7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Frustrating regency romance, January 4, 2004
Sarah Killian and her brother William were orphaned when she was only 9, and her brother was 5. After living on the streets for a while, Sarah finally found a benefactor who could get them both into separate boarding schools. Sarah has spent the last eight years missing her brother, and she's decided to return to London to seek out proper employment and provide her younger sibling with the happy home they didn't have as children.
However, things get complicated when she arrives in town. Sarah learns that her brother has been missing from school for almost seven years, having run away before his first year was up. She also finds out that getting a position as a governess will be tougher than she thought, as her stunning looks are likely to hinder her efforts. Still, Sarah is persistent, and though she's forced to live with some distant relatives who delight in treating her more like a servant than family, she firmly believes she can find her brother.
Then there is Lord Peter Northrup, who is making his way through high society by hiding behind his role as a dandy, and trying to play matchmaker to his friends. Sarah, however, offers something he can't ignore: a puzzle. Taken by her beauty, and intrigued by her mysterious demeanor, Lord Peter makes it his new goal to find out all he can about this stranger. Things get even more complicated when a well known criminal who preys on the wealthy and gives to the poor returns, but how will Lord Peter react when he finds out that his beloved Sarah has taken on the role of the famous thief?
WICKEDLY YOURS promises a delicious romp through the streets of London's underworld... and fails to deliver. What we get instead is a slow paced account of a relationship based on lies, mistrust, misunderstandings, and false assumptions. And of course, if that's not enough to keep two people from living happily ever after, there's also the: "I love him so much, but he could never love someone like me!" and "I love her so much, but she could never feel the same way about me!" theme to fall back on for a few hundred pages. The frustration these two experience is thoroughly felt by the reader as well.
Sarah teeters between being courageous enough to sneak into people's houses and steal their silverware, and turning pale and getting dizzy spells each time someone mentions the thefts. Instead of making her realistic, these qualities only serve to highlight her inconsistencies as a character. Lord Peter, on the other hand, is more likeable, but even he made me groan as he continued to chase after Sarah, trying to rescue her from... herself.
Overall, a disappointing, predictable, poorly characterized romance. Though the writing style is descriptive and authentic to the period, the rest of the novel doesn't provide the satisfaction that fans of regency romances crave.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So much better the second time around!, November 8, 2004
I read this book a year ago, and while I enjoyed it I enjoyed it so much more this time because I had read the other Hiatt books about the Saint of the 7 Dials. I am often confused as to why authors and publishers don't make these series books clearer as to which books come in what order. Wickedly Yours is probably about the 4th book in this series and having an understanding of which other men had been the Saint and the history of how Flute was an important character to Wickedly Yours I felt helped me to enjoy this book so much more in the second reading. It was also helpful understanding what nasty people the Mounteaths were and why Lord Peter was even more concerned about Sarah remaining with that family any longer than necessary. I really enjoyed this book - the love story between Sarah and Peter was a beautiful one and it was a great addition to this series by Brenda Hiatt!! Good read but read the others first!
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Characters need more depth, July 28, 2008
I had a hard time finishing this book because the plot and the characters were boring and lacked depth.
Sarah Killian and her brother have been separated for seven years. She went to school in the North and he to southern England. He was only eight and she but twelve. Sarah goes back to London when she discovers that her brother left school at the tender age of nine. I found it almost implausible that it took six years for Sarah to learn of her brother's disapearance. She has relatives in London, an overbearing cousin who takes her in only until Sarah can find a job as a governess.
Sarah does want to work but wants to find her brother even more. Quite coincidentally she finds someone who knows that her brother is in the seedy Seven Dials area where he used to pick pockets. He also coincidentally saves her from a would be attacker (there are many, many coincidences in this book). When Sarah finds her brother, he reveals that he had been working for the Saint of Seven Dials, a Robin Hood of London, and now Sarah's brother wants to take on the role since the Saint has retired. Sarah fears for her brother and in a crazily not thought out scheme, she takes on the role of the Saint herself hoping her brother will believe the Saint has come out of retirement.
Lord Peter has taken quite a shine to Sarah. He is a war hero who has suffered much in the past. He is convinced that the retired Saint was a traitor to the crown and tells Sarah his beliefs when she asks questions about the Saint. Lord Peter perceives that Sarah is treated terribly by her relatives and wants to help her. He has only known her for a week but feels compelled to be her protector. Sarah genuinely likes Peter but knowing his feelings toward the Saint, cannot disclose she has taken on the role of the London Robin Hood nor can she let on about her brother's past involvement with the Saint .
Sarah has little trust in Peter although he is pretty open with her. Sarah almost falls into the TSTL category. She is self sacrificing for her brother which is noble but unable to see that there is no way she can steal once she is a governess and in charge of children. This possible conflict never crosses her mind. I wish both characters would have had more emotional depth. Their conversations consisted of small talk with no real feelings until the final chapter of the novel.
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