Well, let's start with the cover: its horrible. I really gave this book more than one chance but I could not finish it. I really disliked the male character a lot. The female wasnt much better. Boring.

There is one word that came to mind when I finished this book. Superb! A wickedly great read with a great sense of sensualness! I recommend The Wicked Heir to all historical romance lovers.

When the love of Lady Isabelle Fairlyn's life is betrothed to her twin sister, Isabelle vows to find a suitable replacement before the end of the season. He must be a talented dancer, have a keen fashion sense, and be perfectly dashing in every way. Fallon St. James is the farthest thing from perfectly anything. As head of the secretive Spare Heirs Society, he must stick to the shadows...even as Isabelle's friendship pulls him reluctantly into the light. But when Isabelle gets involved with the one man who could destroy Spares, Fallon must decide between protecting his life's work—or risking everything to save the woman whose warm smile leaves him breathless.
This book was ok. It dragged a bit in the beginning and my opinion of Isabelle dipped a bit. One thing that annoyed me, and annoys me when historical romances do this, is her feelings for someone just because he was nice to her at one point. I get it that times were way different back then but it just irritates me. What saved it for me was Fallon and the action of the book. I will probably try another book from this author.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

While I normally like Elizabeth Michels, this one didn't thrill me at first. It took a little bit to get into it, mostly because of the main characters. The heroine was just way too naive it seemed to me and the hero seemed a little too unbelievable.

Sportochick's Musings ~ There is enough intrigue and twists to this story to keep the reader engrossed till the final page.

Fallon St. James in my opinion is an extremely arresting hero. His persona will draw a woman into his character in such a manner that they will want to break through his carefully erected façade. So, I completely understand Lady Isabelle’s fascination with him, her desire to be his friend as well as her wanting to help him laugh.

Isabelle had to grow on me. She was just too sweet and naive about men for me to connect with her in the beginning of the book. I have never been a lovelorn woman so though I understand the feeling it wasn’t till halfway through the book before I fell in love with her character and realized that her personality was the perfect foil for Fallon.

Secondary character Lord Hardaway plays a prominent role in this book as well as Isabelle’s twin, Victoria. From the first page Victoria and Isabelle’s interactions aren’t quite what a person would consider normal for twins but I look forward to the next book so we can see what drives Victoria and causes her to interact so stiffly with Isabelle.

There is enough intrigue and twists to this story to keep the reader engrossed till the final page. For this reason, I give it 4 STARS.

I really enjoyed Isabelle and Fallon's story. We have Isabelle who is in love with another man and Fallon who doesn't have time for love. This unlikely pair comes together in a most intriguing way.

As with all of Michels stories, the bantering between the H/H had me laughing out loud. There is nothing better than an author that writes terrific dialogue and Michels is masterful at her craft.

I'm very excited to read the next book in the series!

Lady Isabelle Fairlyn has a long list of requirements for her future husband but she thinks she has finally found the perfect man. Unfortunately that perfect man somehow ended up in a forced engagement with her identical twin sister. With that betrayal blinding her, she finds herself at the center of a museum robbery, a head injury and being held prisoner (for her protection) by Fallon St. James. Fallon, the head of a secret society that runs all of the shady businesses in Londin, is obviously completely unsuited for her, which makes it all the more sweet when they tumble head over heels for one another.

Don't act surprised, we all read these books for the happily ever after.

The Wicked Heir has mystery, humor, betrayal, intrigue, and a few really hot scenes involving a bench on a roof top garden that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Fallon St. James is head of a secret organization, the Spare Heir Society, that helps those in need and isn't always on the right side of the law. Isabelle has found her husband and adores him from afar. When her twin sister becomes engaged to him to thwart a scandal, Isabelle is heartbroken and begins her search a new. She has a criteria that her intended must fulfill, which may be a bit naive, but she is determined. When she meets Fallon she finds him nice, but not necessarily husband material. She meets a man that qualifies in every aspect, but does not know that she is his target. Fallon becomes aware of it, and in order to protect her, has to go against what he believes he needs to do to maintain his business and keep the Spares safe. While in hiding they get to know each other and fall in love, but can Fallon still run the Spare Heir Society and be a man of society? This third book is best read after the first two to fully know the characters.

The pacing is steady and the writing flows well. I enjoyed her writing style a great deal.

Isabelle and Fallon. She is a true romantic. He is all business, no pleasure. She believes in day dreams Victoria'sand fairy tales. He hardly eats or sleeps due to his having to be in control 24/7. Two people couldn't be more opposite. Yet they bring out the best in each other. He helps ground her and she gets him to loosen up his tight grip on the reins. I loved this story because you saw their relationship develop, their getting to know each other, their falling in love. He is no where near her list of requirements for a husband in the beginning, but he turns out to be perfect for her. Can't wait for her sister, Victoria''s story.

I need the next one now! Lol. Seriously such a good read. She was a bit less concerned about the fact that someone hurt her and the art being stolen than I expected, but I really enjoyed their initial meeting. Wonderful read!

Fallon St. James, head of the secretive Spare Heirs Society, is on the hunt for a former member turned killer. His focus has and always will be on protecting his fellow members and seeing justice done. One problem to his well ordered life when he meets Lady Isabelle Fairlyn.

Isabelle is in love with a man who becomes betrothed to her twin sister. She must move on and she has a list of attributes she is looking for, none of which seem to match her new friend, Fallon St. James.
Fallon St. James, head of the secretive Spare Heirs Society, is on the hunt for a former member turned killer. His focus has and always will be on protecting his fellow members and seeing justice done. One problem to his well ordered life when he meets Lady Isabelle Fairlyn.

Isabelle is in love with a man who becomes betrothed to her twin sister. She must move on and she has a list of attributes she is looking for, none of which seem to match her new friend, Fallon St. James.
A mystery draws the two together but will his secrets destroy what could be a perfect match?

Once this story was more than half way over it became very interesting but I am surprised I made it though the long and drawn out build up. Too much time was spent on Isabelle being attracted to another man. It made me feel like she was just fickle in falling in love and it took well until the ending to make me believe she really knew what true love was. I enjoyed the hero, Fallon, but at times he seemed too mature to be a good match for Isabelle.

I am loving how the timelines of the books in this series are somewhat overlapping. The one downside is that because they aren’t released too close to each other, my memory is a bit faulty and it takes me a little while to catch back up and for things to come back to me. That being said, THE WICKED HEIR was quite the fun read. I had been intrigued by the mysterious head of the Spare Heirs Society, Fallon St. James, for a while. When the other heroes need something taken care of, that’s who they go to. So he must’ve been the biggest and baddest one around, right?

I loved getting to know him through the rose colored glasses of the perpetual romantic, Isabel Fairlyn. She fancies herself in love with the most unlikely man, and a member of the Spare Heirs. She’s kept detailed accounts of her feelings in her diary for a while now, and figured this is the season she’ll reel him in and they’ll be married and happily ever after. Except he’s never really given her more than a glance and for all intents and purposes has no interest. The one that does seem to be captivated by her is St. James and they quickly develop an unlikely friendship. The man with all the secrets who lives on the edge of the law, and the prim and proper Lady who dreams of balls, gowns and fairytales.

I really enjoyed their friendship, their banter, and the way their relationship developed. The situations they often found themselves involved in were also a lot of fun to read about. This is, without a doubt, my favorite in the series so far. It kept a nice and steady pace, it was entertaining when it called for and swoony as well. I loved both main characters, as well as the whole lot of side characters. I’m left wanting to get the next book sooner rather than later because, as I’m sure there’s bound to be some overlapping of timelines as well, I need to make sure my memory stays fresh to remember all the details. With a spunky heroine and a rake it promises to be a great read.

DNF at 25%. Thank you to the Publisher for the review copy though!

'You're smile lacks meaning.' ____3.5 stars

And just like that Fallon St. James' life takes a different course.
I really liked St. James but struggled with Lady Isabelle Fairlyn. In someways she seemed too childlike for St. James. At moments I found it hard to relate to her. She seems so young with a head (and diary) full of a young woman's dreams. We're told her diary is full of swooping letters with 'silhouettes of flowers and swirls of ink fashioned into vines.' However there are moments when Isabelle is no shrinking violet. (And that's when I like her). She is searching for her true love. At about the age of sixteen she fixated on another Spare, Mr. Kelton Brice, as that person. Isabelle is now three years older. To her Brice is the epitome of the perfect partner. She has plans for him!
His friend and fellow Spare, Fallon St James, just doesn't cut it. He's too serious and brooding in appearance and manner. He doesn't smile and he can be quite off putting. But appearances can be deceptive and Isabelle discovers previously unlooked for depths in this gentleman she terms piratical.
St James is the leader of the Spare Heirs Society, a secretive organization that has influence spread in all sorts of places. He needs to focus on the Society and its various tentacles to ensure its profitability.
When Isabelle is threatened by Reginald Grapling, a man who has mysteriously escaped from prison; a man previously hunted and brought to justice by the Heirs, Fallon must act quickly to find him and at the same time protect Isabelle. Fallon may be trying to save Isabelle but who will save him from the powerful attractions he feels for her?
In the end their story is one of action, mystery and a reluctant romance.
Isabelle's twin sister Victoria has her own story, that plays out somewhat here. She seems to me to be a very interesting character. I am looking forward to her involvement with the Spares.

A NetGalley ARC
(July 2017)

I thought Isabelle would be a strong woman. She's not, She's extremely clueless and it just grated on my nerves. Fallon tries to be the hero she requires, but with his back story and the way he runs his life and the AHS, he just would never measure up.

the ending was too pat. I am interested in seeing what she has in store for Victoria and Brice

I really enjoyed reading this book but, in the end, I questioned myself about how long would this relationship last.

Fallon St. James is the “boss” of the Spare Heir Society, and he tries to control and know everything – not in a bad way, but simply because he started out alone and got used to having all the weight of the world on his shoulders, not trusting anyone else – queue Isabelle. She showed him that he didn’t need to do it all alone, that he must enjoy the good things in life and not only see it in the eyes of others.

Isabelle is an innocent and a naïve young lady, who believes in the good and sees it even if it’s not there – she always wants to believe a person is its better version. And she loves art, so she spends her afternoons at the British Museum, looking after her family’s collection, especially a painting that will be part of her dowry.

And in the middle of all of this, Isabelle is caught between the vengeance of a former member of the Spar Heir Society, being manipulated and deceived. For good and bad, this is what hurts her. Even if they thought they were doing it with her best interest in mind, Isabelle isn’t dumb and she deserved to know the truth from the start.

But Fallon doesn’t give up trying to take care of her, even knowing he doesn’t fill her list of requirements for a husband. In the end, Isabelle discovers that the only thing she really wanted was someone that would love her and take care of her, and that would allow her to do the same for her loved one.

With mystery and revenge, art and romance, this book took me to a sweet world, one of which I plan to keep being part of by reading the rest of the books in this series – soon, hopefully!

The Wicked Heir brings us back into the dashing, secretive world of the Spare Heirs Society for another adventure… and another heir finds his match, even if he wasn’t looking for one.

It would be easy to see Isabelle as a flighty, marriage minded young miss with nothing but dreams and fantasies in her head. But that would be a mistake for she is so much more than what is seen by others. Yes, she wants the fantasy of the perfect match, the ideal man especially once the man she’d pinned her young crush dreams upon was suddenly announced as her twin sister’s betrothed. Nothing like a wake up call to shake up your dreams. What she’s truly looking for is an escape from her parent’s home, from their constant arguments, from the not always so pleasant life she has to a world of her own choosing. In that she is not so different from many young ladies of her time and place in society. What she will discover is her ideal man is a wickedly, unexpected man with danger in his eyes and a love for her in his stubborn heart.

Fallon didn’t really have the time or the inclination to look after a young miss with stars in her eyes and an impossible to find checklist of that perfect match she’s on the hunt for. Yet Isabelle is actually quite charming with a vivid mind and no sense whatsoever for her own safety and self-preservation. As Fallon finds himself as her designated “friend” he’s suddenly quite interested in a woman who is falling for the charms of a truly vile, dangerous man. Isabelle believes she may have found the man she’s looking for, what she actually is to this villain is a pawn, a easy to use for revenge conquest. And Fallon is not about to let that happen – even if he has to whisk her away to the one place she certainly should not be… his home, his bedroom.

I enjoyed my time spent in the world of The Wicked Heir. Isabelle and Fallon are an interesting match, what appears as opposites actually finds more things in common with each other than either thought. You can see Isabelle growing, and Fallon softening his heart toward one woman who finds her way into his heart and will not let go. There are some dark moments, a vile villain to defeat and a touch of mystery, suspense to this one that will make this an enjoyable read for any one who likes to solve a puzzle along with their romance. I had fun, I enjoyed it and now I’m looking forward to the next story in this series.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

The struggle was real with this book. I couldn't stand Isabelle. She read like a child and it wasn't cute. That fact made the romance weird. I know opposites attract but just couldn't feel it between these two. It took me forever to finish this book, too. I read three others while forcing myself to come back to this one in between reading those. Definitely not a book that I was sad to be finished.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.