Wicked Thing by Angeline Kace
Publish Date: September 26, 2013
Source: Author for Review – Thank you!
Find It: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N
Carmyn Rafferty witnessed the aftermath of her mother’s affair. She learned at a young age not to trust anyone. Especially not your spouse. So she’s planned. She’s planned every detail of her life: who her husband will be, what their careers will be, what their lives will be like. All to avoid the pain of infidelity.
Dallas Brown lives a life all his own. He doesn’t do relationships, he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him, and he doesn’t live up to anyone’s expectations but his own.
When Carmyn’s fiancé cheats on her, it sends her into a whirlwind of one-night stands with the most infamous player on campus. She can’t seem to stay away from this tough guy and his dangerous motorcycle. Everything about him is the complete opposite of who she’d planned to fall in love with: tattoos, dark stubble along his jawline, and hair that brushes his shoulders.
As Dallas and Carmyn begin to fall deeper and deeper into each other, they learn that love can truly be a wicked, wicked thing.
Wicked Thing by Angeline Kace
My Thoughts: Wicked Thing by Angeline Kace is straight-up New Adult Contemporary Romance and good gracious, I loved it. That is all.
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Wicked Thing is the story of Dallas Brown and Carmyn Rafferty – how they came to be together and eventually stayed together. They are one of those college-going couples that ended up together after Carmyn broke up with her boyfriend, and they sort-of became exclusive. They never meant to stay together. They never meant to fall in love. They certainly never meant for any feelings to become involved. When Dallas met up with Carmyn, he was very clear that he doesn’t date and he doesn’t do relationships. Carmyn was perfectly fine with that – she was just looking for some fun after three years of being with the same guy.
Ahem.
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Dallas is that guy – you know, the one that drives the motorcycle, wears the tattoos very well, and is unshaven in a sexy way. The one that you would never suspect is book-smart and driven to succeed, but also actually very talented and artistic. Dallas also has a reputation for being the guy that doesn’t settle down – not even long enough to date. He isn’t rude or condescending to women; he is just very open and honest about what he doesn’t want right away – and he doesn’t want dating nor relationships. This may have something to do with his father leaving home when he was a child – his father had an entire other family on the side, complete with another son. When Dallas’ mother found out, she made him choose between families. Dallas’ father couldn’t choose between his sons, so he was forced to leave home. After he left, Dallas hated him and harbored hatred for his father and the brother that took him away for years.
Nobody really knows this, though – they just know he has rules about what he wants and doesn’t want; despite this, most of the girls on campus would give almost anything to give out with someone so good-looking, even if it is just once.
Carmyn isn’t all that impressed. She knows who Dallas is and he is certainly good-looking – he’s very good-looking – but she has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she just wants to let loose and have a good time. When Dallas wants to meet up with her, she isn’t looking to jump straight into another relationship. Dallas and his “I-don’t-date” mentality is perfect for a good evening – or at least that’s what Carmyn thinks.
Carmyn has lived her entire life in fear – fear of winding up like her mother. Her mother cheated on her father and is an addict that is in and out of rehab – this turned Carmyn’s life upside down and nearly destroyed her father. In an effort to be as close to opposite of her mother as possible, Carmyn does all of her homework far, far ahead of time, is afraid of being late, and is much, much too worried about what everyone in the entire world thinks of her. Like, she is way too worried. Constantly. And she plans everything. Needless to say, when her well-planned life flies out the window (like when her boyfriend cheats on her), things get sort of crazy for Carmyn.
Carmyn spends one evening with Dallas and suddenly the campus begins talking. Then Carmyn begins to freak out – she is so worried about what everyone is saying about her now that she has been seen with Dallas, since he has such a reputation and is well-known for his non-dating ways. BUT BUT BUT she also is very charmed by him and his good-natured heart and his sweet words and BY GOLLY Dallas never ever thought he would actually want to see a girl a second time. And a third. And actually put her phone number in his phone! And sit beside her in class. And take her to dinner. And OH MY GOSH, HE HAS FEELINGS FOR HER!! And OH MY GOSH, SHE DIDN’T PLAN TO FALL FOR THIS REBELLIOUS GUY!
What on earth are they both to do?
Y’all it is SO GOOD.
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Wicked Thing by Angeline Kace is one of those fun, fun, fun reads that makes you smile and hold your Kindle really close to your face because you want to read very fast and you want Dallas and Carmyn to kiss. And they do kiss. A lot. And it’s so much fun. You know what else? They watch the movie Dirty Dancing and they actually act out THE LIFT. Y’all know what part I’m talking about.
(That is my favorite movie. I can quote the whole doggone thing. I digress.)
This romance is one of those delicious slowly-developing ones that is so much fun to read about because we, the readers, can see it before the couple can see it – we know they are falling for one another before they do. We can tell they’re both being stubborn when they’re actually trying to deny their feelings, and aren’t those just some of the most fun and yummy relationships to read about sometimes? YES. YES, they are. I loved it when one of them finally made the realization that there were possibly some actual feelings there, though. It was like WHOA, THIS IS UNEXPECTED! WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS?? And then he/she tries to tell the other one, and he/she just isn’t having it for a while. It’s frustrating and good and a bunch of other things all at the same time…because there is a little bit more to the story than just the romance. There is a thread of another story line in there, and it has to do with additional family members as the secondary cast, and it’s pretty good. You see, once you open your heart up to love, you open it up to everything else too and both Dallas and Carmyn have stuff that they need to deal with from their pasts. It’s a little bit cliche, but that’s how life is.
Anyway! This one is a good one. Man, I loved it. AND the hint at the ending of another book featuring another cast member has me all kinds of excited! I recommend Wicked Thing to fans of New Adult Contemporary Romance, fans of college setting (where the characters really do actually go to class and do homework), fans of HEA’s, and fans of the movie Dirty Dancing. This one goes into my re-read’s list for sure.
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Wicked Thing will appeal to fans of:
NA Contemporary Romance
NA Contemporary Romance
Romance: Slowly Developing. No Triangle.
College Setting
Alternating POV’s
Alternating POV’s
Be smart, younger readers!
This book is for the older-YA and adult reading crowd!
This book is for the older-YA and adult reading crowd!
Wicked Thing by Angeline Kace
is currently available for purchase.
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Angeline is a Scorpio living in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and dogs. She loves all things paranormal, believes ghosts are real, werewolves aren’t, and vampires? Definitely real! At least in the Vampire Born world they are. She is currently at work on her first New Adult Romance, Wicked Thing, which releases September 2013.
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And now for the Giveaway!
About Asheley
Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.
You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.
Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!
Um this sounds really good. Really stop just stop. (I wish the girl on the front had thicker eyebrows though… too picky? haha)
I LOVE these types of swoon/fun reads that don't stress me out. I like to have a list of them stored away when I need a a book to make me happy. I will for sure have this one on my radar. Thanks for sharing!
Gah–you make me want to read SO many books–I'm so swamped right now–but like Lauren, I just love these kind of reads! This kinda reminds me a tad of Beautiful Disaster storyline–maybe just a little? In other words–a REALLY addicting read. Redemptive bad boys FTW! Great review and thanks for putting this on my radar, Ash–even if I'm swamped in my reading!!
Motorcycles and tattoos–don't think I missed that part!!!