REVIEW: The Wickedest Lord Alive by Christina Brooke

The Wickedest Lord Alive by Christina Brooke: This novel starts in the dark. A man comes into a room where a young woman is in bed, and they experience an awkward consummation. After, the man leaves, and the woman is bereft, thinking that he was going to save her from her father. The young man is Xavier Westruther, Marquis of Steyne; his mother, Nerissa, has told him that she is in deep debt to the horrible Earl of Bute, and that marriage to his daughter Lady Alexandra Simmons is the only way to rescue her. Because he is loyal to his mother, he agrees to the marriage, but under duress. He quickly comes to his senses, and goes back for Lady Alexandra, but when he arrives at her door again, he hears him mother being brutally whipped by Bute. He attacks Lord Bute to near unconsciousness, and takes his mother from the home. When he stops to get Lady Alexandra, however, she is gone.

Eight years later, Alexandra is now Miss Elizabeth Allbright (called Lizzie), and lives in the village of Little Thurston. Found wandering without any memory, she was taken in by the childless vicar and his late wife. Now nearly twenty-five years old, she is known for her kind spirit and good works, and is pretty happy. Into this life returns Xavier, harder, darker, and ready to have a wife and produce offspring to keep his wretched uncle from inheriting the title from him. To say that she is surprised to see him is not a stretch, and she is more surprised by the attraction she feels:

Now that he was here, in Little Thurston, Steyne stirred such strong feelings inside her, she hardly knew herself. Good God, he’d been here less than a day, and he’d shattered her peace.

Xavier considers himself to be one the deepest and darkest of all. In the intervening years, he has thrown orgies, consorted with questionable women, and received his reputation as ‘the wickedest lord alive’ deservedly. He comes back into Lizzie’s life with the sole intent of begetting legitimate heirs, but instantly is reminded about how it was with “his naïve, deceitful, pert and damnably alluring wife.” He realizes that he needs her not only for the heirs, but because he also desires her, and her sweet innocent ways. On the other hand, during the past eight years Lizzie has built herself a life where she is strong, appreciated and respected. She is not about to fall into Xavier’s hand like a plump fruit ripe for the picking! She decides that she wants nothing more than his love and redemption, and will work to make it all come out right, despite the many people and circumstances that will stand in her way.

I found the book a little problematic, but not uninteresting. I liked the premise, and the idea that Lizzie was able to ‘rescue’ herself by getting away and starting a new life. And although Lizzie is set up as a strong, competent woman, I felt that she fell too quickly in love with her husband, without much real emotion or connection. The secondary characters are interesting and give nice colour, especially Xavier’s friend Lord Lydgate and Lizzie’s friend Clare Beauchamp; both act as sounding boards for the main characters and do their jobs well. It’s a decent story, with a ‘Wow!’ ending, but I personally would have liked feeling more love between the main characters.

I didn’t realize until I was half way through the book that this was part of Christina Booke’s ‘Ministry of Marriage’ series. While it adds depth knowing that most of the characters have backstory that can be read about elsewhere, it doesn’t take away from this book, which can stand alone. If you have read the series, this is definitely a solid addition.

Book Info:

Published July 1st 2014 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Can an Indecent Proposal

Eight years ago, a tall, handsome stranger entered Lady Alexandra’s bedchamber and consummated a marriage of the utmost necessity. The Marquis of Steyne had agreed to wed and bed Lord Brute’s admittedly lovely daughter to pay off his mother’s gambling debts. But once the deed was done, Steyne’s lawfully-wedded wife vanished into the night…

Lead to Everlasting Love?

Years later, Steyne has nearly forgotten about his runaway bride. But when he suddenly finds himself in need of an heir, he has no choice but to track her down. Living happily in a small village under an assumed name, Alexandra is surprised to see her husband—and to feel such a strong attraction to him. But she is downright shocked when he asks her to bear him a son. How can they possibly repeat the heated encounter of their ill-fated wedding night…without falling hopelessly in love?