This book was a wickedly good read! Long managed to master the slow-burn banter so that even discussions in an English sitting room seemed interesting and loaded with romantic tension. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the different characters, but especially Hugh and Lillias. I wasn't sure I would like Lillias at first, but Long does such an incredible job of humanizing Lillias and allowing the reader to experience her inner turmoil just as Lillias experiences it. Instead of disliking Lillias, I both admired and sympathized with her by the end of the book. Also, Hugh is just swoon-worthy. I love a good broody, secretly injured male love interest with a penchant for powerful words, and Hugh lived up to even my highest expectations.

This was certainly an intensely emotional book. There were moments when I felt like the emotions may have been a bit over-blown, but it wasn't enough to detract significantly from the story, About halfway through the book, another major plot development comes into focus. I almost felt like it could have been the plot of a completely different story, but Long rather effectively reigned it in. The end of this story was perfectly executed and exactly what I look for in a good romance novel.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read everything else by Long! Thank you NetGalley for the ebook version of this story in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I don't know where to start..

I just had a hard time with this book. Could it be because I hadn't read the other ones prior to really understand the importance of some of the characters mentioned in the first couple of pages.. probably? Something about it just wasn't holding my attention. I found myself glossing over whole paragraphs instead of gripping the pages.

I think I'll come back and re-read when the time is right, but I guess the main issue I had was the immediate hatred towards the main characters from the start. I felt like that wasn't very clear to me as I continued to read, but again, I just struggled with this one.

I'm Only Wicked with You is the third in a series linked by the proprietresses of The Grand Palace of the Thames, an extravagant name for a former ramshackle lodging home on the not-so-nice part of London, even if the king of England has graced it once. This historical romance between a young but world- and war-wearied American and an even younger, melancholic and prickly earl's daughter is a very slow burn. Julie Anne Long's wonderful dialogue and humor shone through and while reading, I decided to settle in and just enjoy. Stepping back after reading, the strengths remain but so too did weaknesses creep in. The subplot for why Hugh was in England was rather weak, and Lilias was somewhat unlikeable when one realized why she was acting out. I still recommend it though because the one thing I love about the series is underneath it, it always beats with a warm-heartedness of characters trying to do the right thing. It is more enjoyable if one is familiar with the background and existing characters--Dot and Delacorte and delightful and decent as always.

4.5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an ARC for my unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I didn't like this, it was depressing to me she was depressed so she got me depressed and he was mean so honestly i couldn't continue, I couldn't sorry netgalley.

3 stars, rounded up to 3.5 for the delightful secondary cast of characters

If you enjoyed the motley assortment living at The Grand Palace on the Thames in Lady Derring Takes a Lover and Angel in a Devil's Arms, you will likely enjoy this latest installment in the Palace of Rogues series.

We first met Hugh and Lillias in Angel in a Devil's Arms, in a scene which sets up the action (such as it is) for this novel. Hugh Cassidy, an American using the Grand Palace on the Thames as his home base while he searches for the missing daughter of a friend, first discovers Lady Lillias (slightly wild child of a earl) smoking a cheroot outside the boarding house. After a biting exchange, Hugh reports her infraction to the earl, whose whole family is also residing at The Grand Palace due to an unfortunate incident with a poisonous snake. (Go with it; it doesn't make much sense, but it's a minor issue.) Lillias is essentially grounded for two weeks, which means she spends all her time at The Grand Palace rather than balls, morning calls, shopping, etc.

This all has happened between the cheroot scene in the last book and this one, and because we only get fragments of that scene in this book, the sparks flying between Hugh and Lillias as this book opens seem excessive. The good news is that many of their lively interactions occur in the drawing room at The Grand Palace, with Dot, Delacorte, Delilah and Captain Hardy, and Angelique and Bolt once again in the mix. Some of these scenes are laugh-aloud funny. The time spent in the Grand Palace makes this novel worth the read.

This is a conversation-heavy story, and it needs to be to establish how an American who wants to return to America to begin an empire there can find common ground and love with a titled English debutante beloved by the ton. Though a few love rivals find their way into the thin plot, Hugh is such a complex, compelling hero that any potential rival pales next to him.

And that might be the downside of the novel: Lillias seems a mismatch for Hugh for most of the story. Hugh is warm, thoughtful, funny, ambitious, and handsome to boot. He knows what he wants and how he will achieve it. He's seen enormous pain in his life but remains optimistic for the future. Lillias seems like she's at a different developmental stage--like she's younger than him in both age and experience, which at times makes her seem more juvenile than Hugh. Perhaps this is because we see key scenes more from his perspective, and don't have the same access to her; perhaps it's because, as a continuation of the series, some steps were skipped in her foundational character-building. Either way, it's hard to root for them ending up together for a good portion of the story, although in time, their love makes sense.

I'm Only Wicked With You is a lovely story about realizing that what you want is not necessarily what you need.

It is book #3 in the Palace of Rogues series but can be read as a standalone.

The Palace of Rogues series takes place at the charming Grand Palace of the Thames, a boarding house next to the London docks that hosts fascinating characters.

Lillias is an Earl's daughter staying at The Grand Palace with her parents due to an incident with a snake. It is a tad far-fetched, but keep going; you won't regret it.

Once there, Lillias met Hugh Cassidy, a young and ambitious American on a rescue mission. Hugh had very clear views of what he wanted for his future, and it depended mostly on his return to his country as soon as possible.

Clearly, Hugh and Lillias had nothing in common and, worse yet, had very different dreams and expectations for their future lives. The only thing they shared was an undeniable attraction to each other.

I love how the story develops. The couple is always conscious of their differences, and they do not confuse lust and love.

It was refreshing to see how they approached their relationship with a clear mind and how their desire for each other did not guide them from the get-go.

The couple was beyond adorable. Lillias was a beautiful person, but part of the environment she was raised in.

Hugh was all one dreams of a romantic hero. Dashing, smart, confident, but vulnerable and a little clueless at the end of the day.

The sexual tension was wonderful, and the chemistry off-the-charts.

It was delightful to revisit the characters from the previous books in the series, especially Mr. Delacorte. I wish he will eventually be a hero in his own book. He is so adorably funny.

So far, I'm Only Wicked With You is my favorite in the series!

Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 04/27/2021*

I've thoroughly enjoyed the first two installments in JAL's Palace of Rogues series, particularly because of the author's relatively equitable focus on internal and external conflict. I'm Only Wicked With You has slightly less external propulsion: Hugh's efforts to find a missing American woman he may or may not have feelings for don't bear fruit until the absolute last possible moment, and even then, the confrontation is a snoozer; and Lillias faces the problem of facing the source of her heartbreak at an annual ball, and generally bristles at the expectations/false affections levied at her by the ton. So you can see, we're far from the more do-or-die stakes from books 1 and 2. Still, the simmering tension and forever bantering that carry the book's first Act make for a satisfying slow burn that takes center stage once Hugh and Lillias leave the Grand Palace on the Thames and interact with the society that has spurned them both. Hugh is nigh-on perfect, and Lillias's barely-suppressed desire for more than life has allotted her ultimately reveals her as his best match.

Not sure if there are plans to continue the Palace of Rogues series, but JAL seems to go to rather great lengths to wrap up all secondary storylines at the end of this novel. It felt like the end of it all -- which might be the right choice, lest we want to see Dot or Delacorte take their turn (heaven forbid they take it together).

3.5 stars

This is the third book in The Palace of Rogues series and it is honestly, my least favorite. The pacing and relationship build up is incredibly slow and I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. I was more than halfway through the book before I felt like the story seemed to start moving. The heroine Lillias, is affected daily by depression and anxiety to the point that there is a definite sadness around the story. It was much more melancholy than I expected.

This is a low steam book that would be ideal for someone who likes a little reality of depression and poverty in their romance and not the swept away to happily ever after in a glittering ballroom we often see in historical romance. It's a British, highborn heroine and am ambitious American hero who eventually find their way to each other. This was not my preferred type of historical romance but I did finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion of I'm Only Wicked With You.

** spoiler alert ** This book has a definite melancholy tone. Lillias is riddled with depression and anxiety. She can’t eat, barely speaks, and is acting out in strange ways. Hugh survived a war but was shot and near death also losing his entire family. They meet while staying at the boardinghouse The Grand Palace on the Thames. I thought Hugh was immature and plain mean. He found her smoking once and ran straight to her father to tattle. Another time she received flowers and a poem from an admirer while all the guests were sitting in the parlor. She obviously didn’t want it read out loud so he grabbed it and did just that. Are these the actions of a grown man? Their animosity doesn’t stop the attraction and she’ll be forced to decide between the life of privilege she always wanted in England or a new life with an ambitious American. Now here’s where I get petty. Maybe it’s because I just spent the day mopping floors, cleaning toilets, and cooking but SPOILER—- He has a four room cabin in the woods. His mother would shoot their dinner standing in this doorway. He has political ambitions and big plans for a grand house and career one day but no money to back this up. I realize her father caved and gave them money but a year later they spend their time frolicking in the woods and she’s now pregnant, she mentions a cook and silks of high fashion. Wouldn’t the girl be expected to do something around the house? I just imagined a shock to her system from the change in her standard of living. I must be jealous. I actually think she chose the wrong guy.

I was lucky to read an ARC of I'm Only Wicked with You by @JulieAnneLong & it was DIVINE. British lady can't help falling for rugged American. The mutual longing, connection, & awareness between the MCs--a Long trademark--is so powerful. Chemistry for days!

#imonlywickedwithyou

I tried and have high hopes for this one, as I enjoy novels by the author, yet I could not find myself getting into it. I found the chemistry lacking and could not finish it. The hero is an American, and the heroine, a feisty young lady, Lillias. It sounded good but as I read I could not help but to get bored.

I'm Only Wicked with You by Julie Anne Long
What a fun and lively romance! I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between Hugh and Lillias. Very smart and witty dialogue. This third installment in the series is my first and now I plan to go read the first two books. Very entertaining!

I was not able to engage with this book. I did not find the characters sympathetic nor the plot interesting enough to continue. I could not read past the first quarter of the book. Therefore I will not be reviewing it.

Julie Anne Long writes historical romances that are the perfect blend of historically accurate AND modern zest. Her books are always a great mix of romance, humor, and emotional suspense. I loved both of these characters, and while there was a similar feel in some ways to Long’s previous books (it’s particularly reminiscent of What I Did For A Duke) it’s still unique enough to hold interest. I read this in one sitting, it was delightful. I actually liked it more than the previous two in this new series.

This is the third book in The Palace of Rogues series and it is my least favorite. The pacing and relationship build up is incredibly slow. From the beginning, Lady Lillias Vaughn and Hugh Cassidy are fascinated by each other. They bicker and fight, but the sexual tension is there and they absolutely sizzle! Their relationship takes forever to come into fruition, but when it happens it's magic.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a arc copy for a honest review.

I'm Only Wicked with You, at first it was a slow pace.. It was a slow burn not my cup of tea. The story was just okay I’m giving this book 3 stars

Happy Reading
Lisa

This book was given to me from netgalley in return for my honest review.

Trope: different stations in life, an American and English love story.

This story is about Lillias a sharp tongued daughter of a Earl, and Hugh who once was american soldier. This story takes place in England. Lilly is a beauty, and all men of England dream of having her as their wife. Hugh is American from New York. He is smart, hard working and building his dreams. He is handsome, and his smile is so beautiful it blinds the ladies from all acts of life and station.

Hugh is in England looking for a friend's daughter from America who ran away to England, and Lillias is bored with her life. With her boredom she acts out. While smoking a cheroot, Hugh catches her. Takes the cheroot and steps on it, and that's how they met. There is instant attraction between the two but they both fight against their feelings. They bicker back and forth challenging eachother through conversations and knowing words without other people knowing it. They fight until the feelings are so strong they can't resist.

Their first kiss was behind closed curtains and someone opens the curtains. They get caught in the act in front of her parents, and other aristocrats. With his quick reaction trying to save her reputation, he immediately opens his mouth and claims they are engaged to be married. That they are waiting for her parents blessing.

They carry out this act for a few days and go their separate ways. But with their feelings flying high they both fall in love and come back to eachother.

This book started off really slow, and it also introduced the main characters into the book at a slower pace. The book didn't speed up until 60% into the story. There's about two kisses throughout the book, and one scene where they had sex twice. Though the scene was well described, to me It's on the lower side for steam. But did have some sexual tension through the book. The plot was wonderful and unique. Character build up was ok. I felt like I knew the characters but they were still strangers. Relationship build up was also slow, and I felt they both were lost and confused for a long time. I'm just happy they both were smart enough to see that they belonged together because they both almost ended up with other people.

How does this series just keep getting better? I loved the first two, and this one as much if not more. The concept and supporting characters are layered, endearing, and fun, and the romance between Hugh and Lillias is great. (Not to mention, their slow-burn sexual tension is off the charts!) I hope Julie Anne Long will return to The Grand Palace on the Thames in future books.