WENDY’S FAVOURITES – REVIEW OF THE WICKED COUSIN BY STELLA RILEY

(Rockliffe, #4)

Genre: Historical Romance (Georgian)

Cover Blurb:

Sebastian Audley has spent years setting every city in Europe by the ears and keeping the scandal-sheets in profit. Word that he is finally returning to London becomes the hottest topic of the Season and casts numerous young ladies – many of whom have never seen him – into a fever of anticipation.

Cassandra Delahaye is not one of them. In her opinion, love affairs and duels, coupled with a reputation for never refusing even the most death-defying wager, suggest that Mr Audley is short of a brain cell or two. And while their first, very unorthodox meeting shows that perhaps he isn’t entirely stupid, it creates other reservations entirely.

Sebastian finds dodging admiring females and living down his reputation for reckless dare-devilry a full-time occupation. He had known that putting the past behind him in a society with an insatiable appetite for scandal and gossip would not be easy. But what he had not expected was to become the target of a former lover’s dangerous obsession … or to find himself falling victim to a pair of storm-cloud eyes.

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The Prologue to THE WICKED COUSIN, the fourth book in Stella Riley’s magnificent Georgian Rockliffe series is, without doubt, one the most poignant I have ever read. I defy any reader not to be deeply moved or fail to be intrigued by the opening, captivating sentences and, as the story unfolds and we learn more about the life of her charismatic character (who is more sinned against than sinning), not to fall hook, line and sinker in love with Sebastian Audley.

On a scorching August day in 1757 when he was eight years old, Sebastian Audley’s life changed. And though he didn’t know it, that change was to last for the next thirteen years…….. 

It was the day that a distraught child lost not only his twin, but his beloved brother; the other half of himself. No one understood his grief. The boys were two halves of a whole, knowing each other’s thoughts in the intuitive way that only twins can. In Sebastian’s emotionally underdeveloped child’s mind, he believed that he was failing Theo at a time when he needed him the most. Locked in his room, he could only cry out his despair and feel his brother’s pain…. and then…. the dreaded silence… when he knew that part of him was gone forever. It was also the time that Sebastian’s charmed, carefree life ended; the time when he began blaming himself for being alive when Theo was dead; a conviction reinforced by the diatribe hurled at him by his eldest sister, who had irrationally never cared for the younger of her twin brothers. Theo’s early and tragic death shaped the way the adults in his life treated him, albeit believing they were keeping him safe, but worse still, ultimately because of their actions, the way he himself behaved for the best part of seven years after finally escaping from his cotton wool straight jacket. They were actions that his autocratic but grief-stricken father was to come to bitterly regret.

Sebastian’s first acts of defiance came when he was finally allowed to leave to study at Cambridge, refusing to be ‘chaperoned ‘ by the local vicar’s son or to study the subject chosen for him by his father. Instead, he diligently and quietly applied himself to studying law which he saw as a way of eventually becoming independent of his father’s claustrophobic control. Although he obtained an honours degree in law, he never had to take up a profession because an unexpected bequest from a Great-Aunt made him independently secure. During his time at university, he did not indulge in the fun and frolicking other undergraduates enjoyed, but did re-discover a love and quite remarkable talent for the intricacies of chess, which he had once enjoyed playing with his twin. This talent would serve him well later in life.

As sole heir to his father, Viscount Wingham, Sebastian had to be kept safe at all costs and, by the time he reached his majority, he was more than ready to escape the suffocating over protectiveness of his family. After his years of sobriety, he was eager to face the world head on, firstly by setting London alight with his outrageous exploits and then disappearing to the continent to further kick over the traces of his years of solemnity. All the girls he had never kissed or bedded became a part of his life, his adrenalin seeking exploits becoming legendary, and salaciously reported in the gossip rags. Whatever the rumour mill insisted he had done – no matter how ridiculous, or even whether it was fact or fiction – was avidly reported and devoured by the ton. His notorious reputation, coupled with his lauded and extraordinary good looks, bluer than blue eyes; glorious hair of a rich burgundy/garnet colour and impressive physique set him apart from his peers.

After seven years of self-imposed exile, wandering from place to place and with a desperate need to escape from the determined pursuit of a spurned lover turned stalker, Sebastian’s nomad life had become intolerable. In the latter couple of years on the continent he had already toned down his behaviour and with little else to do, his beloved chess became his only real enjoyment in life. With time and practice he honed his skills with remarkable results. Later in the story we learn just how remarkable – in fact, such a talent never really did sit well with his rakehell reputation which was more a few years of madness than a character trait; his outrageous behaviour born out of a need to be free. Reluctant to come back into the controlling orbit of his father, he nevertheless has a strong sense of familial duty, and one of the many things I liked about Sebastian is that he is a loveable and honourable young man who knew that one day he would return for good to his responsibilities.

In all the years apart, he has never stopped loving his father and, without fail, he annually made the long and arduous journey home for a short stay, mainly driven away again by the cruel jibes of his eldest sister, Blanche, whose dislike of him has not abated. He tries to hide the hurt she intentionally causes with a couldn’t-care-less attitude, but this only compounds her dislike of him. Is it any wonder he never wishes to remain long in his ancestral home when she is the unmarried matriarch residing over it? Ironically, it is a letter from Blanche informing him that his father has suffered an apoplexy that gives him a reason to return home for good.

After a long and arduous journey, he arrives home to find his father well on the road to recovery and, after spending some private time together, they finally make their peace. Maybe it was his brush with death that finally opened the viscount’s eyes to his mistakes regarding Sebastian. Whatever the reason, he admits to his son that he should have treated him differently and acknowledges that he clipped his wings. However, Sebastian is still not entirely convinced of his father’s ability to let him run his own life. I found the viscount’s pride in his son rather touching, whether despite of, or maybe because of his reported escapades, I’m not sure.

Sebastian decides to go to London to attempt to repair some of the damage to his reputation and convince society that he is a reformed character. There, he seeks the help of Adrian Devereux, Earl of Sarre (The Player), the pair having met and become firm friends whilst both were exiled on the continent. Adrian proposes a plan in the form of a private wager which sets out to protect and ease Sebastian back into society in a civilised manner. With this secret wager in place he is protected from further ridiculous challenges by silly young bucks. Sebastian’s first tentative steps are fraught with pitfalls, including the fact that he has been given the nickname, The Wicked Cousin, courtesy of Olivia Delahaye, the rather silly younger sister of Cassandra (Cassie) whom we met in previous books as a secondary character. Cassandra’s father, a close friend of the Duke of Rockliffe, plays quite a big part in this story and I admired his quiet, reasonable character and wise council, especially regarding Sebastian. The familial relationship between the Delahaye’s and Audley’s is tentative but nevertheless one in which Olivia is more than happy to bask

Sebastian’s initial, accidental meeting with Cassie is less than auspicious and only serves to reinforce her pre-conceived opinion of him as an arrogant, feckless, philanderer whom she could never like. However, after several more formal encounters, Cassie reluctantly begins to see why he is so popular and intriguing to the men and women of society; he’s witty and amusing but in a kindly, non-mocking way with no apparent artifice and seems genuinely interested in her as a person. Then he seals her approval with some simple but honest gestures and, whether she realises it or not, she is already half way in love with him – and who could blame her? So was I! She is flustered by her own reaction, never in her wildest dreams imagining that her feelings could ever be returned; in her experience, she’s only ever attracts dull dogs – whose mothers like her for goodness sake!

But they ARE returned. For his part, Sebastian is utterly smitten. He sees the beautiful, captivating and interesting girl that other foolish suitors have failed to appreciate and releases the butterfly from her chrysalis, transforming a previously – on the surface at least – sweet but unexceptional girl into the attractive and desirable young woman he has seen almost from the beginning.  Charles and Serena Delahaye do not recognise their daughter as she turns from gentle doe to protective tigress in defence of her man….in the words of her father – ‘You, Mr. Audley, have turned my lovely girl into a damned Valkyrie.” I just loved that statement! From the moment the two admit that they are meant to be together, Cassie refuses to believe anything derogatory about Sebastian and, when his spurned lover tries to make trouble on more than one occasion, Cassie fights tooth and nail for him.

Cassie’s parents have always appreciated her worth, never pressuring her into settling for second best. So, when Sebastian requests permission of her father to pay his addresses to Cassie – with her approval – the astute Charles Delahaye is more than happy with her choice, especially given that his daughter has never sent a young man to him before and must therefore be ‘in love’ at last. Despite Sebastian’s reputation, Sir Charles has always known there are valid reasons behind his behaviour and has some sympathy for the young man.

THE WICKED COUSIN is very much a character driven, beautifully crafted love story, with interesting and loveable characters. Their love story plays out in the most wonderfully romantic way. I particularly like the author’s unique way of taking apparently ordinary women and showing us that we all have hidden depths and just need the right man to see them as Sebastian does with Cassie. I adored both these characters; Cassie with her sweetness, determination and loyalty and Sebastian with his kindness, protectiveness and generosity of spirit. Cassie sees beyond Sebastian’s carefree attitude to the still damaged, grieving little boy inside. It’s particularly warming to see Sebastian’s unconditional love bringing Cassie to the peak of her beauty. I thought Stella Riley rather clever in her pairing of these two – so different and yet so right for each other. Sebastian’s rather naughty sense of humour and Cassie’s whole-hearted acceptance of it is amusing and a little risqué, but not too much, because, true to her style, Ms. Riley allows us just enough to wet our appetite and no more!

The unforgettable Duke of Rockliffe (The Mésalliance) again leads the group of friends that Stella Riley has grown and cultivated since the beginning of the series. They are once more in action as they close ranks to protect one of their own. Amusingly, at one point in the story, they take the normally calm and collected Rock away to entertain him, mainly at the request of their wives, to give his wife Adeline some respite from his fussing as she awaits the arrival of their first child. And when at last the child arrives – my heart just melted! Just imagining the perfectly controlled, formidable Rock as a doting papa! Stella Riley is one of only a few authors who can reduce me to mush, and she always succeeds in one way or another:

Mr. Audley handed his card to the Duke of Rockliffe’s butler and after a short wait, was shown into the drawing room where his Grace was walking back and forth by the windows holding a small bundle wrapped in a lacy white shawl while the duchess was engaged in pouring tea.

I was also thrilled to see the return of Adrian Deveraux, arguably my favourite character in this series. His story is told in The Player which is, in my opinion, one of the best and most intriguingly complex stories in the genre. I loved seeing a little more of how his story and marriage to Caroline, his countess, has progressed.

This series is REALLY addictive and I’m particularly fond of a saga where we see the return of family and friends in high profile. These people have all become so special to us as readers THAT we feel invested in their lives. Ms. Riley has done this to great effect making these men and now their women too, feel like old friends.  My imagination has been stirred further by the prospect of another book in the series. I have come to know Ms. Riley’s little foibles; she tells us the story in its entirety – so no worries there, as each story stands on its own – but she always gives us a clue as to whose book might come next. I hope it’s Rock’s younger brother, Nicholas Wynstanton, the only unmarried member of his select group, and hopefully his courtship of Madeleine Delacroix, Aristide’s prickly sister. And while we’re on the subject Ms. Riley – please don’t forget Aristide.

As with any Stella Riley novel, her research is so impeccable that we can be sure she has it right whether it is the intricacies of chess or the cut and thrust of a tense and exciting fencing match. In addition, her blending of fact and fiction is so seamlessly done that the lines invisible.

If you haven’t already read any of Stella Riley’s work, then I recommend that you do. She is consistently a 5-star writer in my opinion and each story she writes is special in its own right.  I would advise starting at the beginning of the series, mainly to gain a perspective and understanding of how she has developed her intriguing group of friends and relatives, and to see how their loves and lives interweave, but more importantly how they all support one another. However, it isn’t necessary, as each story is unique and different to the previous books in the series.

MY VERDICT: THE WICKED COUSIN is just wonderful, with a fabulous cast of characters, good and bad as is usual with this author. She always injects some wit and humour into her novels and the scene where Sebastian ties up his ex-mistress and cuts her hair was particularly entertaining! Stella Riley never disappoints and I always look forward with eager anticipation to a new release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

 

REVIEW RATING: STELLAR 5 STARS

SENSUALITY RATING: WARM

 

Rockliffe series so far (click on the book covers for more details)

 

**I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author in return for an honest review**