When His Kiss Is Wicked

I have read all of O'Riley's books, and this is my favorite one by far. I truly enjoyed the plot and the twists as usual, but what made this one my favorite was how interesting all the sisters were, as well as their relationships to one other. The writing is crisp, the descriptions exquisite, and the dialogue between the characters continually helped reveal the sisters' true selves. I've loved all of her books, but am particularly happy she will be creating a saga of this particular family in future novels. Great read!

I've read all of Kaitlin O'Riley's books and this one is my favorite. The plot is fact-paced, the characters are realistic, and the romantic tension between Colette and Lucien is palpable. This has everything you could want in a romance novel!

Once again Kaitlin O'Riley delivers a fantastic book with characters that you root for. I look forward to her next book with Juliette and the continual story of the Hamilton sisters. Dena

There are so much to like in When his Kiss is Wicked; there's the author's old school charm of naming her chapters to give the reader a little foretaste of the yummy treat to come. There are the fabulous leads, wonderful family dynamics, the explosive chemistry and they all come together seamlessly. Colette Hamilton is not your usual romance heroine. She looks after her family of four sisters, a swooning, self indulged mother and an overbearing uncle. She operates her deceased father's bookshop and loves her work because she truly enjoys people and books. Her uncle unfortunately does not see these fine qualities in his niece nor does he appreciate all the wonderful improvements she is making to the shop. Instead he values both her and her sister Juliette's beauty and puts them on the marriage mart. Hero Lord Lucien Waverly drops into her shop hoping to find some books for his ailing father. He meets Colette and is attracted to her charming nature and beautiful face, so attracted he almost kisses her. At first he is pompous with her though, commenting that women should not be running businesses. Colette fires her own salvos back with gusto but not with condescension or attacking Lucien's character. She is secure in who she is. Lucien and Colette meet several times at balls and in the bookshop as Lucien just cannot stop thinking about Colette and finds excuses to visit her shop. When they are apart the story never drags because Ms. O'Riley has the characters deeply in thought about the other and their musings are insightful. Lucien is frightened of falling in love whereas Colette believes in love wholeheartedly. The sexual tension builds steadily between this couple and the author explores their feelings and desires thoroughly. There are some memorable scenes and lines in this book like the couple "making history in the history section of the bookshop". Finally the relationship the leads have with their families adds perspective to the character. Lucien really is devoted to his father and Colette loves her sisters dearly. They make several appearances in this novel. Spunky outspoken Juliette especially plays a role in her older sister's life. Her novel is next and I can hardly wait to read about her misadventures.

With the death of her father, Colette Hamilton takes over running the family bookstore in which she supports her mom and four sisters. However, her uncle and mother are appalled with her working as they want her to marry wealth and sell the shop; Colette prefers work over marriage. In 1870 an earl, Lord Lucien Waverley stops at the bookstore to buy books for his father. He and the shopkeeper are attracted to one another as he begins to understand the adage "You can't judge a book by its cover" and she "The family that plays together". However, though they see each other at social events, their potential courtship is derailed over a philosophical difference about whether women should be allowed to own and run a store as he wants a throwback to the Regency era and she reminds him of who runs the empire. The strong gender war over the role of women in Victorian society makes for an amusing, entertaining yet profound historical story. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the beloved enemy combatants meet in her family bookstore and never slows down as they fall in love while debating whether women should be allowed in business. Sub-genre fans will relish the first Hamilton sister tale and look forward to more engaging mid nineteenth century romances. Harriet Klausner