Four Stars

I haven’t been this surprised and delighted by a historical romance in a long time. HOW TO CATCH A WICKED VISCOUNT was fun, sexy, and thoroughly engaging. This is the first book in a series following four young debutantes in the aftermath of getting kicked out of their finishing school. Sophie, our heroine, is from a relatively poor family and getting kicked out of the school was devastating. Three years later, she is still dealing with the aftermath when Charlie, her friend who basically got her kicked out, asked her to come to London. While there, she is reintroduced to Charlie’s brother, Nate, Viscount Malverne, a devil-may-care rake.

It’s hard to put my finger on what made me enjoy this book so much. There was a different and sexy tone that kept me engaged throughout the whole story. Ms. Bennett did a great job investing me in both Nate and Sophie as individuals. Nate was fun, a little wicked with an edge, and Sophie was quiet and innocent while still being adventurous and likable. Together, Nate and Sophie had lots of fun sexual chemistry. Their forced proximity moments (they had to live in the same house) had me grinning with glee, and I was so emotionally invested by the end of the book I actually cheered at the HEA.

I think my favorite parts of this story, besides the delicious best friend’s brother romance, was that I can tell this is going to be a great series. I loved learning about which of Nate’s friends will end up with each disgraced debutante. I also appreciated that the trouble the girls got into seemed realistic for the time period. The fact that their scandal had long and lasting consequences was a fantastic plot point.

What made me take off one star was the, frankly, clunky beginning. It’s challenging to introduce a series, so I understand. But it took a few chapters for me to really get all the characters and the plot straight. Also, Nate’s personal conflict was resolved WAY too quickly. I wanted more fireworks (or something) when he finally realized he could be with the heroine. Especially because he made Sophie (AND ME) suffer for so long.

Overall, this was a fantastic start to a new series. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for an interesting take on a classic trope.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

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