Wicked in Your Arms by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I got this for free the other day and thought I’d flip through to see if it was something I’d like.(Click here for link to amazon) Within minutes I was hooked. I read this in one night, on my phone because my husband was asleep next to me.
The crown prince of Maladonia Sevastian Maksimi is being told by his aging grandfather the king, that after a decade of war and bloodshed, his people need something to look forward to. He wants to see Sev settled down and married (preferably to a wealthy woman) before Sev becomes king (ie before grandpa dies).
Sev was not supposed to be king, but his brother was killed in the war, and Sev is now doing his absolute best to be a good king, and to put his country above his own wants and needs. So he heads off to merry ol’ England to search for a bride. It’s all very practical and diplomatic. Until he meets Miss Grier Hadley.
Grier is in England to snare a titled husband. Her father knocked up her mother years ago and now he’s a very wealthy man who owns a very profitable gaming hell (I think more could have been done with that-I think he could have used his contacts and called in debts to see his daughters married off, but that wouldn’t have worked with this plot). So her father has found his bastard daughters and settled a huge dowry on them. Seriously huge. Huge enough to let the likes of Grier into Society. (FYI she’s lived as a gameskeeper in Wales her whole life-ladylike isn’t exactly her forte).
So at a ball one night, Grier overhears pretty much everyone talking about her and her sister. None of it is flattering. But the worst is when she hears Sev speaking about her as if she is cattle to be bought. He lists her flaws (of which there are apparently many), and the only good quality is apparently her money.
Grier dumps her drink over his head-Oops!- and he is not the least bit perturbed. In fact he’s…intrigued. The two are thrown together again and again, but I liked how they were together. Sev is surprised she turns down his offer to be his mistress, and is surprised that he’s becoming fascinated by her. At one point he pulls the alpha “she’s mine” bit with his cousin, and instead of being surprised at himself, he decides that she will be his. Simple as that. But of course, it’s never that simple.
Grier has a man from her old life who tries to marry her for her dowry, and that is really where we Sev change. Not just out of jealousy, but out of love. He’s starting to realize this “thing” he has with Grier is more than just wanting her, and it has been for a while. But he has to convince her of that.
There is a twist at the end that felt like it wasn’t even part of the book until the last third or so. It wasn’t bad or anything, but it didn’t need to be there. Or it could have been woven in sooner so it didn’t feel like such a surprise.
Other than that, I’ve been recommending this book to everyone this week. In fact I just got the next in the Forgotten Princesses series and I’ve requested the latest one for review (so look for that one coming soon!How to Lose a Bride in One Night ).
Wicked in Your Arms is still free, grab it and I don’t think you’ll regret it!
