A Touch Wicked wasn't a terrible read, but I feel like it could have been a lot better, my biggest problem was the speed of events that occurred in the book. It seemed like everything was going so fast, which left me confused at times and also hindered the entire development of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book just wasn’t quite what I was expecting - I expected a more typical historical romance, and while this take wasn’t bad, I did feel a bit misled in the beginning.

This book had a great premise and was enjoyable enough, but I found it lacking in many ways. It felt like more was happening behind the scenes than in the chapters; the main couple had an instant attraction that was very sudden, and though the sister was terrible and sent every other maid running, she had an instant friendship with Emma and seemed like a nice person. The plot also fell flat with little tension. That being said, it was a cute read. If you want a very simple book that you can read without thinking too much (perhaps as a pallete cleanser), then this book is for you. There is spice.

Emma Dumont arrives in London from Paris looking for her sister. She knows Isabel is in trouble as death stalkes her as well. Her only clue to finding Isabel is a ticket for the Masquerade in London. Under a false name, Emma is employed working as a maid for Robert, the Earl of Kent. Unknowingly they encounter each other at the Masquerade and it leads to a hot and steamy affair. Meanwhile, secrets concerning Isabella are revealed and assassins follow. A fast paced mystery romance. A new author for my TBR.
Extremely hot descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

4.25*

If you didn’t know, Katrina Kendrick is a pen name for Elizabeth May (my favourite author) for her historical spicy romances. I LOVE these books. This is my second book of hers, and while I loved A Bride By Morning more, this one is still SO good.

I loved the mysterious element of this one regarding Emma’s sister. The plot in this book (where it isn’t romance) is about finding out where her sister is, if she’s in danger, and if she’s dead. I loved how it was incorporated in the romance plot too.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a spicy historical romance that also has a separate mysterious plot!!

A Touch Wicked-Private Arrangement 0.5

By Katrina Kendrick- never read author

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

📃 Page Count: 275

🌎Setting: Victorian England

Publication 4-11-24,  Read 4-16-24

🙏🏾 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Aria & Aries for this ARC ❤️ ! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

🤷🏾‍♀️ What to Expect:  Historical Romance
Tropes: work romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, secret identities, family drama

Summary: Emma Dumont is desperate to help her sister Isabel who turned into a criminal to help feed them and pay medical bills for their mother before she died. She goes undercover to Earl of Kent (James) takes a job as a lady's maid to his sister Alexandra. She finds a invite to The Masquerade-a forbidden club where she and James are immediately drawn to each other wearing masks. They carry on an affair never revealing who they really are until a misunderstanding causes James to cut Emma off.

🤔 My Thoughts: This was a quick read with spies, rebels, and a secret love affair. A little steamy for me, but I liked that Emma was able to explore her sexuality freely. She and James had class differences, but as strangers were able to enjoy their desire for each other. I need to read His Scandalous Lessons to get more Ms. Sheffield and Tempting the Scoundrel for Alexandra's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. I especially loved Emma and Alexandra! I can’t get enough of female characters that fight to be treated equal and don’t care about what men think. Especially when the characters are in historical romance books. Alexandra was so entertaining and the way she pushed her brother’s buttons was the best.

I enjoyed the romance in this book, but I do wish it had been a little more gradual. It was a little bit insta-lusty, but I still liked it.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author and now I’ll definitely be checking out more of her books!

This book is a bit of a conundrum for me. There were definitely things that bothered me, but it was so compulsively readable that I couldn't put it down.

Emma, the heroine, is searching for her sister, who has gone missing under alarming circumstances. She's posing as a lady's maid in an earl's household.

James, the Earl anf our hero, is trying to keep his siblings from scandal or jail. He's also decided to take a wife. He is drawn to Emma, but as her employer does not pursue her.

They both end up at a masquerade event... I'm sure you can see where things are heading...

One of my main issues was the fact that James never recognizes that Tempest (Emma in a mask) and Emma are the same person. It just seemed really unlikely that he wouldn't put it together given how much time he spends with her in both guises.

I also got irritated with the back and forth between the leads. It felt like the same argument over and over again.

Having said that, I could not stop reading it! I loved the side characters. The dialog was extremely well done, and I desperately needed to know what happened to Emma's sister.

Overall, despite my issues, I really enjoyed this book and immediately added the rest of the series to my TBR.

I received an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Emma is looking for her sister who disappeared under mysterious circumstances and now she’s working as a lady’s maid to a stuffy earl’s sister to support herself. James is the stuffy earl who is pretty much instantly attracted to Emma and totally distracted by her, even though he says he’s looking for a proper society wife to keep his rebellious sister in line. James and Emma run into each other at a masquerade where he’s trying to put the maid out of his mind and she’s trying to find clues about her sisters whereabouts. Although James does not recognize Emma, she definitely recognizes him and tries to stay away. Except for that whole instant attraction business and they soon start a masked affair. It’s going to be a huge mess when he finds out the truth, but the mystery of Emma’s missing sister is super intriguing to read about.

An enjoyable historical romance and adventure read that will captivate even those not used to this genre.

Assassins, Spies and Love!

Emma and Isobel Dumont are the illegitimate daughters of the Duke of Southampton and a French mother had grown up in poverty in Paris when the Duke had thrown his mistress out.
They had done everything they could to find money for medicine for their mother. To no avail.
Concerned for her sister Isabel, Emma had gone to her flat and found the place in disarray and Isabel missing. What she does find is a card with a place in London called The Masquerade. She’s then attacked by a man who’s also looking for Isobel. Emma’s able to fight free.
Emma flees to London where she becomes a maid to Alexandra, the sister of James Grey, the Earl of Kent. With employment settled she’s able to pursue her search. That means entering The Masquerade.
But who does she meet there but James. Emma becomes Tempest. James is completely enthralled by Tempest, but how can he be attracted to both her and his sister’s maid. He’s troubled, puzzled and enchanted.
A novel of passions playing out as Emma searches for her sister. (Way to much weight is given to the “passionate” part I felt.) In the end I wanted more attention given to the search for Isobel and less handwringing by Emma over her passionate interaction with James.
Isabel is involved somehow in a mysterious organization called the Syndicate. Assassins are after her. In the end the resolution will involve the Home Office and a mysterious spy, Callahan.
I’m loving Alexandra BTW. Her story I suspect will be be a cracker.
A lively, steamy read!

An Aria & Aries ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

this was decent, it read more like a Wattpad story. There was lust between the main characters. They really said potentially dying sister? Nahh let’s not focus on that..masquerade ball let’s go to pound town! I will say the ending kind of dragged on. Why prolongue the Inevitable?? Overall decent read if you are looking for a smut book this is for you think Bridgerton season 1 episode 6.

Set in Victorian London, this is a scintillating, sensual romance set in a world of crime and espionage. After encountering an assassin at her sister's former residence, Emma travels to London to find her sister, Isabel. The only clue is an invitation to a risque masquerade in London. Emma needs employment, which is how she meets James, The Earl of Kent and Alexandra, his sister, who needs a lady's maid. The two women have an instant rapport, and she secures the position. The forbidden romance between James and Emma is sensually poignant and full of secrets. I like the characters, the story's menacing ethos, the sensual romance mirrored by their emotional commitment and seemingly insurmountable conflicts to their happiness.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started this book but I don't think I was expecting to like this book so much! What I really liked was, while the ending was to be expected (HEA), I did not guess the plot twists and turns to get there. I read this very quickly and really enjoyed it.This almost had a 'you've got mail' vibe with the secret identity but was focussed more on the character reveal than the redemption of one identity. The spice was wonderful. Both characters were believable and I would love to read more stories from the household. I note there are three more in this series and I look forward to reading them!

Big thanks to NetGalley, Aria & Aries and Katrina Kendrick for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review.

Delightful romance!

The prologue to this book provides an overview of the dynamic into which our reading will lead us. And I was not disappointed afterwards with the two wonderful main characters, Emma and James. The author has crafted a lovely and sensual novel. It is well-paced, with some intrigue and mystery. And what about the heroine, Emma, who doesn't give up her place and has a brave and strong mind? The tale features beautiful side characters; they add a nice touch to the novel. I particularly loved Alexandra, James’s sister. She adds some entertaining, intriguing and feminist elements to the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, my first from the author, and it was everything you could want out of a regency romance! Passion, banter, societal constructs in question, a bit of mystery and a tad of violence. I adored the story of James and Emma-their passion, their mystery and time at the Masquerade, their banter, and their inability to stay away from each other. Emma is loyal and brave and would do anything for family and those she loves, but giving into temptation makes her a whole other level! James is staid and true, but let out his wild side, and this sexy man bursts forth! Let’s not forget the hilarious wild child Alexandra, the mysteries of Isabel, the sordid history and French connections of Emma and Isabel’s pasts, and all the wild things that come to light amongst the hidden identities, mysteries, attacks, spies, bodies, and revelations. This one kept me on my toes, kept me enthralled, kept me invested in the love and passion of our two main characters, and overall left me not wanting it to end! So very good!

Another amazing historical romance. I was intrigued by the title and hooked by the blurb and was not disappointed

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Katrina Kendrick for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Touch Wicked coming out April 11, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was intrigued by the description. I love Victorian romances. I think the romance was a little fast. There’s definitely a lot of spice, which was to be expected but I didn’t think it’d be for most of the plot. I would’ve enjoyed a little more storyline. I thought the masquerade part of the book would be more elaborate. I think the first 2/3 of the book didn’t have much action besides the bedroom kind of action. I found the last 1/3 of the book more fun.

This book had everything I look for to get my out of my reading slump.

I'm not a huge fan of historical romance fiction however the story is easy to read with quick pacing and steamy scenes. I had to get over the idea that someone wouldn't be recognised after removing their masquerade mask but it was so enjoyable! Emma and Jones have my HEART. Their chemistry and spark was through the roof and I couldn’t get enough of their story. Alexandra was an amazing character who I adored as well!

This book is full of passion, danger and forbidden romance and I loved every minute of it!

Oh god I thought it was a sweet historical romance, with perhaps some tension and chemistry, and with a very interesting conspiracy plot.

It was far from it.

Historical? Debatable. There's so many historical errors even I, basic reader who haven't done research, noticed. The way of speech, the way to think, the way it was written, was not historical. The most noticable was the word "spoil" in a sentence about spoiling the story of a book. Hello, this is very 20th century here.

Romance? Meh. It was lust. They talk about loving each other while they know basically nothing of each other but they feel love. No, they feel lust. They want to be with them for their body and the sex. Not because they love each other. That's not love, that's not romance.

Tension/Chemistry? Ah yes, that was the main point : smut. So many sex scenes I've read over because one is ok but I think there were 5 or 6 ?? That's too much. That was the main point of the book.

Interesting conspiracy plot? Nope. Oh the idea was interesting. But Emma prefered to f#ck her dear lord than looking out for a possible dead sister. Only the last 15~20% was really about that and it was extremely rushed and you don't even know what happens and why and suddenly the sister is "found", there's deaths, and everything's fine, the end.

Honestly... Go for it for the smut. That's all you'll get from that book.
I would have prefered following Alexandra whom seemed to be a more interesting characters, with a real plot. SHE was the feminist character in the book. Not Emma. Not the MC.