Ames’ review of One Whisper Away by Emma Wildes.

Lady Cecily Francis is resigned to become the wife of Lord Drury, the man she suspects her sister is pining for. But upon her first scandalous encounter with the exotic Earl of Augustine-the American whom everyone is whispering about- Cecily is intrigued by the possibility of a more exciting life. If only she could contrive some way to marry the unconventional earl instead….

Around town he’s known as Earl Savage. Although he inherited his title legitimately-and, with it, responsibility for his three half sisters-Augustine is half American and part Iroquois. He can’t wait to settle his father’s estate, marry his sisters off, and return to his native soil. Until charming Lady Cecily has him considering a prolonged stay in England…

I’m a big fan of Emma Wildes and I always look forward to her books. One Whisper Away was no exception.

Lady Cecily Francis is at a ball when she accidentally spills some champagne on herself. Imagine her surprise when the ton’s most talked about Earl tends to her décolletage himself. Cecily is shocked and intrigued by this man who lives by his own rules. And it sets the tongues wagging when he whispers in her ear before taking his leave. What did he say? Everyone wants to know.

Everyone around Cecily would like the ensuing gossip about her to die down so they can all focus on her most ardent suitor, Lord Drury. But Cecily knows her older sister prefers Lord Drury so she approaches Augustine and proposes a fake engagement so the way will be clear for her sister and Lord Drury.

I can hear what you’re thinking – a fake engagement plot? But it’s not! As if Emma Wildes would do something so cliché. No, Augustine and Cecily both realize that there’s no way they can lie to everyone they love so they reluctantly admit the truth, they really want the other. It’s not so simple for Augustine however. He is American raised and made it known as soon as he arrived in England that he would return home as soon as all the estate business was wrapped up.

One Whisper Away is an enjoyable read. Despite the fact that I tend to not enjoy Native American characters in historical novels, I was willing to overlook that for Ms. Wildes. She didn’t romanticize Augustine’s culture too much (there were references to his spirituality) and he lived by his own personal code of honor.

Now Cecily is why I truly enjoyed this book. She’s not your usual blushing debutante. She sees and understands the world and the ways of the ton but doesn’t always agree with them. For example, everyone is shocked that Augustine brought his illegitimate daughter with him from America. But Cecily sees that as a good thing, he’s raising his daughter and not hiding her like some secret shame. He’s an honorable man.

All in all, One Whisper Away was an enjoyable read. I loved how Ms. Wildes built up Cecily’s and Augustine’s relationship. My only criticism of this book would be the sub-plot where someone is trying to kill Augustine. It is superfluous and I felt like it didn’t add anything to the plot. Everything else was good.

One Whisper Away gets 4 out of 5 from me.

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Ames’ review of Our Wicked Mistake by Emma Wildes.

When blackmail turns to murder, Madeline May turns to the notorious Viscount Altea, a man used to dealing with men of ill repute, and a man she despises with every fiber of her being.

From the very moment of their first meeting-and one unforgettable night of passion-Luke Daudet knew she was different. And when he received her fateful entreaty, he knew he would not be able to stay away…

First of all, a disclaimer over that blurb – Madeline does not despise Viscount Altea. Sheesh.

Second of all, this is the second Notorious Bachelors book (you can read my review of the first book here) and I can honestly say, this book was better than the first and I really enjoyed it!

Madeline is a widow, but she’s not your typical historical widow who hated her husband and hated the conjugal bed. Nope, Madeline loved her husband and actually enjoyed that part of her marriage. But Colin has been gone for years and someone is attempting to blackmail her into an affair with intimate knowledge of her marriage. So how did this come to pass? Colin kept a journal of his everyday life and he wrote down a few key details about what went on in the marriage bed…and as the case may be, a few times outside the marriage bed, like that one time at the opera house. And that journal was stolen.  How does Luke, Viscount Altea enter into all this? One night a year ago, five years after her husband passed away, Madeline and Luke spent a passionate evening together. And even though Luke gave Madge the cold shoulder after the encounter, she knows she can still turn to him when she koshes her would-be blackmailer over the head and believes him dead. And sure enough, Luke comes to her rescue.

And the would-be blackmailer isn’t dead – but having to explain his presence in her drawing room could create a scandal for Madge so Luke takes care of that for her. And it brings him back into her sphere. You see, after that one night a year ago, Luke gave Madge the brush off for his own self-preservation. He lost someone he loved in the war and no one knows about it and he doesn’t want to open himself up to that kind of heartbreak ever again, and he knows he could easily fall in love with Madeline.

And even though Madeline was upset with Luke’s actions a year ago, she still desires him and so she goes after him – not for marriage, but for an affair. Meanwhile, there is still someone out there who wishes Madeline ill, and it somehow ties into her deceased husband’s journal…

I thoroughly enjoyed Our Wicked Mistake! I loved that Madeline wasn’t your stereotypical widow and that after years of celibacy she decided to do something for herself. And Luke, sweet Luke. I thought it was an interesting twist for a hero to avoid a woman because he knew she would make him feel too much. Usually a man will deny deny deny. But nope, Luke knew from the get-go and so he decided to stay away from temptation. But Madeline grabbed life by the horns and decided to take her fate into her own hands and went after her man. She even understood that all he would be able to offer her was an affair, something temporary. I like historical heroines who own their sexuality, that defy the conventions of the time.

What truly made Our Wicked Mistake even that much more satisfying was the secondary romance between Luke’s younger sister Elizabeth and their step-cousin Miles. You know I love nothing more than a good friends to lovers story and that’s what this one was. Elizabeth and Miles were childhood companions who grew up together and Miles knew he loved Elizabeth but he wasn’t sure about her feelings and it ate him up inside that she was in the market for a husband.

The plot surrounding Colin’s journal was interesting as well. And it was kind of in the background which was perfect for the story. The focus was on Luke and Madeline and the mystery was there, but did not overshadow the romance.

Overall, I thought Our Wicked Mistake was a great read and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read Emma Wildes before. For fans of her writing, this one is right up there with her other novels. I’m giving Our Wicked Mistake a 4.5 out of 5. I can’t wait to read the 3rd book, His Sinful Secret!

This book is available from Signet Eclipse. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

You can read more from ~ames~ at Thrifty Reader.