When He Was Wicked

June 7, 2004
Unlike the hero of Quinn's newest Regency-era romance, who falls in love with his cousin's wife upon first sight, readers won't be swept off their feet by the protagonists of this tale. Indeed, while Michael Stirling, dubbed the Merry Rake, is charming enough, subdued Penelope Bridgerton rarely seems worthy of his pursuit. All is well at the novel's outset, aside from the fact that Michael covets his cousin, the Earl of Kilmartin's, wife. Then, barely two chapters into the book, his cousin suffers an aneurysm and dies. Devastated and unable to cope with his new position as earl and his feelings for Penelope, Michael flees to India for four years, only to return still very much in love and suffering from malaria. In London, the two attend social events, trade quips and try to restore their friendship, but the more intimate they become, the more their feelings of guilt gnaw at them. Guilt is the only thing that stands in the way of the couple's happiness, and it's often frustrating to witness their slow, overwrought progression from denial to acceptance. While this book possesses some of the qualities that Quinn's fans have come to expect—sprightly prose, feverish love scenes and well-developed secondary characters—it is weighed down by the sheer intensity of the protagonists' grief. Agent, Steve Axelrod.

When Michael's cousin dies unexpectedly, Michael is free to court his young widow, with whom he has been secretly enamored since their first meeting. Propriety and convention, of course, delay their emotional gratification until the last chapter. Simon Prebble employs a combination of subtlety and passion to bring out the best in this Romance. He drops his voice to a whisper, just before exploding into a full roar of frustration. His slightest hesitation colors a moment to its saturation point; then the acid bite of bitterness changes the mood instantly. Juicy scenes of explicit passion as performed by Prebble will leave female listeners falling into a delicious swoon. R.L.L. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine