Title: Wicked Intentions
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Rating: 5 Stars
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: August 2010
Genre: Historical Romance
Lord Caire doesn't care about anyone or anything, although when Mrs Dews catches his eyes late one night on the dirty, crime-riddled streets of St. Giles, an idea strikes. He could use Mrs Dews to help him get information to solve a crime that happened very close to him, as close as anyone could have ever gotten.
Lord Caire, or Lazarus, petitions Mrs Dews to help him navigate the streets of St. Giles in order to find the brutal murderer of his mistress, Marie. She was the only one that even came close to being someone that Lazarus cared about. Mrs Dews accepts only because Lazarus promises to help her find a patron to contribute to the foundling home that she and her brother, Winter, run. Mrs Dews lives in the foundling home on Maiden Lane in St. Giles and, in order to save some of the children she takes care of, she has learned to find her way around St. Giles.
The only catch is that it will be a perilous mission to find the killer. The streets of St. Giles are very dangerous and there is a rumor floating around of a masked phantom that stalks people in the night and disembowels them. Also, they have to go at night as that's when the bad people come out to play. After visiting a few of the most scandalous places in St. Giles, they come up with very little evidence and only one suspicious person.
It's time for Lazarus to take Mrs Dews to an event in order to help her find a patron for the foundling home. He accompanies her to a musical evening but Mrs Dews feels she doesn't belong amongst this class of people. She meets Lazarus's mother who is not the picture of nice. She is rather rude! However, once the piano starts to play, Mrs Dews is totally absorbed in the music.
This is the first real intimate moment between the two mains as Temperance (Mrs Dews) grips Lazarus's hand, closes her eyes and feels the music. Lazarus hasn't seen anything like this before and is mesmerized by her. As the pages flip by, the reader is taken into the investigation and the danger heats up, as they get closer to the killer. We learn about the main characters' pasts as their love story unfolds. There is an injury which has Temperance taking care of Lazarus and this helps to move their romance forward. There are a few sticky situations and as much action as any action novel, only better, because it is set in a time that most of us can only dream about.
The descriptions of St. Giles in this book had me shivering, hoping that I'd never ever have to step foot in a place like that, though craving the danger, as a rush, alongside a handsome, smart-talking, quick-witted man such as Lord Caire. I was able to picture the small city streets and alleyways with ease because, in my opinion, Elizabeth Hoyt is a master of all facets of writing. The descriptions of the twisted, ugly scoundrels, that walk the streets and sit in the gin bars, really grossed me out but added to the danger of the whole situation that Temperance and Lazarus get themselves involved in.
The romance in this story is sizzling but the tension between the two mains from the beginning is excruciating. It's there, but it is very slow building. Lord Caire speaks to Temperance in ways that no man has ever dared to speak to her before. In some novels the woman would be disgusted, but Temperance feigns the disgusted act, though his words are taunting and, though she didn't want to admit at first, arousing. She hides an embarrassing secret about her past, one that makes her feel the need to atone for the rest of her life. Something that makes her believe she should never again enjoy the company of a man. Lazarus holds his own secret, deep in his past, which makes him believe he is a monster. Through working together, they gradually divulge their secrets to one another and eventually learn what it takes to get past certain things that would make a person feel undeserving of happiness.
This book was such a fun and interesting read. I have always enjoyed Elizabeth Hoyt's writing and will continue to enjoy it in the future. The next book in the series is Notorious Pleasures set to release February 2011 and I cannot wait to read it. The first chapter was included at the end of this novel and it seems like a great read that will have the reader blushing every other paragraph. With Wicked Intentions, Ms Hoyt has set up a whole mystery with the masked phantom. I can't wait to find out who it is, even though I already have my own assumptions as to who is hiding behind that mask. She has also set up a whole new series that will have this reader purchasing the books as they come out, preordering as a matter of fact!
