THE WICKEDEST LORD ALIVE - Christina Brooke
The Westruthers , Book 3
St. Martin's Paperbacks
ISBN-10: 1-250-02936-8
ISBN-13: 978-125-002936-2
July 2014
Historical Romance

England, Early 19th Century

Xavier Westruther, the Marquis Steyne, has always been the most enigmatic of the Westruther cousins. Although excessively handsome, he has acted so cynical, dissolute, and detached. To discover that years ago he married the Earl of Bute's seventeen-year old daughter to save his mother from the gambling debts she had amassed came as both a surprise and a cause for his behavior. Later the same night he found the earl whipping his mother, and he nearly killed him. He saved his mother and went back after his wife to find she had disappeared.

Things have changed in the past eight years. Xavier found where his wife went and has kept track of her, but he has left her to her own devices rather than involve her in his sordid world. Except now, he thinks his uncle and his mother are trying to kill him to take control of his estate. He needs an heir, so goes to Little Thurston, the small town where his wife, Lady Alexandra Simmons, now going by Miss. Lizzie Allbright, is living. He travels with his cousin, Lord Lydgate. His plan is to take Lizzie to a Westruther family gathering at the Duke of Montford's mansion. Since his extended family does not know about his forced marriage, Xavier plans to show interest in Lizzie, whereupon they will pretend to elope and save their situation from scandal. His reactions when another man asks Lizzie for her hand in marriage are unexpected, and what will happen when his mother shows up at the family gathering? Of course, nothing will go as planned.

Although tall and thin, Lizzie is no push over. Her father beat her, and seeing him whipping Steyne's mother made her take action. She showed her mettle when she escaped her father's house and found a new life. She fights her attraction to Steyne, hoping to understand him, which might lead to his falling in love with her.

The setup for this story takes some time, but slowly readers will change their viewpoint of Xavier Westruther, much of this due to Lizzie's intervention. She is spirited, but kind, something sorely lacking in Xavier's life. There is a hot love scene included. The villainy and problems are unusual, but the Westruther family, with all the characters from previous books, is supportive of Xavier and Lizzie. The ending has a rather grotesque scene, but well deserved with a twist on who saves whom. THE WICKEDEST LORD ALIVE is an altogether good read historical romance readers will enjoy.

Robin Lee