Reviewed by Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers' Favorite

Wicked in Winter is book one in The Wicked Winters historical romance series by Scarlett Scott. Set in London in 1813, the story starts with Lady Emilia King, the only daughter of the Duke of Abingdon. She has rebuffed her lowborn neighbor for the last three years without much thought. Devereaux Winter is everything her late fiancé was not. He’s too big, too broad, too handsome. Simply put, he’s just too everything, not a suitable suitor at all if Emilia had been looking for one, which she is decidedly not. But Mr. Winter has other ideas and Lady Emilia’s disdain only serves to whip his desire into a frenzy. When the Duke of Abington loses his entire estate through gambling, Devereaux buys the debts. At last, he has the haughty Lady Emilia right where he wants her. No one can stand in the way of what he wants.

I loved the slow-building romance between Emilia and Dev. Wicked in Winter is the kind of book to read when you want to watch romance slowly grow until it becomes a fiery hot passion. Scarlett Scott has a talent for engaging, witty dialogue. I loved how she put together the main characters and the supporting cast. I adored Dev’s sisters and even the staff of both families. There is lots of humor as Emilia and Dev trade insults and also work out their relationship. Emilia already has a low opinion of the hero but it starts to change as she gets to know him and his family better. This is the first time I’ve come across a character with dementia in a historical romance and I must say it was very educational. I think more authors should tackle such important social issues. All in all, this is a fun read any historical romance reader will enjoy.