Victoria Alexander (My Wicked Little Lies, The Perfect Mistress) delivers another delightful and engaging historical romance in The Importance of Being Wicked. Alexander's spirited heroine, the widowed Lady Miranda Garret, has been the driving force behind her late husband's architectural firm since his unexpected death three years ago. As if that weren't scandalous enough, she has also been the artistic force, working secretly as the company's sole architect and building a reputation that outshines even her most stringent competition. But when circumstances force Miranda personally to oversee the rebuilding of historic Millworth Manor, she meets what may be her greatest challenge: the undeniably attractive owner, Lord Winfield Stillwell. As Miranda and Win clash at every turn, sending up sparks of frustration, defiance and desire, they begin to reevaluate their perspectives and conclude that a wicked compromise is much, much better than no compromise at all.
In past novels, Alexander has shown a knack for characterization and she puts it to excellent use here. Miranda and Win are presented as works in progress, stubbornly attached to opinions and characteristics that they slowly realize they have outgrown. Realistic and well-drawn character development can be an all-too-rare thing in the romance genre, but Alexander does it with a particularly deft hand. With engaging characters, atmospheric settings and just a dash of intrigue, The Importance of Being Wicked is firing on all cylinders and will be a sure hit with fans of period romance. --Judie Evans, librarian