Book review: What a Wicked Earl Wants (The Sinful Scoundrels #1) by Vicky Dreiling

Available May 28th 2013
WILL A RAKE'S WICKED WAYSAndrew Carrington, Earl of Bellingham, believes in being a gentleman, whether it's fishing a soggy stranger out of the Thames or assisting a fetching lady into his bed. If the stranger becomes a friend and the lady a mistress, all the better. He certainly welcomes the opportunity to help Laura Davenport, a dazzling young widow with a rebellious stepson. Her gratitude, he hopes, will take an amorous form. But from the moment he sets foot in her drawing room, he gets far more than he bargained for ... 

LEAD THE LADY ASTRAY?

It was a moment of desperation. On the brink of losing her stepson, Laura turned to the notorious Lord Bellingham for help. Suddenly she, a vicar's daughter, is in the precarious position of resisting his tantalizing advances. How Bell earned his wicked reputation is clear; the surprise is how much more there is to him than the gossip sheets could possibly reveal. Now every moment with this dangerously desirable man puts Laura's good name at risk-and promises pleasure unlike any she has ever known ..

I am a hard sell when it comes to historical romance. My first taste of this genre was Julie Garwood " The Bride". I ate up the rest of her books after that and then needed to find another author who  could give me that same lovely feeling when i finished reading.  It proved to be a hard to do. I need that perfect mix of historical setting with humor and love and heart. I started What a Wicked Earl Wants thinking i would like it i read the novella " A Season for Sin" that's like a prequel to this series. I loved that so i was hopeful but i did not expect to love the book as much as i did.  Bell and his two pals Harry and Colin are just hilarious together. They are definitely typical men with their dirty mind and crude behavior when they are together but perfect gentlemen when the occasion calls for it. I thoroughly enjoyed their conversations together. Bell experience the loss of his entire family when he was away at college. Never got to say goodbye and he had a wonderful family and has been carrying around guilt over their deaths ever since.  He feels like he doesn't deserve love or a life of good things. Along come the pretty widow Laura and her stepson Justin. Justin is 17 and trying to show his independence but falls into the wrong crowd. Bellingham or Bell as he is called by his friends steps in to help Laura straighten him out and soon he finds himself in deeper with her than he wanted. He can't help it though he's drawn to her.  Of course there is a bad guy that's going to cause problems and in this case Justin's uncle is his guardian and threatens to take him away from Laura. You don't see a lot of him but he has spies around London watching Laura and Justin. When he makes the threat though Bell happens to be there and Laura announces they are engaged. Which Bell goes along with to help her. What starts out as a friendship turn into so much more and Bell finds himself in deeper and deeper with Laura. Question is can she break though the shield around his heart?  Dreiling writes lush characters that you can easily envision in your mind as you read. Even the secondary characters will win a place in your heart. The dialogue is fun and witty and sexy when it needs to be. You find yourself rooting for Bellingham to get with the program and figure out that Laura is everything he needs. Totally enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I think i have found another historical romance author to follow with Vicky Dreiling.  5 out of 5 stars for What a Wicked Earl Wants.

Find out more about Vicky Dreiling and read a excerpt for this book on her website here www.vickydreiling.com

Book review Season for Sin (novella) (Sinful Scoundrels)by Vicky Dreiling

Available now

Introducing the Sinful Scoundrels...



The Earl of Bellingham is nothing is not a creature of habit: money, meals, and mistresses must be strictly managed if a man is to have a moment's peace. It's a system that works splendidly for him--until now. With his oldest and dearest friends succumbing, one by one, to wedded bliss, Bell is now restless and a trifle lonely. Enter the Sinful Scoundrels--Colin Brockhurst, Earl of Ravenshire, and Harry Norcliffe, Viscount Evermore--who drag him back into society and draw his rakish eye to the ton's new beautiful young widow. Bell isn't after a wife, but a challenge. And Laura Davenport should fit the bill quite nicely...


This is a great little Vicky Dreiling novella. It's more or less a intro into her new series Sinful Scoundrels. The first part is spent kind of introducing you to all the players and you wait to see them all finally to meet up together on the page. I was not disappointed when it finally happens either. You have these little misses where they are all in the area and even run onto each other but don't know who the other is or what they'll mean to them later. Gets pretty good when it finally happens. Then it's over and you are ready for book 1. Your in luck too because when you buy this book you also get a free preview in the form of chapter one of book one in the series " What a Wicked Earl Wants". Which worked for me because i really wanted to see what happens right after the end of the novella. Now i am looking forward to reading the full book when it comes out in the spring of 2013.  4 out of 5 Modokker book picks for A Season for Sin by Vicky Dreiling.


Find out more about this novella and Vicky Dreiling's other work here on her website www.vickydreiling.com PS the novella is only 99 cents from Amazon and B&N.

Modokker's visits Lori Foster's Readers and Authors weekend (RAGT2012)

Wow so i got to go to my first readers and author's shindig. Can't call it a conference it was way to much fun to be that. My weekend trip started Friday morning about 8:30 AM when i left my small town in Michigan to head out to West Chester, Ohio which is just barely north of Cincinnati. After about 15 minutes in the car i was bored with my own company but about 6 and 1/2 hours later i made it to the Marriott in West Chester in one piece.  I was supposed to be meeting a old Army friend. Not that i consider either of us old or anything. lol My friend Sarah was coming in from Tennessee and was 3 hours in driving time behind me. OK so there i stood. Didn't know anyone or anything. Babe in the woods and all that. Couldn't find my way out of paper bag right then. I look around at the people standing all over and think OK now what? I turn around and there sits the lovely Jules Bennett. Who miracles of miracles recognizes me from my twitter picture. A friendly face in the sea of faces. After a few minutes chatting with Jules she's got to go and so as I'm saying goodbye  there walking towards me is Jill Shalvis who also recognizes me. I was told by many i look just like my twitter pic. I must look ok because no one ran away screaming. Chatted with Jill for a few minutes( who BTW is one of my fav authors. You should totally read her books). OK so yeah i have 2 more hours i think at this point to kill. I sit on this cute round couch chair and tweet on my iPhone. If your at #RAGT2012 and if that's possible bored I am sitting in front of the doors. Come say hello! Like 2 seconds later the wonderfully funny Dee Carney comes up and says HI! OK this is when i realize this is going to OK. It's going to be fun. As 6 pm is coming up and everyone is registered with their cute name badges and making their way into the ballroom for the pizza party i still have not seen Sarah ( my friend who met me there) and so i am standing there thinking,"um OK there for over 400 people in this ballroom and i don't see anyone i know to sit with, time to go hideout for a bit". Yes i thought that. Then the lovely Virna DePaul walks up and asks me if i need help. Isn't she sweet? She found me a seat at a really great table with some authors and readers and i had some really good conversation waiting for my friend  who finally gets there around 6 pm. No girlish screams because #1 the room is crowded with people and we don't want anyone thinking we're nuts and #2 we were starving and needed to eat pronto. It had been 21 years or so  since we last saw each other but it was like no time had passed and we chatted like girlfriends who know each other always do.

Anyway cutting to chase as they say. It was a really great weekend. I met tons of authors, readers and fellow bloggers, ate drank and was merry! Yes i did! It was a very comfortable setting once i got into the swing of things and everyone was friendly and nice and fun. Lori Foster and Duffy Brown and their families put a lot into this weekend. They have lots of help from volunteers too. I hope they all think it's well worth the effort but it's the best time I've had in ages. My friend Sarah and i plan to make it a yearly thing for us. I'm going to add some pics below. I didn't take as many as I should've and i have been kicking myself every since but here you go.

Jill Shalvis Book signing. She is as wonderful and witty as you think she is.


Vicky Dreiling who is amazing to talk to. Lots of fun too!


Erin McCarthy who writes some amazing books. With hot guys of course!


Leah Braemel who loads of fun. Writes really hot books. Sizzling hot!


Carly Phillips. I attended her speedchat with Jill Shalvis. The two of them together = trouble and fun!


Virna DePaul who is just a all around wonderful lady.


Jules Bennett Aren't we the cutes pair of short people you ever saw?? I know. She's really sweet too.


Of course we have to have Lori Foster! She looks amazing doesn't she? She's got to be tired after her long week too. Amazing lady with a great family backing her up.


Sue Grimshaw from Random house and Romance at Random.com


My friend Sarah who i was in the Army with during Desert Storm over 20 years ago now. This was our reunion too. Lots of fun. We hope to repeat it next year.


Just because well i just have to here is my pic with my many men at RAGT2012 provided by Hot Damn Designs ( this is a picture of a picture btw) Yes those are handcuffs in my hand and i wanted to take Dare and Spencer home with me but i couldn't figure out how to sneak them out to my car. Least i would've had someone to talk to on the way home. lol


Hope i didn't overload with the pics. I had a great time and i hope some of you will consider going next year. Some links below to find out about these lovely ladies and the RAGT as well.
http://jillshalvis.com/
http://www.deecarney.com/
http://julesbennett.com/
http://virnadepaul.com/
http://www.romanceatrandom.com/
http://lorifoster.com/
http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php
http://vickydreiling.com/
http://www.erinmccarthy.net/
http://leahbraemel.com/
http://www.carlyphillips.com/