I'm Only Wicked with You is the third book in The Palace of Rogues series by Julie Anne Long. Long writing style balances sly dialogue and situational humor all while not losing any of the steamy romance that readers love.

This was a very sweet and well developed historical romance, it was my first read by this author and I'm excited to read more. Julie has a way of writing that draws you in to the story slowly with small character reveals and relationship dynamics layered gradually. It does give it the feel of a slow burn but I really enjoyed it. Also loved the American business man hero and a British society lady who loves art.

I'm Only Wicked with You is the third book in Julie Anne Long's Palace of Rogues series.

As Angelique Durand says, romantic things happen very often at The Grand Palace. This time they center on Hugh Cassidy and Lillias Vaughn. Ambitious American, Hugh, and headstrong British heiress, Lillias, set off sparks right from the beginning. Cassidy is in England on a rescue mission. He meets Lillias and her family, who are staying at The Grand Palace on the Thames while their home undergoes renovations.

It's clear that Lillias and Hugh have different outlooks on life. But the way their relationship develops is wonderful. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story. Hugh and Lillias challenge each other and make excellent sparring partners. The tension and chemistry between the two are fantastic! Sparkling banter and moonlit confessions in the gazebo make this story so romantic and delightful.

Also, a man who is willing to risk his life for his dog owns my heart!

Most of the story takes place at the boardinghouse, and I loved seeing the characters that have become such a fixture of The Grand Palace on the Thames. The new friendships developing are so fun to watch, especially between St. John and Delacorte.

I'm so excited to find out what new guests will arrive at The Grand Palace on the Thames in the next book!

Thank you for the ARC!

This book is a slow paced enemies to lover historical romance novel. Even though the book is an enemies to lover book, I found it difficult to engage with the characters. The fourth book in this series is much more fast paced and entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper for a free digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books and Ms. Long for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book. An honest review was requested but not required.

Many other reviewers have also pointed out that this book was something of a slow starter and I would heartily concur. It took quite some time, somewhere between a third and the first half, to really get going. The petty antagonism between the characters and the lack of any real action whatsoever (literally, Lillias is confined to her room in punishment for two weeks) makes the beginning really drag. I suppose the reader is meant to spend this time observing how fiery the interactions are between Lillias and Hugh, and trust me, I did, but... Well, I'll come back to that.

Let's pause by noting that the side characters are an absolute delight: of course Brownie and Goldie (or Delilah and Angelique, but Mr. Delacorte's charming names are far more fun) are back, as are their husbands (occasionally. Too much of a good thing would just be Too Much) and the intrepid staff, led by Dot and Helga. But it's the other guests who are the real draw, most especially the aforementioned Mr. Delacorte, whose presence as comedic foil, source of penny jar epithets and non sequiturs, and general provider of bonhomie grows increasingly important with each book in the series. Lillias' own family is a real hoot, from eavesdropping sister Claire (whom I wouldn't be surprised to see in a future book) to indolent brother St. John, to her father the Earl (who tries to lure away a staff member) and mother the Countess who is amusingly perplexed by Hugh's stories of America.

And, as always, Ms. Long is an absolute wizard of wordsmithing. Like this:

And he remembered diving into a swimming hole naked with his brother when he was about ten. The delicious icy shock of the plunge that took the breath out of him, sinking from the gold-green dappled surface into the olive dark depths, sinking, sinking until his toes found the sandy bottom and pushed off to launch back into daylight. That triumph of moving with grace in both worlds, on water, on land. Darting like little silver fish to the rock they called the Whale, their limbs pulling them through the water, pouring over their backs. His brother was faster but when it came to longer races Hugh always got there first. His will was stronger than possibly anyone's.

Wow. That took me straight back to girl scout camp around the same age, when we had to jump into the lake mid-morning for our swimming proficiency test and assumed (erroneously) that because it was hot outside, the lake would be warm. NOPE. Top three or four inches were indeed warm but the (olive? greenish-brownish is what I remember, so okay, I guess that's spot-on) depths were definitely pretty darned cold. And I distinctly recall once we got over the shock of it, staying in for HOURS.

And this:

"For what it's worth...I don't think anyone you love is ever truly gone. I do very much feel their absence... but I also feel their presence all the time, in a new way. In some ways they're with me now more than ever. I don't know if that makes sense."
"It does," she said shortly.
And that was enough unexpected soul mining for the night.


Ugh. What a beautiful turn of phrase. Grief is such a nebulous thing and means so many different things to different people but that quote really hit hard for me.

And of course there are quite a few very steamy and romantic and charming bits of dialogue but I'd prefer to leave those to pleasantly surprise other readers. Suffice to say, Ms. Long's impressive writing skills are on full display here.

But... back to my hesitation. I really, really, REALLY liked Hugh and Lillias together, and I completely bought into the absolutely crackling chemistry between the two of them. Whiiiiiiiiich is why I was so disappointed to find out, at oh, 50, 60%? that each of them was supposedly "in love" with someone else already. Pardonez moi: one would think that having raging chemistry, sparking dialogue, an irresistible mental and physical pull, etc etc etc towards Party C would perhaps indicate that one should at the VERY LEAST strongly question being in love with Party B?Of course things work out, as one would expect, but I would have preferred for both main characters to have come to the same conclusion MUCH more quickly and with far less assistance. Hugh and Lillias are two main characters of substantial, an overabundance even, of backbone, and do not whatsoever require aid to make decisions or draw conclusions. Or so I would have thought.

Nonetheless. They were so charming, and the epilogue was so charming (gah!) that I couldn't help but walk away from the book with a giant smile on my face. Slow start and minor disappointment [almost] completely forgotten in the face of That Ending.
Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to seeing what happens next with the mystery duke.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley Nf am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

I’m Only Wicked With You is the third in Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues series. It can be read as a stand-alone. It should be noted that while I read book one, I DNFed book two due to pacing and lack of chemistry. I did not feel I missed much going into this one by doing so.

In some ways, this book was a step up from the previous book, although it still didn’t measure up to the promise of the first. I feel like the potential is there, and I think it’s mostly due to the characters themselves. While not rocking my socks off, I do like the dynamic where the hero is the lower class one, and the heroine the society darling. Lilias is perhaps the more interesting of the two, being sharp-tongued and rebellious, while also hiding depression and anxiety, which made her relatable. However, Hugh has his good points too, being a hard working, charming American who really built himself up from more or less nothing.

But the romance is trying to be a slow-burn with some enemies (or at least animosity) to lovers, and I just didn’t feel it. I liked their initial interactions, where he gets her in trouble for scandalous behavior, and the first part was interesting with them navigating their feelings.

But then, they get caught kissing, and are forced to become engaged, and it really goes downhill from there. I felt like the spark slowly evaporated, because I couldn’t really connect with them or their relationship on a deeper level, and didn’t get the sense they did with each other either.

I did like the attempt to write a deeper book that focuses on real issues that you don’t often see in a historical romance. But given the romantic relationship is tepid at best, and this follows up on a book that I couldn’t even finish, I can’t help but feel a little let down. I haven’t given up hope for the series, as I do have an ARC of the next one too, which sounds promising.

A wicked good tale told predominantly through vivid conversations. The relationship between the protagonists builds naturally from the conversations and contact between them. Romantic, compelling, and deeply satisfying. The story electrifies gradually mounting to an inevitable yet unpredictable conclusion. Highly recommend.

He's a man who has lost everything beloved and dear, and built his life from the ashes. She's a woman wrapped in a cocoon of her own making.

Hugh and Lillias loathe each other. Their very first encounter ended with him curtailing what he believed to be reckless behavior - and then informing her father of it. And his wide shoulders and glorious grin cannot detract from the fact that he is an insufferable prig. The barbed words they hurl at each other are thinly disguised as polite conversation, and they count coups and hoard the satisfaction of the ones that draw blood.

The inability to remain civil is a mask of self-denial. They are inexorably drawn to each other - even though they are from vastly different worlds. They are energized by the latent desire that simmers beneath their exchanges. Like a match to tinder, each insult deepens the fascination and attraction and undermines the lies they tell themselves. He has a goal with a finite timeline. She and her family will move back to their glittering ballrooms when the repairs on their mansion are completed.

Moonlight confessions made while perched precariously on rooftops, soft, simmering kisses that can excavate a soul, the touch of a calloused hand - these are the haunting moments that shape their mutual fall from grace.

This is an enemies to lovers story that will leave you breathless with wonder - a ruinous puddle on the floor as if Dorothy threw a bucket of water on you. The sparkling banter, the glorious character arcs that ensure we see into the chaotic hearts of the hero and heroine, the rich, descriptive, language. The whole story is peppered with humor and perfect portrayals of the resilience and buoyancy of love. It is a reminder that falling is something you are powerless to fight - and the one who is meant to catch you may not be whom you have dreamed of, but they are exactly who you need.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly August New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I opted to try this series from Julie Anne Long out of order, and I don’t think that was the right call for me. I didn’t feel engaged with the characters and struggled with the plot. I may try again after I read the first two books. DNF.

I honestly had a hard time rating this because initially I almost stopped reading it!! I couldn't get into the first 30-40% of the book as I was just confused on all the characters and what was really happening but by the 50% mark the story finally flushed itself out and I totally fell for these two.

I wish that the first part was just cut out or rewritten as I'm afraid it will turn off many a reader but then they would miss the moving, eloquently written and tension filled conversations between Hugh and Lillias. Man, the sparks between those two just hooked me!

Lillias and Hugh meet while staying at the same hotel. They have these amazing, clandestine, unplanned meetups where it’s just the two of them and their simmering attraction.

You can tell that Lillias is a free spirit who longs to do the unexpected but that goes against everything she was raised to be. She’s suffering from a broken heart when she meets Hugh but he makes her feel unlike anything she’s ever felt before.

Hugh is definitely a man on a mission. He’s come up from nothing but is determined to see his plan for success through. He just happens to be making a detour, taking a trip to England to retrieve a woman who’s run off from her family.

While neither are looking for a soulmate, that is what they both found in each other. Lillias is always seen as someone always “a bit more” but Hugh loves that about her and has no desire to tame her or settle her.
If you can get through the muddled beginning, this love story is definitely worth it. There were so many passages that I highlighted because the depth of feeling shared was so strong or the dialogue was just so amazing. Plus, it has such a terrific epilogue! Also, a perfect title and cover.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I was so looking forward to this book because the first two in the series were some of my favorite reads of 2020. So even though I'm trying to cut back on requesting arcs, I requested this one. And then I started reading it, and it was...not great. I made it about a third of the way through (37 percent, to be precise) before I finally decided to just DNF it.

Literally nothing happened in the part that I read, and I didn't particularly care for either protagonist. Both of them are apparently the most beautiful people ever, which is never a characteristic I particularly care about, and both seem to use it to their advantage. Furthermore, the hero seems to genuinely hate his attraction to the heroine, who he sees as manipulative and reckless, and is rather mean to her. And frankly, her POV doesn't really dissuade you of that assessment. She's dreading an upcoming ball for some mysterious reason, but we don't really know the details. We just know she's really unhappy with her life and acting out, but not why. I don't particularly like either main character, to be totally honest, and their dynamic was a bit of a turnoff.

I might have been able to keep reading if there had at least been a plot, but with the absence of a plot, an engaging attraction between the hero and heroine, or even likable protagonists (the side characters are great, though), I just didn't see the point in continuing to read this book. I was so surprised because this is not at all what I expected after reading the first two books in this series, and the setup for this one at the end of book two seemed so promising. But reading some other reviews of the book just confirmed that I was not going to end up liking this one, so I decided to put it down and give a review on what I did read. Sadly, this book won't be joining the rest of the series on my shelves, though I will absolutely be giving the next one, After Dark with the Duke (how is this already out in November??), a try.

This review will go live on Dani's Bookshelf on July 27, 2021.

Super charming and explored some concepts I don't see often in romances, including the protagonists having previous emotional commitments to individuals who weren't their One True Love, but who were decent people deserving of finding another love of their own elsewhere.

I started this book not in the mood. I actually took forEVER to get into it because I was busy and I just didn't have the main characters figured out. I think it took me a little bit to understand the tension and story of both Lillias and Hugh. But when I fell into the story, I FELL HARD. The slow build and burn were 100% worth it and by the end of the story, I couldn't stop. I devoured the romance between Lillias (a lady looking to marry a titled man) and Hugh (an American who couldn't care less about titles and wants a good life on the Hudson River). Julie Anne Long creates a longing that tricks you into thinking its slow, but it's just setting the stage for this deeply moving and immersive love story that you are completely addicted to reading. The slow burn is worth the heat.

For readers who want fast and fun, this might not be your book. But if you want well developed characters and tension for days, this one is for you. I haven't read the first two books in this series, but you better believe I will now!

I really loved the other books in the Palace of Rogues series so I was excited to read this. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't gel with these characters in the way that the first two books swept me away. It's taken me forever to read it and I think partly I just wasn't that invested in their romance and the situation that they are put in never really grabbed me...

Strong beats of “What I did for a duke” (from JAL’s other historical romance series), but a bit slower to start. I felt the story didn’t really pick up until about 2/3 of the way through, but by the end I was charmed. If you liked the general plot of “What I did for a duke”, but were less into the age gap/domineering duke, I’d try out this one.

I will read anything by Julie Anne Long - that said this was a bit slower-paced than I typically enjoy but I still found myself feeling it was time well spent when I turned the last page.

I'll be honest, I didn't really love either of these characters from the get-go. but Long managed to get me invested in them and watching their romance bloom and become more and more just worked for me. I also loved the snippets of the previous books characters as the story progressed.

Looking forward to more from Long for sure!

Thank you for the early copy for review!

The first half of this romance was pretty slow. The two protagonists are, apparently, the best-looking people in all of England. Hugh Cassidy, an American searching for a friend’s daughter in England, and Lady Lillias, daughter of an early, meet at the Palace of Rogues which has featured in a couple earlier books by Julie Anne Long.

They spend the first half of the book making snarky comments at each other while fighting off their strong attraction. Lillias comes off as a snob and Hugh is just perfect.

Eventually, there is a bit more plot in the story as they’re caught in a scandalous position and have to get engaged. This is more than halfway through the story, but it’s when it gets more interesting and the plot seems to move along. It was just too slow for me. I kept waiting for something to happen. I would have also liked for Lillias’ character to be more developed beyond how beautiful she is. We’re told that she is so much more. I would have liked to have the author show the reader why this is so rather than tell us.

I've enjoyed the earlier books in this series more than this one.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Julie Anne Long never disappoints. This book is another testament to her ability to bring originality to a sometimes (often) repetitive genre. This book can standalone but you will definitely enjoy the first two books in this series and you will have a firm foundation in the goings-on at the boarding house known as The Grand Palace On The Themes formerly The Palace of Rogues.

It is truly a delight to get to know all the borders at Angelique and Delilah's establishment. They are a diverse lot, an American, an Earl and his family, a salesman and others as well as staff and the husbands of the proprietresses. I'm not going to tell you about our hapless lovers. I want you to enjoy the the fun as you read.
Most of the story takes place at the boarding house but toward the end the story moves beyond the premises. There are several twists and surprises some which make us impatient for the next book in the series.

I highly recommend this book as well as the series.

I've had this book in my Netgalley shelf for a while now. It was finally time to read this spicy historical romance. It had a very bold title! And the cover made it look very very spicy.

This book was filled with a lot of characters and a lot of inner conflict. It was sort of a slow burn, not for the main characters to get together, but for them to just realize they belong with each other.

I was a little confused with all the plot points and reasons why these two could not be together. They seemed to have a lot of unnecessary fights. This was a classic enemies to lovers who both wanted to "win." I don't know what win means in their minds, but they talk about it a lot.

But if you enjoy a historical romance and love a good steamy scene, you will enjoy this book.

There also were a lot of good side characters such as Delilah and Angelique.

Is this the best historical romance I've read? No. Is it spicy as hell? 100%.

I give this 3 stars!