Too Wicked to Wed by Cara Elliott

Readable and pleasant romance
3 stars

Lady Alexa Hendrie has always felt out of place in the ton. She’s outspoken, independent and feels much more at home in the wilds of Yorkshire than in the glittering ballrooms of London society. But when she is forced to London by her reckless brother, she finds herself suddenly in the lair of the notorious Irish Wolfhound - Connor Linsley, Earl of Killingsworth.

A rake of the worst order, most ladies are rightfully fearful of Connor. All, that is, except Lady Alexa. One sinful kiss leads to another and soon the pair are on an adventure full of intrigue, lies and lust. But will one extraordinary lady really be able to tame the Irish Wolfhound and bring her the greatest love she’s ever known?

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This story shot off at a quick pace with the action of Alexa and Connor’s first meeting happening almost instantly and their first kiss not much later than that. That then set the standard for the story as for a long while that was as much as the plot amounted to - meeting and kissing, meeting and kissing, with different settings thrown in each time.

That aside, both Alexa and Connor were likeable enough characters although neither really stood out or really inspired me to care for them individually or as a couple. There were some secondary characters, Gryffin and Cameron - “The Hellhounds” whose books make up the second and third in The Lords of Midnight Trilogy - but they weren’t particularly inspiring either. I had assumed that the other couples mentioned in the book were from previous stories by Elliott but can find no mention of their stories anywhere. This confuses me as it felt like I was expected to know these stories and these characters while reading this book.

Despite what I said earlier regarding the plot, I had absolutely no trouble finishing this book and did so quickly enough. The writing was fine, if a little pretentious and flowery for my tastes on rather too many occasions. There were also Americanisms and incorrect usage of British English which were annoying but luckily didn’t happen too often to actually spoil the book. I didn’t find the love scenes overly sexy or sensual - only a day later I can barely remember them which says something.

Overall, this was a nice story but nothing more than that. It won’t be a story that I will remember but it’s not offensive and it’s worth a read if it’s on your shelf or in your Kindle. 3 stars.