Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James

Helene, the Countess Godwin, knows there is nothing more unbearably tedious than a virtuous woman. After all, she's been one for ten long years while her scoundrel of a husband lives with strumpets and causes scandal after scandal. So she decides it's time for a change--she styles her hair in the newest, daring mode, puts on a shockingly transparent gown, and goes to a ball like Cinderella, hoping to find a prince charming to sweep her off her feet...and into his bed.

But instead of a prince, she finds only her own volatile, infuriatingly handsome...husband, Rees, the Earl Godwin. They'd eloped to Gretna Green in a fiery passion, but passion can sometimes burn too hot to last.

But now, Rees makes her a brazen offer, and Helene decides to become his wife again...but not in name only. No, this time she decides to be very, very wicked indeed.


I cannot believe that I actually finished this book. Prolly because I was desperate to like Eloisa James' works. Remember that July was becoming a very bad reading month save for a few old fave rereads and, of course, THE book of the century (check previous post for details). Nevertheless, I plowed on page after page because I was hoping there might be a surprise somewhere that would save my opinion of the book. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't any.

Infidelity will always leave a sour taste in my mouth so I dunno how I lasted through this book. I can't stomach the thought of a husband throwing out his wife from their home and have the gall to put his mistress in her room. It was made clear that he was only after her for her voice so that she could help him with the operas he was making--but it was a pointless argument since they did sleep together. And worst of all, he didn't want to give his wife the divorce she had repeatedly asked for because it would be too costly--even if he could bloody well afford it. Deffo not a hero material.

And the heroine wasn't much of anything either. She wanted to have a child and since her husband wouldn't divorce her, she sought to make this happen with another man. Ugh! (As my friends would say: Cannot be, borrow one!) And even if her husband already treated her shabbily, she just went along with his plan to live with him again so long as he was willing to father her child. And let's not forget: the mistress was still in the house, too.

I dunno. The story only got from bad to worse. I know it worked for other readers because how else was I to know about EJ and be desperate enough to read her stuff. I don't think I'll be getting some of hers soon though.

Final verdict: 5/10. Meh.