SIMPLY WICKED – Kate Pearce

Simply series

Kensington Aphrodisia

ISBN:  978-0-7582-3221-2

October 2009

Erotic Regency Romance with m/m elements

London, England – 1819

After years of being the submissive in gay relationships, Anthony Sokorvsky decides he wants to turn over a new leaf and bed only women. Like someone on drugs, giving up men turns out to be hard, but he is determined to overcome. When the twin adult children of the mistress of the Pleasure House, a place of ill repute, ask Anthony to escort their widowed half-sister, Lady Marguerite Lockwood, to society functions, he agrees, seeing no harm in squiring a titled lady to help rebuild his reputation. But the moment he meets Marguerite, something inside him wants to be more than her escort. Could he be feeling the stirrings of desire for this woman?

Marguerite’s late husband, Lord Justin, died a scandalous death, and there are rampant rumors as to what really happened. Marguerite’s in-laws blame her and society whispers about her behind her back. Having Anthony escort her will provide her with some relief whilst attending functions. Thankfully, he is a very nice and charming man, even if he appears awkward around her. They do hit it off and it doesn’t take long for Anthony to bed Marguerite. Can there be anything other than sex and friendship between them?

Soon it becomes apparent there’s more to Anthony than inexperience around women. And when a man from Anthony’s past starts to make lewd suggestions and veiled threats, will their relationship be doomed before it barely begins?

Kate Pearce provides another scintillating and scandalous tale to the Simply series with SIMPLY WICKED.  Anthony has been mistreated at the hands of his male lovers and when he wakes up one morning realizing how pathetic he has become, well, it’s time for a change. Unfortunately, his lover, Lord Minshom, doesn’t take kindly to being dumped by Anthony, and is on a campaign to make life miserable for him so he’ll return.  Also added to Anthony’s woes is conflict with his father over his working with his half-brother in the company. Anthony is content, but his father thinks he’s not fit. 

Throughout the better part of SIMPLY WICKED, Marguerite is dealing with guilt over her late husband’s death.  What did occur that day? Readers will be clamoring for the truth (at least I did), though you know she has to be an innocent party to whatever happened. Marguerite’s mother runs the House of Pleasure, a famed destination where sexual pleasure is a man’s aim. Despite who her mother is, Marguerite has a stellar reputation and continues to be a woman of remarkable morals. Meeting Anthony, she is smitten, but holds a little bit of herself back because of her lingering grief over Lord Justin. There’s some unfinished business she needs to attend to.  It doesn’t take long before she’s discovering a blistering attraction to Anthony, though she’s aware that his kinky sexual needs are perhaps stronger than what she can provide.  Can she satisfy him in the end?

Two deeply scarred people come together in SIMPLY WICKED, and together they merge to heal each other and fall in love. There are scenes of male on male sex, but it is the burgeoning love and sexual heat that builds between Anthony and Marguerite which makes SIMPLY WICKED a riveting read. Together they overcome the obstacles put forth in front of them and readers will know that they belong together. The sex scenes are scorchers, but without them, SIMPLY WICKED would lose the powerful impact that it brings to readers.

Sinister characters and dark moods which threaten our lovers, Anthony and Marguerite, in SIMPLY WICKED bring forth a triumph of redemption and new beginnings and a book I highly recommend readers put on their to-be-bought list.

Holly Tibbs