The Wicked Earl

I'm very tired of the new crop of regency novels that take this unique genre and try to cram modern morality down its delicate throat. This book is as far from those slimy bits of refuse as can be imagined. This story is true romance with an intelligent heroine who is both saved by the hero and her own acumen. Don't let the "wicked" title fool you-this isn't a bodice ripper. Its well written, clever, & historically accurate. If you're looking for a true romance in the style of a real regency novel--wit & heart, sans gratuitous sex-this is the novel for you.

The Wicked Earl (Harlequin Historical Series) I loved this book!! She grabs you into her world and doesn't let go! I loved this book so much that I bought the other 3 that she had written, and loved them as well!!

This was a very sweet and nice romance story. There is a little mystery that is unveiled slowly throughout the story, and it is pretty suspenseful at the end.

Just finished it. Couldn't put it down! The characters were well drawn out and very admirable. The hero and heroine were both mature - no silly misunderstandings that last for chapters and chapters. The heroine was wonderful - shy and reserved, but with strength and intelligence. They were both honest with each other and themselves. The hero was sweet and strong and honorable. The villain was pure evil, with helped the plot along. And the secondary characters were great as well. Great storyline - it kept moving along. I would buy other books by this author!

When the baron Cyril Farquharson, rich but unappealing in the extreme, forces his attentions on Madeline, her mother could not be happier and she could not be more repulsed. When this evil man traps her in an uncompromising situation, another mysterious man protects her but also threatens her reputation --- he is known as the Wicked Earl. Torn between two men, which one is more wicked? Will she love either of them or will she pay with her life? Margaret McPhee's descriptions of the villain are fantastic....really creepy and disgusting and made me think of Charles Dickens, Uriah Heep and worse! Hissing, sneaky, slithering, slimy and just downright wicked! The heroine is both innocent and wise, reticent and spunky. Madeline knows how to protect herself one way or another. Her choices and dilemmas create a well-rounded character beyond the reader's expectation. Margaret McPhee's characterization breathes suspense in every moment. From the opening scene, the plot drives the romance forward while creating suspense like a serial novel. One place in the novel had a quick suspenseful scene change that could have used a sentence or two more preparation but otherwise Margaret McPhee delights with fast-paced action, tense suspense filled scenes, and a fine mixture of scene changes to heighten suspense and create vivid characters. For that reason and more this romance deserves a 5 star rating. Readers will enjoy the scene of the heroine reading Jane Austen and thinking of Mr. Darcy as well as having the scene placed in a crucial turning point in the romance. In addition, King Arthur fans will enjoy the heroine's musings on Tintagel Castle where Uther seduced Ygraine under her husband's eye and where Arthur was conceived. Setting one of the final scenes there was a masterstroke --- just enough parallels to create intrigue but enough variation to heighten the expected suspense. I just loved the way she played this scene! The first two-thirds of this romance were so well-written and suspenseful that I imagined the last third and ending could only be anti-climatic. Not at all! Even the last line tantalizes!