Rating:
Published: 1976
Illustrator: Robert McGinnis
Book Series: Challenger #1/ Morgan-Challenger #3
Published by: Avon
Genres: Historical Romance, Bodice Ripper, Regency Era Romance
Pages: 663
Format: eBook, Paperback
Buy on: Amazon, AbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader
MILD SPOILERS 😉
The Book
Wicked Loving Lies by Rosemary Rogers is her fourth and–in my opinion–her best book. This is peak bodice ripper fun; it’s salacious, entertaining, and attempts (and succeeds) at profundity.
I’ll probably rewrite a more in-depth analysis of this historical romance at another time. For now, here are my reading notes assembled into a semblance of a review.
His lips touched the back of her neck and moved along her stubborn shoulder. One hand stroked her breasts, and the other moved unerringly between her thighs; he found the most sensitive part of her and moved against her and in her until her half-formed protests turned into soft, stifled moans.
WICKED LOVING LIES
The Story
Readers, do these plot points sound fun to you?
- Traveling to almost every continent in the world
- Affairs with noblemen, warriors, and even Napoleon!
- Being a criminal on the run
- Highwaymen, high seas action, and harems
- Buttsecks
- Getting branded with your husband’s initials after he bangs you in front of your new lover… And then said lover gets so aroused, he bangs you afterward!
If you have a high threshold for triggering issues like:
- Overbearing alphas,
- Forced seduction
- Forced marriage of convenience
- Adultery
- Rape
- Slavery
- Racism
- Kidnapping
- Murder
- Divorce
- Abandonment
- A mother having her only child taken away from her
Plus, enjoy a hefty dose of second-wave feminism from a heroine who goes to hell and back several times over…
If any of this sounds like your idea of a thrilling read–because it certainly is–then Wicked Loving Lies by Rosemary Rogers might be a book you’d want to pick up.
Rosemary Rogers, Mira, 2014 re-issue
My Opinion
As far as I’m concerned, this is Rosemary Rogers at her prime.
Some parts of Wicked Loving Lies were scorching hot, like Chapter 17. Other parts were heartbreaking. Many parts were shocking.
There’s only one thing this book NEVER is: boring!
That’s what I loved about these the best of these older romances, there was always so much stuff going on you never had time to overanalyze and nitpick, you just kept moving.
Rosemary Rogers knew how to write a page-turner.
The Proto-Feminist Heroine
“Oh damn men and their superior ways. From now on I’ll stand on my own two feet and fight for what I want–anyway I have to, with my body and my wits… Why not? It’s a man’s world, what other choice do you leave a woman who possesses a mind?“
WICKED LOVING LIES
Those words are from Marisa, the heroine of this amazing, action-packed bodice ripper by the Original Great, the legendary Rosemary Rogers.
Marisa is a heroine you want to smack or shake or hug or give a big old high five.
She’s amazing as she never gave up, even though life kept coming at her with no remorse. Except for when she thought her beloved Dominic was dead.
And even then, Marisa was not going out without taking someone else with her.
Final Analysis of Wicked Loving Lies
Wicked Loving Lies by Rosemary Rogers is an excellent experience for bodice ripper enthusiasts but not for the faint of heart.
This book will shock you. I loved it!
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Born of scandal and denied his birthright, Dominic Challenger took to the sea, charting his own future. A true rogue, Dominic answers to no one, trusting only himself. Until Marisa.
Born of wealth and privilege, Marisa is a prisoner to her father’s expectations. When the sanctuary she has found behind the walls of a convent is threatened by the news that her father has arranged for her to marry, Marisa flees…right into the arms of a pirate.
From the safety of a sheltered convent to a sultan’s harem, from the opulence of Napoleon’s court to the wilds of the new frontier, Marisa and Dominic brave all that they encounter in this thrilling age: intrigue, captivity and danger. And above all, an enduring passion that ignites into an infinite love.
WICKED, LOVING LIES by ROSEMARY ROGERS