Too Wicked To Kiss (Zebra Debut) [Mass Market Paperback]

Erica Ridley (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 2010 | Series: Zebra Debut

His Touch Holds Her Captive. . .
From the ravens circling its spires to the gargoyles adorning its roof, Blackberry Manor looms ominously over its rambling grounds. And behind its doors, amid the flickering shadows and secret passageways, danger lies in wait. . .

To His Every Dark Desire. . .
Evangeline Pemberton has been invited to a party at the sprawling estate of reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, who is rumored to have murdered his parents. Initially, Gavin's towering presence and brusque manner instill fear in Evangeline. . .until his rakish features and seductive attentions profoundly arouse her.

But when a guest is murdered, Evangeline is torn. Could the man to whom she is so powerfully drawn, also be a ruthless killer?


"A unique gothic romance complete with murder, madness, and mayhem!"
--Virginia Henley, New York Times bestselling author

"A skillful blend of Gothic mystery and steamy romance."
--Karen Rose, New York Times bestselling author

"A brilliant example of an author staking out a by-gone genre and remaking it in her own image."
--Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ridley's debut is an enticing marriage of Regency romance and murder mystery. Desperate to escape her abusive stepfather, Evangeline Pemberton runs to family friend Lady Stanton, whose daughter, Susan, was recently disgraced. Unable to marry a reputable man, Susan wants to snare Gavin Lioncroft, owner of gloomy Blackberry Manor and reputed murderer, and she demands Evangeline's help. When Evangeline meets Gavin, she is surprised by their mutual attraction and shocked to find that her psychic visions vanish when she touches him. After a mysterious death occurs in Blackberry Manor, Evangeline uses her gift to unearth the true culprit. Evangeline, a young yet determined heroine, is the true star of the novel as she allows herself to love while making serious plans for her future. Plenty of violence, romantic tension, and sensual love scenes will leave readers eager for the sequel. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Ridley's debut is an enticing marriage of Regency romance and murder mystery. [...] Evangeline, a young yet determined heroine, is the true star of the novel as she allows herself to love while making serious plans for her future. --Publishers Weekly --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; 1 edition (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420109936
• ISBN-13: 978-1420109931
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,634,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Erica Ridley learned to read when she was three, which was about the same time she decided to be a writer when she grew up. Over the course of her school years, she graduated from self-illustrated stories written in crayon to dramatic sagas filling reams of spiral notebooks.

Now, Erica writes paranormal, fantasy, and historical romances. Her Gothic debut, TOO WICKED TO KISS, released in 2010, followed by TOO SINFUL TO DENY in 2011. Never Been Bitten, a vampire romance, appeared in the 2012 anthology BORN TO BITE along with fellow authors Hannah Howell and Diana Cosby.

Erica is currently working on a new trilogy of contemporary romantic comedies featuring heroes and heroines from the fantastical world of Nether-Netherland. The first, LOVE, LUST AND PIXIE DUST, debuted in December 2012. The second, WANDS, WISHES AND GENIE KISSES, launches in summer 2013. The third, FATE, FIRE AND DEMON DESIRE, comes out late fall 2013.

When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

She can also be found on:

Official Website - http://www.EricaRidley.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/EricaRidleyFans
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/EricaRidley

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Debut and a Perfect Gothic Regency Romance March 29, 2010

By Dianne E. Socci-Tetro TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Too Wicked to Kiss by Erica Ridley

To Wicked to Kiss is Ms Ridley's debut novel and what a debut it is! If you are looking for the perfect Gothic Regency romance novel that has all the best elements of the genre, then this is one that will be a keeper. This is a book that has it all - a dark, brooding, secretive, dangerous and handsome male, a female with backbone, looks and brains, a bit of the paranormal aspect, secondary characters that you want to stab....repeatedly, a dark dreary, hidden passageway riddled manor house, heat enough between Gavin Lioncroft and Evangeline Pemberton our protagonists to steam the wallpaper off of your walls and a murder mystery! This will not be a book for you to read once and toss...oh no, this is one you may want to read over and over!
This book is filled with action, chills, and even has a bit of comedy relief with Susan one of the secondary characters and who will be starring in Ms Ridley's second novel due out in 2011 (Can't you write a little bit faster? Please!!!).
I wholeheartedly applaud this debut and can not wait until the next one comes out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner Debut Book March 4, 2010

By Cheryl Mansfield

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Erica Ridley's debut novel, TOO WICKED TO KISS is a wonderful addition to the gothic romance scene. And the title couldn't be more perfect. Just who is too wicked to kiss? Is it the hero, the darkly mysterious rumored murderer, Gavin Lioncroft? Or the heroine, Evangeline Pemberton, a strong, feisty runaway with a paranormal gift? Actually, it could also be anyone of the well drawn secondary characters because this book is just plain wicked. Wicked fun that is.

TO WICKED TO KISS has it all. A gothic romance filled with sexual tension, a touch of the paranormal, plenty of humor and a murder so tightly plotted you'll never be able to guess "whodunit". It's a true winner and I can't wait for the next in the series. Ridley is a new author not to miss.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Very descriptive writing but mystery overshadows the romance, May 8, 2010

By Melissa TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Too Wicked to Kiss starts out wonderfully with a spooky dark manor, a brooding hero and a supernaturally gifted heroine. I thought I would love this novel based on its beginnings, the tension between the leads is palpable but in the middle section of this book the romantic tension is lowered considerably.

Evangeline Pemberton accompanies her "friend" Susan and her manipulative mother to a house party outside London. The manor belongs to reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, a man thought to have killed his parents and is now shunned by his family and society save one sister who is also attending the house party.

Evangeline and Gavin are drawn to each other from their first meeting. Evangeline is conflicted as she has been brought to the mansion to help Susan trap Gavin into marriage, a plan she despises but she has nowhere else to go since her mother passed away.

Evangeline has the ability to see someone's past or future when she touches them, all except Gavin which mystifies her. When a murder occurs at the house party suddenly her skills are tested to discover the killer, however because she dislikes touching (she gets headaches) this gift is not used quite as effectively as one would imagine. There are several suspects and a goodly portion of this book is spent on trying to solve this mystery, taking precedent over Gavin and Evangeline's romance.

Evangeline is always uncertain around Gavin. She says some terrible things to him at first judging him by gossip and innuendo solely and quite frankly she is not all that supportive during his most heartfelt confessions. Gavin feels alone and he wants to confide in Evangeline but worries that she will reject him as his family has.

Evangeline is complex and also unwilling to face the truth; she has a tendency to downplay her feelings for Gavin. For his part Gavin is braver than Evangeline, at least when it comes to emotional commitment. He is a dark figure but also the most captivating character in this novel. The novel rates three stars, it's very descriptive (I could easily visualize the castle) but I felt that some of the emotional connection between the leads took a backseat to the murder mystery and Evangeline's character was not as memorable as Gavin's.