Reviewed for THC ReviewsHis Wicked Kiss was a generally enjoyable book that was a pretty good wrap-up to the Knight Miscellany series. It begins in the jungles of Venezuela which was a rather unique setting for a romance novel, then continued with some high-seas adventure and a quick trip to Ireland, before settling into the usual glitz and glitter of the Regency ton. There are a lot of Gaelen Foley's trademarks present here. She always seems to have a knack for drawing me into the story and making me feel like I'm really there watching events unfold. Her descriptions of the jungle, Jack's ship, and all the little historical details really helped to set the atmosphere. There is lots of action and adventure which Ms. Foley consistently renders in such a way that it feels like a movie playing in my mind's eye. As usual, the love scenes are limited, but those that are present are thoroughly scrumptious and sensual. Eden's deflowering was one long, sexy scene in particular which was quite memorable and really spiced things up. There were a few parts of the story which moved a bit slowly for me, but for the most part, Ms. Foley keeps the pacing going at a pretty good clip, which prevents this 400+ page book from feeling as long as it is. In fact, as I got closer and closer to the ending, I was beginning to wonder how she was going to wrap things up in a satisfactory manner, but somehow she managed to pull it off. All this said though, His Wicked Kiss still ended up probably being my least favorite of the Knight Miscellany series, mainly because in my opinion, the author's characterizations weren't quite up to her usual high standards which left the whole story felling a bit off kilter for me.Right from the start of the series, Jack has been an enigma. He was often mentioned in previous books, but never put in an appearance. That's because he's been in a self-imposed exile for twenty years and basically refuses to come home to his family in England. Instead he's been sailing the high seas, making a name for himself both as a captain and as a businessman. Now a feisty stowaway and a secret mission have him reluctantly heading back to the place he despises most. Jack was a very hard man for me to figure out. We never really know why he has stayed away from his family for so long until this book, but I can't say that his reasons really resonated with me. The book began with him showing shades of a deeply tortured hero, but I don't think that promise in his character was fully realized. I couldn't quite figure out why he felt he had been treated so much more badly in his childhood than his other three illegitimate brothers. I fully understood all of them in their own stories, but Jack, at times, came off as a man who had a chip on his shoulder and was simply angry with the entire world. He also seemed to feel the need to sometimes flaunt his “bad boy” persona, which I think only alienated people further. Oftentimes, it was him who was pushing them away, even though he claimed it was the other way around, and if Eden hadn't been there to smooth things over with his family, he probably would have been temperamental with them too, even though they were nothing but nice in welcoming him back into the fold. In these moments, it seemed like he was acting a bit childish and just needed to get over it. Maybe if the author had given more specific examples of the things he had endured, rather than just saying that everybody rejected him, I would have been more sympathetic, but as written, I just couldn't quite see how things were so horrible for him and why he didn't trust anyone. That's not to say that I didn't like him at all, because there were times when he could be quite appealing. It just wasn't in the moments that I described above.Eden was a young woman with a dichotomous personality as well. She had spent half her life in the jungle with her doctor/naturalist father and as such she was quite well-trained in survival skills. She also could be quite daring (She stowed away on Jack's ship in an attempt to return to England and prevent her father from going on a potentially suicidal scientific mission into the Amazonian interior.), and quite feisty (She stood up to Jack's sailors when she was found and wasn't afraid to give Jack a piece of her mind on a number of occasions.). She was a bit of a geek as well, having extensive scientific and medical knowledge of jungle plants. On the one hand, she was something of a female Tarzan, but on the other, she was a little obsessed with her fairy tale fantasies of life back in England. She devoured the fashion magazines that her cousin sent even though they were a year old by the time she received them, and was constantly daydreaming about her Prince Charming and attending balls. She realizes pretty quickly that she's apparently more attracted to the “bad boy” type than the city dandy when Jack makes her all hot and bothered right from the start. Eden was also quite gentle and patient with Jack, seeming to understand him better than he understood himself. In fact, she was more patient with him than I probably could have been, although she did have her limits and gave him the cold shoulder when he made a dumb move even though he reversed course later. Ultimately, I felt like she gave into his whims a little too easily though, considering that in my opinion, he was being rather irrational. Overall, I guess she was a fairly likable heroine, just not one that I connected with on a really deep level.Perhaps because I didn't fully connect with the hero and heroine themselves, their relationship wasn't quite perfect for me either. Jack does a bit of ping-ponging, beginning the story as something of an arrogant cad who exhibits his “pirate-ness” by simply taking what he wants. The bathing scene after Jack discovers Eden stowed away on his ship would have been extremely sexy if it hadn't also been skating perilously close to that big no-no for me – forced seduction. Not only did it have that old-school feel to me because of Jack's ungentlemanly behavior, but also because Eden, who was initially pretty embarrassed and intimidated, suddenly started eating it up. His actions are explained later when Eden figured out what his game was, but it still didn't quite work for me. From there until near the end of the book, Jack became a near-perfect lover and husband, never forcing Eden even when she was angry with him and denying him her bed, and always being gentle, loving and passionate. He was also very courageous and heroic in saving Eden's life more than once. Then, in a fit of jealously, he turned into a bit of a brute again, doing something totally scandalous in public and then essentially blaming Eden for it instead of owning his own feelings. I can't say that I was entirely sure why they fell in love either, because initially their interactions seemed like mere lust, but I will concede that after they married, Jack and Eden seemed more like a loving newlywed couple. Ultimately, I may not have always respected or understood their actions, but they were still far more likable than some romance couples I've read.His Wicked Kiss has a number of secondary characters and does reunite the entire Knight clan although not all of them have their own lines. It also introduces their Uncle Arthur, a sea captain like Jack. Readers will get a bit of background on his three children and another mention of Knight family friend Ian Prescott (first introduced in Lady of Desire), all of whom are a part of the spin-off Spice Trilogy. There are a number of other stand-outs, from Jack's loyal crew who are something of a family to him, to Eden's father who is also hiding away from the world just like Jack. I don't think I'm giving away too much here by saying so, because it was pretty obvious from the outset of the story that he was being set up as the villain, but I just didn't find Connor to be a very compelling bad guy. In the previous books of the series, the ne'er-do-wells really came alive for me, but aside from the very end, Connor never jumped off the page as truly frightening or evil. His villainy was played as some sort of mental madness that had very little rhyme or reason except that he had somehow become obsessed with Eden. Much like the hero and heroine, he too, in my opinion, was lacking in his characterization.While I would definitely say that some of the characters in His Wicked Kiss needed more depth for me to fully appreciate them, it wasn't really a bad book overall. I may have spent some time questioning certain parts, but there were at least an equal number of passages that were quite enjoyable to read. Gaelen Foley has a lovely writing style that quite simply makes for pleasurable reading. That alone tends to mask some of the other story weaknesses. His Wicked Kiss is the seventh and final novel in the Knight Miscellany series, and although it wasn't the best book, it was still an agreeable story. I'm now looking forward to learning more about those Knight cousins from India (The Spice Trilogy) to see if they can live up to the “wicked” reputation set by their London relatives.;-)
5+++++++++ Historical/Regency RomanceA gauge of how much I like a book (romance) is whether or not I will reread it. My modus operandi is return to a book again and again if I really, really love it. I really, really love this book. It is a great finale to the series. Here are some of the reasons why this book will make its way into my "love enough to reread" pile:1) This regency romance got off to a great and compelling start by opening with the heroine, Eden Farrady in a jungle setting in South America with her botanist father away from the usual setting of Almack's or some such, to meeting the H, Lord Jack Knight in the jungle while sitting in the top of a tree. (To say nothing of the delicious image of the Eden swinging from a vine to get out of the tree within moments of meeting drool-worthy Jack!)2) Readers get more detail about what it was like for the 4 Knight bros. to be the illegitimate offspring of the "frail vessel" and notorious 8th duchess of Hawkescliffe, Georgianna Knight.3) Readers learn the heartbreaking way that the boys all find out that they are "bastards." In the case of Jack, this all particularly tugs on the heart strings, since he was the first of his mother's children from outside of her marriage and had it tougher since he was the first.4) We learn why the H was the brother MIA or living under a self imposed exile and shunned his 5 siblings and England.5) Appearances of some of the h /H from the previous books, particularly of Billy, the H from Lady of Desire. (IMHO he is the greatest H in historical romance literature and I am madly in love with him!!) I tremendously loved the parts of the book with my beloved Billy in them. He appears in chapters 7; 14-16.6) The subplot with her scientist father's crazy assistant was good. He was a good villain.7) Last but not least, This title is a steamy read.I got a little bored of the sea voyage to from So Am to The UK . However, in the author's defense, this voyage gave the h/H time to fall in love, so this was necessary. Also, I did not care about one of the subplots that involved the H supporting a rebellion in So Am against Spanish domination and oppression. The subplot of the H in The Devil Takes a Bride trying to find out the truth of his parent's deaths was more compelling as well as the subplot in One Night of Sin where the H tries to save the h's home and protect her from the crazy Russian.Now for a rant:Here is something that really got on my nerves, and it is a recurring pet peeve (a big one). It is when the author of a romance, probably at the behest of the editor, to dumb down the part of a book by incorrectly making reference to a person of the British nobility. A case in point is My beloved Billy was repeatedly and incorrectly referred to as "Rackford in this book. In Billy's book, Lady of Desire, Billy was the Earl of Rackford. However, at the end of LoD, Billy's father, the Marquess of Truro and St Austell dies making Billy the new Marquess of Truro! He is referred to as "Rackford " in His Wicked Kiss. Since Billy is now the Marquess and by this book, had A son, that son is the Earl of Rackford! This repeated mishandling of titles by multiple authors of historical romances that include characters who are British peers is insulting. The implication is the Americans are too stupid to understand or not be confused by British titles of nobility. Now I will climb down off of my soapbox. This was a good read and I liked this series (Knight Miscellany). The start of the book in the jungles of So Am was a refreshing alternative to the usual setting of England. (However, since I am an Anglophile, I can't get enough of England .) So I recommend this book. It is a great end to the series.P.S. Here are my end of series rankings:A. Books in of the Series:1) The Duke: Bel was the most compelling heroine of the series. Her heart-breaking back story on how she ended up in a house of ill repute was very compelling. This is the first romance I've ever read here the H finds the h in a whore house. However, this is not new romance trope.2) Lady of Desire : The H in this story was awesome. Of all of the H's in this series, his was the greatest. IMHO Billy Blade is the greatest H in historical romance lit. The h in this book was Knight sister Lady Jacinda, but Billy was its star. 3) The Devil Takes a Wife and One Night of Sin--a Tie: while I was disappointed over the break between Lizzie and Alec in LoD, GF more than makes up for it in these two books. Each had really awesome subplots. In DTaW, I liked that a swashbuckling dude/bad boy with an earring has such good taste to fall in love with the lovable bluestocking, Lizzie. In addition, Alec, who was such a cad in LoD to Lizzie, and seems pretty shallow, gets to show what he is really made and be a hero to a woman in his book ONoS. He really redeems himself. I gave him a second chance.4) His Wicked Kiss: See the reasons above (esp Eden, the h swinging from a vine in the jungle within moments of meeting the H, Jack while sitting in a tree!)5) Lord of Fire and Lord of Ice--another tie (I know, very lame, but I could not decide) This is very difficult. I liked Lucien, H from LoF, but I hated the h, Alice. However, the subplot in Lucien 's book, of the spies and intrigue was so strong, that it made the book a page turner! However, in LoI, I liked both Damien and Miranda, but the subplot , while good, I can't help but compare to that of LoF since the Hs of these two titles are twins and the spies and foreign villainous spies win over a homicidal maniac.
What do You think about His Wicked Kiss (2006)?
The Knight series is pretty predictably an enjoyable read. Maybe not my favorite books but always worth the time. In this book, second son Jack meets his match. He fled the English society that treated him different for being a bastard child. When he went to confront his biological father, that man also rejected him. While mourning the fact that no one seems to love him, Jack was shang-haied which he says in the book is probably the best thing that ever happened to him. It allowed him to move up in the world becoming a wealthy shipowner. Now his company ships any items by all over the world.When he's in South America, he is entranced by a red-haired beauty sitting in a tree. After being invited to tea at Eden's house, he is further intrigued. She seems to be an incredibly capable lady, like no one he's ever known. But he refuses when she asks him to take her to England.Eden is desperate to get away from the jungle. After her mother died, her father ran away to hide, taking her with him. Now Eden is twenty-three and wants to experience life. She's afraid of her father's partner, Connor, who seems to think that he owns Eden. So, she sneaks off and stows away on Jack's ship. She isn't discovered for almost a week, but when she is, Jack realizes that he is going to fall in love. But he needs to keep her safe while he finishes one last job...
—Jessi
I really enjoyed this last installment of the Knight family, only to be pleasantly surprised that we aren't quite done! Yea for cousins! I love reading series books, it is like getting to catch up with old friends and read at the same time!I liked Eden and Jack, they were a sweet couple. There love story was very nicely written. I thought that their feelings were very real, but I wish they would have communicated with each other a little better. That lack was frustrating - their feelings and actions were each valid, but because they didn't communicate there was conflict. It was overall a very good book though.
—MountainKat
First part was entertaining, but the last third of the book was annoying.In the beginning, the conversation and interaction between Erin & Jack was unexpected and interesting. Their actions surprised and delighted me. Very enjoyable first 284 pages. less so after that when the couple fought and other problems arose. Erin withheld sex because he wouldn't answer a question. She was more concerned with what other people thought than his needs. This didn't sit well for me since they were still in their honeymoon phase. He had his faults as well. I would have preferred different conflicts and faults for them at the end.Sexual content: not evaluated. I read this book before I began counting sex scenes and describing the language. As I recall, it was probably moderate or strong. Setting: 1818 South America, London and the high seas. Copyright: 2006. Genre: regency romance.To date there are seven books in the Knight family series, of which I have read six, as follows. My review for His Wicked Kiss was posted to Amazon on 2/6/07. All the rest are posted on 5/26/08.The Duke (4.5 stars)Lord of Fire (2 stars)Lord of Ice (3.5 stars)Lady of Desire (4.5 stars)Devil Takes a Bride (2 stars)His Wicked Kiss (3 stars)
—Jane Stewart
