My Wicked Marquess by Gaelen Foley

My Wicked Marquess

Inferno Club #1

Gaelen Foley

Historical Romance

Published in 2009

H/h - Max St. Albans, the Marquess of Rotherstone/Daphne Starling

Setting: London, 1815.

Read in March, 2011.

My rating:

                                                                      [spoiler alert]

Gaelen Foley is one of the authors who writes spy stories at its best. After reading Lord of Fire, I can hardly doubt that, right? But this book is nothing like that. To me, it feels like a theatrical. I seem to be laughing at places I have no business of laughing at all. Does that make me boo-boo in the head? :s

The whole theory and idea behind The Inferno Club/St. Micheal's Order is unbelievable but hey, I guess Gaelen Foley did her research with a touch of her active imagination. So, I'm trying to find the thrill that I felt while reading Lord of Fire. Sadly, it's lacking. Max, so far, is a good hero. His friends in the Inferno Club sound good, Gaelen Foley is still setting up the base for the next installments. Honestly, I'm more into Drake, who's being tortured by the Promethean council, rather than Max, Rohan or Jordan. I love sexy alpha-heroes with a tortured past. Have to wait another yr for his book, which is sort of killing me. I'm ending up wishing for more details of Max's work as a spy, the narratives of which are quite vague and predictable. This would've made the book more interesting I guess.

Daphne is quite annoying at times but overall, not bad. I  wish she would stand up more to her really horrible stepmother. Sometimes she vacillates, I wish she didn't. Max wants to marry her, just proposed her. I thought I understood why she's hesitating but it's just not ... well, let's just say, she's not as bold and strong as I would've like her to be.

Anyway, I heard stuff about this series, like how it's so different from her earlier works and have to say I agree. I hope it doesn't become one of those books I never pick up twice. :/

*****************

Hmm, there are many things I could say but decided not to since the book was kinda ok for me. Nothing like the Gaelen Foley I knew, the spies (ie: Lucien) I've read in her books. In that sense, this book is a disappointment. No angst, not much of anything happening. A 3.5 star. Saying all these, I like Max as a character. His words,

"No one has ever loved me"

did tug at my heart. I found him sweet and vulnerable but not a spy stuff in that sense. The problem was, there were mentions of many of his 'activities' while working for the Order but not much action as the book progressed. 2/3rds of it was spent on him chasing Daphne from one side to the other of Britain. Only after they got married I began to find the book interesting and the last few chapters, where there are mentions of various twists (for next installments), that the book got kinda exciting. He gives this huge lecture on the foundation of the St. Micheal's order about 600yrs ago and how generation after generation his and the other warriors' ancestors served the Order. I didn't know many things, have to check out a few stuff to get to the bottom of it but I applaud Gaelen Foley for the research.

And Daphne got irritating as the story went. I did think she pressed Max too hard to confess his feelings as well as his work as a spy. I did agree when some review said she has a I-WANT-IT-MY-WAY attitude. Tell me what kind of love it is that gets shaken with every little thing that bugs her mind? Every time she opened her mouth about 'love', I had issues with her POV. She sorta blackmailed him that she won't love him anymore (and the poor guy wanted someone to love him so bad!) if he didn't confess. I hated it. Also, Max was really stubborn in places which is why, as much annoyed as I was with Daphne, couldn't blame her entirely. He went about it the wrong way from the beginning, even though, as I said earlier, he was a good, sweet hero. Before their marriage, between Daphne and her friends Jonathan and Carissa to Max and Daphne, it felt like I'm reading some children bickering for things they can/can't have. It was just that, set my eyes rolling. And, I know for sure that GF can do SO MUCH BETTER than this!

So, in later installments we'll read books about Rohan (don't like him already), Jordan (not interested really), Drake (kinda interested to know how he fares from the torture) and another Viscount (nothing on him yet). Also, with the other villains, Daphne's jilted suitor Albert the dandy is one, guessing we'll see him too (not that I care one whit!).

And, I'm going to read the other books because:

1) it's a series and I hate not knowing what happened to the other characters. Just me! and

2) in the hope that the series would improve.

Amen!