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Wicked by Design

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Wicked by Design

By: Katy Moran
Narrated by: Emma Spurgin-Hussey
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A thrilling Regency romance, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

In high society England, gossip and scandal are traded over afternoon tea and the country is awash with rumour.

In Lady Hester's opinion, it's just typical that the wickedest gossip of all focuses on her beautiful, impossible husband Crow. Damaged aristocrat, soldier, spy, Crow loves Hester fiercely, but he has a wild past and rumours of a child with his black hair and grey eyes wound Hester more deeply than she is willing to admit. And yet London blazes with a far more lethal whispering campaign that threatens the safety of their own little daughter, Morwenna. Crow's enemies want him tried for treason and soon Morwenna herself is in mortal danger. Hester may love Crow as much as he loves her, but now their baby's life is at risk. There's nothing she won't do to protect their child. So when clever, worldly-wise Countess Lieven drops her guard and says, 'Run... take your baby, Hester, and run,' Hester does exactly that.

Accused of high treason, Crow will do anything to save Hester and Morwenna, even if that means accepting a final mission that might just end in losing them both for good.

‘Lush, dark, utterly real and above all achingly romantic' RUTH WARE

‘A thrilling, sexy romp through brilliantly reimagined history. Hester is one of my very favourite heroines and it's probably best not to ask what I'd like to do with Crow ... Totally absorbing' Holly Hepburn

'Sweeping and romantic, with a hero to rival Ross Poldark, Wicked By Design is a fantastic and compelling novel that draws you in and paints a glorious alternative St Petersburg, keeping you hooked until the end' Imogen Edwards-Jones

'A swashbuckling, sparkling world of a novel ... with a mad, bad and dangerous-to-know hero' Suzannah Dunn

'Excellent writing and characterization pushes it up several notches ¬– with special mention for Hester: a fizzing-with-life, believable and resourceful heroine if ever there was one' Daily Mail

'Passionate, smart and action-packed ... Stuffed full of heart-pumping romance' Sarah Hughes

'Every feel-good list needs at least one Regency bodice-ripper and they don't come any better than Moran's second book, a wonderfully knowing take on the genre, stuffed full of deceit, desire and beautiful people behaving appallingly' i newspaper

'I've always loved alternative histories, and Wicked by Design by Katy Moran is a luscious, swashbuckling gallop through a Cornwall reigned over by the Empress Josephine' Woman & Home.©2019 Katy Moran (P)2019 Head of Zeus Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance Science Fiction Russia
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Continue the series
Scandalous Alchemy cover art
Scandalous Alchemy By: Katy Moran
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Really enjoyed this story of what could have happened if Wellington lost at Waterloo. Great characters, engaging story and excellent narration made for a compelling listen. Sad though that it ended so abruptly. I would love to know what happened next.

Alternate history

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Although it is imagined history it is written in a very believable fashion and is of the time. The story is even more exciting very different.

Riproaring story.

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This is a book of turmoil, raw emotions and roller coaster adventures. It's an adult love story but I didn't find it crude as the sex is pertinent rather than for titillation. The narrator reads well but doesn't perform so it's difficult at times to distinguish the characters.

Much better than expected.

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This astonished me with its sweep of history and emotion in an epic tale set in the time of the Napoleonic Wars but with Wellington having lost at Waterloo. The characters are multi-facetted; aristocratic heroic men damaged by the aftermath of a searing war, courageous women struggling to keep their loved ones alive as they battle against the vicious politics, but they are so human and lovable and the story so immersive that you rejoice and suffer with them.

The detail and atmosphere is brilliantly done, the language authentic and poetic, It is a hugely adventurous tale, frightening and exciting with the romance between Crow and Hester as operatic as the Cornish landscape that is evoked so well.

The wonderful narrator is completely up to the task, a lovely rich and flexible voice that brings a multitude of different characters with different accents to full-blooded life. A real tour de force on every count.

Fabulous Epic of Love and War

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