If He's Wicked (Wherlocke 1) [Paperback]

Hannah Howell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 2009 | Series: Wherlocke 1

She saves his life...For Chloe Wherlocke, it all begins with a vision - a glimpse into the future that foretells a terrible plot against Lord Julian Kenwood and his newborn son. Chloe's psychic gift allows her to save the child from certain death, but the earl remains in grave peril...But when he steals her heart...Julian Kenwood knows someone is trying to kill him and he suspects his scheming wife and her lover are behind the plot. But Julian is shocked when Chloe, a captivating, dark-haired stranger, warns him that sinister forces are indeed at hand - and exposes a devastating secret that changes his life forever...Will she resist - or surrender? As Chloe reveals her plan to save Julian, neither can deny the attraction that grows each moment they're together. Chloe knows the highborn earl could never love her as she loves him. But when danger strikes closer than ever, Chloe must risk everything - or lose Julian forever...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans will gladly follow Howell (Highland Sinner) from the Scottish Highlands to London for her new 18th-century fantasy romance trilogy. After rescuing cuckolded Julian Kenwood from a would-be murderer, his cousins Chloe and Leo Wherlocke reveal that his wife and uncle have it in for him. They also unveil his son, Anthony, long thought to be dead. Aware that he is out of his element, Julian accepts Leo's help and protection. Like the rest of their prolific family, Chloe and Leo have special gifts such as seeing the future and detecting lies. Julian's inevitable affair with Chloe is hard to believe and the wait for his uncle's next attack is tedious, but the Wherlockes' affectionate teasing and lively banter will have readers picking up the next books just to get to know them better. (June)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; 1 Original edition (May 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420104608
• ISBN-13: 978-1420104608
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Howell, Hannah

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If He's Wicked by Hannah Howell, June 22, 2009

By 

jjmachshev "jj" (Grovetown, GA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: If He's Wicked (Wherlocke 1) (Paperback)

"If He's Wicked" is yet another example of why Hannah Howell's books seem to end up on my keeper shelf. She always seems to manage to take plotlines I may have read before, yet she adds a twist or turn that feels new and doesn't bore me. As best I can tell, this book is the start of a new series (!!) about a family of people with 'special' abilities. I can't wait for more!

Chloe Wherlocke is one of 'those' Wherlockes. Her ancestors have been feared, burned at the stake, and nowadays whispered about amongst the ton. She 'knows things' and woe betide those who don't listen. When she rushes to her disgraced sister's side, she assumes at first it's just to help her sister deal with the death of her husband and birth of her child. But soon Chloe realizes the reason for her presence is much more sinister than that. She's there to save, not her sister nor her sister's unborn child; but rather the rightful heir to a Earldom.

Julian Kenwood is the Earl of Colinsmoor. He has wealth, good looks, and a title to boot. But he's also suffered through his marriage to a vain, grasping, and faithless woman. He could have withstood it all if his child had lived. But the death of his only child has thrown him into a downward spiral via alcohol and whores. But someone has been watching out for him, and after the fourth attempt on his life, it's time for them to step in and show him everything he has to live for.

This story is so much better than I can describe without giving too much away. Writing about it makes the plot seem unreal, but while I read it I was 100% IN the story and it was totally believeable. There's not 'magic'...exactly. Instead, the gifts this special lineage has are those of 'the sight', 'the knowing', and 'reading'...more passive than what I consider straight magic. Anyway, the characters fascinated me and I want more stories about this family in Howell's new world.

She's one of my 'never-miss' authors because she pulls me into the era, the characters, and the plot she writes. When I finish the story, I need a few minutes to return to THIS reality. She's that good. The plot, the character development, the growth in the romantic relationship, the feelings/understanding of and between characters, both primary and secondary, all weave themselves together seamlessly. I despise her 'bad guys' and want to be friends with her 'good guys'. I also want to steal her heroes, just for a bit, and not always because of their looks. Hannah Howell writes about what makes each individual special; and she makes me remember that people today are all special in their own way too. "If He's Wicked" is already on my keeper shelf, and the next, "If He's Sinful" coming out in Nov 2009, is already on my to-buy list.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun Georgian romantic urban fantasy, June 7, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: If He's Wicked (Wherlocke 1) (Paperback)

Like generations of her ancestors Chloe Wherlocke has special skills; in her case she has visions. In 1785 she sees her sister dying while giving birth to a stillborn followed by men bringing a living newborn to exchange for the dead baby. In hiding Chloe sees what she envisioned occur. Chloe and her cousin Leo Wherlocke raise baby Anthony.

Three years later they rescue a drunken Julian Kenwood from an assassin. Julian informs the Wherlocke cousins that his man-eating adulteress wife Lady Beatrice and his Uncle Arthur want him dead. He also mentions his wife gave birth a few years ago to a stillborn. He is shocked when he meets his son Anthony and how duplicitous his spouse is having exchanged their live child for a dead infant. Leo offers to protect father and son starting with spreading a rumor that the Earl died and sometime afterward taking the fight to the evil duet. Meanwhile as the two Kenwood males become acquainted, the older falls in love with Chloe, who reciprocates.

This Georgian romantic urban fantasy is an exciting suspenseful tale of love, murder and adultery. The lead pairing of Chloe and Julian is handled smartly to overcome the obvious anticipation that they will fall in love. In spite of the villains being so outrageously vile they are over the top of Big Ben, fans will appreciate Hannah Howell's enjoyable historical as the beleaguered in love heroes try to keep Anthony safe while struggling with staying alive against incredible odds and insane evil.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid read -- pure "Howell", September 6, 2009

By 

Romance Fan "Romance Fan" (United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: If He's Wicked (Wherlocke 1) (Paperback)

I am one of Hannah Howell's biggest fans, and I have never hesitated to tell her when I think she misses the target. This wasn't a solid bull's eye, but it was close. A very engaging and entertaining story that shares a lot of similarities with her Scottish series. My only "gripe," and it's a small one, is that I think she should stretch her wings a little and put aside every heroine or hero having some psychic ability. It leaves a reader thinking that those abilities offer too much convenience for the author to make her plot work.