Sandy M’s review of The Wicked Wyckerly (The Rebellious Sons, Book 1) by Patricia Rice
Historical Romance published by Signet 6 Jul 10
I had one heck of a good time with the main characters in this book. This is my first Patricia Rice historical and it’s definitely not going to be the last. I like the way she gives her characters attitude with a sense of fun. That combination just makes reading all that much more entertaining for her fans.
As Abby is fretting over how to regain custody of her four younger brothers and sisters, the answer to her prayers may have dropped into her life by way of a mail coach. She needs help, as does the handsome Fitz and his rambunctious six-year-old daughter. Agreeing to watch the child while he takes care of urgent business, he’ll help Abby out with her predicament when he returns.
Since inheriting the earldom after his father’s and brother’s deaths, Fitz now has an estate that is in ruins and he has no way of paying creditors or taking care of the people he’s suddenly responsible for. He could run off to America or fake his death, but instead he decides to do the right thing as best he can. To do that, he needs a very wealthy wife.
What he wants, however, is Abby. But he knows he can’t have her, so he does the right thing again by turning her over to a distant dowager marchioness cousin of Abby’s, someone who knows how things are done and has the right connections. Just as he wasn’t prepared to become an earl –he’s a second son who’s survived by his wits and his amazing talent with numbers — Fitz is not prepared for his surprising feelings for Abby. He does face them, though, and begins his quest to wear her down into accepting and trusting him to make life work for them.
Getting used to the way the ton lives is not for Abby. She’d rather be back home on her farm with the children, but since that’s not going to magically happen, she tries her best to fit in to find that one man who has enough money to perhaps reverse a legal decision and who doesn’t care she brings four kids into a marriage. But it’s Fitz who she keeps thinking about and who keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. And who has the crazy idea they can work their problems out together if they marry. Crazy it may be, but his idea has merit.
These two people are just delightful. Abby is no nonsense in running a home but is full of love and life. Fitz is full of life but has never felt love. I had fun watching him turn from a man who knows nothing about children to a father who would give his life for his daughter, all due to the love — and no nonsense — he finds with Abby. Their banter throughout the book adds an extra level of entertainment for the reader, as do all the secondary characters who abound page after page.
Of course, the romance goes without saying, but I like that it’s Fitz who wants love and romance and has to basically talk Abby into giving it a try with him. He’s not a rake but he knows his way around women and Abby doesn’t stand a chance once he puts his mind to making her his.
Though there is mystery and danger woven into the story, this is just an all-around fun book. I look forward to the next books in this series, especially after meeting the heroes in this one. More fun is sure to follow.
Grade: B+
Summary:
When he becomes seventh Earl of Danecroft, rakish John Fitzhugh Wyckerly also inherits a crumbling estate and massive debts. Determined to do right, he reclaims his illegitimate daughter Penelope and heads to London in search of a very rich wife.
Abigail Merriweather’s farm has been quiet since she lost custody of her four young half-siblings-until a roguish gentleman named Fitz stops for a rest, his rebellious daughter in tow. His etiquette is questionable, his parenting deplorable-so why does Abby delight in his flirtations? And when she seeks a suitor to help her regain the children, why does Fitz keep popping up?
Read an excerpt.
