ANY WICKED THING by Margaret Rowe

PUBLISHER: Berkley, May 2011
SETTING: England, 1818
HEROINE: Fredericka Wells, 28
HERO: Sebastian Goddard, 31
VIRGIN HEROINE? Yes
GRADE: B

SYNOPSIS: Ten years ago Sebastian Goddard, heir to the duke of Roxbury, had a night of reckless passion and was betrayed by his oldest friend Fredericka Wells. Devastated, he embarked on a new life of debauchery that earned him the nickname Lord of Sin.

Now Sebastian has returned to find his estate in ruins, and Freddie more seductive than ever. He’s determined to pay her back in spades. But Freddie makes him an offer…she’ll be his mistress for a month if he’ll consent to sell her Goddard Castle.

Sebastian plans to scandalize Freddie-to tease her every desire and leave her wanting. But his fiery-willed lover soon teaches him the past may not be what it seemed.

MY THOUGHTS: This is another spicy historical. I liked that the hero and heroine grew up together, though as adults didn’t seem to get along too well. The hero was once imprisoned for eight months and had developed an opium addiction and, fortunately for him, overcame it. He wasn’t the nicest hero. He was always a bit rude toward the heroine and I didn’t feel any emotion for her coming from him. He only lusted after her.

Freddie was her own woman, not a wimpy heroine in any way. She was content to be single and didn’t want to marry. She had her own money, which her father left her when he died. She fancied herself in love with Sebastian for most of her life but I never felt it.

The two made a deal to have sex with each other for a month and boy, did they have fun and so did I reading it! There was plenty of graphic sex and if you’re reading it for that reason alone, you shouldn’t be disappointed. They were childhood friends, and housemates, that happened to fall in lust but I, as the reader, was left feeling disappointed by their lack of affection for each other.

I must say I love the cover. It’s very pretty!

Margaret Rowe also writes under the name Maggie Robinson.

I received this from the publisher or author in 2011 in exchange for an honest review.