Wicked in Your Arms by Sophie Jordan

Wicked in Your Arms by Sophie Jordan
"One of the most notoriously eligible bachelors in Europe is finally ready to marry . . .

For fiercely independent Grier Hadley, being the illegitimate daughter of one of London's most unsavory characters has only one advantage: an enormous, ill-gotten dowry.

Prince Sevastian Maksimi knows where his duty lies: he must find a well-bred young lady—one with a considerable fortune to her name—wed her promptly, and get to the business of producing an heir.

The last thing Grier needs is some unattainable prince curling her toes with his smoldering glances and wicked suggestions. As far as Sev is concerned, she lacks the breeding to become a princess. And yet one kiss from this arresting female is all it takes for him to realize that anyone else in his arms would be unthinkable . . ."- summary from Amazon

This was an unsolicited review copy, if you couldn't tell (and hadn't watched my IMM videos). But since it was Sophie Jordan, author of the YA book Firelight, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was pretty impressed, though it does read like a romance novel if that makes any sense. I don't really know how to describe that, but it was just this feeling that came over me when I started it.

Most people think romance novels are all about sex, and I was under this impression too. There's nothing wrong with sex, but Jordan definitely gave me something to think about when it took about 200-some pages to get to the first sex scene. Well, the first one between the hero and heroine. The actual first one is pretty hilarious and within the first 50 pages, I think. It's a romance novel though, not a smut book, so the focus is on Grier and Sev's interesting, argumentative courtship of each other. With this focus though, I felt that characterization was lost on other characters because so much time is spent on the two leads.

The last 50 pages were pretty action-filled and there was a twist thrown in I hadn't seen coming. The ending was also very sweet. The historical setting didn't bother me either, which is a big feat since I'm not a huge fan of historical novels. I think Grier and Sev matching wits made it more fun.

I really enjoyed this book despite the (at times) odd prose and lack of characterization for anyone but the leads. It's a good, quick, entertaining read for the summertime if you're in the mood for a romance novel.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.