I’m Only Wicked With You audiobook

TITLE: I'M ONLY WICKED WITH YOUAUTHOR: Julie Anne LongSERIES: The Palace of the Rogues #3RELEASE DATE: August 24, 2021GENRE: Historical RomanceTHEMES & TROPES: Enemies to LoversRATING: 4 STARSCLIFFHANGER: NoSo I'm gonna start with an admission: I'm not a big fan of the main characters of a story being in love with other people at the time they meet. It's so damn hard for an author to make me believe that all of a sudden they completely forget about the other love interest. But if somebody could make it work it would be Julie Anne Long.The first 30% were a slower pace than I'm used to from this author but once I got past that I really started to connect first with the characters. Lillias's antagonism at the beginning felt a little childish but then I thought back to a time when I was that young and, honestly, I was probably just the same kind of brat. Hugh was dreamy, his thoughts about the headstrong young woman were so incredibly tender and affectionate and that started to shine through. “Lillias . . .” She’d never heard her name said in such a way. It had facets; it fairly shimmered with shades of emotion. Wit and exasperation and tenderness and frustration. Hugh and Lillias had a strong sexual attraction right from the start but they also were both carrying a torch for other people. I loved how it became more and more obvious that they held serious affection and liking for one another. That it would only a matter of time until they'd fall head over heels. So this part definitely worked for me. I felt that Lillias and Hugh understood one another from the base up. "Nothing is like us." I saw someone comparing this book to What I Did For a Duke and I concur. It does have that feel because like Hugh and Lillias Alexander and Genevieve start out as antagonists but it still doesn't feel as if JAL just repackaged the trope. No, it's a completely different story.Julie Anne Long's writing is so breathtakingly and achingly beautiful. She truly is one of a kind. I also love the smart dialogues, the banter and the humor she always uses to make her characters multi-dimensional. I'm looking forward who Delilah and Angelique will host next! “I thought love was meant to be an easy, peaceful thing, Lillias. But it’s like life itself. It’s maddening. And beautiful. And changeable and funny and passionate. It’s . . . like a Hudson River Valley sunset. Underneath all that fire and glory the sky is ever constant. It’s like you. For me, it is you."

We absolutely loved the third entry in the Palace of Rogues series! Julie Anne Long may be one of the funniest writers working in romance today. She manages to balance her sly dialogue and situational humor without losing any of the sentimental romance we romance readers love. I'm Only Wicked with You is a perfect example of her strengths.Although the first two books focused on the proprietresses, this book branches out two of the boarders, Hugh Cassidy and Lady Lillias Vaughn. While we have read many historical romances featuring American heiresses in England, here we have an American man with no pretensions to nobility thrown together with a high society beauty. Lillias is suffering from a romantic disappointment, while Hugh's greatest desire is to complete his work in England so he can return to New York. They are immediately attracted to each other even as they realize their life goals and backgrounds make their chances for a permanent relationship very slim. When they are caught in a compromising situation, they have to negotiate their conflicting desires. Many romances use miscommunication as an easy way to foster conflict, but here, Lillias and Hugh's unwanted engagement forces them to be clear about their aspirations and expectations. Highly recommended!40-Word Summaries:Meg: Hugh’s a bear-fightin’, log-cabin-buildin’ American in London. Lillias is a diamond-of-the-first-water earl’s daughter. Their immediate attraction and enmity build to an explosive “performance” - with (unfortunately) an audience. They may avoid social ruination ... but their marriage will actually ruin their lives.⁠⁠Laine: Lillias is too sad to paint and it takes meeting Hugh to restore color to her life. When she's not sure if they really like each other but is definitely sure they want to make-out, she grows up so fast. ⁠⁠Natalie: In a shocking twist, Mr. Cassidy grows claws and Lillias and I think he is a jerk. But there is also a little gap between his body and his pants and, as Paris Hilton says, "That's hot." So he's forgiven.⁠This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This was a very sweet and well developed historical romance, it was my first read by this author and I'm excited to read more. Julie has a way of writing that draws you in to the story slowly with small character reveals and relationship dynamics layered gradually. It does give it the feel of a slow burn but I really enjoyed it. Also loved the American business man hero and a British society lady who loves art.

Review originally posted at https://smexybooks.com/2021/08/angela...I know that Julie Anne Long is an author with at least one long-running historical romance series under her belt, but I still think she is massively underrated and overlooked. Simply stated, she rocks my socks off, and every single time I open one of her new releases I can’t help but wonder why I don’t see people singing her praises all over blogs and social media.I’m Only Wicked with You is the third book in The Palace of Rogues series and brings readers back to that quirky, wonderful hotel The Grand Palace on the Thames. This time readers are introduced to an enemies to lovers romance featuring the American Hugh Cassidy, who is in London to track down a runaway young woman for a friend, and Lady Lillias Vaughn, who along with her family is staying at The Palace while their estate is being desnaked. (Yes, you read that right.)These two butt heads continuously and have this back and forth verbal sparring that I live for. BUT THEY ALSO CAN’T KEEP THEIR MOUTHS OFF EACH OTHER. Which eventually ends up in an engagement, which neither thinks they want and a plan to get Lillias the man she thinks she really desires.There is just something about his author’s writing that sucks me in every single time. I just love the way her characters fall into this kind of desperate passion without realizing it. This couple is spitting mad at each other one minute and then embracing each other in fierce need the next. It made their journey to a HEA such a thrilling ride.If you haven’t yet read this series I highly, HIGHLY recommend.Final grade- B+

Title: I'm Only Wicked With YouSeries: The Palace of Rogues #3Author: Julie Anne LongRelease date: August 24, 2021Cliffhanger: noGenre: historical romanceThis series to date has been one resounding success after another. Instead of losing my enthusiasm just a little bit with each new book, I only fall in love with the Grand Palace on the Thames and all of its inhabitants more each time. The charm of the quirky boarders like Mr. Delacorte, the proprietresses' atypical friendship and their equally unexpected love matches, and the quick-witted banter between the main characters are just a few things that make me greedily coming back for more. And while some things feel familiar, they aren't so much so that they become stale. Julie Anne Long managed to give this book a completely fresh feel with these main characters. The first half of the book was spent primarily in the boarding house where hilarity and verbal sparring always ensues. Then we got to venture into Lady Lillias' world of privilege as she made sense of society's expectations and where she truly fit in the world in order to find her HEA. The themes of social disparity, classism, duty vs. passion, and a love triangle square kept me hooked until the very end. Both the hero and heroine believed themselves to be in love with someone else when they met each other. That could have easily gone very wrong, but the transition of their affection never felt too abrupt or unnatural. I think that can be attributed to the work the author put into showing the reader how they fell-despite the odds stacked against them. Not telling us. There was no insta-love to be found, and no epiphany of love switch that was flipped. The characters work for it, and in doing so, the reader reaps all of the rewards. Lillias is nursing a broken heart, and Hugh is in London to hunt down the missing woman he has his fragile heart set on. Neither are open to romance when they meet, but from day one they sparked competitive friction off of one another. Mr. Cassidy, she realized, always came out fighting. Which she supposed was flattering: it was a measure of the sort of adversary he saw in her.It becomes like a game to them to properly fluster the other with sexual innuendoes and wordplay. Yes, they had an unsettling physical reaction to each other, but that inconvenient fact keeps getting compartmentalized in a nice and tidy box. Closed tightly, and tied up with a bow. Perhaps not as tightly as they imagine.Lillias is a the dutiful daughter of the Earl and Countess of Vaughn, but lately, a bit of a rebel. When she met Hugh in the previous book, she was defiantly smoking one of her father's cigars. Then there was that time she climbed up to the top of the tower of her church and rang the bell just for giggles. She's lived her life in society's highest echelon. She looks the part, she plays the part, but she never really FIT the part. If she felt that her suiters' affections were artificial and her value in that world purely making an advantageous match, she tends to not acknowledge that. Her world is familiar, and there's a measure of comfort in that. Hugh Cassidy is everything unfamiliar and inscrutable to her. He's a man who came from nothing and paved his own way in the world. He sees things through a different lens than her and helps her to see the world with a clarity that she never has before.He had cracked her open in ways she had not expected and did not welcome, and all the things she truly was were emerging. If she were honest, she knew the cracks had begun before he’d even arrived.When Hugh isn't working to get a rise out of her, he isn't giving much of himself away. He's seen death on the battlefield and the lost his father and brother. He keeps his feelings close to his chest and uses his smile like a weapon. What he doesn't let show is that he yearns to build a real home, his own family, and an empire that will provide for them and at the same time make a real difference in the world. He has a smart business mind, and grand ambitions in politics back in America. He thought that the woman he went to England to find was the one who would fit into all of his well crafted plans. So why is he affected mind, body, and soul by the exasperating Lady Lillias?She wasn’t to know that she’d stopped his breath then and any number of times since, which meant the next breath he took after that was like the first one he’d ever drawn. So it was like he was being born anew every time he looked at her.Lillias and Hugh start playing with fire. What harm could come from exploring a little passion together? A lot it turns out. Both of their expectations for the future go up in a pretty impressive ball of flames. As often found in historical romance, they're busted being...indiscreet shall we say? Hugh does the honorable thing and they're now trapped in circumstances that they can't see a way out of.She was no safer than opium. Opium only led to disaster. And what was this if not a disaster? I had to admire the hell out of Hugh for never resenting Lillias at this point or any other. He didn't take out his frustration out on her and he admitted his share of the responsibility. He never took advantage of her attraction to him when she was vulnerable. He was a true gentleman in every respect more so than how the upper class defined the word. There was so much to love about him and to root for. I could only imagine how unmoored he felt when he discovered Lillias' secret affection for her childhood friend just as they were growing closer. Once again, he behaved with total respect towards her and ultimately put her happiness above his own wants time and again. Love is making sacrifice even when it hurts and he illustrated that so beautifully. One of the things I really appreciated was that Lillias' parents weren't the clichè greedy parents looking to sell their daughter. I know that's an accurate depiction of the culture at the time for the most part, but it gets a little repetitive when reading the same conflict in the genre. Her parents did want a titled match, but they weren't evil caricatures. They truly cared about their kids and their happiness even if they had certain expectations that they wanted them to fulfill. They weren't paragons of progressive virtue, they had realistic prejudices and entitled attitudes, but when it counted they made the right choices to look out for their daughter. The last 5-6 chapters made me emotionally wrung out. Between the absolutely gorgeous writing of Julie Anne Long that made my heart drop and soar from one moment from the next, and the angst I felt for this beautiful couple fighting for their forever, I didn't want the story to end. My eyes were watery and my heart was bursting with happiness as they finally fit everything perfectly in place. And the epilogue! I couldn't wipe the silly grin off of my face. I adored this book! I didn't think anything could top the last book, but I'm Only Wicked with You has managed the impossible task. If you haven't started the series yet, I'm not sure what you're waiting for. You absolutely need these books in your life.FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:

Julie Anne Long delivers another winner as she takes us back to the Grand Palace on the Thames for the romance between the mysterious American, Hugh Cassidy, and Lady Lillias, the beautiful daughter of an earl. It's an enemies-to-lovers story and chock-full of pointed barbs and multi-level conversations. It's fantastic.If you're not familiar with the series, it centers around the small inn where the couples live or work or meet. I've read a couple of reviews that bemoaned the close setting, but I rather liked it. In the first half, it provides forced proximity and an intimacy between these two mismatched protagonists. Because, let's be real, without it, there would be no way they would be in each other's orbit, blazing sexual tension or not.Lillias isn't always the easiest to like. She is who she is... blue-blooded, sheltered, beautiful. And pining for the one guy in the ton who isn't obsessed with her. The big conflict is How Hard It Is To Be Beautiful. OK, maybe I am over simplifying, but that's not far off. Hugh, on the other hand, is delicious in his American DGAF attitude and barely-leashed sexuality.There's great banter, steamy encounters, and a solid plot. Everything I expect from JAL, and she delivers on all cylinders. Lillias does evolve and comes to recognize why Hugh is The One and he is willing to put his happiness aside for hers. An engaging romance with a satisfying conclusion. As always, JAL shows why she is an auto-buy for me.*ARC provided by Avon

Once again JAL rips open my heart & knits it together. This hate-to-love, roasting-you-is-my-foreplay romance was so well done. The tension and lust that morphed into camaraderie and love, their character arcs and growth—it was all so satisfying. Julie Anne Long writes such deeply nuanced character driven novels with the perfect balance of vivid imagery, wry internality, & perfectly paced dialogue, not to mention scorching slow burn steam. She’s an author I want to see more and more people loving and falling for, and I can’t wait to read what’s next up in the series, AFTER DARK WITH THE DUKE!

Julie Anne Long writes such romantic romance books. I know that sounds silly, but she's truly writing poetry with these simmering, so horny I could simply faint, and so in love with you but I'm so unworthy of you heroes who grovel so prettily for these tempestuous misses.Big #Kanthony vibes minus the whole love triangle thing (I'm speaking solely of the show as I know not about the book). Hugh Cassidy, son of an actual bastard, Revolutionary War veteran, American self-made man and Lady Lillias are literally panting at each other across the drawing room of the The Grand Palace of the Thames from the moment we meet them. It is a wonder the rest of the guests aren't incinerated between their gazes. And holy heck the author makes us seethe right along with them as the bear wrestling Cassidy with the scar on his chin and Lillias try their best to get the other to call uncle on their horny horny innuendo laden banter. They really should not be even tempting fate but like magnets they cannot help themselves.I love how Long balances the power imbalance between the two, as Lillias does long for the life she always thought she wanted while also realizing it might no longer be what she needs. The allusions to the sunsets and the rugged American landscape to Lillias's beauty was so poetic, and while Cassidy could be kind of rogue-ish, I loved him all the more for it. The moment with the new velvet curtains and the handful of ass will live forever rent free in my mind, along with the debauchery against and tree and the use of Cassidy's boot knife as a mirror to fix hair pins.Buddy read at the suggestion of my pal WhenFunmiMeetsRomance and others.I had an earc, but read a finished paperback I checked out from the library.

3.75-4 stars

** spoiler alert ** He's a man who has lost everything beloved and dear, and built his life from the ashes. She's a woman wrapped in a cocoon of her own making. Hugh and Lillias loathe each other. Their very first encounter ended with him curtailing what he believed to be reckless behavior - and then informing her father of it. And his wide shoulders and glorious grin cannot detract from the fact that he is an insufferable prig. The barbed words they hurl at each other are thinly disguised as polite conversation, and they count coups and hoard the satisfaction of the ones that draw blood. The inability to remain civil is a mask of self-denial. They are inexorably drawn to each other - even though they are from vastly different worlds. They are energized by the latent desire that simmers beneath their exchanges. Like a match to tinder, each insult deepens the fascination and attraction and undermines the lies they tell themselves. He has a goal with a finite timeline. She and her family will move back to their glittering ballrooms when the repairs on their mansion are completed. Moonlight confessions made while perched precariously on rooftops, soft, simmering kisses that can excavate a soul, the touch of a calloused hand - these are the haunting moments that shape their mutual fall from grace. This is an enemies to lovers story that will leave you breathless with wonder - a ruinous puddle on the floor as if Dorothy threw a bucket of water on you. The sparkling banter, the glorious character arcs that ensure we see into the chaotic hearts of the hero and heroine, the rich, descriptive, language. The whole story is peppered with humor and perfect portrayals of the resilience and buoyancy of love. It is a reminder that falling is something you are powerless to fight - and the one who is meant to catch you may not be whom you have dreamed of, but they are exactly who you need.

I saw a review saying most of the book was lust and I guess there is some truth to that but it was more than that but our bumbling couple spend most of the book saying they did not even like each other much less love. So it was a touch of enemies to lovers but it was a battle of wits with emotional bursts that overwhelmed our couple with a relationship that was really not a relationship until deep into the book but it was a realization worth waiting for IMHO. I am a great lover of historical romance that is interwoven with an adventure but this one was more of a true romance and written so well I was tempted to give it 5 Stars but held back since many readers might find the first 40-45% of the book to slow for their likes but I found it wonderful once it got going and the banter was more of a battle with words and I found it entertaining so for those who really like a good love story that is filled with a couple who at first will deny their feelings then try to "free" the other for "their own good" this was a great book with a great ending

I really liked this. The banter between Hugh and Lillias was fantastic! As usual, Julie Anne Long infused humor into the writing with such ease. I love the inhabitants of the Grand Palace on the Thames.

American born Hugh Cassidy has seen a lot in his short life, having seen battle and fought for his family and his own survival. Lady Lillias is the daughter of an earl and the belle of her season. Though the two inhabit different worlds, they meet at the Grand Palace on the Thames and sparks fly almost immediately.Hugh is driven to rise up and make something of himself and he's not about to let a pompous, spoiled, far too beautiful for his peace of mind. She's equally fascinated by Hugh and their attraction sees them coming together more frequently in the close quarters of the boarding house. Their inability to stay away from each other leads to scandal for them both, until Hugh comes up with a plan that could salvage both of their dreams for the future.These events lead Hugh and Lillias to learn more about themselves and each other, causing them to rethink everything they thought they knew about what they want for their futures.This book was such a slow burn and it took me quite a while to get into it and to finish it. I have to say, it was a bit too slow for me and I had a hard time staying interested, but at about the last third/quarter, I finally got invested and was utterly charmed by Hugh. I wasn't much of a fan of Lillias but I did eventually like her once she started giving Hugh a chance and really getting to know him. Hugh had such substance and such a unique backstory for a HR hero and I loved that. These two had a dramatic relationship, yet it never stressed me because I never got even the slightest feeling that they wouldn't wind up together. Despite this taking so long to draw me in, Lillias and Hugh wound up being a very charming couple for me, especially unconventional Hugh.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...