Customer Reviews

Ways to Be Wicked

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

 

 

As the darling of the Paris ballet, Sylvie Lamoureux's hard work and sacrifices had paid off, including the attentions and love of a royal prince. All would be of no consequence when she chanced upon a letter that sent her across the English Channel to discover a sister she never knew. Before she ever gets to meet her sister, she lands in the arms of
bawdy theater owner Tom Shaughessy while trying to hide from a persistent ex-lover who followed her from France.

Now, while Tom was not adverse to the notion of women jumping into his arms this lithe little feisty baggage would test his mettle with her courage, wit and overt sensuality. Forced by circumstances to accept the good natured offer of assistance from Tom to join his troupe in his naughty productions at the White Lily, the once prima ballerina would be conflicted as she tried to reconcile the showman with the private man who instilled a sensual desire in her that she'd never before experienced.

*** This was a lovely story, well-written and rife with subtle nuances of two people who very slowly come to `know' one another as they fall in love. Long does an about face with this second book of her `Three Sisters Trilogy' relying more on character development rather than on the adventure, excitement and action the first book featured with a more robust mystery. Theirs was not a love at first sight `jump in the sack' lusty pillow fluffer, but a sweeter, slower development of a truer love that Long defined with humor, style and grace. Additionally, Long delivers some signature humor with a motley cast of secondary characters, from the aging starlet, to the diminutive `General', and the young toddler Jamie adding substance and gentle humor to this sweetly sensual tale that should appeal to this newer author's fast growing fan base.

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization

"Ways to Be Wicked" is the second book in Julie Anne Long's Regency era trilogy about three sisters who were separated in early childhood when their mother was (unjustly) accused of murdering her lover, their father. In the first book, "Beauty and the Spy", the *real* murderer was exposed and brought to justice by Sister Number 1 (Susannah) and her former British spy hero (Kit, Viscount Grantham.) At the end of that book, Susannah embarks on a quest to find her lost sisters, having discovered that Sylvie was adopted by a French opera dancer and Sabrina by a English country vicar.

"Ways To Be Wicked" is the story of Sister Number 2, Sylvie Lamoureaux, who through natural talent, determination and hard work has risen from her humble beginnings to become a prima ballerina on the stages of Europe. The story begins when Sylvie intercepts a letter to her adopted mother from Susannah asking for information about her long-lost sister. Sylvie realizes that she has a sister that she has never met and whose existence has been kept a secret from her. Tempestuous, dauntless and determined, Sylvie decides to leave her high-born lover, Etienne, with a brief note of explanation and travel alone to meet her sister in England. It is clear from the onset that Sylvie has mixed feelings about Etienne when she hides from someone that looks like him on her arrival in England by jumping into the lap of Tom Shaughnessy, a handsome fellow traveler on the mail coach, and embraces him. When the coach later is set upon by highwaymen, Tom and Sylvie manage to limit the losses of the other passengers, but Sylvie in the process loses her reticule and all her money. She arrives in London penniless and (nearly) friendless, only to find her sister out of town and her sister's servants unhelpful. With nowhere else to turn, she takes Tom Shaughnessy up on his offer of assistance and ends up employed as a dancer in his bawdy house theater. It is a measure of how smooth a storyteller Julie Anne Long is that such a contrived plot seems almost plausible in her hands (...a famous ballerina dancing in a bawdy theater chorus line...OK...I'll go along with that...)

The reason that this story works is that Tom is such a delightful charmer and Sylvie is a good foil for him. Their dialogue is bright, witty and frequently tinged with naughty innuendo of the sort that Regency heroines usually have to pretend not to understand. Born dirt-poor and illegitimate, Tom is the self-made man variety of historical romance hero (raised in the rookery, thieving for his meals, etc.) By virtue of hard work combined with his fabulous good looks, irresistible personal charm and his natural talent for showmanship, he has risen to become the owner and artist director of a popular "theater for gentlemen". Tom is a very appealing and interesting character; he is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is clogged with heroes who are members of the upper echelon of the peerage. Sylvie is an entertaining heroine--proud, ambitious and passionate with a volatile temper and quick wit. Her lover in France really was her lover (no virgin mistress story here!), yet despite their mutual attraction and both of their histories of previous sexual experience, the romance between Tom and Sylvie unfolds very slowly (as befits two emotionally wary, independent individuals) and with a lot of charm.

The secondary characters in the story are well-drawn and memorable, particularly The General, the theater's dwarf-size choreographer, director and set designer, and Daisy, the proud, aging star of the theater's extravaganzas. There are some hilarious descriptions of the theater's productions. A lot of the story is ridiculous fluff, but it is very entertaining fluff.

Setting aside the whole premise of the plot (famous ballerina working as a dancer in a bawdy theater...), I had only a few quibbles with the story. The subplot involving the toddler was a snoozer for me and the ending seemed a little flat and too pat--both less original and less authentic than the rest of the story. But Long's prose is very fluid and fresh and her dialogue a delight to read. The major love scene comes relatively late in the story but was worth waiting for (IMO).

In summary, "Ways To Be Wicked" is an entertaining, well-written Regency romance with a refreshingly different hero and heroine and sparkling dialogue.
Highly recommended for historical romance lovers, particularly those who prefer a lighter tone.

In Paris renowned ballet dancer Sylvie Lamoureux sees the note from England addressed to her adopted parent Claude, who is away on vacation. She becomes frightened and euphoric when she reads the content. English Lady Susannah believes that Sylvie is her sister, separated along with a third missing sibling as children when their mom was accused of murder. Needing to know the truth, Sylvie immediately travels to England to meet Lady Susannah leaving behind notes to Claude, her dangerous jealous lover Etienne and her employer.

At the English docks, Sylvie sees Etienne so she leaps into a carriage containing theater owner Tom Shaughnessy. On the road to London, highwaymen stop them and take Sylvie's retinue that included all her money. In London, she learns Susannah is in Paris seeking her out so she turns to Tom for employment. As they fall in love, Etienne searches the city for her and Susannah rushes back to London to seek out her sibling.

The sequel to BEAUTY AND THE SPY (Susannah's story) is a fun Regency romance in which the limits of communication of the era play a key role in the relationship that develops between Tom and Sylvie. Tom is a terrific roguish male lead who cannot stop himself from needing to help the brave Sylvie. The support cast like the General, Etienne, and the other dancers augment this fascinating tale, which clearly belongs to the second sister Sylvie. Readers will look forward to Sabrina's tale and hopefully learn the truth of what happened seventeen years ago in 1803 to their mom Anna Holt.

Harriet Klausner

I picked this book up on a whim despite the cover and the fact that I had never heard of the writer. I read the first page standing in the bookstore and started laughing. Hoping the writer could maintain the promise of that first page, I bought the book. And was rewarded.

The story - Sylvie, a prima ballerina in Paris discovers evidence that she may not be an orphan after all, and takes off to search for family in England where - oh, happy day - she encounters devastating Tom Shaughnessy, himself an orphan who grew up the hard way and found success as the impressario of a bawdy theatre. From the moment Sylvie lands literally in Tom's lap, the the weilding of wits and the melting of hearts begins.

The characters are engaging, the plot interesting and the dialogue outstanding. I laughed aloud reading this book and, at one point, said aloud, "I love these people." Regency purists will notice errors and there are a few loose ends and plot holes; hence the four rather than five stars. However, I will definitely hunt up Ms. Long's other books and anticipate enjoying them hugely.

Famous French Ballerina Sylvie Lamoureaux has always known that Claude, the woman who raised her, was not her mother but Claude has always claimed ignorance about her family. When Sylvie intercepts a letter from her real sister, Lady Grantham, Susannah, she is furious and decides to travel to England to find her. Sylvie is also running from her possessive lover, Prince Etienne, who she knows would never allow her to leave so she leaves in disguise as a widow. Upon her trip to her sister's in a hired mail coach, highwaymen rob the coach and take her sister's letters and all Sylvie's money. When she goes to her sisters home and discovers that Susannah is in France, she is unable to convince the staff that she is Susannah's sister. Sylvie's only chance at survival is to take up the offer to work for Tom Shaughnessy, the owner of a "entertainment tavern" whom she met on the mail coach. Deciding to hide her identity, she changes her name and goes to work in the nightly bawdy dance routines at the "White Lily". Sylvie's boss Tom Shaughnessy is quite literally the most beautiful man she has ever seen and although she knows he is attracted, he has a rule that he will not date the dancers. Tom knows that Sylvie is different and that she is hiding something, however he is tempted to break his own rule to get a chance with Sylvie.

This is an interesting story and the details about the show production where interesting. Tom and Sylvie have chemistry but somehow this story missed that spark that was there in Beauty and the Spy. I am really looking forward to the conclusion, sister Sabrina's story The Secret to Seduction. I'm also interested to find out what happened to their mother.

The hero and heroine in this book are not your usual party hopping regency ton folk. And for that alone, I could love it. But it was also a well written love story. Sometimes when authors try to do something a little outside the norm, it reads like they did it just to be different. This book is not like that. It's outside the norm because the characters demand it, and so it works. Despite being a 2nd book in a trilogy, this was a good read and didn't require the first book to be enjoyable.

Ways to Be Wicked by Julie Anne Long tells the story how three sisters get seperated from their mother and are seperated and adopted. 17 years later the sisters start try to solve the mystery of their father's murder and to find each other. This is Sylvie story is the ballerina from Paris who set off to find her sister in England. On her ways she is robbed and finds herself working in sexy theater for the handsome Tom Shaughnessy. Lot of great twists and turns - loved the characters. Check out the whole series; Beauty and the Spy (1), Ways to be Wicked (2) and The Secret to Seduction (3).

I love how the story flowed so smoothly. The secondary characters are a riot! The love between the two bloomed wonderfully! A must-read!

Having read and loved the first book in the sister's trilogy, I eagerly looked forward to this one. Much to my disappointment, it was well, boring? Is that the right word? Yes, boring. Sister Number 2, Sylvie Lamoureaux, a prima ballerina from Paris, heads to London when she discovered she has a sister, Susannah, Lady Grantham, after reading one of the many letters Susannah had sent to Claude.

Through an interesting situation, Sylvie founds herself in the lap of the most handsome man in the world, Tom Shaughnessy. He is attracted to her and when she finds her sister is out of town, she decided to go to Tom for help (she knew no one else) and he put her to work in his theatre.

When Sylvie left Paris, she also left her lover behind. He was a Prince named Etienne and follows her to England.

I enjoyed when the mail coach got stopped and I also enjoyed the theatre scenes and reading about Tom's budding relationship with his son. But, really, for me, the book has no passion. Oh, yes, there were a few scenes about passion between them but I did not find it very believable. Tom was a character of a man, and she seemed very blah. Yes, we know how gorgeous Tom is, what a blinding smile and such. But for such a vibrant man, Sylvie seems colorless.

And many things did not really add up. Okay, they marry, and the emporium goes forward but what happened with all the charges leveled at Tom? They just disappeared? Etienne, he made false allegations and what? Heads back to France? How about all the men who were going to sponsor the emporium, who backed out, what about them? Also, Sylvie, what is her place in society, if any at all? Tom had a dream that his son would go to Eton but even back then, society was pretty closed but are we to assume that Tom the [...], his wife the [...] and his son the [...] are accepted in society? What kind of relationship did she have with her sister and the Viscount? Many lose ends and judging in how little info is discovered about sister number one in this book, I think we can expect still less in the third book. I think that romance writers who embark on trilogies forget that as a reader, we are invested in the story from book one and the flow of story number one should still continue in story 2, etc. I think I will go to the library for book 3.

I was looking forward to this book because Sylvie was the more vibrant sister, but sadly, there are too many things I found disappointing in this book, that make me skeptical about Ms. Long's writing again.
Sylvie and Tom just seem so blah compared to Susannah and Kit. I also seem to be comparing most self-made hero characters to Derek Craven so Tom was really not up to par. Sylvie though older and not an aristocrat seem to fit more of the idiotic young heroine mold than her sister Susannah.
There are also a number to loose ends in the story, what happened to the charges against Tom, there are not a lot of hints or clues about Sabrina, nothing about Anne Holt, their mother, and when Sylvie gets to England, she gets stuck as a chorus line girl(Was she not a prima ballerina?). This quite annoyed me a lot. I did like the descriptions of the theater and the 2ndary characters from it which is why this is a 2 star instead of a one. I will be wary now about the third book and hope Ms. Long writes it so much better.