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megatza's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was incredible. From the way Cassandra and Joshua meet again after 2 years of marriage in name only to the way they claim each other and themselves for their own HEA.... the banter is top tier, and the characters all rich and complex.
Cassandra and Joshua married at her father's request 2 years ago so that the estate could go to her, rather than be reclaimed by the crown. But it was in name only, so of course she doesn't recognize him when she first sees him in a ballroom in London. She needs to see her sister safely debuted, she wants a child, he wants to be left alone to run his business and not have her interfere or change his life.
The plot points in A Wicked Kind of Husband are not really the point of it though. We see couple who is already married learn to live together, work together, and forge a life together in a way they (and we the reader) could never imagine. Come for the banter, stay for what it means to claim love.
Cassandra and Joshua married at her father's request 2 years ago so that the estate could go to her, rather than be reclaimed by the crown. But it was in name only, so of course she doesn't recognize him when she first sees him in a ballroom in London. She needs to see her sister safely debuted, she wants a child, he wants to be left alone to run his business and not have her interfere or change his life.
The plot points in A Wicked Kind of Husband are not really the point of it though. We see couple who is already married learn to live together, work together, and forge a life together in a way they (and we the reader) could never imagine. Come for the banter, stay for what it means to claim love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide
mood_reading_maya's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
A charming historical romance to end the year on. A Wicked Kind of Husband features:
- Witty banter between the main characters
- Marriage of convenience / marriage in name only
- Estranged couple
- Opposites attract
- Regency London
- Love after loss
- Miscommunication
- Lots and lots of yearning
- How gauche I'm in love with my own spouse!
- Politeness and smiles as a shield
- Boxed up emotions
- An MMC who is a touch absurd
The story primarily focuses on the couple, Cassandra and Joshua, as they are reunited by chance after two years apart. These two don't even recognize one another at first. I liked how Vincy took two charming and deeply lonely characters hiding behind emotional walls and outward facades and showed them falling in love. I was not, however, a fan of Joshua's infidelity prior to his reunion with Cassandra. That aspect felt a bit glossed over and inadequately addressed when it came to the couple's reconciliation. I have a strong preference for faithful, pining, yearning MCs that keep it in their pants while they're off being idiots independent of their spouse.
There is a miscarriage on page in the last 10% of the book. It is not especially graphic but may be triggering. This was another plot aspect that felt a touch glossed over and swept aside too quickly for my liking.
There is a miscarriage on page in the last 10% of the book. It is not especially graphic but may be triggering. This was another plot aspect that felt a touch glossed over and swept aside too quickly for my liking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death and Death
sarawolfe's review
3.0
3.5
joshua’s rudeness felt so childish at the beginning but i was determined to see it through and i think his character development was well done. lots of insufferable infuriating miscommunication and yearning but in a tragic romantic way. i don’t like when histros use miscarriage as plot progression so that really took me out at the end, but overall not a bad book.
joshua’s rudeness felt so childish at the beginning but i was determined to see it through and i think his character development was well done. lots of insufferable infuriating miscommunication and yearning but in a tragic romantic way. i don’t like when histros use miscarriage as plot progression so that really took me out at the end, but overall not a bad book.
hrlastro's review
2.0
[HEAVY SPOILERS WARNING]
I really wanted to love this book because I loved "A dangerous kind of lady" by this author. This book has so much potential at the beginning but it went downhill as soon as they started the baby deal because, after that, the good banter was soon replaced by this back and forth of the FMC wanting him and the baby, and the MMC telling her that he doesn't want that and he'll leave for Birmingham.
I loved her character at first, but she just became a kind of doormat after that, edging on to pathetic, almost begging for that horrible husband who cheated on her.
I get that they were husband and wife only on paper, and I would've been okay with the cheating if he had told her first. If not for plot convenience, she would've had to defend his cheating ways in court. (I mean, it is historically accurate.) Believe me, him cheating is least of my issue with this MMC.
He was indebted to her father and cared for him but never cared enough to even check on his family.
I liked the MMC at first too, but then he started to wallow in self-pity. He kept pushing the FMC away for no reason. I get his trauma but he treated FMC so poorly the entire time.
When he found out about the baby, she literally told him, "I want a husband" and "A whole one, not one who is always leaving me."
After that confession, he said, "I'm leaving for Birmingham."
She lashes out at him and tells him to leave for Birmingham.
Right after that his inner monologue is, "She was sending him away. Of course she was. She had never needed him; she had only wanted a child. Those plans—yes, the dutiful wife. What a hypocrite she was: accusing him of always leaving her, when she had been leaving him too," and "She never truly loved him," and "His wife kicked him out and he started losing his mind."
But she wanted him to stay. She even made his own room in the house for him to stay, but he was so adamant about leaving for Birmingham.
She was so heartbroken, and she miscarried the child. That was the exact moment he showed up. He saw that she was bleeding, so he was carrying her through the rain, and all she cared about was how he'll leave her now that she lost the child. She was also worried that he'll get wet in the rain while she is actively going through the miscarriage. She cares about the person who left her after finding out she was pregnant. My heart breaks for this FMC in that moment, but I hate seeing it through the MMC's self-serving head.
The first thing she does when she wakes up after the miscarriage is order/beg him to stay again (she didn't know that he was already going to stay, so she just begged him to stay again) so MMC doesn't even grovel. She just laid it out to him on a silver platter without even him saying "I'm sorry"
Every time the FMC needed comfort from him when she was hurt, he never offered it. I get why the MMC loves her, but I don't know why she loves him because all he did was push her away to the brink of almost breaking.
Even at the end, after all that begging she did for him to stay, he is still kind of blaming her for sending him away when he is the one constantly talking about LEAVING FOR BIRMINGHAM. I can't with this guy.
I really wanted to love this book because I loved "A dangerous kind of lady" by this author. This book has so much potential at the beginning but it went downhill as soon as they started the baby deal because, after that, the good banter was soon replaced by this back and forth of the FMC wanting him and the baby, and the MMC telling her that he doesn't want that and he'll leave for Birmingham.
I loved her character at first, but she just became a kind of doormat after that, edging on to pathetic, almost begging for that horrible husband who cheated on her.
I get that they were husband and wife only on paper, and I would've been okay with the cheating if he had told her first. If not for plot convenience, she would've had to defend his cheating ways in court. (I mean, it is historically accurate.) Believe me, him cheating is least of my issue with this MMC.
He was indebted to her father and cared for him but never cared enough to even check on his family.
I liked the MMC at first too, but then he started to wallow in self-pity. He kept pushing the FMC away for no reason. I get his trauma but he treated FMC so poorly the entire time.
When he found out about the baby, she literally told him, "I want a husband" and "A whole one, not one who is always leaving me."
After that confession, he said, "I'm leaving for Birmingham."
She lashes out at him and tells him to leave for Birmingham.
Right after that his inner monologue is, "She was sending him away. Of course she was. She had never needed him; she had only wanted a child. Those plans—yes, the dutiful wife. What a hypocrite she was: accusing him of always leaving her, when she had been leaving him too," and "She never truly loved him," and "His wife kicked him out and he started losing his mind."
But she wanted him to stay. She even made his own room in the house for him to stay, but he was so adamant about leaving for Birmingham.
She was so heartbroken, and she miscarried the child. That was the exact moment he showed up. He saw that she was bleeding, so he was carrying her through the rain, and all she cared about was how he'll leave her now that she lost the child. She was also worried that he'll get wet in the rain while she is actively going through the miscarriage. She cares about the person who left her after finding out she was pregnant. My heart breaks for this FMC in that moment, but I hate seeing it through the MMC's self-serving head.
The first thing she does when she wakes up after the miscarriage is order/beg him to stay again (she didn't know that he was already going to stay, so she just begged him to stay again) so MMC doesn't even grovel. She just laid it out to him on a silver platter without even him saying "I'm sorry"
Every time the FMC needed comfort from him when she was hurt, he never offered it. I get why the MMC loves her, but I don't know why she loves him because all he did was push her away to the brink of almost breaking.
Even at the end, after all that begging she did for him to stay, he is still kind of blaming her for sending him away when he is the one constantly talking about LEAVING FOR BIRMINGHAM. I can't with this guy.
melissad1975's review
3.0
Pretty good! I love marriage of convenience stories, and this was an enjoyable one. I went a whole year without reading any historical romance (or any other fiction) so I needed something engaging to get me back into the HR reading groove. This did the trick. Well-rounded characters, witty dialogue, and a believable romance. I liked it.
lauren_readingretriever's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sangu20's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
majorarcana's review
5.0
i am speechless. this was slow burn marriage of convenience marriage in crisis EXCELLENCE. the banter. the angst. the character development. absolutely insane. mia vincy you have done it again. 5/5 no notes.
antisocialkaren's review
2.0
“That’s what hearts do,” she said. “They break. Hearts love and hearts break and then they heal. Every hour, every day, we love and hurt and heal.”
I feel like I should've loved this book but unfortunately, I didn't. A Wicked Kind of Husband had my favorite marriage of convenience and second chance trope, delivered with a lot of witty banter, but as a whole, it just didn't really work for me.
Plot wise, I felt like there was too much going on at the same time. I also wasn't particularly fond of the hero in this one (I'll even admit I forgot his name a few times). His character was a little too all over the place. I personally don't feel like he ever redeemed himself either. And in the end, I wasn't convinced he was worthy of the heroine at all.
The last 15% was a massive curveball I feel very conflicted about (trigger warning:
Spoiler
miscarriageRating: 2/5