WILD

Author: Margo Maguire ISBN: 9780061667879 1/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: 1829 England

No woman could tame him . . . He moves with the grace of a predator—savage, dangerous, wild. For Grace Hawthorne, the newly arrived stranger is unlike any man she has ever known. Proud, defiant, mesmerizingly masculine, he flouts convention and refuses to enter into proper society. Is he the real Anthony Maddox, heir to a glittering earldom? Or an arrogant imposter, sworn to claim what doesn't belong to him? Including Grace. Practically engaged to another, the well-bred lady's companion is now entrusted with the task of civilizing the primitive nobleman. Determined to fulfill her duty and nothing more, she tries to ignore her growing desire for Anthony, but it is a futile endeavor. As they come together in a scandalous secret liaison, Grace must choose between the conventional life she was born to lead . . . and a future with a man as unpredictable as he is irresistible.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

WILD by Margo Maguire is filled with unexpected pleasures, a story that is never fully revealed right up until the very end. I loved that part of reading it—not knowing for sure exactly what was going on, what was truly behind Anthony and Grace's romance, kept me on the edge of my seat. What a spellbinding story! So well told, and with characters who were impossible not to fall in love with!

Grace is smitten by Anthony, although she cannot fully fathom what makes him act the way he does. She's drawn up into the swirl of intrigue surrounding him, and finally discovers the secrets he's been keeping. Africa rarely comes into play in a Regency romance, but in this case it does, and brilliantly. Anthony is very much like Grace in that family obligation and a true depth of feeling come naturally for him. They make a perfect couple—if only they can figure out a way to clear the mess surrounding Anthony.

I enjoyed this story not only because it was well-written, with sympathetic and interesting characters, but because it pulled bits of the unconventional into the sometimes-staid world of Regency England. As I said, I never encountered the African connection before, but I loved the way it was woven in here. Also, Anthony is less of a rake than first portrayed and the uncovering of the layers of his personality was fabulous to witness.

All in all, WILD is a wonderful read, a refreshing twist on a familiar era that left me smiling. Well done!

Kay James