Customer Reviews

A Hint of Wicked

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I really wanted to like this book -- the plot was unusual, the writing was very well done, and the characterizations were excellent. But the ending ruined it for me. Don't worry, I won't give away the ending here! It's a completely subjective thing, but I strongly felt that Sophie made the wrong choice, and I didn't feel that her internal dialogue or her actions gave me a reason to understand why she made the decision she did. I felt very, very bad for the person who was left out in the cold, and it just felt depressing. Plus, the ending seemed fantastical to me -- there is NO WAY the situation would have been resolved like that in regency English peerage. In the end, I just felt annoyed with Sophie and heartbroken for the one left alone.

I thought I would like this book...but alas I did not. From the beginning I was turned off, I knew who she would pick from the beginning it was soooo obvious! I did not feel Sophie or Tristan (which is my nephew's name by the way) I was expecting something totally different from what I got. The reviews for this book and the fact that it was a different direction for a romance was what hooked me.

As I was reading the book, Jennifer did not take me back to let me see how things ended up the way it did...just a brief prologue at the beginning which was told to me as appose to me being a part of it as it was happening...then we jump ahead 8 years later and she and Tristan are married!!! What the heck, and again the reason's they were married and not me being a part of the whole transaction and how they came together!!! Then the way Garrett came home and all that transpired after was IMO RIDICULOUS!!!

I had a hard time finishing it, I did not like Sophie and the choices she made! I felt for Garrett...I did not like Tristan's stance with him always accusing Garrett of abandoning Sophie when that was far from the truth! The man had amnesia for goodness sake!!! Sophie stayed with Garrett out of guilt not love...she wanted to do the right thing and it turned out to cause more hurt than was necessary!

The secondary situation with Garrett's sister and Fisk took away from the unfolding of the true reason I wanted to read this book...it seemed unnecessary to me there was enough going on with the whole Tristan/Sophie/Garrett situation to add more to an already full plate!

I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK...the second one I will probably read because it's Garrett's story and I want him to have a happy ending, I am glad now in a way he did not pick Sophie...she and Tristan deserved each other!!!

Wow. I could leave the review with that but the page might look oddly blank and lonely so I'll continue on. Wow, wow, wow. Jennifer Haymore is one heck of an author and A Hint of Wicked just made its way toward the top of my all time favorites list. This book was so far beyond phenomenal that I can't find a word to describe how awesome it was. Movie over Stephenie Meyer and Jane Austen, in my book, Haymore currently rules the land of Romance and Regency.

A Hint of Wicked is the story of one voracious woman and two very hunky men. As is always the case when we find ourselves in this situation, there is bound to be some great drama. Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, is our heroine and although she's different from the normal rear-kicking tough girls I've been reading lately, she's still strong in her own right. She might not go around wearing tight leather, chasing down the world's evil, but she has a fantastically strong personality that just bleeds off the page. Haymore has done an excellent job with creating a strong woman in this time period and has obviously done her research. For the most part, Sophie conforms to the time period's rules of propriety without coming across as meek, mild and completely bland. Just as the colors of the cover pop out and dance with the eyes, Sophie is a wonderfully colorful character who draws the reader in, becoming a real, flesh and blood person rather than just black words on a grey page.

As in any good romance, there's the beautiful femininity of the heroine and the roguish attraction of the hero. In this case we have two heroes. Holy cow, ladies, you better grab your loveliest fan because these guys are guaranteed to steam up the room. Garrett, Sophie's childhood sweetheart and husband is powerfully built and comes complete with roguish charm. Nothing holds sway over his heart the way that Sophie does. If possible, he would literally turn the world upside down for her. Enter Tristan. Impeccably dressed to the nines, he holds a different charm from Garrett. Completely attractive, his personality is as much as turn-on as Garrett's body is. When Garrett leaves for war and news of his possible death at the battle of Waterloo reaches Sophie and Tristan, it just about breaks them both. Years later, when hope of Garrett's return finally dies away, the two friends realize the flame of desire between them and wed, beginning a happy life as husband and wife. What could be better? They are Duke and Duchess, wanting for nothing, safe in each other's arms. Right up until the moment that Garrett returns that is.

What follows is a harrowing story of love, betrayal, passion, madness and intrigue. What will Sophie's fate be when she's confronted by two husbands? Will she have to choose between them? Is she even capable of doing that? With her two men vying for her heart and fighting against one another, Sophie wants no more than to welcome happiness back into their lives, but it seems that the entire world is set to fight against her.

As you may have noticed, I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. Did I mention that I loved it? I usually tend toward Urban Fantasy when choosing books to read, but this one called out to me and I am so ecstatic that I welcomed it. I have not read a book so full of passion and emotion in a long while. I was literally perched on the very edge of my seat, my eyes ripping through the words, trying very hard to force myself not to skip down just to find out what happens next. As with any Regency novel, this one was full of the intrigue that seemed to flow throughout the time period. Haymore does a fantastic job of creating twists, turns and side stories to keep us guessing throughout the book.

The characters! Oh, man the characters. What a fantastic job Haymore did with her character development. We continued to watch Sophie, Garrett and Tristan develop throughout the book, but from the moment they stepped foot on the page, they had already become real people. Their complexities, beauty and quirks all made them so very realistic. At times, it was difficult to remember that I was reading a book and not sitting, watching a beautifully produced play.

Haymore did a fantastic job of bringing her story to life and I highly recommend everyone go out, buy the book and read it. That being said, here it is: Fair Warning Time. There are adult themes in this book. There are intimate scenes sweetly depicted within these colorful pages. While not overflowing, there are enough scenes that I would be amiss if I didn't let readers know. In no way does it detract from the story and the scenes are written so beautifully that it really does play an integral part in what makes this book so fantastic. I would give it a sensuality rating of 4/5.

I give A Hint of Wicked a giant A and if I could give extra credit points I would. I gave extra kudos to the passion and characters because those are the two aspects that really made this book spectacular. Both the sweet and spicy passion, both in terms of love and in terms of character interactions and the character development were wonderfully executed.

Seriously, I would not be surprised in the slightest if people are talking about this book for a while. It will hold an honored spot on my bookshelf and I imagine I'm going to have to protect the cover so that it doesn't fall off after I've read it over and over again. What are you waiting for? Go read it!

I loved this book. I read quite a lot of romance novels but I have never come across this plot before. I agree with some of the other's that I'm not sure of the decision Sophie made; however, Ms. Haymore is not done yet. She plans to write other books regarding this family so the other party left behind may get their happily ever after yet.

I read this book but could not wait to find out who she chooses so I flipped to the back and read the last few pages and it broke my heart. I could not sleep. I almost did not read the rest of the book (so let that be lesson not to skip ahead)but I decided to read the entire book and I'm not so broken hearted, but I don't know that I like the decision.

I will tell you that I cannot wait for the next books. I just wish she could write faster.

This is the first time I have read a historical with this sort of storyline. I have to admit at first I was a little skeptical and I couldn't figure out why. I realized that it was because I simply didn't like the situation they were in. I felt really terrible for all of them because it was just a bad situation :( Even though I had these feelings I continued reading and wow...it sure did turn into an amazing story! I was actually crying by the end. I do however feel like there are unanswered questions and that the story is not quite concluded. Ms Haymore does have two more books coming so maybe those questions will be answered with those. The writing was amazing and characters were interesting. I truly felt connected to them and I sympathized for them. Above all else, I enjoyed the story. It had enough suspense, emotion, and heat to keep you interested the whole way though. Wonderful story that I would recommend to everyone!!!

A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore
Historical Romance June 1st, 2009
4 stars

I loved 'A Hint of Wicked' by up and coming author Jennifer Haymore.
Haymore's writing is clean and crisp. Her book was easy to read and hard to put
down.

The thing that I enjoyed most about the novel were the likeable characters. The story has all the conflict and angst a reader could want. It is a twist on a classic love triangle story. Sophie first husband disappeared and was presumed dead after years of hopeless waiting years she finally decides to go on living. And discovers a new and different kind of love with her best friend Tristan. But suddenly Garrett returns and he is wants his wife back. Sophie has a tough decision to make. It's such a good story. Because there is so much to like about both men, I am sure that some will be disappointed by Sophie's choice. I, however, loved the ending and felt that she did end up with the right man.

This story was so intense because you will love both the heroes and Sophie's decision is a rough one. I'm looking forward to her next book, which is supposed to be about the man Sophie didn't pick!


Reviewed by Sophia from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

One of the more unusual romances I've read in a while, Jennifer Haymore delivers a sensual, complicated plot that leaves the reader begging for more.

Sophie, our heroine, is caught in an unusual love triangle consisting of herself, her long lost but believed to be dead husband Garrett, and her current husband Tristan. To make things more complicated, Tristan is Garrett's cousin and inherited Garrett's title when he was believed to have died at Waterloo. Sophie has loved both men romantically and will be forced to choose between them when Garrett returns from the dead.

Sophie is a sympathetic heroine in every sense of the word. Her childhood sweetheart--Garrett--was everything she could have ever wanted. She married him and gave him a child. She waited eight years for his return before Tristan stepped in and they fell in love. Both of them had deep remaining affections for Garrett. But he is not the same person he used to he. He has been deeply affected by the war and has holes in his memories. Sophie finds herself longing for Tristan and what she used to have with Garrett.

Even with the love triangle and all of its complications, Haymore manages to include a suspense plotline in the story as well. As a debut novel, I was impressed. Up until the end, I was compelled to continue turning the pages. I expect that we'll continue to see stellar work from Haymore. It gets four stars instead of five only because there was a piece of the ending missing. I wish she'd given us an epilogue, but I'm guessing she may be saving that for a future book.

I just finished "A Hint of Wicked". This is a Historical Romance packed full of action, mystery and plenty of romance. The books main characters are: Sophie, Garrett and Tristan. As the story explains, Garrett has been missing from the war for 7 years. Tristan which is Garrett and Sophie's friend since childhood helps her look for Garrett and ultimately he is declared dead. Sophie and Tristan marry. Then out of the blue Garrett shows up, decides that Sophie is still his wife and claims his place in her life. Now as if that isn't enough of a story, we also have a character by the name of Fisk who Garrett credits with saving his life and feels he owes him everything. This is where the mystery comes in. Who really is this Fisk character and what exactly are his motives. We do eventually find out what has happened to Garrett during those lost 7 years. This was a great story with many twists. I loved the characters, I liked not only the intrigue of what Sophie would do now that she was faced with having two husbands, but also the huge mystery of where Garrett has been and who this Fisk person is. The book is an all around great read. I enjoyed it very much. It wasn't your typical romance in any way. It had a great plot with believable characters and situations. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read not only a romance but just a good solid story line. I can hardly wait to start her next book. If it is anything like this one - I know it will be good.

This was a good read - the plot was emotionally twisting, but not emotionally draining. The pacing was good, with just the right amount of tension between the characters (for the most part). The love scenes were erotic, with touches of the "forbidden" to kick it up a notch without overdoing it. The love stor(ies) were believable, and contrary to a few of the other reviewers, I think the ending was perfect - it shouldn't have ended any other way. (I don't want to give away the ending, so I better leave it at that.)

This is one of the most satisfying books that I've read in a long time. I loved the characters, and the story enthralled me from the onset. I immediately felt Sophie's angst in trying to choose between two men she truly loved while balancing the fact that she really didn't want to hurt either man.

Both men were delicious in their own right, and Jennifer Haymore did a wonderful job of making them both susceptible, masculine, and human-- not an easy task given the quandary they found themselves in. I especially understood the character of Sophie. She didn't just sit around waiting for fate to determine her choice. Although some readers may feel she was weak because of her indecision, I believed the fact that she was doing her best to work out all her conflicting emotions while trying desperately not to hurt either man she adored.

Be forewarned that Hint of Wicked is not your stereotypical romance. Both men are equally desirable, and neither becomes unlikeable (or dies!) at the end to make Sophie's choice any easier. All in all, I agreed with Sophie's decision at the end. It's not your typical Hollywood ending, but at least, we know at the end that the other guy may find true love in the sequel.

The book may irritate some readers because she doesn't choose both men (somehow the guys would have agreed to share Sophie--a fantasy yes, but highly unrealistic). If you're looking for that kind of book, Hint of Wicked is not for you.

Overall, I loved this book because of the story, characters, and realism. I especially respected the fact that Jennifer Haymore (first time author--wow!) did not shy away from tackling Sophie's predicament head on and painted a beautiful tale with vibrant, human characters. If the author had chosen an easier (less believable) way out for Sophie, I would have enjoyed the book less but would have still given Hint of Wicked 4 stars. Because she did NOT pull her punches, I give Hint of Wicked a resounding 5 out of 5 stars.