The Earl of Morwick is no gentleman.He’s not even much of an earl. Brendan would rather climb the face of a cliff than endure a London ball. When he finds himself in London for his cousin’s wedding and spies Lady Petra Grantly, he behaves like the savage he’s often accused of being. Brendan can’t wait to leave for his isolated estate where he can’t be tempted by Lady Petra. The last thing he … tempted by Lady Petra. The last thing he wants is this unwanted attraction to the prim, ladylike daughter of Lord Marsh.
Petra always does what is expected of her.
Well-bred and obedient, she’s been raised by her mother, Lady Marsh, as the perfect young lady. When her parents secure a brilliant match for her with the suitable Lord Simon Pendleton, Petra begs to be allowed to consider his offer over a visit to Pendleton’s country estate. It’s a small rebellion on her part, after all Petra would hardly call herself daring. The only time she can recall being the least bit reckless was allowing the ill-tempered Lord Morwick to kiss her senseless.
A journey full of the unexpected…
Upon leaving London for Pendleton’s estate,Petra finds herself the victim of a broken coach axle, spoiled lamb stew, torn garments, and in need of rescue by a certain tall, dark and wicked earl.
And Petra is feeling…reckless.
Tall Dark & Wicked is the latest in the best-selling Wickeds series.
Wicked’s Scandal (Book One)
Devil of a Duke (Book Two)
My Wicked Earl (Book Three)
Wickedly Yours (Book Four)
Tall, Dark & Wicked (Book Five)
Still Wicked (Book 6)
Forever Wicked (Book 7)
more
Tall, Dark & Wicked
The Wickeds Series #5
Kathleen Ayers
https://www.facebook.com/kayersauthor/
Release date 01/06/2020
Blurb :
The Earl of Morwick is no gentleman.
He’s not even much of an earl. Brendan would rather climb the face of a cliff than endure a London ball. When he finds himself in London for his cousin’s wedding and spies Lady Petra Grantly, he behaves like the savage he’s often accused of being. Brendan can’t wait to leave for his isolated estate where he can’t be tempted by Lady Petra. The last thing he wants is this unwanted attraction to the prim, ladylike daughter of Lord Marsh.
Petra always does what is expected of her.
Well-bred and obedient, she’s been raised by her mother, Lady Marsh, as the perfect young lady. When her parents secure a brilliant match for her with the suitable Lord Simon Pendleton, Petra begs to be allowed to consider his offer over a visit to Pendleton’s country estate. It’s a small rebellion on her part, after all Petra would hardly call herself daring. The only time she can recall being the least bit reckless was allowing the ill-tempered Lord Morwick to kiss her senseless.
A journey full of the unexpected…
Upon leaving London for Pendleton’s estate,Petra finds herself the victim of a broken coach axle, spoiled lamb stew, torn garments, and in need of rescue by a certain tall, dark and wicked earl.
And Petra is feeling…reckless.
My review :
Will she find her voice in time or will let the others take her choices from her …
This is my first read by Mrs Kathleen Ayers and she did an awesome job with this one read, despite it being the fifth installment in a series, I never felt lost and I am left with only one feeling, read more from her.
I loved the subtle humor injected in the many situations, the handling of the many characters as all were not whom they first appeared to be.
At the beginning I was not very found at the portrayed prim and proper Petra, Perfect Petra as Brendan nicknamed her, yet her thoughts were more daring than her actions. She appeared as meek and weak while being the obedient with no personal opinion daughter.
And she needed time to let her inner self take control of her polished one.
I was for long upset at her being a doormat, it was not her one or two outbursts that were proof of a strong willed woman. Yet slowly, one day at a time, she began to grow bit by bit. Without knowing it at first, thanks to Brendan getting her out of her mind, he helped her realize how they let everyone decides for her, never asking what she would want.
Brendan has a jaded vision of love, having grown up with a mother mourning endlessly her late husband, he sees it more than an affliction than a blessing. Why he ran away as fast as he could after his first encounter with Petra, refusing the feelings she stirs from him.
Why he plays hot and cold when they meet again.
It was an entertaining read to see they reach for the other while in same time trying to keep their distance, reasoning with themselves about what they sought really for them and from the other.
5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the author and also preordered my own.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/535997003656142/?d=n
The Wickeds’ series started off a little slow but is improving by leaps and bounds. This one is more of a story with a romance than just a romance, this was solid, entertaining and fun.
Perfect Petra was a pill in the last book, Wickedly Yours, but showed promise at the end. Here she hits her stride as a Regency milk and water miss who wakes up to how little power she has and is not happy about it. Her rebellion starts off small, but she takes her fate in her hands in a believable way. Luckily she has her hunky, handsome hero to help break her fall from grace.
Her horrible managing mother is at it again, and wants Petra to settle down with a promising Lord with political aspirations. They are off for a visit in Derbyshire with his awful family where Petra realizes she would have her work cut out with a potentially indifferent husband, a cold lush for a MIL and a shark for a SIL.
“She gave Katherine a perfect, ladylike smile. Petra already possessed the most difficult sister-in-law in all of London, and didn’t feel the need for a second, should things come to that.”
The hero enters left, and I can’t help but think that Aiden Turner was the inspiration for the hero. Can’t find any fault with that!
Romance is one aspect of the story, and the other is the rivalry and hostility between the hero and Petra’s future fiancee. Nice little mystery unfolds with emotional drama and growth along the way.
Lots of despicable characters to add salt to the soup as well as the hero’s very nice mother with her own tragic past. She’s been widowed three times and as a reader I wanted her to find some happiness. Turns out she has her own romance coming soon, so good for her.
The book also provides some nice local color and information on a semi-precious mineral called Blue John mined in Derbyshire that the mystery is centered on.
Derbyshire looks like a nice place to visit.
Tall, Dark & Wicked is the fifth book in The Wickeds series. This has been such a great series and this book doesn’t disappoint at all. It had great characters, a fun plot, a murder mystery, witty banter, and was definitely a “can’t put down” book.
We were introduced to Lady Petra in the previous book where her brother, Rowan, meet his match. She seemed meek and a follower of her mother, Lady Marsh wishes, but underneath she is simmering with rebellion. She insists on visiting Simon’s, Lord Pendleton, home and meeting his family before agreeing to the betrothal agreement.
Brendan, the Earl of Morwick, meet Petra at Arabella, his cousin, and Rowan’s wedding. He hated London and was ready to return to his isolated estate and his study of geology. Brendan was not looking for love, after seeing his mother grieve for his father, he decided he didn’t want to ever fall in love and hurt like that. Brendan treats Petra rudely hoping to push her away, but he gives into the temptation and kisses Petra when she confronted him. When he finds Petra and Lady Marsh near his estate with a broken coach axle and Petra sick, all he can do is invite them to stay at his estate.
Once Petra and Lady Marsh reach Simon’s estate, Petra starts to question Simon’s icy behavior towards her. Will Petra realize her true feelings in time, and will Brendan overcome his fear of love?
ONE WILD TUMULTUOUS RIDE!!!
Crap on toast! Kathleen lowers the boom, tackling the ton and thrusting regency into the eye of the storm, melding this baby together piece by piece flawlessly. Bumbling through the trials and tribulations, sharp twists, thin corners and sleek lines, testing our characters in ways they could have never anticipated. Yielding incredibly, well rounded scenario’s, ramping up the excitement and adrenaline with such intensity and precision, blasting this gem to life spectacularly. Sparks fly as drama, intrigue, danger and suspense ensues in epic proportions. Add turmoil and distress and you have one intense rollercoaster ride. The chemistry builds as each layer is peeled back exposing an undeniable bond and amplifying affections, binding them to one another perfectly. The characters are authentic, genuine and realistic with depth and qualities that blend into amazing personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and descriptions you have no problem picturing each scenario creating a colorful backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Amazing job Kathleen, thanks for sharing this bad boy with us.
Having spent a lifetime under the manipulative thumb of her mother, Lady Petra feels a stirring of rebellion in her heart. Determined to have at least some say over her future, she persuades her father to allow her to visit her intended’s estate so that she can be more sure of the man she is to marry. Traveling with her mother, when their carriage breaks down with Petra suffering from a stomach ailment, the last thing they expect is to be rescued by the scandalous Earl of Morwick. Her only encounter with Brendan has left her shaken and unsure of herself. Finding that he is their rescuer increases her feelings of discomfort with unexpected results. One can only feel for Petra as she sifts through her feelings and emotions, especially once she is confronted with Lord Pendleton’s family. Her own mother’s ridiculous behaviour leaves Petra more determined than ever to be mistress of her own future. However, the rule-breaking Lord Morwick makes Petra long for a passion that she could only dream of. With a long history of animosity between Morwick and Pendleton, Brendan is no less enamoured of being cooped up under the same roof as Pendleton, but when Petra requires his rescue once again, Brendan knows that it is time for him to seize his own future. Although not particularly suspenseful, this novel has a thread of tension running through it, keeping the reader totally involved and invested in the undeniable attraction that is simmering between the main characters. The story is well written, is a standalone and comes to a happy conclusion. I received a copy of this book through StoryOrigin as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Petra is betrothed to Lord Simon Pendleton but wants to make sure it will be a good match so she travels with her mother to visit him in his home and along the way bumps into Brendon.
They met before this at a ball and interests were stirred then, so you can well imagine what happens when they meet again.
This isn’t all there is to this well written story. You will find a murder and a mystery, some rather underhand dealings, love in full passion, a rather nasty potential mother-in-law, parents who betray Petra’s trust, a very limp potential husband, another very strong and sexy man and our heroine who is trusting of all until she realizes that that just isn’t doing her any good.
This story will keep you going and I really enjoyed all the ins and outs of it.
I read an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of the ebook and my voluntary and unbiased review is above.