Wicked and the Wallflower (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #1)
Sarah MacLean
When Wicked Comes Calling... When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber and offers his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees—on one condition. She's seen enough of the world to believe in passion, and won't accept a marriage without it. The Wallflower Makes a Dangerous Bargain... Bastard son of a duke and king of London's dark streets, Devil has spent a lifetime wielding power and seizing opportunity, and the spinster wallflower is everything he needs to exact a revenge years in the making. All he must do is turn the plain little mouse into an irresistible temptress, set his trap, and destroy his enemy. For the Promise of Passion... But there's nothing plain about Felicity Faircloth, who quickly decides she'd rather have Devil than another. Soon, Devil's carefully laid plans are in chaos, and he must choose between everything he's ever wanted...and the only thing he's ever desired.
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0Here is something true Felicity Faircloth, wallflower, lockpick, and wonder; there isn't a single thing about you that is flawed.
Summary
Felicity's reputation is ruined. She was once the belle of the ball, but after a failed courtship and being caught in the bedroom of another man, she's been shunned from society. And she desperately wants back in.
Devil lives up to his name. He is the leader of the Bareknuckle bastards and is out teach his bastard brother a lesson - no heirs.
But Devil wasn't bargaining for Felicity. And now he must choose between following through with his wicked plan, or claiming the only thing he's ever desired.
She watched as he worked the second lock. "The world is full of doors." Lord knew that was true. "I like being able to open my own doors.
Overview
➸ POV: 3rd Person from Felicity and Devil's POVs
➸ Felicity Faircloth: 27, Wallflower, Lockpick, Spinster, Surrounded by scandal, Desperately wishes to be desired
➸ Devil: Bareknuckle Bastard, Smuggler, Wealthy, Scarred, One of the 3 bastard sons of the Duke
➸ Content Warnings: Abuse
When you are ignored by the stars, you wonder if you might ever burn bright.
My Thoughts
I listened to this on audio and man this book was a ride for me. I'm really new to the historical romance genre and went into this totally blind based of recommendations and amazing reviews of romance readers I trust.
This first quarter of this was a bit of drag for me. The opening scene felt so long and drawn out, and the two main characters felt really cliche. Felicity seemed like you standard plain Jane heroine and Devil the overly confident, sexy, and brooding hero. But boy was I wrong.
This book had so many fun elements:
▪️A really sassy, independent female MC. I loved how she was always breaking the rules and breaking through doors. She was really quirky and I loved it. She was the perfect balance between feminine and strong. And while she wanted to be accepted by society, she wanted it on her terms.
▪️Smuggling. I thought it was a really fun change to all the duke, earl, high society businesses I'd read.
▪️Sexy times. This book was steamy! I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting that whatsoever. But whew *fans self*
▪️Lock Picking. It was such a fun and unique thing to add to the story/character.
▪️And amazing side characters! I can't wait to read the other Bareknuckle bastards' books! I've already grown so attached to them
Overall I really loved this first book. I have already purchased book 2 (I don't plan to continue the series on audio, the narration of book 1 wasn't my favorite in all honesty) and can't wait to continue on with this series!!
0 Youtube Review
We open by meeting Felicity Faircloth who you might remember from book 3 in Scandal and Scoundrel series. Don't worry though you really don't need the backstory for this one, but you will finish it and want to go back to those it's pretty arbitrary details overall.
Either way I love the fact that this world ties into my favorite series by MacLean and we follow quite possibly the most interesting wallflower I've ever met. Felicity is full of independence, surprises and no fear of her emotions when comes down to getting what she wants. Devil is the king of the underground and running ice... Well more than ice but really that's the key point. We follow Felicity and Devil as they both try to play each other for different means. I'll leave the plot at that.
Let's talk about the writing and how amazing this book is. I have read 7 of her books to date and this one is my favorite. The world building was incredible, I could see it all so vividly. I can't wait to see the rest of this world!
This is a must read for any of my romance friends 5/5 stars go pick this up!
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