Friday, July 20, 2018

Some Like It Wild (Kincaid Highland: Book Two): Teresa Medeiros


It was to be her greatest masquerade…

 

“Pamela Darby needs a man – preferable a Highland brute with more brawn than brains.  Determined to save her sister from selling her virtue, the resourceful beauty requires a strapping specimen to pose as a duke’s long-lost heir.  Pamela plans to collect the generous reward, then send him on his way.  Lucky for the brazen beauty, the seductive, silver-eyed highwayman who just held up their carriage could be her man…

 

“Connor Kincaid has given up on his dream of restoring his clan’s honor.  And now this plucky Englishwoman is asking him to take part in a risky charade that could land them both on the gallows.  Never a man to resist a challenge or the allure of a beautiful woman, Connor strikes the devil’s bargain that could seal both their fates.  The highwayman and the hellion journey to London as both enemies and allies – a woman who has everything to gain and a man who has nothing to lose…but his heart.”

 

Another little gem by Medeiros.  I finished the first in this series the other day and immediately began devouring this installment.  It was a great follow-up to Some Like It Wicked.  We hear so much about Connor in his sister, Catriona’s, story, so it was nice to see what he’d been up to over the years.  This one kept the same lightheartedness and sense of humor that the first book did.  It doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet it deals with some very serious topics.  I think this is a particularly difficult balance that not many authors can achieve.  Some books by Lisa Kleypas, for example, lean more toward serious than lighthearted.  Sure, they have lighthearted moments, but they don’t have the same way of remaining fairly lighthearted throughout.  This is not to say that one shouldn’t take Medeiros seriously – her writing is witty, well-crafted, and extremely well-planned – but she’s a much quicker, relaxed read than other authors.  I can see why the first book in this series was marked as a “perfect beach read!”  It’s easy to fall into her worlds and get absorbed in the characters.  She adds just enough historical accuracies to make the British history nerd in me very happy. Simply stated, the books in this series made me smile.

 

I wasn’t sure how I would like Pamela in the very beginning of the book.  She seemed rather self-deprecating and I don’t normally care for a female lead that is too over the top in this regard.  She ended up rather likable.  I thought she was witty, brave, and intelligent.  She was a good foil for Connor because she had more than enough spunk to stand up to his gruff and often sarcastic ways.  Her relationship with her mother and sister was complicated and really added to her character.  I did find Sophie pretty annoying at times, but I think that’s just because she’s so young and naïve.  She can’t yet see past pretty things and the facades people use.  I can definitely see the potential for Sophie to have her own book, especially after her interactions with a certain secondary male character.

 

Connor was complicated and fun.  His backstory was tragic, but he still retained some sense of humor.  For a thief, I feel like he had a lot more honor than he let on.  His drive was admirable and his charm was irresistible.  I found aspects of his character to be rather moving, especially when we learn more about how his parents died.  He was rough around the edges, but was surprisingly refined in some situations.

 

There was a very memorable secondary character in this book: 

He had a surprising amount of complexity for a secondary character, perhaps because Medeiros chose to give us glimpses into his mind.  He would make an excellent male lead as he moves on and tries to find his own place in the world.

 

There is a tremendous plot twist I never saw coming and I applaud Medeiros for this.  It’s not easy to trick me and I was definitely caught off-guard by one tremendous revelation.  The book was rich with eloquent descriptions, beautiful writing, and steamy tension and romance.  It was exciting enough where I didn’t want to stop reading, and yet I still enjoyed it as a relaxing read.  I certainly do recommend it – especially if you’ve read the first in this series.  It’s a fun, entertaining book and I enjoyed it a great deal.

No comments: