I Thee Wed

Starred review from March 28, 2016
Bradley delivers her trademark passion with a side of comedy in the fourth Wicked Worthingtons Regency (after When She Said “I Do”). Francesca Penrose is a young, promising biologist caught between two worlds: too English for the Italian side of her family, and too free-spirited for the stodgy uncle and cousin she’s now visiting in England. When Orion Worthington, another blossoming scientist, arrives to take a position as her uncle’s research assistant, it looks like the household has acquired yet another too-serious, stiffly mannered bore. But Orion is fleeing family discord of his own, trying to rise above his family’s reputation for poverty, shenanigans, and close brushes with scandal. Despite mutual resolutions to resist their lustful urges, the two find themselves driven together by the oddities of their shared household and the machinations of Orion’s delightfully and chaotically precocious youngest sister. The romance plot isn’t eclipsed by the family antics and period-accurate science (complete with a cook who keeps threatening to stew the rabbits that Francesca experiments on), and it’s greatly enhanced by the richly detailed setting and well-rounded secondary characters. This hugely fun novel is charming and delightful the whole way through. Agent: Irene Goodman, Irene Goodman Literary.

Starred review from May 1, 2016
Orion Worthington knows there is no room in the world of science for nonsense and notoriety. Unfortunately, as a member of the wicked Worthingtons, he is constantly surrounded by domestic chaos and public scandal. So when Sir Geoffrey Blayne offers him the position of lab assistant, Orion leaps at the opportunity not only to be able to work with one of England's most brilliant scientists but also to live in a home where tranquility and order prevail. However, any hope Orion has of working peacefully and productively in Sir Geoffrey's household quickly vanishes once he meets Sir Geoffrey's niece, Francesca Penrose. Francesca may claim to be a scientist as well, but as far as Orion is concerned, she is nothing but a sexy distraction that he must find a way to ignore if he wants to finally achieve his professional goals. I Thee Wed has all the charming vivacity, scintillating wit, and incendiary sensuality of the previous books in Bradley's incomparable, Regency-set Wicked Worthington series, making it a don't miss for anyone who cherishes superbly written historical romances.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)