Review ‘Wicked Designs’ by Lauren Smith

For too long Miss Emily Parr has been subject to the whims of her indebted uncle
and the lecherous advances of his repulsive business partner. Her plan to be
done with dominating men forever is simple—find herself a kind husband who will
leave her to her books.

It seems an easy enough plan, until she is unexpectedly abducted by an
incorrigible duke who hides a wounded spirit behind flashing green eyes.

Godric St. Laurent, Duke of Essex, spends countless nights at the club with his
four best friends, and relishes the rakish reputation society has branded him
with. He has no plans to marry anytime soon—if ever. But when he kidnaps an
embezzler’s niece, the difficult debutante’s blend of sweetness and sharp
tongue make him desperate for the one thing he swears he never wanted: love.

Yet as they surrender to passion, danger lurks in Godric’s shadowed past,
waiting for him to drop his guard—and rob him of the woman he can’t live
without.

Product Warnings:
This novel includes a lady who refuses to stay kidnapped, a devilish duke with
a dark past, and an assortment of charming rogues who have no idea what they’ve
gotten themselves into. 

A couple
of weeks ago Lauren Smith approached me with the question if I wanted to read
her book ‘Wicked Designs’. I’ve never read a book in the historical romance genre,
so I was really interested to read something from this genre. I read the Blurb
and was immediately fascinated, this book really sounded interesting. But
still, when I started reading ‘Wicked Designs’ a view days ago I didn’t expect
to fell in love with a new genre. But boy was I wrong.

In ‘Wicked
Designs’ we read about Miss Emily Parr. A young girl with a strong mind. Emily
lives with her uncle and is anything but happy about her life. When Emily is
abducted by five men, she is horrified. When she finds out that these five gorgeous
men are ‘The League of Rogues’ she is really scared that her reputation will be
damaged and that her chance of finding a man, who’s willing to marry her so she
can do what she wants, is lessened. But even though she knows she should be
upset about the abduction, she also finds herself enjoying spending time with
Godric St. Laurent and his friends. Godric is the Duke of Essex and he is
really not what he seems to be. In the beginning Godric is just this arrogant
and used-to-get-what-he-wants kind of guy but soon Godric begins to feel more
for the young Emily and we get to see a much sweeter side of him. But Godric’s
past is hunting him and when he finds himself enjoying his time with Emily more
and more things soon change.

From the
very first page I really enjoyed this story. I really loved the world Lauren Smith
created and I felt myself being compelled by the world and the era of ‘The
League of Rogues’. I didn’t quite know what I could expect about the historical
romance genre but what I certainly didn’t expect is the passion and romance
this book had. This book takes place in the 19th century and in ‘Wicked
Designs’ we really get the best out of that time. Handsome dukes, the amazing English
‘old’ language, beautiful gowns and beautiful estates. But this book is also
very sexy, romantic and full of knee-weakening moments. I just loved every page
of this book.  

The
character I liked the most was definitely Emily. I loved how strong and independent
she was. Even though she lives in the 19th century where woman aren’t
allowed much she tries to be strong and demands respect from the man she loves.
She is a very strong and educated person and if I would live in the 19th
century she would totally be my role model. Emily also loves books and
reading.. I mean what book loving woman would not like her? LOL

I also
really liked Godric. He tried to be this hard and angry man but with Emily he
just can’t pull this ‘angry’ side off. I loved how passionately he is and how
he slowly changed, throughout the book, into this kind and caring guy.

And off
course I really liked ‘The League of Rogues’. The friendship these guys have is
just amazing. I’m totally jealous of their friendship. They fight each other if
necessary, they trust each other without doubt and always have each other’s
backs. They truly care about each other.

I also
really liked the fact that there is still a lot of mystery around ‘The League
of Rogues’. We learn some stuff about them in this book. But there is a lot we don’t
know about them and that keeps this book very interesting.

‘Wicked
Designs’ is definitely going on my favorite list. I loved this book, the
characters and the era. I couldn’t get enough and I’m determined to read more
historical romance in the future. Lauren Smith has definitely got a new fan.  

Born and
raised in Tulsa, Lauren Smith spent the first twenty-two years of her life in
Oklahoma, bridging the worlds between urban girl and cowgirl. After high school
she attended Oklahoma State University where she earned Bachelor of Art degrees
in history and political science. Drawn to paintings in museums and obsessed
with antiques, she has satisfied her fascination with history by writing and exploring
exotic, ancient lands.

Picture by Jamie Alsobrook!

Over the years, Lauren’s studies have opened doors throughout the world. From
spending two summers at Cambridge to attending classes at such divergent places
as Ireland and Chengdu, China, she has discovered fascinating opportunities for
enrichment wherever she goes. After completing college, Lauren moved to
Michigan to attend law school at the University of Detroit-Mercy and University
of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. Armed with two Juris Doctorate degrees from both
countries, she returned to Tulsa and became an intellectual property attorney.

Since third grade when her English teacher proposed that all students should
craft a story for a young writers’ conference, Lauren has been hooked on
writing. Her first self-illustrated manuscript described the mysterious
disappearance of rare brown bats that were being captured by scientists bent on
using them as carriers for an incurable disease. The immense sense of joy in
sharing that story with others, and discussing plots and characters, made it
clear to Lauren that writing was her true passion. 

For more information about Lauren Smith and ‘Wicked Designs’ please
visit her website, her blog, Goodreads and Amazon. Or look for Lauren on Facebook.