London, September 1807

Livia Lacey attends a ball in London at which she meets the dashing Russian Prince, Alex Prokov, a newcomer to London. He surprises her with his single-minded pursuit, yet charms her at the same time. As the days pass, the extravagant, mysterious prince continues to woo Livia, awakening passion in them both. Soon Livia and Alex marry, setting up house in Cavendish Square -- property Livia inherited from Sophia Lacey.

It is not long before they discover things about each other that make a smooth married life difficult. Livia is independent and doesn’t give up ownership or management of her house easily. Alex is charming and warmly passionate, generous to a fault, but somewhat autocratic and secretive. He doesn’t want her to meet any of the men who come to meet with him. Livia is determined to make the best of this relationship, but as she discovers more secrets around her husband, she begins to wonder why he married her. Does Alex truly love her? His passion certainly says so, but Alex hides so much of his life from her. Only an intelligent, persistent woman like Livia will have the courage to find the truth.

TO WED A WICKED PRINCE shares similarities with the first book in the series, A WICKED GENTLEMAN. The main characters are mature people, and in both books, the secrets in the hero’s life cause problems. Livia is thoughtful and intelligent, yet she marries almost impulsively. She really comes into her own by the end of the book. Alex is a gentleman, but autocratic. He lives a life surrounded by secrets, having grown up a companion of the czar. Although he is well intentioned, it is not easy to feel sympathy for Alex because of the way he manipulated events. I did not see how he would ever be free from the long reach of the czar. The story moves rather slowly at the beginning, but picks up after they marry halfway through the book. By then I was interested to find out how they would resolve their problems. TO WED A WICKED PRINCE can be read as a stand-alone novel, but readers will understand Livia better if they also pick up A WICKED GENTLEMAN.

Lisa Baca