NEW REVIEW: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

A man controlled by his desires...
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand— she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.
A woman haunted by her past...
Caire makes a simple offer—in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control—one that may well destroy them both.
A bargain neither could refuse.

“you draw me. Because you are kind but not soft. Because when you touch me, the pain is bittersweet.

Because you cradle a desperate secret to your bosom, like a viper in your arms, and don’t let go of it even as it gnaws upon your very flesh. I want to pry that viper from your arms. To suckle upon your torn and bloody flesh. To take your pain within myself and make it mine.”

I put off starting this series for so long that I almost forgot about it. Until this afternoon when I decided to give the first book a bash and didn't look back. This story consumed me, Lazarus and by the way that name, but Lazarus' character was the epitome of every bad boy I've ever loved but also quite different too. Did I mention how this book practically sizzled with sensuality, really this was one hot read.

The book starts off slowly, and as the reader I was pretty unassuming. Yes, there's the beloved mystery as well as the romance but I had no idea that the story would turnout the way it did. Let alone the fact that apart from the main story, the author wove 2 other stories into Lazarus and Temperance's book and while I'm really intrigued by Hero's story in I'm salivating for Silence's! But as you may well know I'm pretty anal about reading books in order.

Now back to this particular story. Temperance along with her brother Winter run a home for orphans and foundlings, they're barely scraping by and are in danger of losing their premises. Until Lazarus follows Temperance home and propositions her. A delicate agreement is formed, in exchange for showing him around St. Giles, Lazarus will introduce Temperance to the most influential members of society and hopefully find a new patron for her little home.

At first it seems as if these characters are complete opposites but as the story progresses you realise they have more in common. I'll stop trying to explain myself but this story was both extremely exciting, angsty, and sensual. All in all this is another read that I would strongly recommend!

He wanted to heal the hurt and then hurt her again just to make it better. It was impossible to keep thoughts of her gentleness, her wit, and her acerbity from his mind.