Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant historical romance
Review: "Too Wicked to Love" is a fabulous historical romance set in Regency England. Jane Mayhew is a proper virtuous and spirited spinster living in her little cottage with her spinster aunt. When she finds a babygirl with a note on her doorstep she makes a bold decision.According to the note the baby is the abandoned lovechild of the Earl of Chasebourne. He is Ethan Sinclair, Jane's neighbour a notorious rake and he lives his life in scandalous debauchery. Jane in her rightful fury confronts him in his bedchamber and shocks him by the news and herself too by her ridiculous behaviour. They have known each other since childhood but while Ethan experienced the pleasures of his title and life Jane was helping her scholar father with his work. Ethan doesn't know whether he is the baby's father or not and he decides to investigate the whereabouts of the mother. His mother arrives in the middle of all this arguing and excitement and she invites Jane and her aunt with them to London. Jane insists on accompanying Ethan on his investigative visits and they are forced to spend considerable time together. They both realise their attraction and they can't help it despite of their strong and different opinions. Jane slowly falls in love with Ethan but she knows he hides some important things from her and he shuts everyone out of his heart. Ethan doesn't understand his feelings. The only thing clear to him is that under Jane's spinster garbs is a beautiful intelligent and passionate woman.Their finding the way to each other is wonderfully described by the author and their personalities fully developed. Both leading protagonists are remarkable characters and they deeply pull the reader into their fascinating and passionate lives. Ms. Smith knows human nature very well. She sees in the hearts and minds of her characters and the reader gets the opportunity to follow their emotional development throughout the book. As in all her novels the author combines the romance with a bit of mystery and it keeps the reader captivated until the end.
TO WICKED TO LOVE is a masterfully written historical romance with a very entertaining plot and interesting characters. I highly recommned it and look forward to reading more by this exceptionally imaginative author.
Rating:
Summary: Regency at its wicked best
Review: In 1816 Wessex, England, an irate Jane Mayhew confronts the rake, Lord Chasebourne, Ethan Sinclair, in his bed lying naked with a woman. She accuses him of abandoning his baby Marianne, something he laughingly denies. He still denies the infant is his, but he agrees to turn the child over to Jane. However, to his chagrin, his mother Lady Rosalinde learns that she has a granddaughter that she insists on visiting. Ethan wants nothing to do with the meddlesome and bossy Jane. However, he seems to have little choice in the matter as his mother drags him along to see his child. He continues to deny the child is, but wonders who deserted the kid on Janes doorstep? Lady Rosalinde pushes the two of them into each others arms and soon passion occurs. Still, he has doubts about marrying a spinster and she has concerns over his denying siring Marianne. Thus, any permanent relationship seems remote even though they now love one another. Whoever said Regency romance is dying has failed to read Barbara Dawson Smith. One taste of the best-selling author's works would put to rout the so-called demise of the sub-genre. Her latest historical romance, TOO WICKED TO LOVE, is an entertaining tale that will elate more than just sub-genre fans with its wit and intelligence. The lead characters are charming opposites who are simply overwhelmed by his mother and love. Ms. Smith is heading back to the familiar grounds of best seller-dom with this riveting Regency romance. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Barely passable
Review: A baby is dumped on the doorstep of the most disapproving spinster in the disctrict; she immediately jumps to the - not impossible - conclusion that it is the bastard offspring of the local rakish earl, so Jane decides that it's her job to make Chasemore aware of his obligations. Poking her nose in, in other words. And she is shocked when she invades his bedchamber and finds him naked in bed with a woman - as if she had any right to be shocked, since it was her decision to insinuate herself. You may guess that I don't like the heroine. Jane is incredibly self-righteous and judgemental, and Smith does not do enough to redeem her for my liking. Even when Jane has to acknowledge that she was wrong about something, she says so in such a way that it still sounds as if she's criticising Ethan, or whoever it is she's talking to. She isn't at all a nice person, or someone I could like and identify with. What's worse is that, as other reviewers point out, Jane behaves exactly like Ethan's first wife: knowing that Ethan was manipulated into marriage by Lady Portia, Jane sets out to do exactly the same thing. She deliberately seduces Ethan, knowing that he will do the right thing. It would have served her right if he'd refused - in fact, I was hoping that he would. He deserves better. As for the baby, I found it hard to believe that an earl would show such interest in a foundling which might or might not have been his. Most aristocratic males showed absolutely no interest in any bastard children they might have fathered; if they gave the mother a sum of money for the child's keep, or found it a foster-home, they considered that they'd been more than generous. They would not be remotely interested in actually getting to know the child. Oh, and I too guessed the identity of the baby's mother at a fairly early stage. Again, it felt a very implausible development. One irritant: there is no such place as Wessex in England. The mythical court of King Arthur (he of the Round Table) was in Wessex, but this doesn't exist other than in legend. Again, Smith's writing is competent, but - as with Once Upon A Scandal - she fails to engage my emotions in any way. The very unlikeable heroine here probably means that I won't bother reading anything else by this author.
Rating:
Summary: A classic romance told with style and originality
Review: Barbara Dawson Smith is a personal favorite, and this book is a perfect example of what I love so much about her books. The plain-Jane heroine, who is smarter than everyone in Regency England, and the brooding sexy hero suffering Freudian complexes before Freud was born are the most perfectly matched pair you could hope for. Their quarrels are surpassed only by their love scenes. A wonderful read!
Rating: 
Summary: Stepback art cover... WOW! Story..... Nice.
Review: How can I describe this book? Actually with mixed feelings. When I ordered this book and it finally arrived I could'nt wait to get my hands on it and to start reading it because of the reviews from Amazon, Romantic Times, All About Romance and The Romance Reader. And much to my surprise it did'nt live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, the story was quite well written, fast paced and started well enough, but unfortunately I was'nt so enthralled with Jane. A nice enough heroine but very presumptious and too nosy for her own good. Always thinking bad about Ethan (a wonderful hero) and always blaming him for everything while never realizing (only once in the story) that her own actions were not so great either. I know, I know, Jane being a country spinster and all that but I really admired the way Ethan put up with all her accusations. This guy deserved an Oscar for being so patient with her! OK, having said that ..... this book was a nice read. A NICE READ. That's all. It did not make me "feel" like some other romances I've read and that's a pity because like I said, it was well written and well told. It just lacked something and that's why I gave it only 3 stars. I don't usually write my reviews like a whining hyena, I guess I was just a tad disappointed, but hey.... different books, different tastes for different people. For those who loved this book I'm glad they enjoyed it. It did give me a pleasant Saturday. And the stepback art of the cover.... hmmm.... wonderful!
Rating: 
Summary: 0 stars if I could
Review: I really did not like this book. The plot has been described well already but my problem with this story is...Jane, our prissy, spinster heroine. Why oh why do so many historical authors feel that in order to redeem the hero rake he must fall in love with the plainest gal around? Make Jane plain if you must, but not so plain that it is ridiculous to really imagine Ethan not recognizing her at the ball. Hello - I don't believe plastic surgery was around back then to really allow such a transformation in Jane. Yes, good clothes can improve but not to recognize her? Really pretty ridiculous. Jane was so judgemental and nosy. Again, she barges into a man's bedroom, in his own home, and is surprised to find him with a woman? And why is it her business anyway?...Ethan deserved better than Jane, one of the most annoying female characters written in a along while.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun
Review: I thought this was a very fun book. I enjoyed the story and kept rooting for Jane throughout. You felt for her and really wanted to see her win for once! Her lifelong crush on her neighbor made for a touching story and the ending was actually kind of a surprise! I did figure it out before the actual revelation, but not long before! It was not just your typical wallflower become belle of the ball story. There was more to it and Jane actually had some substance and a brain which makes it NICE to see her get her man!
Rating:
Summary: Rather more than I expected.
Review: I've never read a Smith book, but i believe i shall look into the matter, because of the very interesting TOO WICKED TO LOVE. it was descriptive and romantic. Although sometimes the pattern of events went rather thin- Jane's persistant following of Ethan is rather trying- the romance is there. Somehow, I really can't find myself seeing the two in love, as Jane is rather more obsessed than in love, and Ethan's love is like a fantasy a writer made up (which he is). But it was a reasonable story with an interesting plot and characters. A good read, if you like the Cinderella- type plots.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: Interesting characters and a nice twist re: Marianne's mother. Jane was a little too "holier than thou" for my taste but given the times when women were repressed and treated as little more than property, understandable. Good book. Will read more by this author.
Rating:
Summary: 5 chili peppers!
Review: Miss Jane Mayhew, spinster and childhood friend of Ethan Sinclair, the Earl of Chasebourne, is determined to bring the man around to face his responsibilities. He's never paid her any mind since they'd grown into maturity, but he'd certainly listen to her this time--especially since it involved a baby left on her doorstep with his name on it! If it weren't for her ridiculous claim, Ethan would have nothing to do with the prim and prickly Miss Mayhew. The last thing he needed was another person telling him what he was supposed to do, and how he was supposed to act. It went without saying that Jane was not his kind of woman. "But sometimes, the last thing you want is the one thing you need . . . " Ms. Smith shows readers a great story in TOO WICKED TO LOVE. The hero is to die for, and you will love the heroine's grit. As they delve into the mystery of the foundling baby, Ethan and Jane fall headlong into the love of a lifetime. This plot has an intriguing twist readers will find refreshing.
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