Wilde Child

Wilde Child (Wildes of Lindlow Castle #6)- Eloisa James

Avon/HarperCollins

Release Date: March 30, 2021

Rating: 📚 📚 📚 📚 📚

Synopsis: Already notorious for the golden hair that proves her mother’s infidelity, Lady Joan can’t seem to avoid scandals, but her latest escapade may finally ruin her: she’s determined to perform the title role of a prince—in breeches, naturally.

She has the perfect model for an aristocratic male in mind: Thaddeus Erskine Shaw, Viscount Greywick, a man who scorned the very idea of marrying her.

Not that Joan would want such a dubious honor, of course.

For years, Thaddeus has avoided the one Wilde who shakes his composure, but he’s horrified when he grasps the danger Joan’s putting herself in. Staring into her defiant eyes, he makes the grim vow that he’ll keep her safe.

He strikes a bargain: after one performance, the lady must return to her father’s castle and marry one of three gentlemen whom he deems acceptable.

Not including him, of course.

____________________________________________________________________

Lady Joan Wilde is known for being blonde (proof of her illegitimacy), bold (because when you don't care what people say to you, why not enjoy yourself?) and in love with acting.  She'd rather be part of an acting troupe than a Wilde of Lindlow Castle.  And finally her father has agreed to let her perform the title role in Hamlet with a troupe of real actors- at Lindlow Castle before family and friends only and as long as a friend plays Ophelia. Joan sees this as a start to a new life as an actress.  Family friend Thaddeus Shaw, Viscount Greywick, sees it as a path to social ruin. Especially when Joan tells him she plans to perform in town in front of a 'real' audience. They make a deal- he'll keep her secret, and keep her safe, then they'll help each other find spouses. But the longer they spend together, the more they realize they might like each other too much for that deal to work.

Joan and Thaddeus are very much a case of opposites attracting. Joan has lived her whole life knowing she is illegitimate and knowing that everyone knows it- and since her family doesn't treat her any differently that's all she cares about. She finds it freeing to not worry about what everyone in Society thinks (and says) about her. Thaddeus constantly worries about what people say and how he and his actions reflect on the duchy that he will inherit.  He doesn't understand Joan's approach to life and doesn't approve.  She thinks Thaddeus is stuck up, disapproving, and shallow, and doesn't understand why he is concerning himself with her life choices.  Epic clashes ensue- often with Shakespearean insults thrown in.

What's fun is, like all Eloisa James' books (Say Yes to the Duke) Wilde Child goes past the outer, 'social' layers of the characters to discover who they really are. Particularly in Thaddeus' case, there are a lot of layers to a very complicated person.  In between their fighting, Joan and Thaddeus find they can talk to each other as they've never been able to talk to others and their secrets- and delightful chemistry- blossom.  Both are trying to deny their parental examples when it comes to running away with emotions (or having emotions run away with them) while seeing if they can balance their own happiness with family responsibilities.  I loved revisiting Lindlow Castle and seeing characters from previous books, although anyone new to the series won't be lost starting here.  The loving Wilde family seems to embrace the reader as much as the characters as a part of the family, and James' entertaining, emotional, delightful writing and sparkling humor ensures this will be a book you'll want to reread regularly.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review