Review: A Week to Be Wicked

A Week to be Wicked
Tessa Dare
Historical Romance/England/1814
Spindle Cove/Book 2
Avon/March 27, 2012

When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin…Time is not on their side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove’s confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be…anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week to

• fake an elopement
• convince family and friends they’re in “love”
• outrun armed robbers
• survive their worst nightmares
• travel four hundred miles without killing each other

All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don’t have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble. And maybe . . . just maybe . . . love.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying the first book in this series and the novella, to say that I was looking forward to A Week to be Wicked would be an understatement! Hats off to Ms. Dare. Colin and Minerva's story was totally worth the wait!

Minerva Highwood has a habit of fading into the shadows of her beautiful sister Diana. Minerva is rather bookish and prefers the attention of others diverted elsewhere except when it comes to the very rakish Lord Payne. Minerva doesn't want his attentions anywhere near her sister and she's determined to make it so. This sets off a chain of events that even the intelligent Minerva could not have foreseen. She is wonderful in her loyalty to her family and her exuberance for her love of rocks. I found Minerva to be an amusing heroine with plenty of depth hidden behind her glasses and her books. Her curiosity is endearing, whether it be about fossils or Colin's body. She is easy to relate to which can be a challenge when you're talking about a character from nearly 200 years ago.

Colin Sandhurst comes off as a typical rake of the time period. He loves women, flirts shamelessly and doesn't deny it. In walks Minerva into Colin's depraved lifestyle and turns it upside down. Colin has dark childhood memories driving him in his life. He plays at the indulgent lifestyle but doesn't truly engage in life. In a way he stays on the outside, much like Minerva. As Colin and Minerva's road trip progresses we get to see Colin become more than the rake he plays so well and become a man worthy of Minerva. I loved how Dare showed us Colin coming out of his shell and being who he was meant to be. Dare also does well showing how Minerva's influence on Colin not only affected him, but also affected her. She began to see the power she had on him.

The romance is a road trip romance, which I love! It's a journey for Minerva and Colin not only in the physical sense but it became an emotional awakening for both of them. They take on different roles to suit each situation they find themselves in. This gives them a chance to explore what they want to be. I loved how Dare gave Minerva and Colin room to grow and make mistakes along the way. I would say this is a romantic comedy with Minerva and Colin trading barbs with underlying tenderness. The dialogue is sharp and witty. I lost track of the times I laughed out loud at their antics.

A Week to Be Wicked was pure pleasure to read. It can be read as a stand-alone, Dare does well filling in the various characters back story. But I would highly recommend this series.

Rating: A

Spindle Cove Series ~

A Night to Surrender
Once Upon a Winter's Eve (novella)
A Week to be Wicked
A Lady by Midnight (August 28, 2012)