A WICKED PURSUIT by Isabella Bradford

A Breconridge Brothers Novel, Book One
Ballantine Books
February 25^th, 2014
978-0-345-54812-2
Historical/Georgian Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Publisher
3.5 Hearts

Harry Fitzroy is determined to do his duty, marry well and give up his rakish ways. Thinking the lovely Lady Julia Barclay is perfect as his bride, he finds out her true colors when he gets injured from a fall and she leaves him. Now Harry is stuck in the country under the care of Julia’s younger sister, Lady Augusta ‘Gus’ Utterly and soon he finds her enchanting if not down right annoying at times. Gus has no care for society; she takes care of Harry with determination and a smile. Until a forbidden kiss awakens something between them and now as society frowns upon their relationship, Harry is determined to show Gus that she has his heart and that she belongs right by his side as his wife.

I got to admit A WICKED PURSUIT is one of those wonderful compelling historical novels that just suck you in from the very first page. I loved this author’s writing style and found the characters equally enjoyable and intriguing. The writing is tight; story flows smoothly and has a few twists that left me on the edge of my seat. I smiled, laughed and rooted for Harry to pick the right sister to be his wife. Gus was a breath of fresh air to me as she was without guile, was clever, capable and very intriguing character for the time period of the story (18^th Century Georgian England). The author conveys her cleverness and attitude so nicely within the story that I was enthralled with her and was eager to see her get her own happy ever after. Her interactions with Harry and other characters in the book are wonderful to read and kept me eager for more. Harry, on the other hand, had to learn that if he wanted Gus as his love and wife, he needed to learn to accept her love if he was lame or not. I loved Harry’s struggle as he fell more and more under Gus’s spell. These two characters really complimented one another and had me rooting for them both to get their own wildly romantic ending. The characters are quite entertaining, well written and multi-dimensional. The author does a wonderful job in conveying their faults, vulnerabilities and their hidden secrets within the story perfectly. The romance between Harry and Gus was sweet and enjoyable. The love scenes are explicit but also convey a tenderness and sweetness that takes your breath away.

A WICKED PURSUIT is a delightful sweet romance that will steal your heart and make you long for the next book in the trilogy. Ms. Bradford is now on my auto-read list as I await the next book in the trilogy with bated breath. If you enjoy a sweet yet passionate historical romance then you might enjoy A WICKED PURSUIT. It really leaves you longing for more. Ms. Bradford, you now have a new reader that is looking forward to more of your work.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement