Customer Reviews

Wicked Promise

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Besides being addicted to Kat Martin's books from the moment I picked up "Night Secrets," I picked up "Wicked Promise" because the heroine's last name was practically a dead-ringer for mine. Being decidedly English in culture, I knew this book was sure to please. And, it did.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Kat Martin's books is the setting. She can capture Victorian England in such a way that there is no doubt in my mind that's exactly what Victorian England looked and felt like, even down to the sootiness of the city (which so many authors fail to mention in 19th century England romances) and the hellish cells and the poor souls of Newgate prison.

On to the story. Elizabeth Woolcot is desperate for protection against her pompous neighbor who is hell-bent on marrying her. Nicholas Warring grudgingly agrees to help her, but does everything he can to keep Elizabeth at arms' length away from him, even going so far as to purposely set out to make Elizabeth think he's the rogue everyone says he is. He could care less about propriety and what society says - they deserted him when he killed a man nine years before. And now, that dead man's brother is trying very hard to marry Elizabeth, and he'll do anything (ANYTHING) to get her. When Nicholas realizes his love for Elizabeth, he sets into motion a plan that will see him free to love her. Unfortunately, through a series of events, he finds himself in a Newgate prison cell facing the hangman's noose. What follows is a hilarious scene (even in the shadow of a serious problem) which really had me giggling. Elizabeth is a strong heroine and does her best to defend herself. She's no ninny, either, even if she does put herself into some awkward situations. She still defends herself and does what she can to survive. And, she sets out to return the help she received from Nicholas when he finds himself in a situation he's helpless to rectify.

The chemistry between Elizabeth and Nicholas is wonderful, and I truly enjoyed reading their story. Their chemistry sizzles and the plot is fast-moving, all the way up to the end. Kat does a wonderful job keeping the reader on the edge of her seat with the twists and turns of the plot. I also enjoy catching glimpses of Kat Martin's characters in other stories. Nicholas and Elizabeth can be seen in "Silk and Steel," yet another excellent romp through Victorian England and aristocratic society.

Dana K. Wolcott

i love kat martin books. her steamy writing style, characters that aren't afraid of society or their sexuality (a nice change from simpid writers to caught up in being afraid of wanting another person) and great secondary characters. I felt torn on this book for though there were parts i dearly loved there were also parts of the book where i was just like "What the hell was that?!"

First for the good: Elizabeth is a woman needs protection. After her father dies she is sought after but a man who is determined to have her, even by foul means. She asks Nicholas warring, her guardian, for protection and he grudgingly agrees. One problem, he's wildly attracted to her. Nicholas killed a man nine years ago and was sent off to serve his time. He's gone down hill since his return, earning the name the "wicked earl" for his rakish ways.

Elizabeth is the breath of fresh air that has nicholas' head spinning. i loved the way nicholas is determined to protect elizabeth from him and the life he lives. The passion the two of them have is great. the way they each have power over each other is a nice change from the always experienced hero. i loved nicholas' character in how he is protective and tortured. you have love those kind of heros...a little jaded but still a teddy bear inside. the bedroom scenes were great as always though like anything else they alone can't carry a book.

Now for the bad parts: the problem of nicholas being married is pretty much ignored throughout the book. his wife is in all of three scenes. elizabeth is almost to naive when she proclaims that nicholas is not married in the "eyes of god" since his wife left abandoned him when he was convicted of murder. The ending was to predictable. this story follows the cookie cutter regency era romance. everything is solved nice and neat and though this is ultimately a good thing it's to spontaneous and easy to really make an impacton the reader. i found myself asking "is that it?" which isn't really that great a sign.

did i enjoy this book? yes. did i think it was one of the best kat martin has written? no. though the passion is there and burning hot there book starts to decline in the end.

Late in the eighteenth century, Nicholas Warring, the fourth Earl of Ravensworth, is convicted of murdering Stephen Hampton. As he spends the next seven torturous years as an indentured servant in Jamaica, his wife and all the Ton abandons him. When he finally returns to England in 1801, he lives a life of debauchery, almost as if there will be no tomorrow.

However, Nicholas' lifestyle abruptly changes when he becomes guardian to Elizabeth Woolcott, who needs his protection from the unwanted overtures of Oliver Hampton, whose testimony convicted Nicholas. Though he wants no part of the innocent chit, Nicholas knows how perverted Hampton is, so he takes the lass and her aunt into his home in order to protect her. Though his plan is to marry her off to a decent man in the the ton, Nicholas and Elizabeth fall in love with each other. However, he remains married and Oliver is a force that must be reckoned with before the pair can hope to find happiness together.

WICKED PROMSIES is a typical Regency romance that receives the special Kat Martin treatment of turning it into a fresh reading experience. The lead protagonists are a wonderful pair, especially Nicholas. who must overcome his trauma from his time spent in the colonies if he wants a loving relationship. The villain is as odious as they come and adds a touch of wickedness that promises to keep fans of the sub-genre spellbound throughout the novel.

Harriet Klausner

Elizabeth and Nicky isn't exactly one of my favorite couples in all of Kat Martin's books. They do have heart warming moments but not enough to form an impression. In fact, I was more enthralled with Maggie's character. I wished there was more of her and Alex. Their story was short yet very lovable and hearty. For a primary characters, I think Elizabeth & Nicky needed a bit more expanding for me to fully appreciate them. I mean, individually they are well described but together, they lack development. There was not enough spark for me to feel that spastic reaction. They need more of internal conflicts for me to see and feel the true color of their relationship. In my opinion, the murder/mystery twist seemed to have overshadowed Nick and Elizabeth's love-romance story. I am not extremely fond of murder plots, perhaps this is the reason why I didn't enjoy this book to the fullest. I admit, there are times where I wouldn't mind and/or in fact, even enjoy such twist but on this circumstances, the murder plot here in WICKED PROMISE was just too common for my liking... So, you can say it's all a matter of taste and preferences. Read it anyway, you might like it more than I have. Also, I find this book somewhat slow... it takes awhile to get to the point. A bit verbose. But as soon as you past that, the story progresses and becomes quite intriguing. Aside from Maggie's character, I was also captivated by Randall character. He is the Duke of Beldon, Nicky's friend. I wasn't sure if Kat Martin wrote a book just for him... but I hoped! Boy, was I happy to learn upon my search here in Amazon that PERFECT SIN is Randall's book. OVERALL, Wicked Promise is a good read. I have no regrets reading this book at all. If you like murder/mystery plots in your historical romance novels, then this one is definitely for you.

I do believe some authors are suffering from writers' block and hence churning out a lot of gibberish now a days. Kat Martins' Wicked Promise is one of those books probably written when she underwent a writers' block.
The story line is so oft repeated that there is nothing much to say about it, but what takes the cake are the lead characters, especially Elizabeth.
Both the h&h are irritating to the core and garner no sympathy. It was not a very long book, but it still took 5 days for me to finish it.
SKIP THIS ONE!

I have read two other novels by Kat Martin in the past year - "Innocence Undone" (fair) and "The Devil's Necklace" (so-so at best). I found them only to be average and thought about giving up on this author but, I had already bought other books at the same time so...I read them too. "Wicked Promise" ended up being a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this book from beginning, middle and end. It had a moving plot line, interesting and appealing characters and was full of emotion - things I felt were missing sometimes in the earlier books I read by this author.

I really liked the main characters in this story - Elizabeth and Nick. They had appealing traits that made them believable and likeable. I especially liked that Elizabeth allowed her emotions to come out and she gave to those she cared for with her whole heart and soul. She did not hold back and that allowed her to blossom as a woman. I thought she took a huge chance being with Nicholas as his lover when she knew he was married and his estranged wife had no intention of divorcing him. What she did was against all the rules and what she had learned growing up but, without Nick she didn't feel complete. So...it would have to be married man and mistress for them to be together. I would have preferred Elizabeth not take this position if she could help it but, clearly her love and devotion to Nick made her accept the best she could get at the time. It was a mistress or nothing. She did stand up for herself and she never regretted giving herself out of joy and love. She was a soft yet strong spirited woman beyond her time. She fought for what she believed in and who she believed it and that made her an appealing heroine.

Nick had his naughty ways and clouded past but, even with so many mistakes in his past, he was clearly a kind and loving man. The few friends and employees who stayed with him over the years saw the kind of man he was and they gave him their complete devotion and trust regardless of what society thought. I didn't care for Nick's drinking and gaming and womanizing in the beginning but, it was understood he was trying to blot out a very difficult and ugly past - the murder, the imprisonment, the loss of friends and the loss of his less than loyal first wife. Plus...you could tell his heart was never in being truly bad and as Elizabeth came into his life and showed him other ways...he developed into the man he was always meant to be. He was even willing to endure society looking down on him further if he got a divorce and giving up a family treasure - the Ravenworth rubies to gain his freedom so, he could be with the woman he adored above all else. He was a magnificent man in the making. It was a pleasure to watch his development.

There was a lot going on in this story - Elizabeth coming to stay with him and be his ward, Elizabeth and Nick's growing fascination and attraction for one another, Nick's need to marry her off to please his family and friends and do what was right, Nick trying to clear his bad past and get a divorce from his first wife and then...dealing with the murder of his first wife. Busy, busy, busy but, still all interesting. There was also lots of side characters. But...everyone seemed to have a role to play and it was not so deep and complex that you couldn't follow the changing scenes and roles everyone played. Obviously, friends like Rand were important, sister Maggie and her future beau Andrew, friend and solicitor Sydney, and f course the evil villain Bascomb who was out to bed and harm Elizabeth. There's plenty going on in this story to appeal to all readers.

The love scenes were tastefully written and powerful. You could feel the blossoming attraction between Nick and Elizabeth from the first. I liked that the author gave time for their interest to grow and the attraction to become intense and powerful. That always make the eventual getting together that much more appealing and satisfying. Their passion and joy in being together was apparent from the first coupling until the end of the book. I especially liked that the friendship they had grew along with their desire and eventual love for one another. They didn't stay the same people in the beginning, middle and end. Instead, their emotions and feelings grew leaps and bounds as the story progressed and the ending was highly fulfilling. Elizabeth loved with her whole heart and soul from the start. Nick learned the power of love the hard way - first as attraction, then as deep desire and then...he finally caved in to the greatest gift of all - true love. A partner for all time.

Of course, like all love stories, it would be easy to get carried away with nit-picking parts of the book that either weren't developed well (such as Nick's marriage to his first wife, Nick's leaving after murder, being in prison, getting set free and coming back to society again and how the world dealt with this) or parts that were a bit far fetched (such as Elizabeth being ok with adultery because Nick's wife left him when she should have stayed by his side - Elizabeth justifies their love and sex by saying it's ok because God would support him loving a woman who was good for him) or action scenes that were simply silly (Elizabeth, her aunt and Nick's valet helping to spring him out of prison in that crazy outfit that any reasonable guard would have figured out in a blink of an eye but, not this guard!). Suffice to say, these are really little things in an already busy book. Something has gotta give so, books don't go into the 400-500 page mark. I guess either an author needs to scale back the tale or leave some things for the reader to figure out.

I think fans of Kat Martin will enjoy this book even more than her usual writings. Those who have tried her like me and found other books only so-so should visit this one for sure. It was very appealing and likable and will go on one of my favorites list. This author really drew me into the powerful feelings of these characters and the relationship and developments felt real and never contrived. Very appealing. Pick this one up and enjoy it. I certainly did.

This really started to drag for me around the 5th time Lord Bascomb's men tried to abduct Elizabeth. I almost wanted them to succeed. The fact that Nicholas was married made the story a little bit more interesting. I actually really liked both hero and heroine but the story felt forced around the half way mark. I think writers feel that they have to write a book that is 350 pages or more for it to be interesting when just the opposite is true. I did like the characters of Maggie and Rand but felt that Maggie's love interest wasn't developed enough. If the author needed to fill some pages maybe they could have been used up on Maggie and Andrew.

The fact that the hero is married (though estranged) makes this romance a little different; it's an impossible love, and Nicholas realizes that att he same time that he can't stay away from Elizabeth. His self sacrifices near the end are wonderfully emotional and compelling. She's a little naive, but very likeable. She certainly has a warm, gentle heart. The murder mystery is very well done. It's not the best Kat Martin that I've read, but it's one of the more enjoyable books I've read lately. The adultery is tough to swallow, but if you can do that, the rest is a pleasure. I definitely need to go back and read Rand's story.

I can always count on Kat Martin for wonderful romance, intrigue, adventure, and a GREAT ending. There were moments in this book that reminded me of a personal favorite--JANE EYRE. Only Elizabeth and Nick are a LOT more fun! A book to savor.

20-yr-old ward moves into her rakish guardian's estate in order to be protected by molestation attempts of lecherous & obssessive man. She becomes attracted to him, despite knowing about his reputation & ex-convict past. But hero is married but estranged from his wife for 9 yrs hero. Hero tries to fight off his attraction to heroine b/c of his married status & tries to marry her off to a respectable man.

Although Martin's writing is good, I did not find hero's sudden change from an uncaring, debauched man to a guilt-ridden, humbled one convincing. Martin didn't develop the romance between H & H enough to make that kind of major personality switch realistic. Also, the final outcome of hero's estranged wife was too cliche.

Cautiously recommended.