Wicked and the Wallflower: The Bareknuckle Bastards Book I

Felicity is near solidly on the shelf, with a whiff (perhaps more) of scandal attached. She’d been once one of the ‘glittery’ debutantes, but a couple of ‘ill planned’ events, and her lockpicking skills landing her in a toff’s bedroom, with his very vocal dissent, she’s at the place of wanting something different, but irrationally wanting, again, to be a part of it all. When a new, unknown and previously unseen in London Duke appears on th horizon, with a stated intention to find a wife, she’s dragged to yet another ball to be the wallflower, subjected to the slights and jibes from those she once thought friends. Felicity, with her need to escape the ballroom and her ability to pick the lock of the conservatory door, becomes the bait with which Devil will play his long lost brother. See, Beast, Devil and Grace have made a pact: the Marwick dukedom will end with their brother: no heirs will be allowed. To that end, it also means that any woman he chooses to marry must be spirited away and ruined, just so the message is clearly received. And Felicity, with her zest for life and desire for “something more” is the perfect innocent, with wit, curiosity and bravery that is far unlike any others of her type. Oh this story was just delicious! From the moment he appeared, Devil is just everything – other ‘alpha males’ should take lessons. No, his intentions weren’t always pure to start, but that pull, that spark between he and Felicity had him utterly baffled and bewildered – he’s not a man used to blatant dismissal of his edicts - or one particular woman’s utter inability to not be afraid in the backstreets of Covent Garden, in fact, bold enough to pick the unpickable lock that guarded his business and secrets. For her part, Felicity was a bit naïve, as one would expect, but hers was a quick learning curve and she took most everything in stride, even as she discovers and deals with several major blows. Her encounters with both Beast, who did his level best to answer with simple grunts, and Dahlia’s instant liking and sharing of an address, Felicity sees far more than the ballrooms and afternoon calls with the tonne would lead her to find. But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the underlying conflict between the Bareknuckle Bastards and their brother, the Duke, and the history that they all shared: a dark history with plenty of deprivation, bonding Beast, Devil and Dahlia together with an unbreakable loyalty, as they built their lives and empires in the shadows. None but the four, until Felicity, knew their story, and while she only has the parts that Devil choose to share, there are plenty more secrets to come from thee four – I can’t wait to see who’s story is next, and just how their lives will unfold. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Too melodramatic and telenovela-like. And so much repetition. It had possibilities but the execution fell short for me.

Pensaba que estaba mal traducido al castellano, pero al leerlo en inglés me doy cuenta de que el intento de crear intriga atrasando la explicación del conflicto no tiene ni pies ni cageza y entorpece la narrativa