Avon Books Double Header: The Second Seduction of a Lady and The Importance of Being Wicked by Miranda Neville

The Second Seduction of a Lady
by Miranda Neville
Series: The Wild Quartet 0.5
Publisher: HarperCollins/Avon books
Publication date: October 16, 2012
Genre: Adult Historical Romance
Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon

Enter the thrilling, sexy world of Georgian England in this splendid Miranda Neville novella—and catch a glimpse of Caro, the heroine of the upcoming The Importance of Being Wicked, on sale December 2012. Eleanor Hardwick and Max Quinton shared one night of incredible passion . . . that was shattered the next day, when Eleanor learned of a bet placed by Max's friends. Now, five years later, Max still can't get Eleanor out of his head or his heart. He has a single chance to make a second impression—one that will last forever.

The Second Seduction of a Lady is a novella that introduces us to a brand new series by author Miranda Neville called The Wild Quartet.  It tells the story of Eleanor Hardwick and Max Quinton while introducing us to Caro the heroine in book one; The Importance of Being Wicked.  This was a quick, easy, delightful read but I will admit I wanted more.

The tale begins when we meet Eleanor Hardwick who at thirty is soundly on the shelf. To others she is the pinnacle of a true lady, and many mothers seek her out as an influence to their young daughters. She is determined to never marry, buy as many hats as she wants and never be saddled to a man. She also has a secret; five years ago, her resolve broke and she spent an incredibly passionate night with Max Quinton. For one night she thought of marriage and a life with this man. That is until the next morning when she discovered she was a wager. The tale that unfolds is delightful and humorous.

Eleanor is head strong, unaware of her own beauty and determined never to meet the fate of marriage. Max still pines after Eleanor and is determined to have a second chance. Caro is Eleanor’s niece and is inquisitive and longing for romance while trying to escape from under her mother’s controlling thumb. When Caro meets Robert her next door neighbor things get interesting.  The two are immediately smitten. As Robert’s guardian Max seizes every opportunity to spend time with Eleanor.  

I enjoyed A Second Seduction of a Lady and quickly read it in a single sitting. I recommend it to fans of historical romances and strong heroines. The Importance of Being Wicked, the first book in this new series will be released November 27, 2012

I want to thank HarperCollins Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this novella 3 coffee cups out of 5. 

The Importance of Being Wicked
by Miranda Neville
Series: The Wild Quartet #1
Publisher: HarperCollins/Avon books
Publication date: November 27, 2012
Genre: Adult Historical Romance
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

The rules of society don't apply to Caro and her coterie of bold men and daring women. But when passions flare, even the strongest will surrender to the law of love...
Thomas, Duke of Castleton, has every intention of wedding a prim and proper heiress. That is, until he sets eyes on the heiress's cousin, easily the least proper woman he's ever met. His devotion to family duty is no defense against the red-headed vixen whose greatest asset seems to be a talent for trouble...
Caroline Townsend has no patience for the oh-so-suitable (and boring) men of the ton. So when the handsome but stuffy duke arrives at her doorstep, she decides to put him to the test. But her scandalous exploits awaken a desire in Thomas he never knew he had. Suddenly Caro finds herself falling for this most proper duke...while Thomas discovers there's a great deal of fun in a little bit of wickedness.
This is the first of a four book series centered around a group of badly behaved late-Georgian art collectors.

The Importance of Being Wicked reintroduces heroine, Caro. It share with us her story and that of Thomas, Duke of Castleton. Caro is now a widow and in dire straits thanks to her departed husband’s love of the tables. While the first part of the book got off to a slow start, the second half swept me away. This is the first book in a four part series, dealing with badly behaving art collectors.

When the tale begins we met Caro and her posse of artist friends. She is beating the debt collectors from her door and getting ready to chaperone her cousin an heiress. The Duke of Castleton has set his hat on Caro’s niece to replenish his families coiffures, but Caro is determined she have a love match. Both the Duke and Caro are surprised by the attraction they feel to each other. Caro would never submit to the role of Duchess and Thomas needs to follow family tradition and secure his family’s wealth. The tale that unfolds was delightful and at times humorous.

Caro was a difficult character to connect to. While I admired her free will and sense of adventure, I had difficulty with her putting her cousin Anna in danger. She doesn’t handle her finances very well and her friendships border on dangerous. I do think Thomas makes her a better person, and aids her in growing up. I had to remind myself that she went from her controlling mother to her wild youthful husband. Thomas the Duke of Castleton was refreshingly innocent. He follows the rules and is a dutiful son. He is struck by Caro’s beauty and flirty personality. When it comes to the bedroom, he is surprisingly uneducated and it was an interesting twist to see the heroine teaching the hero!  Anne the youngest of them was probably the most sensible and I really would like to read her story. Caro’s artist friends are over the top and fascinating.  I loved some of them and hated others. We have creepy collectors adding to the mix, which drove the plot.

The tale unfolded slowly for me, and between my feelings for Caro and the pace, I really did not get swept away until about halfway. Once that occurred, I got caught up in the tale and loved watching the romance unfold. I had some issues with characters and flow, but overall felt this was a good start to a new series. I enjoyed the art culture and the seedy sides we were introduced too. I adored the “Stuffy Duke” (Caro’s nickname for Thomas) and would have liked a little more romance weaved into this lusty romance.

The Importance of Being Wicked was a good read and I plan to try the next book in the Wild Quartet series.

I want to thank HarperCollins/Avon for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this 3 coffee cups out of 5