WICKED FANTASY

Author: Nicole Jordan ISBN: 0345467868 8/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: BALLANTINE BOOKS
Time Period: Regency 1811-1815

He is her most wicked fantasy . . . and no proper suitor for a lady. Since the night Trey Deverill’s stunning kiss melted her senses, Antonia Maitland has harbored a fascination for the infamous adventurer. But Deverill is nothing Antonia needs in a husband, and when he abducts her–for her own protection–and then shockingly proposes marriage, a battle of wills ensues that proves dangerously irresistible. Antonia’s charming wit and vibrant beauty make her England’s most sought-after heiress. Yet it’s her fiery spirit and awakening sensuality that stir a need in Deverill so fierce he would challenge the devil himself to possess her. From the glittering ballrooms of London to the splendor of the Cornish coast, Deverill sweeps Antonia into unforgettable passion. But a treacherous plot threatens their lives and their chance for the grandest adventure of all: true love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Nicole Jordan's latest, WICKED FANTASY, combines action, romance and sensuality in 438 delicious, hard-to-put-down pages.

Having met briefly when Antonia was in her mid-teens and Deverill several years older, the two meet again four years later after the death of Antonia's father and her betrothal to one of his unscrupulous business acquaintances. Deverill, her self-appointed protector, is surprised to find the beautiful and engaging young woman Antonia has become. He is determined to keep her from the fiance's greedy clutches, while hoping not to fall in love with her, himself. Unbeknownst to Deverill, since that very first meeting, Antonia has been secretly in love with him, but her father's wish that she marry someone equal to or above her station, of which Dev is neither, has put both of them out of one another's reach.

While I'm the first to admit that both the plot and villains are predictable, it's the depth of the two main characters and Antonia's personality that easily make up for anything I could possibly find fault with. As the heroine Antonia is strong, capable, and plain no-nonsense. She meets the traumas and eventful turns in her life head on with spirit and tenacity, quickly earning my respect. The emotional and physical connection between herself and Deverill is immediate and intense, and even after the two do come together and have sex, the sexual tension between them never seems to ebb. Deverill, though at first misjudging Antonia, questions but never denies his growing love for her. There's no hemming, no hawing, no fighting it. Some of the more delightful scenes that take place are when Dev's attempts at wooing her into marriage seem futile. His solutions to changing her "No" to a "Yes" evolve through typical male thinking, and while it's extremely fun to watch, it very rarely works, as Deverill very quickly discovers.

Jordan has penned one of her best with WICKED FANTASY. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to pull off an all-nighter without feeling guilty the next morning—this WICKED FANTASY is well worth it!

Nancy Davis