Customer Reviews

If He's Wicked (Wherlocke 1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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.

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

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.

I had given up on Hannah Howell about a year ago, because her books stopped drawing me in like before. I love a book that I can get lost in and forget my own surroundings. THIS IS THAT BOOK!!! Oh my gosh, so many characters and not one like the others, so they don't blend together. The couple, Julian and Chloe are delicious! The devastated hero and the sweetheart seer. Perfection. Then you add in his mother Evelyn (love her), Aunt Mildred, Julian's adorable son Anthony. To read about him is almost like seeing him right in front of your eyes. Arthur and Beatrice may be the worst villains I've ever read about. Bad to the bone. Their friends and family members are a hoot, but dedicated to the hero and heroine. You know how you read a book and you have to wait until the end until it all comes together? This book comes together on every...single...page! I didn't want it to end, but I couldn't wait to finish it. If you only buy one romance novel this year, please please buy this one. You will be so happy that you did. I only wish that I could give this book 10 stars, because I would!

Although I'm used to Howell's plots and characters all blending together due to the similarities between them, her books are usually good for a lighthearted romp. This time, I'm having trouble even getting absorbed in the book. Anachronisms abound (as always), and since the setting of this book is nineteenth century England, they rankle more than they do in her Highland books. Explanations are given for situations that need no explanations, characters described as intelligent sound simple, and the hero and heroine "fall in love" based on little more than a few short conversations. I expect that I will force myself to finish this book, but it's difficult not to look at the clock every few minutes as I gauge my progress.

Unless you are exceptionally good at suspending disbelief, this is definitely a book to skip.

After reading other reviews I took a chance and have to say it did not pay off. The storyline lacked depth and repeated itself over and over. I would not purchase this if I had to do it again.

Having read Hannah Howell's Highland series, I wondered how her style would fit into the Georgian world of proper Brits and the haute ton. It fits well indeed. If He's Wicked has a very nice story with a truly interesting heroine.

(SPOILERS) Chloe Wherlocke is present the night her sister and her baby passes away but before they do, she witnesses that her sister's dead infant is taken away and replaced with a very live newborn. Chloe saves this infant and the important papers left with her dying sister proving the boy's parentage. Chloe has the gift of sight and knows she must protect this child and his family.

(Spoilers) Three years later Chloe is living in London with her cousin and the boy she saved, now named Anthony. Her sight saves Anthony's father from a certain death from hired men. Anthony's father Julian Kenwood is an Earl who has had four attempts on his life within the last year. Julian is in a sorry mess. He is married to a faithless woman and has taken to drink and women but now that Chloe has intervened in his life, he is about to have a new perspective.

(SPOILERS) Chloe likes Julian right away and he finds Chloe simply charming and unaffected, completely different from his wife. Very soon they are acting upon their feelings but Chloe wrestles with guilt, Julian is married albeit to a scheming, adulterous shrew. Julian does not feel married and really does not suffer the same type of remorse as Chloe, instead he knows that Chloe is an innocent and dallying with her means a commitment which he is not yet ready to give especially as he has been betrayed already in marriage.

What I really liked about this couple was they were smart and both recognized situations for what they were instead of what they wanted them to be. Julian is cautious but honorable and Chloe is both logical and intuitive. Rarely is she caught off guard and not because she has the sight but mostly because she pieces together information methodically. These two also have a red hot romance that never took a backseat to the plot. Julian treats Chloe as an equal and really listens to her when she has visions or when she contributes to his plans. Their romance is both gentle and passionate. The one aspect of the book that was a bit hard to fathom was the absolute evil of the antagonists. It seemed to be over the top. Still this is an interesting read with more family Wherlocke books to follow.

Read it for yourself, but I tell you now you will love it. this is my first review soo enjoy this great book and I look forward to tht next one with these great new charectors

I just finished reading this book, and I must say that I'm sorry for it. Although I thought that the story was somewhat enjoyable and some characters were well developed, I found the two main characters, Chloe and Julian, rather flat and under-developed; the secondary characters were much more fleshed out. I found myself buying the "gifts" that Chloe and her cousin have, yet not believing at all the heinous qualities of Beatrice, in particular. I was annoyed that I read about Julian's golden brown hair umpteen times, yet I don't recall ever reading a description of what Chloe looked like. Another review mentioned that these two people fall in love after a few conversations and that this wasn't believable. I completely agree. I think more dialogue occurred between Julian and Chloe's cousin, Leo, than between Chloe and Julian. There were also many leaps in the plot that are completely glossed over. Conversely, some elements were extremely redundant, and I found the attempts at humor extremely shallow and ill-timed. The biggest problem I had with the book, however, was the awkward flow of the text and the many errors in conventions. This alone completely distracted me from enjoying the story in and of itself. I felt as though Howell was simply working her way through some contractual obligation to the publisher rather than really trying to make this a compelling, interesting story, which it could have been.

Regrettably, I would not recommend this book unless you are a huge fan of the author and used to the quirks of her style and humor.

Ms. HANNAH HOWELL IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS AND I HAVE READ MOST OF HER BOOKS. THIS NEW SERIES IS JUST AS GOOD

AS THE ONES BASED ON THE HILLS OF SCOTLAND. THE HEROINES AND HEROES ARE STILL STRONG, STUBBORN AND BRAVE AND WILLING TO RISK LIFE AND LIMB FOR THEIR LOVE ONES. CHILDREN AND ANIMALS ARE PART OF HER LIST OF CHARACTERS TO

ME MAKE THE BOOKS EVEN BETTER. THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR FAMILIES INTERACTION WITH THEM MAKE THE BOOKS MORE INTERESTING.