Ways to Be Wicked [Mass Market Paperback]

As the darling of the Paris ballet, Sylvie Lamoureux's hard work and sacrifices had paid off, including the attentions and love of a royal prince. All would be of no consequence when she chanced upon a letter that sent her across the English Channel to discover a sister she never knew. Before she ever gets to meet her sister, she lands in the arms of

bawdy theater owner Tom Shaughessy while trying to hide from a persistent ex-lover who followed her from France.

Now, while Tom was not adverse to the notion of women jumping into his arms this lithe little feisty baggage would test his mettle with her courage, wit and overt sensuality. Forced by circumstances to accept the good natured offer of assistance from Tom to join his troupe in his naughty productions at the White Lily, the once prima ballerina would be conflicted as she tried to reconcile the showman with the private man who instilled a sensual desire in her that she'd never before experienced.

*** This was a lovely story, well-written and rife with subtle nuances of two people who very slowly come to `know' one another as they fall in love. Long does an about face with this second book of her `Three Sisters Trilogy' relying more on character development rather than on the adventure, excitement and action the first book featured with a more robust mystery. Theirs was not a love at first sight `jump in the sack' lusty pillow fluffer, but a sweeter, slower development of a truer love that Long defined with humor, style and grace. Additionally, Long delivers some signature humor with a motley cast of secondary characters, from the aging starlet, to the diminutive `General', and the young toddler Jamie adding substance and gentle humor to this sweetly sensual tale that should appeal to this newer author's fast growing fan base.

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization

"Ways to Be Wicked" is the second book in Julie Anne Long's Regency era trilogy about three sisters who were separated in early childhood when their mother was (unjustly) accused of murdering her lover, their father. In the first book, "Beauty and the Spy", the *real* murderer was exposed and brought to justice by Sister Number 1 (Susannah) and her former British spy hero (Kit, Viscount Grantham.) At the end of that book, Susannah embarks on a quest to find her lost sisters, having discovered that Sylvie was adopted by a French opera dancer and Sabrina by a English country vicar.

"Ways To Be Wicked" is the story of Sister Number 2, Sylvie Lamoureaux, who through natural talent, determination and hard work has risen from her humble beginnings to become a prima ballerina on the stages of Europe. The story begins when Sylvie intercepts a letter to her adopted mother from Susannah asking for information about her long-lost sister. Sylvie realizes that she has a sister that she has never met and whose existence has been kept a secret from her. Tempestuous, dauntless and determined, Sylvie decides to leave her high-born lover, Etienne, with a brief note of explanation and travel alone to meet her sister in England. It is clear from the onset that Sylvie has mixed feelings about Etienne when she hides from someone that looks like him on her arrival in England by jumping into the lap of Tom Shaughnessy, a handsome fellow traveler on the mail coach, and embraces him. When the coach later is set upon by highwaymen, Tom and Sylvie manage to limit the losses of the other passengers, but Sylvie in the process loses her reticule and all her money. She arrives in London penniless and (nearly) friendless, only to find her sister out of town and her sister's servants unhelpful. With nowhere else to turn, she takes Tom Shaughnessy up on his offer of assistance and ends up employed as a dancer in his bawdy house theater. It is a measure of how smooth a storyteller Julie Anne Long is that such a contrived plot seems almost plausible in her hands (...a famous ballerina dancing in a bawdy theater chorus line...OK...I'll go along with that...)

The reason that this story works is that Tom is such a delightful charmer and Sylvie is a good foil for him. Their dialogue is bright, witty and frequently tinged with naughty innuendo of the sort that Regency heroines usually have to pretend not to understand. Born dirt-poor and illegitimate, Tom is the self-made man variety of historical romance hero (raised in the rookery, thieving for his meals, etc.) By virtue of hard work combined with his fabulous good looks, irresistible personal charm and his natural talent for showmanship, he has risen to become the owner and artist director of a popular "theater for gentlemen". Tom is a very appealing and interesting character; he is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is clogged with heroes who are members of the upper echelon of the peerage. Sylvie is an entertaining heroine--proud, ambitious and passionate with a volatile temper and quick wit. Her lover in France really was her lover (no virgin mistress story here!), yet despite their mutual attraction and both of their histories of previous sexual experience, the romance between Tom and Sylvie unfolds very slowly (as befits two emotionally wary, independent individuals) and with a lot of charm.

The secondary characters in the story are well-drawn and memorable, particularly The General, the theater's dwarf-size choreographer, director and set designer, and Daisy, the proud, aging star of the theater's extravaganzas. There are some hilarious descriptions of the theater's productions. A lot of the story is ridiculous fluff, but it is very entertaining fluff.

Setting aside the whole premise of the plot (famous ballerina working as a dancer in a bawdy theater...), I had only a few quibbles with the story. The subplot involving the toddler was a snoozer for me and the ending seemed a little flat and too pat--both less original and less authentic than the rest of the story. But Long's prose is very fluid and fresh and her dialogue a delight to read. The major love scene comes relatively late in the story but was worth waiting for (IMO).

In summary, "Ways To Be Wicked" is an entertaining, well-written Regency romance with a refreshingly different hero and heroine and sparkling dialogue.
Highly recommended for historical romance lovers, particularly those who prefer a lighter tone.

In Paris renowned ballet dancer Sylvie Lamoureux sees the note from England addressed to her adopted parent Claude, who is away on vacation. She becomes frightened and euphoric when she reads the content. English Lady Susannah believes that Sylvie is her sister, separated along with a third missing sibling as children when their mom was accused of murder. Needing to know the truth, Sylvie immediately travels to England to meet Lady Susannah leaving behind notes to Claude, her dangerous jealous lover Etienne and her employer.

At the English docks, Sylvie sees Etienne so she leaps into a carriage containing theater owner Tom Shaughnessy. On the road to London, highwaymen stop them and take Sylvie's retinue that included all her money. In London, she learns Susannah is in Paris seeking her out so she turns to Tom for employment. As they fall in love, Etienne searches the city for her and Susannah rushes back to London to seek out her sibling.

The sequel to BEAUTY AND THE SPY (Susannah's story) is a fun Regency romance in which the limits of communication of the era play a key role in the relationship that develops between Tom and Sylvie. Tom is a terrific roguish male lead who cannot stop himself from needing to help the brave Sylvie. The support cast like the General, Etienne, and the other dancers augment this fascinating tale, which clearly belongs to the second sister Sylvie. Readers will look forward to Sabrina's tale and hopefully learn the truth of what happened seventeen years ago in 1803 to their mom Anna Holt.

Harriet Klausner