Wicked Intentions

Starred review from June 21, 2010
Bestseller Hoyt (To Desire a Devil) brings steamy sensuality to the slums of early 18th-century London in this engaging series launch. Demure widow Temperance Dews desperately needs funding for her orphanage. Lazarus Huntington, the famously debauched Lord Caire, needs to find out who murdered one of his mistresses. Lazarus offers Temperance an interesting bargain: if she will be his guide in the grimy neighborhood of St. Giles, he will pay the rent she owes and introduce her to more respectable nobility who might serve as patrons. Dire circumstances force the pair into intimate situations as they discover each other's deepest secrets, and Temperance reveals the passion hidden beneath her puritanical dress. Readers will enjoy the unusual pairing of an aristocratic man and a poor but educated widow, enhanced by earthy, richly detailed characterizations and deft historical touches.

August 1, 2010
It is an offer Temperance Dews cant afford to turn down. Ever since they lost their last patron, Temperance and her brother Winter have struggled to keep open the foundling home their family runs. So when Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, arrives one evening with a proposition, Temperance finds herself inviting the notorious nobleman in for tea rather than showing him the door. Lazarus needs to find someone in St. Giles, and he believes Temperance can help him because the foundling home is located in a crime-riddled London neighborhood, and she knows nearly everyone. In exchange, Lazarus will give her the temporary funds she needs, and introduce her to the wealthiest members of society. It was a simple business transaction, but Temperance and Lazarus quickly find themselves distracted by his and her new partner. With a dash of sharp wit; a rare literary flair for creating complex, compelling characters; and lively writing that packs a powerful emotional punch, Hoyt delivers the first sensually charged, danger-infused installment in a new Georgian-set series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)