Wicked Fantasy [Mass Market Paperback]

Antonia Maitland first meets the dashing Trey Deverill at the tender age of seventeen at her father's London home. Trey was well-known for his adventures and explorations, most notably his daring pirate battles on the high seas. Antonia never tired of hearing his adventuresome tales and found herself envious of the escapades of this close friend of her father's. Four years later Antonia's father is dead and his housekeeper suspects that Antonia's intended, Baron Heward, is responsible for his death, further believing that once Heward and Antonia are married and he has full control of her wealth, that she too will be killed. The housekeeper requests that Trey investigate Heward and protect Antonia while doing so. An American cousin of Trey's who does business with Maitland Shipping gives Trey insight to unscrupulous business dealings that Heward is participating in while running the shipping business, but Antonia does not want to believe him. Trey repeatedly sets out to intentionally provoke Heward in Antonia's presence, hopeful that he will lose his temper and show his true nature. Once Trey succeeds in humiliating Heward, he is met with brutal retaliation and finds himself needing to escape London, kidnapping Antonia and taking her with him to a secret location until he can prove Heward's guilt. With the assistance of fellow members of the Guardians of the Sword, Trey sets out to protect Antonia and prove Heward's guilt. When Antonia insists on being a part of Heward's downfall, Trey doesn't want to put her life at risk, although he understands her wanting to help put Heward in prison for her father's murder. Trey's plan begins to fall into place what he doesn't plan on is falling in love with Antonia. He knows that Antonia plans to follow her father's wish for her to marry a man of nobility. Realizing that she is falling in love with Trey, Antonia is torn between what her heart desires and the notion that she should do as her father wished. These characters are so well written that they leap to life on the pages. Nicole Jordan's heroes, Trey being no exception, are always strongly masculine, charming and determined in their passions. Antonia is strengthened by intelligence, wit, grace and beauty. Ms. Jordan never fails to deliver a book that is full of historical detail, heart-pounding danger and breathtaking sensuality. The secondary characters are exceptionally written without overpowering Trey and Antonia. WICKED FANTASY has my very highest recommendation, an absolute must-read for lovers of sensual historical romance. Courtesy Laurie/Romance Junkies

Since I've begun reading Nicole Jordan's books, I've not been disappointed. When my romance reading mood is calling for a historical setting, I know I can pick up her latest and prepare to be happily satisfied. Her heros are usually just alpha male enough to be eybrow-raising without being overbearing. Her heroines are never the milksop type. They know how to stand up for themselves.

Antonia Maitland is a charming young heroine who meets Trey Deverill as a young girl at her father's home. At the tender age of sixteen, she had already begun to lose her heart to him after she daringly demanded a kiss from the dashing adventurer. Years later, they encounter one another again as she prepares to marry into the ton (her father was in trade. Oh, the horror!). Trey has grave suspicions about her future husband, Lord Heward, a Baron and has come back to England to make sure she is safe as well as happy. When he sees her again, though, he is, of course, immediately attracted to her. And she herself is not uneffected by his very virile presence. A desperate situation arises that forces Trey's hand and takes he and Antonia on an adventure of their own.

Anotnia turns out to be a very likeable heroine, posessing a strong mind and nature, but is not so overpwering that Trey is overshadowed by her. Trey himself is also a great hero, being completely sure of himself, adorably concerned about Antonia's welfare and completely sexy (Of course! It's a must!). His personality balances out Antonia's. Ms. Jordan always manages to cook up some of the steamiest love scenes, and readers won't be disappointed with them in this book either. Their chemistry is sizzling right from the beginning of the prologue to the end of the epilogue.

It was somewhat refreshing to read a historical where the hero and heroine were more ordinary everyday people (both had noble bloodlines, but were not directly noble themselves) instead of the elite of the ton. Here, the tables were turned and Baron Heward was the bad guy. A nice turnabout, especially with Ms. Jordan's spectacular job of portraying the baron in a bad light. I was amazed at the level he would stoop to to get what he wanted. His evil tendencies only made me love Trey more.

I honestly cannot think of one thing I disliked about this book. It was an uncomplicated, easy and fun read. It's a great one to settle down with over your much needed weekend at home alone. Incidently, if you'r not aware, this was the third in Jordan's Paradise series. Her next one, is Fever Dreams and should be out in June of 2006 (Waiting impatiently here! See the excerpt at the end of Wicked Fantasy). Now, if only Ms. Jordan would reissue some more of her older titles so that I had something to read after this one!

WICKED FANTASY easily lives up to my over-the-top expectations for sensual, realistic, character-driven Regency love stories; very few writers can meet these expectations, for me, but Nicole Jordan is certainly one of them! Ms. Jordan has truly spoiled me with her delicious novels. WICKED FANTASY, her newest, satisfies all my desires for a GREAT romantic read, all the while leaving me with that yearning for MORE. I didn't want it to end!

Trey and Antonia are both strong characters, unconventional, not really happy or comfortable with the status quo of London high society. Ms. Jordan establishes this early on, and builds on it, so that soon the characters feel so real that the reader falls easily into the story...

Antonia's father, a prosperous shipbuilder, wanted his only child to marry into the nobility. Loving his memory, and wishing to please him, Antonia has vowed to do just that, whether there's love in the marriage or no.

When Trey Deverill, an adventurer whose past occupations have included battling the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, begins to suspect that Antonia's noble fiance is not so noble after all, but likely the man who murdered her father, he has to get her out of danger, fast. The fiance won't stop at Antonia's father... he frames Trey for murder, forcing Trey to flee, and to take Antonia with him, into hiding.

What Trey doesn't know is that Antonia has fantasized about him for years... ever since he gave her a scalding kiss, one moonlit night, when she was a mere child of seventeen... hence the title.

Ms. Jordan writes incredibly beautiful love scenes which are quite scalding. She is truly the "queen of sexy historicals," as one reviewer has dubbed her. You come away from the love scenes feeling awed at the passion in her writing, which is transmitted to the characters, and thence straight into the heart of the very thrilled reader. And her characters find deep, lasting love, built on foundations which will last. I will always, always read Nicole Jordan.

Brava, brava, brava! If you want romance, real love, and real characters in a brilliantly conceived and realized storyline, read WICKED FANTASY.