This book begins a series that will, judging from context, expose the mysteries of an evil secret society by the end. This pattern -- a mystery that spans several volumes while each individual book is framed by a romance -- is one I've run into before. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. The trick, I think, is making each romance stand out fantastically on its own. The mystery, meanwhile, needs to take a half step back but remain intriguing, with big turning points in each book. The trouble with this book was that the romance left me utterly cold and uninterested. I was drawn into the mystery to some extent, but I kept asking myself if I was interested enough to keep wading through the romance. (I did keep going, though I skimmed a bit.) And at the end of the book I find myself wondering if this flat romance was a fluke or a standard for this author. I didn't realize until the end that the mystery was going to span books, though I began to suspect more and more as it drew to a close. I wish I had known up front, because as it is I felt disappointed at the end that I didn't at least get closure on the part of the story that interested me. SO I wanted to make sure other readers knew that right up front. :)As for the romance ... it begins with Jessica approaching the earl (Gideon) to ask for custody of her half-brother. She drops this notion shortly after meeting her brother for the first time in six yeras and finding out he's an idiot. Then, suddenly, the two are making love and I'm not convinced she's enjoying it but she does and then he's proposing marriage for some reason I can't fathom and ... yeah. I was really struggling on motivation here.Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure if I'll read the next book. 12/08 - I'm not finding either main character particularly engaging. I've continued reading, hoping that the more I read about them and get to know them the sooner I'll begin caring about Gideon or Jessica, but it's just not happening. For some reason I'm also annoyed by the book itself - it's a small book dimension-wise with very thin pages and while I'm reading it I can't help feeling like it was cheaply made, maybe if I'd borrowed the hardcover I might have felt inclined to award an extra partial star at least. To be continued...2/09 - I wasn't engaged in the subplot of the Hellfire Club or the romance between Gideon and Jessica for at least the first half, but as the romance got more interesting and Gideon and Jessica's feelings became more involved the subplot also became more interesting. I also wanted to see where the first book in the series got to with the Hellfire Club mystery because I have the second book in the series waiting to be read, that was the one that I picked up first, the one the grabbed my interest in the beginning. Anyway, I'm glad I perservered because the subplot and the romance picked up enough for an extra star.
What do You think about What An Earl Wants (2012)?
Nice mystery and plenty of room for sequels with Valentine and Max.
—natasha98
I wanted light entertainment and tons of romance but got suspense.
—17910em
