The stories of those who went to Egypt to hunt for treasure before it was stopped are fascinating. Colin Smith is just that adventurer! After being gone for ten years he returns to London to sell some treasures he has found and is looking for a patron to back his further expeditions. Despising the people and rules of the ton, he is eager to obtain what he needs and return.
When he finds a Marquess who is willing to fund him, he also finds his daughter Clair who is determined to go on a treasure hunt with him to find a priceless jewel. Of course she is totally smitten with him upon first glance but she is everything that Colin has stayed away from. Will he take her and what will they find? Will he change his mind and find love with Clair?
Elizabeth Bright has written an enjoyable tale with captivating characters that will keep you entertained until the end! I am anxious to go back and read the first two books in this series, but his can be read as a standalone.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm definitely going to check out the rest of this series now!

3.5/5

UGH. I had such high hopes that this author (one I have read and loved before) would break my 2019 curse of only reading 3 star (or less) books. But unfortunately, this was another three star read.

It started off so promising. We meet Colin - an adventure hunter, and Claire - a girl who remembers absolutely everything. When Claire takes it in her head to find a lost treasure she once heard about and tries to enlist his help I was hooked. I remained interested when her father petitioned Colin to help her on this "fools errand", and I was even more encouraged when they actually manged to work together to find it. Their banter was amazing. The supporting characters (even those from other stories) kept my interest. I was 100% invested in their love story.

And then Colin went stupid. And he seemed to think only of himself and forget all of the reasons why he fell in love with her in the first place (even if she is prone to moments of life threatening stupidity). And then we got this drivel of how he's going to basically manipulate her into doing what he wants, only to be shocked when she goes against him. Did you hear my eyes roll?

I will never understand why an author takes such strong and amazing characters and then de-evolves them into mere shadows of themselves (although I will say Claire showed more backbone than I would have thought possible).

Overall, I know this story will be a fan favorite (the 4 and 5 star reviews ahead of mine cement this). And I would read more from this author. I just wish she wouldn't fall into such cliche moments.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This book is so much fun!! I love the adventure in this story!! I love the characters in this story!!! I love the unlikely romance in this story!!! Basically I love this story!!
Lady Claire Harrisonis the daughter of the Marquis of Chatwell, who is an avid collector of Egyptian artifacts. On behalf of her father Claire attends an exhibition of the very artifacts her father hoards. At the expedition she meets the explorer who uncovered the artifacts and it is love at first sight… at least on her side.
Colin Smith despises London and its’ high society is only good for the money they invest in his expeditions. It’s in the interest of his next expedition that he makes a deal with the Marquis of Chatwell to help his adventurous daughter find a treasure. Little does he know that by the end of this adventure he will have found a true treasure.
Again this book was so much fun to read and it had me laughing out loud quite a few times. I can’t wait to read the next book from Elizabeth Bright to see what new adventure awaits.

Wicked With the Scoundrel by Elizabeth Bright is book Three in the Wicked Secrets Series. This is the story of Colin Smith and Claire Harrison. I have read the previous books, but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so. Colin mother was raped by a title holding man which set the tone for his dislike for the 'Town'. So when he has to return to sell his treasures he doesn't plan on doing anything else. Claire and her father have a chance to see Colin, and Claire is very smitten. So board with the life on the Town she goes to think up a way that she can get Colin and her father's approval for Colin to ask her to marry him. Enjoyed their story.

This story was nice and sweet but I found it a bit boring.I knew details about the main charade but never connected with them. The story was interesting but not exciting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Colin Smith, the bastard son of a viscount, has returned to England after ten years of treasure hunting Lady Claire, daughter of a marquis, is everything Colin loathes about the ton, but she is determined to win him over. The pair meet in Bath & for Claire it’s love at first sight. Claire persuades Colin to help her search for the Cleopatra Emerald. If she can convince Colin Smith to take her with him as he travels the world, then she’ll have the life she’s always dreamed of.
I enjoyed this third book in the series but not as much as the first two. I always find instant love hard to believe but it was handled well & Claire didn’t deviate from her feelings. I also felt Colin went from being lukewarm to Claire to being desperately in love with her. He needs the money from selling the finds to give his mother & himself some security. I liked both of them & their road to a HEA was very entertaining. The story flowed well & held my interest all the way through. Claire’s total memory recall was a different slant & I felt this could have been given greater scope. Overall an enjoyable read that with a little bit extra could have been so much better
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher

This is the third book in the series but a standalone. It's fun and romantic. I like the heroine a lot. She is brave, smart and usual with her eidetic memory. She carried the entire book for me. The hero is okay- just not as 'special' as the heroine. He appreciates her and that's enough for me.

Definitely a fun read. Enjoyed it a lot!

An adventurous tale. Claire is an unconventional young lady who instantly falls in love with Colin the first time she sees him. She sets her sights on marrying him and devises a plan to do so. They go on a treasure hunting trip where they scrap and argue until they end up in bed. There are funny moments and plenty of disasters that will make you cringe. Claire is fierce and determined and eventually she achieves the goal she set out to do.

Wicked with the Scoundrel is the third instalment in Elizabeth Bright’s wicked secrets series. I have read one other book in the series but each book can be read as a standalone.

Colin Smith is returning to England, much to his disgust after ten years travelling. The bastard son of a viscount and a maid he has no love for society but he is in need of a financial backer to finance his excavation in Egypt. He has set his sights on the Marquess of Chatwell, who is known to have deep pockets and an interest in antiquities.

Lady Claire Harrison, daughter of the Marquess of Chatwell, has accompanied her father to view a selection of antiquities at her friends home. There she finds herself enamoured of the adventurer she meets there.  Claire has an eidetic memory and remembers everything, every boring, mundane moment of her life. She longs for excitement and adventure, Deciding that Colin is the man for her she devises a plan to make him a suitable match, she will help him find the lost treasure of Scipio which will bring him riches and acclaim.

Colin agrees to the scheme when the Marquess agrees to finance his next mission in return for keeping Claire safe. Colin is finding it hard to resist Claire’s unique attractions, and when she unbelievably leads him to the lost treasure they both give in to their feelings. Their new relationship is not without its difficulties as they navigate through some serious obstacles.

I enjoyed this read, I found Claire to be especially endearing and it held my attention. Overall I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Ms. Bright’s writing, everything is amazing. Adventures, Egyptian treasures, more Wessex (if only just a little) and a strong woman. I am so there. Colin, a scoundrel? Not really but he is terribly wicked which makes me love him (oh and he loves his mother, swoon). We all love a strong woman and Claire is so strong and know what she wants and goes after what she wants. No demure woman and I love it! These stories are so interesting and different and fresh. If you have not read Ms. Bright, she is fairly new (only three books), run out and get these books and have a grand time reading and getting lost in another time.

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I thought this was going to end sooner than it did.

This charming regency romance has a heroine with an eidetic memory and a bastard treasure hunter. The plot seems to have 2 parts; I felt that the first story arc was progressing quickly and wondered what else could happen. Call them love at first sight, and part 2- love grown into young adulthood.

The intimate scenes have open doors. There is a short note from the author about the unpleasant beginnings of archaeology that made up for the uncomfortable choice of the hero's profession.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.

***ARC was provided to me for a fair and honest review***

Overall rating: 3/5 The first half with Claire and Colin looking for the treasure was sweet and well paced. Colin becomes overbearing after that.

Heroine (Lady Claire): 4/5 The daughter of a marquess longs for the life of adventure, but only noticed that longing when she met a true adventurer.

Hero (Colin Smith): 3/5 The bastard son of a peer and a chambermaid is an adventurer in seek of his big find that will lead him to fame and fortune.

Plot: 3/5 Claire falls in love with Colin upon seeing him at a afternoon party. But Colin is not of her class and thus they would never be allowed to get married… unless Colin becomes rich enough that titles won’t matter and she sets out to have him find a long lost treasure. When Colin finds out Claire wants to join him on future adventures, can he bear her being at risk?

Personal Review: I loved the first half of the story with Colin and Claire off on a backyard adventure to find hidden treasure. But when Colin falls in love with Claire and becomes overly worried about her safety, the story kind of dies for me. Claire is a bird caged by society’s rules when they meet, Colin lets her fly freely while they search for Cleopatra emerald but is there to catch her if she should need it. But after that Colin takes his little bird and tries so hard for so much of the story to shove her back in her cage. The total one eighty in characterization with Colin was hard to swallow, but I did finish the story and the first half made up for my dislike of the second half.

The story revolves around Colin, an illegitimate son of a Viscount and Claire the daughter of a Duke. Claire has the ability to recall anything and everything that had ever happened in her lifetime with vividness. This is at times frustrating to others in that she creates lists of the incidents with absolute recall. Colin meets Claire and she becomes intrigued by him and wants to further their relationship. Colin in an adventurer who has returned to England to find support for another expedition to Egypt and along the way they fall in love and plan to return to Egypt in search of hidden treasures. There is a lot that comes about before this happens. It is a good read.

Claire has a photographic memory and remembers everything. She tends to ramble on recounting stuff (her “lists”) and her maid pinches her to make her stop. Claire longs for a different experience, rather than the banal life she has, & when she meets Coiln her represents everything she has ever wanted in adventure.
I loved how Claire’s unorthodox-ness charms Colin. He starts thinking of her as just another ton lady. Frivolous and flighty but her intelligence and unconventional behaviour has him taken aback initially but wins him over the more he gets to know her.
A lovely, entertaining story. Claire is totally adorable. I love her quirkiness. She realizes that she has a life of privilege and doesn’t care that Colin is a bastard and that his mother who was a maid now works as a seamstress. Lovely characters and an entertaining storyline.

The name alone ‘Wicked with a Scoundrel’ and the beautiful cover, drew me in but having read the previous two books in the series, I was excited to read another book by Elizabeth Bright. The story follows Colin Smith, the bastard son of a viscount, who returns to England in order to make money, to finance his travels in Egypt. However, he meets Lady Claire Harrison, the daughter of the marquess, who will fund his travels. Claire falls immediately in love with Colin and sets her sights on winning his attention. However, in order to do so, she must make him wealthy and give the status needed to marry her. She is a woman not daunted by such a challenge.
Despite her unusual nature, it was difficult to not fall in love with Claire. She is so confident, so natural and also caring, that Colin falls hopelessly in love with her. Despite the challenges that he has faced in his lifetime, Colin overcomes his prejudice for the ton, and does all that he can to win the favour of Claire, only to find himself struggling to protect her.
This book was such a delight to read. The storyline had me smiling throughout despite the ups and downs faced by the two main characters. Having said this, I found it quite a departure from the earlier two books which had more dark undertones – which I loved. A great read but make sure to read the two earlier books in the series. You won’t be disappointed.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

After ten years of adventure, Colin Smith, the bastard son of a viscount, returns to the place he most despises ––London. But only until he can sell off some of his treasures.

Lady Claire, daughter of a marquess, is everything Colin loathes about the ton, but she is determined to win him over. Her life is a catalogue of dances and evening gowns, and thanks to an eidetic memory, she can remember every blasted, boring second of it.

A treasure hunt for the Cleopatra Emerald promises adventure, but Claire wants more. If she can convince Colin Smith to take her with him as he travels the world, then she’ll have the life she’s always dreamed of. There’s just one problem, he doesn’t seem to like her much.

This read is delightful and funny in the first few chapters but seems to bog down around the halfway point.
I was breezing through the read and suddenly found it quite boring. This was not my first time reading this author's work and had found previous reads better than this one. I could barely recommend this third book I had read.
I gave this book 3.9 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization. Colin seems overprotective of Claire simply because she is a lady. It is clear that he has feelings for her and she for him but I found the book a little on the long side in attempting to come to it's conclusion.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

This is my fair and honest review in exchange for this ARC. This was a very delightful tale. Full of great characters with so many quirly traits. The story evolves with much wit and a bit of wisdom too.

A treasure of a book. Colin, the bastard son of a peer has just returned from Egypt with artifacts from ancient tombs. There's a big market for these items in London. While trying to sell these things, he meets Lady Claire, who is the daughter of one of the buyers. She sees Colin and falls immediately in love. Her seasons have not been very successful as she has a mind that remembers everything and a habit of repeating them as lists. Her father asks Colin to take her on a fake hunt for a legendary treasure close to home. He has had Colin plant jewels for her to find in exchange for money to find his next adventure. Claire doesn't know this and is taking the treasure hunting seriously. Will they find the treasure? Will Claire's love be returned by Colin. I loved this book. It has all the elements that make a great story. Poor boy full of adventures, rich girl who longs for the same thing. I really loved it. I received this book from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for a honest review.

Colin Smith is back in England, much to his disgust, after 10 years in India and Egypt. He hopes to sell treasures he found and find a patron that will enable him and his business partner Debananda "Deb" Mukherjee to return to Egypt and hopefully discover even greater treasure. His hope is to capture the attention of the Marquess of Chatwell, who is a collector of antiquities and rich.

Lady Claire Harrison, daughter of the Marquess of Chatwell, has accompanied her father to see Colin's treasures, Claire has an eidetic memory and remembers everything, every boring, mundane moment of her life. She longs for excitement and adventure, but is resigned to her quiet life - until see lays eyes on Colin and falls in love at first sight. Claire is not stupid, she knows that Colin is not suitable as a prospective groom and that her father will never approve, so she comes up with a plan - she will help him find the lost treasure of Scipio which includes the Cleopatra emerald - he will be rewarded and recognized by the crown and then her father would allow him to marry her! Now all she has to do is convince him to "help" her find the treasure and marry her.

Colin is interested in the treasure, but not Claire - or any lady in the "ton", he has no love for the nobility. His mother was a ladies man and was raped by her employer's husband and cast out when she learned she was pregnant. Colin reached out to his father when he was a young man and was told in no uncertain terms, that he was not going to help him. Colin's bitterness against the nobility runs deep, but Claire is different and he likes her - but he still won't help her.

Claire's father requests a meeting with Colin and makes him an offer he can't refuse. Help Claire find treasure - fake treasure - and the Marquess will become his patron. Colin agrees, but underestimates Claire's determination to have Colin find the treasure and marry her.

This is a well written, amusing, uncomplicated, quirky story with very likable characters, warm love scenes, treasure, secrets, lies, wonderful secondary characters and a sweet HEA, complete with an epilogue. This is the 3rd book in the series, but I have not read the previous books and had no issues whatsoever.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*