Customer Reviews

If His Kiss is Wicked

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The only thing I did not like - was the title, which I thought did not give the story any justice. This was a wonderful read, the story was very well written and not the typical lite regency romance like the title suggests. The tone of the book had me in that time period, it was so well done, and from the first page to the last, I was enthralled with the characters and story. It kept me twisting and turning, not knowing where it would turn next - Highly recommended, and I feel one of her best.

One thing you can count on when reading a Jo Goodman Regency-era romance novel is that the plot will be a sweeping one where her full bodied and multifaceted characters takeover the stage and all your attention. This was definitely true if "If His Kiss is Wicked," a novel that mixes a criminal investigation with romance with quite memorable results.

Not many young ladies of a genteel background survive being kidnapped off the streets and being brutally beaten with their courage and confidence in tact. But Emma Hathaway finds that is up to her to call on her inner reserves of strength to do something about her attack because her family would like nothing better than to pretend that the incident had never taken place, believing that the danger has long passed. Emma however is fearful that the danger is ever present and that the actual target of the attack was not her but her beautiful cousin, Marisol, with whom she bears a slight resemblance. To that end, she calls on Restell Gardner, a gentleman known for being able to help people who find themselves in precarious situations, to help discover who was responsible for her attack to to avert any future dangers. Moved by Emma's courage and intelligence, Restell agrees to take on the case. The last thing this confirmed bachelor expected was that he would fall in love with his emotionally fragile client. Ever mindful of the danger that Emma faces, Restell will have to work hard to ensure that his feelings don't jeopardize Emma and put her in even more danger than ever...

If I had one complaint about "If His Kiss is Wicked" is was that both the romance and the mystery subplots could have been fleshed out more. Essentially, "If His Kiss Is Wicked" seemed to be more about Emma and the relationship she had with her uncle and her cousin, Marisol, than anything else. That was the pervasive strand of the novel. True, the subplot that dealt with Restell's efforts to help Emma regain her self confidence and his growing admiration and feelings for Emma had equal weight, but for me, it seemed as if everything always circled back to Emma's relationship with her relatives. There was a reason for this, of course, but I really couldn't help but wish that we were shown more of the developing romance between the two. Likewise, I would have liked to have actually read more about Restell's investigations instead of "hearing" about them as he relates what he has uncovered to Emma in the last third of the novel. But these were rather minor quibbles. "If His Kiss Is Wicked" proved to be a very absorbing read. Both Restell and Emma were the kind of romantic leads that most readers will readily take to their hearts -- sensible, capable and mature. I liked that they matched each other very well, and that neither behaved in the kind of immature manner that induced eye-rolling. I also liked that the author showed us how, in spite of her courage and sensibility that Emma was still emotionally scarred by what had occurred, and that it would take time and a lot of effort for her to overcome her fears. This was a realistic touch that was much appreciated. Also much appreciated was how the author left little clues as to who was behind Emma's attack -- though you don't understand the why until the very end. All in all this was a very enjoyable read and one that I would recommend to anyone looking for something more substantial than the usual fare.

Emma Halliday visits Restell Gardner after she has been kidnapped and severly beaten. She has heard he is a person to go to for help and she wants answers as to why she was kidnapped. Was it her they were after or her cousin and Anna was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Together Restell and Anna try and find the answers. Along the way Restell works to heal Anna of the trauma she suffered.

There is such a richness and depth to Ms. Goodman's writing, it's impossible to rush through this book. Instead one needs to slow down and savor this delightful book.

She is a master at putting words together to create those small moments that make you sigh with delight in pure reading enjoyment.

If his kiss is Wicked is quite simply splendid!

Emma Hathaway, our heroine, has been kidnapped and almost killed by unknown captors but she managed to escape and is now certain that the threat is not over although she is not sure that she is the intended victim of the attack or even if she is not just simply going mad. She contacts our hero, Restell Gardner, a sort of Private Investigator, who helps people in trouble in exchange for favours to be returned when necessary, and he agrees to help her.

To say more about the plot is to spoil part of the pleasure of the book - the investigation of the crime is as much as important to the story as the romance between Emma and Restell. I am glad to report that the mystery was not a secondary, contrived storyline that was there only to serve the main plot, i.e. the growing love between the protagonists. Quite the contrary, the mystery and the romance were intertwined in such a wonderful way that at times I didn't know whether I wanted them to carry on investigating or kissing.

And talking about kissing (since I can't talk about the mystery without spoiling the outcome): wow. What a love story. Restell is such a wonderful hero. Not your usual Tormented Alpha Male, he is considerate, funny, smart and sweet. Not that I have anything against Tormented Heroes but sometimes it is very refreshing to get a respite. Because he doesn't have issues that need to be dealt with, he can concentrate in helping Emma whilst at the same time being unable not to fall in love with her. She doesn't believe in love - she thinks it is nothing but a passing feeling - but she can't help falling in love with him either, for all of the above qualities, plus did I mention he is hot? Well, he is. The sex scenes are well written and of good taste - although there is one scene that may offend the more sensitive, but for me it was on the right side of erotic.

Actually, the whole book is well written. Jo Goodman has a way with words, to be sure, and I found myself going back to sentences, paragraphs and even whole chapters in order to let the writing sink in. This is a top notch book and I highly recommend it.

Review Courtesy of thebooksmugglers.blogspot.com

Emma was never raped, but she might as well be a rape victim. She was beaten so brutally that weeks later she still carries the bruises. She is afraid to leave the house. She is afraid of everything! But she doses herself with laudenum and ventures out to hire an investigator to help solve the mystery of her abduction, and protect her and her cousin from further harm.

Restell is impressed by Emma's dignity and courage up until she has a little psychological melt-down in his library. Then he doesn't know what to do. He is a man who rarely feels inadequate to handle a situation, but Emma's trauma confounds him. I think that is where his fascination with her begins.

Restell is a good hero. He doesn't dither around much. He knows a good thing when he sees it and within weeks he proposes marriage. And Emma is a sensible heroine. She doesn't allow her fears to take over her life, and over time she begins to trust and confide in her handsome husband. It is all very satisfactory.

So the characters are good, and the mystery is pretty good too. Even though there were plenty of hints, the full story didn't become clear until right at the end. So I would say it is well done.

If you are in the mood for a Regency mystery romance, then this book is a good choice.

This was my first Jo Goodman which led to my glomming on her extensive backlist.I fell in love with the characters, the convincing strong plots in both romance and mystery, and her wonderful writing style which, I thought, worked very well with her subtle art of creating believable characters. I highly recommend this book as one great example of quality historical romance books.

Jo Goodman is a very good storyteller. I really enjoyed the love story between Emma and Restell. I don't like romances where the H/H fight throughout the story, to me that's not realistic.

In this story Emma went to Restell for help and they have a mystery to solve, but they solve it together, and fall in love as they do. I found the Hero different from the typical Earl or Duke.

If you're looking for something light and fluffy, this is not the book for you. Jo Goodman's forte is in creating emotional depth; she tosses her characters into dark places and then chronicles their struggles to survive.

The heroine has been badly beaten and comes to the hero, Restell Gardner, for protection and an investigation into her kidnapping and abuse. Emma is extraordinarily self-contained, courageous, and very, very damaged. Restell is intrigued and spends much of the book unravelling Emma's personality using his considerable powers of observation.

Their dialogue is clever, intimate, and engaging. Restell is interested in who Emma truly is, and much of their conversation involves sparring and attempts by Restell to get Emma to reveal herself.

Secondary characters have depth and their own interesting stories, there's more than one layer of deceit, and love conquers all. If you want a well-written romance that takes danger and psychological damage seriously, but redeems through patience and goodness, then Jo Goodman is for you.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit: the characters are intriguing, the dialogue is witty, and the mystery is not easily solved. I am undecided as to whether I like the author's slow unveiling of the facts necessary to solve the mystery or think it's unfair. Nevertheless, I liked the unusual but more realistic picture of a sudden marriage between two people drawn to each other: usually, the characters plunge headlong in love and then confide in each other completely. In this case, neither main character fully reveals their part of the story at once. Recommended.

Emma Hathaway has lived with her uncle and cousin since her own parents were lost at sea three years ago. Cousin Marisol is pretty and spoiled. She is also engaged, so instead of keeping a date with her latest flirt, she sends Emma with a note telling him she's breaking off with him. Emma is kidnapped and beaten, but because she was wearing Marisol's bonnet and pelisse, it appears that she was mistakenly taken in Marisol's place.

Enter Restell Gardner, who has a talent for investigation, and quickly discovers that nothing is as it seemed, and that his Emma is in danger. Emma is so traumatized from her harrowing experience that she can remember none of it, so Restell has his work cut out for him, and he is not helped by what he sees as less than forthright answers from Emma's family.

The dialogue, especially between Emma and Restell, is intelligent and often witty, sometimes droll, and always conducted in a way that keeps the reader on her toes, which made this reader look forward to their verbal sparring. We learn the results of much of Restell's investigation through such dialogue, which I enjoyed much more than a simple telling of his actions by the author. To me, the excellent dialogue was a major reason that I so thoroughly enjoyed what was already a good story - it put me in mind of such authors as Georgette Heyer and Patricia Veryan, a wonderful place for Jo Goodman to be, in my opinion.

I also greatly enjoyed the light touches that helped break the tension of the story; for example, when Restell took Emma to a gaming hell (in disguise, of course), or when they indulged in a little breaking-and-entering.

Although it may seem at first glance that the romance is overshadowed by the mystery and intrigue, it becomes apparent that it is part and parcel of the whole, subtly but strongly there.