Customer Reviews

The Wicked Wyckerly: The Rebellious Sons

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

John Fitzhugh "Fitz" Wykerly is a charming, devil-may-care second son who makes his way by gambling, but when his brother dies and leaves him the title, a tumbled-down estate, and creditors littering the lawn, he must reevaluate his lifestyle. Gambling won't enable the new Earl of Danvers to pay long-overdue salaries of the servants, let alone the suffocating debts he's inherited. He must find a way to counter his family's financial disaster or lose his heritage. With his illegitimate daughter, Penelope, in tow, he sets out for London to find a rich wife.

Abigail Merriweather is seeking help to regain custody of her four young half-brothers and sisters when a handsome rogue and his irrepressible daughter are deposited on her doorstep. Until the mysterious Fitz can find a way to continue his journey, she assigns him duties on her farm. Meanwhile she awaits an answer from her late father's cousin--a marquess would certainly be able to champion her cause in the courts. Assistance pops up in an unexpected legacy, and she is whisked to London in search of a husband.

As Fitz and Abby conduct their separate quests in London, they continue to encounter each other, and their initial attraction ripens into something more, despite the suspicious warnings of a pair of intriguing friends. It seems hopeless, however. He may be very handsome and very charming, but he is very broke. She may be quite adorable and quite determined, but her inheritance is quite small. He can't allow his personal desires to override his responsibilities. And she will never gain custody of her siblings if she weds a penniless gambler.

Yet fate keeps tossing them in each other's way. And who, after all, can fight fate? Their delightful love story follows their twisting paths to self-discovery and change, through growth and acceptance.--of themselves and each other.

In the first of her "Rebellious Sons" series, Rice gives readers a sparkling tale brimming with a spirited heroine, an appealing hero, and charming, if perspicacious, youngsters. The supporting characters are vividly drawn, as well, with wit and traces of mystery.

Rice's last few books have entertained readers with mystical worlds populated by characters whose magic challenged and charmed. In The Wicked Wykerly, the popular author returns to the glittering Regency period where manners and money rule the "polite" world. Her characters, however, have lost none of their ability to transport readers with their searches for the true meaning of life and the honest relationships that make it worth living.

Rice may have left her `magic' stories for now, but the magic has certainly not left her stories. Her humor and engaging voice echo from every page of Wyckerly and when the end arrives, readers will have only one question: When is the next "Rebellious Son" story due?

Review by Barbara H.

The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice
Historical Romance - July 6, 2010
4 ½ Starts

The Wicked Wyckerly is the first book in Patricia Rice's new historical Rebellious Sons series. This Regency series starts out with a charming cast of characters and a lively plot.

The Wicked Wykerly tells the story of John Fitzhugh Wyckerly who as the younger son to the Earl of Danecroft he uses his mathematical genius to make his living. As a successful gambler, he is able to win enough money to sustain an appearance of luxury. Contented with his way of life, his life is turned upside-down with the unexpected death of his older brother. Now he has become the fifth Earl of Danecroft. But upon becoming the new Earl, Fitz discovers he has inherited a crumbling estate and massive debts. This in addition to the mounting money problems are added responsibility of caring for his recently reclaimed illegitimate daughter, Penelope. But Fitz feels he must do the proper thing but he needs time alone to decide on the best way to set things right. So he leaves London to claiming a prized stallion he has won and encounters the lovely and enchanting Miss Abigail Merriweather. Abigail is currently dealing with her own set of problems. The new Earl is immediately enchanted by Miss Merriweather but realizes he can't get involved. For he knows it would be dishonorable to start a relationship when his only way of saving the Earldom is to find a rich wife in London to save his mortgaged estate. So, no matter how delectable Miss Merriweather is, she is a complication he doesn't need.

Miss Abigail Merriweather is a woman on her own. She needs to find a solicitor who will help her to reclaim her younger siblings; children who were unfairly taken out of her custody due to the lack of male influence. When she meets Fitz she is immediately drawn to him but both of them soon recognize any relationship will not end well. Luckily fate takes a hand in the form of the recently widowed Dowager Marchioness of Belden. She is a distant relative of Miss Merriweather's and whisks Abigail off to London. Where despite their best efforts Abigail and Fitz are constantly thrown together! As a result, both have a hard time keeping their increasing feelings for one another a secret.

Patricia Rice is a fabulous storyteller. This book was an engaging and fun read. The 2 main characters are great. Both are somewhat flawed which makes them all the more real. This allowed me to easily relate to them and hope they would end up happily together. The main characters are appealing and as their troubles mount their personalities make them more compelling to read. The many sub characters add extra sparkle and extra excitement to this charming romance. I can't wait for this series to continue and hope for more stories that continue more characters' journeys toward love.

For readers who are looking for an enjoyable historical romance that is chocked full of entertainment and includes characters that make readers feel invested in their lives then THIS is the book for you!

Reviewed by Mary from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Abigail Merriweather has found herself very alone, and she doesn't like it. Her four half brothers and sisters were taken from her after her father and step-mother died. The executor deemed the children needed proper male guidance and shipped them away to a more "suitable" guardian. She is desperate to get them back, even if that means taking a husband. Her solitude is suddenly interrupted by a dashing man with a very unruly six year old in tow.

John Fitzhugh Wyckerly, or Fitz, is now the seventh Earl of Danecroft after the passing of his brother. But this title brings does not bring him happiness, rather extreme debt and the press of many creditors who want their money. Fitz is at a loss of how to begin the task of organizing the estate and paying back the debt. He knows he must marry wealthy, but his first obligation is to visit his daughter, whom he finds abandoned by her mother and being raised by poorly mannered servants. So he finds himself in a coach with a very loud, and dirty Penelope in front of Abby's house.

Abby, having much experience with raising children helps Fitz get Penny under control. She also can't help but find this stranger very attractive. She offers him to stay in her guest house and work the fields while she tends to Penny. Of course, Abby has no idea this is an Earl she has staying at her house. She writes hoping that her distant relative, The Marquess of Beldon might be able to persuade the executor to send the children back. Fitz, accustom to the ton circles, knows the Marquess has recently died, and his wife, Isabella is in charge. Fitz can't help wanting to aid the lovely, head strong Abby. Abby goes to London to meet with Lady Isabella, hoping with her guidance, she will land a husband, and then retrieve her siblings. But Fitz and Abby's paths will cross again.

What to say about The Wicked Wyckerly - first, "wicked" is used to describe Fitz countless times in this book, and guess what - I never found him to be that wicked at all. Apparently he comes from a family of wicked, careless men - but the Fitz I read about cares for his abandoned daughter (although he does wait six years to figure out she needs him) and wants to be respected by Abby. Which is all fine and dandy, except I wanted to see the more reckless side of him. I didn't buy into the fact that he would drop everything from his old life and immediately start living with morals and responsibility.

Abby never appealed to me. First she takes in this total stranger because she is smitten with his cute daughter. She assumes he is a lower class man, not an earl - but either way, she trusts this man to stay on her grounds? Then she ends up under Isabella's guidance and finds herself letting go to a stranger again. I understand she will do whatever it takes to get her siblings back, but when the time comes and she receives a marriage proposal from Fitz, she refuses him because of his gambling problem. But she only hears of his gambling through a third party. Before you throw away your chance at getting your siblings back, don't make a rash decision!

The supporting characters also fell very flat for me. I never warned up to Fitz's friends, nor did I find Isabella nor her partner in crime, Quentin fun to read about. I can't recommend this one.

This book was great. A unique story where the aristocrat hero was NOT rich. Neither was the heroine. Their difficulties were unique as well. Fitz was hilarious. Rare is a hero who can make fun of himself and all those around him, yet still woo the lady. It was his character that made this book. He was so different from the formula hero of other novels. The heroine was great too. Very realistic. The author didn't change her from country chit to the belle of the ball. She stayed the same. The secondary character were great also. I loved Penny since she acts just like my youngest. And all the bug references are hilarious too! How anyone found this book boring, I don't know. I guess they wanted continuous sex scenes. There is little of that but the romance is sweet and I fell in love with Fitz almost immediately.

I won't bother to recap the plot again. As you can see from earlier reviews, this is not a ground-breaking story, which is, to my mind, all to the good. It has well-developed, pleasant and believable characters. Their problems are plausible, and so is the resolution.

All of this is done in delightful style. The "wicked" hero isn't really. He's a previously careless fellow suddenly faced with major responsibilities and trying to live up to them. The heroine lacks his careless past but is equally aware of responsibilities.

If you are looking for angst or for sizzling erotica, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a character-driven tale in the traditional Regency vein, you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Youngest son Fitz Wyckerly has inherited his family's enormous debts and hopes to marry a wealthy woman. Granted, his future wife's fortune would only make a small dint in his very large debt, but it will buy him time to learn how to run the estate and make a profit. Being largely ignored and abandoned by his father and brother, Fitz uses his skill with numbers to gamble successfully.

Abby is a country squire's daughter who was running the farm and raising her half siblings after her father and step mother's deaths. She is resigned to spinsterhood after the responsibility of four rambunctious children chased of her fiance. Her father's executor believes that a single woman is not capable of raising children. He has them sent to distant but wealthy cousins and Abby is desperate to get them back. She begins to write letters to her father's cousin, a marquess, in hopes he might help her.

Unbeknownst to Abby, the marquess has died and the title passed to a different branch of the family. The marquess' widow, Lady Beldon, and the new marqess' youngest son, Lord Quentin, enter into a wager: Lady Beldon will grant women from poorer titled families with an allowance, introduce them to society, and help them choose a good husband. In turn, Lord Quentin will help his titled but penniless friends (all younger sons) marry well.

I generally view historic romance as rather silly (unfair, I know), and pick it up when I want some brain candy. The first thing I noticed about this book was its cheesy title and then I thought the hero was pictured naked on the cover! Well, that certainly got my attention. ;) The story seemed a bit different, the cheesy title, and a cover where the heroine has on more clothes than the hero had me hooked. I had a long flight ahead of me and this book looked perfect. The Wicked Wyckerly was actually better than I had anticipated. Yes, Abby was lovely, spunky, and clever but her confidence came from several years of great responsibility. Fitz was handsome and capable, but also had a gift with math that he would have liked to pursue if his father had valued education. Abby and Fitz, were likable, clever, humorous, and not overwhelmingly perfect and beautiful as so many other romance characters. I also appreciated the fact that I couldn't guess the plot turns the story would take. I couldn't figure out how Rice was going to have Fitz end up wealthy when he was so overwhelmingly in debt - because it's a romance novel, we can't have an HEA without an abundance of wealth. There was a bit of light on the horizon, but the hero didn't magically get out of debt, which made me like the story even more. Rice tended to over use certain adjectives and historical slang, but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

In 1807, following the deaths of his father and brother, John Fitzhugh "Fitz" Wyckerly becomes Earl of Danecroft. Being the spare, Fitz was predominantly ignored. He used his brilliancy in math to make money gambling that enabled him live a hedonistic lifestyle with no previous interest in the family estate or fortune.

Fitz finds out the estate is falling apart and he owes a fortune. He does not need to compute to know he cannot gamble his way out of debt as he owes that much. Instead Fitz needs a wealthy wife so he decides to recognize his illegitimate daughter Penelope and take her to London with him as the tool to entice a spouse with money.

Affluent widow Isabell Hoyt is a young Dowager Marchioness. When she reads letters sent to her late spouse from Abigail Merriweather, she decides to sponsor young women bestowing dowries so that they have options besides accepting a husband not of their desire. Lord Quentin Hoyt bets her that these females will choose spouses. The first stake is Abby the farmer who just lost custody of her four young half siblings. Fitz and Penelope arrive at Abby's place causing havoc as the female farmer considers marrying a lawyer who will help her regain custody of her family if she can find one. Adding to the chaos is the arrival of Isabell.

The first Rebellious Sons Regency romance is a fast-paced entertaining gender war enhanced by the chaos that reminded this reviewer of the cabin scene in Night of the Opera as one more person kept arriving. The wager enhances the fun although betting on Regency relationships has been done before. Fitz and Abby are a wonderful pairing as she enjoys his flirting yet knows he stinks as a father at a time she wants custody of her siblings. Sub-genre fans will enjoy the wild Wicked Wyckerly.

Harriet Klausner

This book was awful! 367 pages of drivel. I finally stopped reading it around page 200 and skimmed the rest. In my opinion, there was a serious disconnect between the main characters. I tend to like a little more romance with my romance novel. I need more interaction beween the hero and heroine than a brush of their gloved hands and a few kisses. Honestly, how turned on can you get with a brush of their gloved hands. This happened several times. Boring! I was sick and tired of reading pages and pages of how Abigail was dressed, or what a table or chair looked like. I thought the descriptions of everything went way overboard, and I can only read so many times about how a table or chair looks. Also, I felt the plot was all over the place. To me, it felt like the children were the center stage of this book, and not the development of the romance between the hero and heroine. It was just overkill with the children. The attempt at adding the element of mystery when someone was trying to kill Fitz fell apart and too me had no place in the story because there was already too much going on. The secondary characters were not interesting and lacked depth. The bet between Isabelle and Quenten didn't make the story more interesting. The pacing of this book was very slow! I actually like to read the sex scenes in my romance novels. I will stay away from this series.

The year is 1807. John Fitzhugh "Fitz" Wyckerly never expected to inherit the family title. But after the deaths of his father and older brother, Fitz becomes the seventh Earl of Danecroft. Having grown up pretty much ignored by his family, Fitz had not received a great education. Yet when it comes to mathematics, Fitz is a genius. With his talent, Fitz wins enough money gambling to allow him the pretense of luxury and indolence. Now an earl, Fitz learns that he has inherited the crumbling estate and massive debts. Gambling will not help with the amount of debt involved. Fitz decides that the first thing he needs to do is reclaim his illegitimate daughter, Penelope, from her caregiver and then head to London to search of a very rich wife.

Isabell Hoyt is the youthful Dowager Marchioness of Belden. Lady Belden has achieved the envious state of being a titled, independently wealthy widow. Having just found the unopened letters to her late husband from Abigail Merriweather, Lady Belden decides to give dowries to deserving young women so they may have the freedom to choose their own paths to happiness and need not depend on finding a husband. Lord Quentin Hoyt, younger son of the recently installed fourth Marquess of Belden, claims that those same young women would be happier married to his friends. A wager is made and Lady Belden takes Abby under her wing.

Abigail "Abby" Merriweather runs a rural farm. Her father is deceased and she has lost custody of her four young half siblings. Her letters to her father's marquess cousin for help in regaining the children have gone unanswered. Then Fitz and his rebellious daughter show up. As Fitz and Penny stay with her for a short spell, Abby begins considering finding and marrying a lawyer. But where does one find a potential lawyer husband that would also care to have an instant family? When Lady Belden shows up, Abby's entire world changes.

***** FIVE STARS! Patricia Rice is fast becoming the go-to person for readers seeking entertaining, yet believable Regency Romance stories. This tale has a little danger and suspense, but the main focus is right where it should be - on Abby and Fitz. A sub-plot with engaging secondary characters adds a bit of zing and foreshadows events to unfold later in the series. I can hardly wait for the next rebellious son. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The other reviews explained the story in depth. I just wanted to say that I agree: this is a very enjoyable story and I highly recommend it. I am looking forward to the next in this series.