Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of A Night Of Wicked Delight by Joanne Rock
Historical romance ebook short story released by Harlequin Historical Undone 1 Mar 09
Joanne Rock has written several books for both Harlequin Blaze and Harlequin Historical. Now with this story for the Harlequin Historical Undone short story line, she can safely blend her two worlds into one. What could be a fairly conventional medieval captive storyline, A Night of Wicked Delight is punched up by the addition of a forthright, intelligent heroine, and a love scene that just about sets the tapestries ablaze.
Lady Emma of Westleigh is truly in a bind. Her protector and guardian, her cousin Hugh has vanished and she’s now at the mercy of her odious cousin, Edward. Edward has made no secret that he wants to be rid of Emma, and with no dowry, he plans to wed her off to a knight who has a brutal reputation. Emma’s plan? Since this knight only values her virginity, she’s going to do her best to rid herself of her troublesome maidenhead. Then it’s off to the nearest convent.
Gareth of Domingart is determined to have his revenge against Edward – a man who stole his lands and left him physically scarred. To do that, he kidnaps Emma. Emma tells him it’s unlikely that Edward will bloody well care what has happened to her – but sees this as a golden opportunity to achieve her goals. These two both have something the other wants, but the question is – once they help each other, will they be satisfied with only one night together?
While a fairly traditional captive-captor seduction story, this one elevates itself because Rock avoids some common pitfalls. Edward is such a lout – that when Gareth tells Emma what her cousin did to him, she believes him. There’s not a lot of tedious doubt and “Can I trust him/her?”nonsense going on in the story. Certainly Gareth kidnaps her, but his actions towards her early on assure Emma that she’s better off with the scarred warrior than her loathsome cousin.
The declarations of love seem a bit hasty, but given the smokin’ R-rated love scene, it’s easy to see how these two could fall so fast and so hard for each other. Certainly Edward hasn’t been totally dispatched, but the conflict at hand is wrapped up, and one is left with the impression that the wounded warrior, and forthright heroine, will make a nice go of their happily-ever-after.
Grade: B
Summary:
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Gareth of Domingart has abducted Lady Emma of Westleigh to get revenge on her cousin, the man who plundered his home and sold him into slavery. Gareth meant to simply hold Emma for ransom, yet once he brings the fiery noblewoman back to his keep, the urge to possess her becomes overwhelming…especially after Emma makes a startling demand:
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“You must steal my innocence.”
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For Lady Emma has a plan of her own: to lose her virginity and thwart her guardian’s plot to marry her off to a brutish knight. And the scarred warrior holding her captive is just the man to save her…
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But once their revenge is complete, will Gareth and Emma be satisfied with only one night of pleasure…or can they have a future filled with wicked delight?
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