His Wicked Wish by Olivia Drake

Description: MARRIAGE TO A NOBLEMAN? NOT IN HER WILDEST DREAMS. . .

The daughter of a disgraced woman and a common actor, Madelyn Swann has been shunned by the nobility. No proper lady would traipse about on a Covent Garden stage, let alone sell herself at auction to the highest bidder. So why in heaven’s name would Nathan Atwood, Viscount Rowley, make a generous offer for her hand?

Turns out Maddy is exactly the type of woman Nathan wants as his wife. Finally, he can embarrass his snobbish and cruel father, the Earl of Gilmore—and scandalize London society—with his beautiful, unsuitable bride. Then he’ll depart England forever and leave his wife behind. Having secret plans of her own, Maddy is happy to play the role … only to find that enjoying her husband’s seduction requires no acting whatsoever. But as she falls madly in love with Nathan, can she persuade him to stay with her for always?

Review: 

I really liked this book. I read it right after reading a lot of contemporary erotic romances so it was a nice transition back into historical romance. The hero, Nathan, has a difficult relationship with his family. He had been traveling in China, working in the trade, when a letter from his godmother calls him back home. He believes that his hated father has died. However, it turns out that his father recovered and his older brother died, leaving Nathan heir to the earldom. To wound his father, with whom Nathan has a painful relationship, he decides to become extremely scandalous. And what is more scandalous than marrying an actress who is about to auction herself? Our heroine, Madelyn, is of course the actress. She was raised in the theater and is determined to retire and focus on getting intro into society. It turns out her mother is  the daughter of a duke and was disinherited when she married Madelyn’s father. Madelyn wants revenge on her grandfather for the hurt caused to her mother. She agrees to Nathan’s marriage proposal as a way of getting that revenge. Each character is driven by revenge but as they begin to fall in love, that revenge threatens their relationship. Altogether, this was an entertaining read which I would definitely recommend!  

Rating: 4 out of 5! 

Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Published by SomewhereLostInBooks

I’m Melisa! I’m an avid reader. I love romance novels and decided, hey, why not write about what I love and hate about the genre. And my favorite books. And when I get to meet authors. And all round why romance novels are awesome. Expect a lot of fan-girling, laughter, and some tears. View all posts by SomewhereLostInBooks