the first place, Clara and Seger (and how do I pronounce that name anyway?) were just ciphers...they weren't fully-drawn, well-rounded characters. We keep hearing how handsome Seger is -- enough already, after the tenth description of his blond hair, dimpled chin and huge hands (and guess what THAT means, ladies.) I think the author had to keep going on about his good looks in order to give him SOMETHING as a character, since he has no depth whatsoever.
Secondly, Clara, is just a nothing heroine; she's nowhere near as interesting as her sister Sophia was (and in this book, Sophia is as dully written as Clara). Even NOT comparing this book to To Marry The Duke, it's really pretty poor. I think the five-star reviewers must have been carried away by the sex scenes, and they are pretty potent I'll admit, but for me, this novel had NO plot that was worth telling, NO characters worth remembering, nor enough interest to keep me turning the pages...When Seger began to write letters to Clara, I thought, at last, a really interesting plot turn. What a different plot device for these characters; we'll start to learn something about Seger's past; the characters will begin to KNOW each other by exchanging letters...and then, THAT device was blown, because ALL the letters contain are Seger's offers of discreet sexual encounters! Will ya or won't ya, basically. Then, we're supposed to be moved because he makes the effort to redeem himself and pays a respectable call on Clara after writing these offers to her. But this is all so blandly written, you can't be moved by Seger's effort. These are cardboard characters in a boring, draggy plot.
Jeez, this book was a real disappointment after To Marry The Duke. I am really bummed out by how bad this book was, because I was looking forward to it! Despite this bad review, I will probably buy Adele's story just to see what happens, but now I will definitely wait for a "used" version.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Much better than first one, but fizzles out, May 3, 2004
I loved the chemistry between the couple and the way they meet, but once they are married all of the issues they should have thrashed out before they tied the knot come to the fore and threaten to pull them apart. As do the villains. Then the emphasis swings to them and we lose the sizzle and spark we had hoped for. It could have been a much better and more sexy book. The ending was also quite predicatable, and I am not impressed with Seger's sudden change of heart after all his brooding. Still a fast and fun read if you don't mind the obvious, creaking plot and a hero who has nothing to recommend him except being a rake.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Affair Most Wicked, An, January 29, 2004
This is the second book in a series that starts with TO MARRY THE DUKE, and this follows the romantic twists of Clara Wilson, sister of the new Duchess of Wentworth. Clara is encouraged to come to England as the second Wilson American heiress to husband hunt among the British gentry. All the better to forget a near catastrophe during her first New York season. Clara nervously attends her first ball in the company of her chaperone. But instead of meeting up with her sister and the duke, Clara discovers they've unwittingly gained admittance to a secret society ball two houses away. And the masks they've been asked to wear are the only thing keeping the guests from the scandal of discovery.
The romance that develops between this adventurous heroine and Seger, the delicious Marquess of Rawdon, the man she dances with at the scandalous ball, is an exciting look at appearances and what lurks beneath. Most of the characters are far from what they seem at first. And the reader can relish the emotional striptease as Clara and the marquess reach hungrily for the next layer. Painful romantic pasts for both of them - but especially Seger - add an extra level of tension as a rival tries to wrest Clara's love from her grasp.
I loved TO MARRY THE DUKE and gobbled this one even faster than the first. Seger makes women tingle, all right - especially readers! And Clara is a woman with spirit that even a mask can't obscure. I found her struggle to rein in her adventurous spirit endearing in its futility. Can't wait for their other sister's story. These women know what they want and if they don't find it in New York, what's an ocean to stand in their way? I especially enjoy the dialogue - the characters take me by surprise and hit all the right notes.
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