A very nice book with some unexpected twist and turns. The characters have been nicely developed and are delightful. The story of a woman out to avoid marriage and a man trying to catch her as a wife. Nash was wonderful protective and treated Lady Charlotte very honorablely. Lady Charlotte tried her best to resist falling in love. I highly recommend you take this journey with them to HEA.

Charlotte and Nash are certainly quite a pair. Charlotte's fear of marriage and the loss of her freedom take center stage in this wonderful romance by Ms. Jaxon. A book you won't regret reading.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. To Woo a Wicked Widow is I believe the first book in Jenna Jaxon’s The Widows Club Series. Lady Charlotte Cavendish was caught by her extremely nasty father attempting to elope with a groom and was given the choice of being sold in marriage to an elderly friend of her fathers or be sent to Bedlam. Five horrible years later Charlotte is finally free and has vowed never to give up her freedom again. She and her cousin Jane establish a widows club with friends of theirs who are also widows to support and assist each other. Charlotte meets Nash the Earl of Wrotham at Almack’s and sparks fly making her wonder if perhaps she is being hasty in her vow never to marry. These two will have to overcome many obstacles to find their HEA including a conniving rake, Charlotte’s nasty father attempting a little blackmail and a gang of robbers terrorizing the county near Charlotte’s home. I did enjoy reading this story and look forward to the rest of the series. Steam Level Medium High, Publishing Date March 27, 2018
#ToWooAWickedWidow #NetGalley

Lady Charlotte Cavendish is still the spirited girl who tried to elope in the name of love. That dream was thwarted by her father who trapped her into a loveless, passionless marriage. But now widowed, Charlotte is free to reenter the giddy world of the ton—and pursue her desires. For hardly your typical widow, she remains innocent to the pleasures of the flesh. Yet her life is finally her own, and she intends to keep it that way.

Nash, the twelfth Earl of Wrotham, is beguiled by Charlotte at first sight—and the feeling is mutual. When he receives her intriguing invitation to a house party, the marriage-minded lord plans to further their acquaintance. But even he cannot sway her aversion to matrimony, and only with great restraint does he resist her most tempting offer. For unbeknownst to Charlotte, the misadventures of the past are revisiting them both, and bedding her could cost him everything—or give him everything he ever wanted.

After being in mourning for her husband, Charlotte is excited to be out in society. Her father had forced her into a horrible marriage with one of his peers and now that she’s out from under his thumb she wants to live. Unfortunately it’s right at the end of the season and there’s not a lot of time to get to know any men.
She has other friends whose husbands died at Waterloo or was caused by that battle and Charlotte decides to start the Widow’s Club. They decide that to get to know the men they have their sights on they will hold a house party at Charlotte’s home in Kent. They all invite the men of their choosing but one man invites his friend along when he wasn’t supposed to and the “friend” is a dangerous rake. Charlotte tries to make the best of it but he won’t give up. Who she really has her eye one, Nash, her next door neighbor in Kent, seems to have a tendre for her as well but he’s interested in marriage and Charlotte loves being an independent woman. Can Charlotte and Nash work out their differences with everything else getting in the way?

This was a very cute book. I really enjoyed the writing and the whole premise of the book. Charlotte was a pretty good character and her and Nash were great together.

Charlotte was stubborn and that had gotten her into trouble with her father in the past. Her father was an ogre and wanted to run Charlotte’s life. I loved that she put him in her place once she got a chance to (once she was a widow). I did want her to be a little more forceful with the gentlemen who were making unwanted advances, but she was worried about her reputation. I would have said screw the reputation and slapped the men. Lol Nash was a great guy – we just didn’t get enough page time with him, imho. He played a huge part but mostly the book revolved around the widow’s.

Overall a cute new series. I’m looking forward to reading the next book to see what happens with all of the ladies.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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To Woo a Wicked Widow was a delightful romance between a heroine determined to seize her independence and the hero who captivates her.

After her father caught her trying to elope with a man below her station, Lady Charlotte Cavendish was married to an older man and trapped into a loveless marriage. Now that Charlotte has been widowed for a year, she is ready to reenter society and finally have some fun. Charlotte decides to host a house party where each of her widowed friends can invite the man they’re interested in. Charlotte sets her sights on Nash, the Earl of Wrotham, whom she hopes to have a passionate affair with. Nash is interested however he is looking for a wife and with Charlotte determined not to marry, Nash will have his work cut out for him trying to change her mind.

Charlotte didn’t have a good marriage as her husband used her as a pawn when he needed her and the two never even consummated the marriage, something Charlotte is infinitely thankful for. I thought it was an interesting twist for a widow to be a virgin as that’s not something I’ve seen before. Charlotte was never out much in society before or during her marriage which is which she’s so adamant about experiencing everything now that she can and has the means to do so. She does get roped into a touch of a scandal with a rake, Mr. Garrett, whom I disliked immensely. Charlotte goes back and forth on her thoughts on the man which did get old after a while.

Nash only inherited his title eighteen months prior to the start of the book when his uncle and his son died unexpectedly. Nash never expected to become the Earl of Wrotham as the title was part of a different side of the family but when he did inherit, he decided to learn everything he could about his tenants and the land. As he is nearing thirty, he believes he needs to find a wife and have an heir as soon as possible. Nash is a very practical man and will do what is necessary even if it might not be what he truly wants.

Charlotte and Nash were attracted to one another immediately, but nothing comes from it for a while. Nash was initially a bit judgemental towards Charlotte believing her to be a wanton due to her association with Mr. Garrett. Charlotte and Nash did have great physical chemistry and I felt the physical scenes were well done and very sexy. I think I struggled with Charlotte and Nash’s relationship as I didn’t like Charlotte’s behavior too much. She was a bit flighty and the back and forth over Nash or Mr. Garrett got really old as it was obvious who was the better choice. I also didn’t like the inclusion of the plotline with Charlotte’s father and Nash.

The women in the Widow’s Club that Charlotte and her cousin Jane form are a varied bunch. I enjoyed their friendships and appreciated how much they looked out for one another. I’m excited to see each of them find their own romance in future books in the series. There is a minor side plot in To Woo a Wicked Widow regarding a gang of robbers in the area where the characters live. This plot felt a bit out of place and honestly I didn’t see the point of it other than to try and create some tension which didn’t really work for me.

Overall I enjoyed To Woo a Wicked Widow, but struggled a bit with the heroine which did lessen my enjoyment. I did however really like the writing and other characters, so I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This story was a very interesting start to a new series. I do not know how it will play out (other than I can assume each future book will be about a widow we met within the pages of this book), but I can't wait to read more about these widows!

Speaking just to this story, I very much enjoyed the banter between Nash and Charlotte - these two were definitely evenly matched. I also enjoyed the backstory (such as it was) on Charlotte and her ill-fated first love (even though I fervently wish we could have gotten at least one chapter on her life with her husband and step-sons). What little background we did get on her made her actions and reactions understandable, but I am greedy and would have liked to have seen more. Perhaps then we could have understood her even that much better.

I do feel as though the climax of the story was rushed a bit, and I definitely wish there had been more to it (as the rest of this story was like watching a movie in my head as I read it). It seemed there was so much buildup with the robbers that to see that particular arc come to and end the way it did was a let down.

Overall, I do believe this story will appeal to those who enjoy a well written historical novel, and I would continue on with this series.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I got this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of widows, the idea of finding new husbands and a house party … if there wouldn’t be Charlottes past, it could all have worked out. Years ago Charlottes father caught her heading to Gretna Green with her groom and to punish her, he marries her of to an old man. Five years later the husband is dead, she is still a virgin and swore to never marry again because of what he did to her. Six years later, finally out of morning, she wants to feel passion, she wants to be wicked – but with the right man. An affair. No marriage. She wants to keep her independence. But her father has other plans …
Oh, I couldn’t put this book aside. Poor Charlotte. But some elements were a little unrealistic towards the end, when the crime story was solved … but well, it was not about the crime story in the first place, wasn’t it?

I’ve read this author before and enjoyed her stories. This was a fairly good story, but had several annoying characters, who did some very annoying things. Our h is interesting and likeable, but not terribly smart about her decisions regarding men. Our H is extremely likeable, albeit a bit impulsive, but also does some incredibly annoying things, including proposing marriage to a second lady. I’m not sure I’ll continue to read the series, it is to be about a group of widows, finding new love, and several seem questionably intelligent. The story is well written, and author is generally very reliable to write a good book. I received a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

There was a lot of twists and turns in this story. Charlotte and Nash were very good together. Their road to happily ever after was not easy but they got there eventually.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review that is all my own.

This book captivated me right from the beginning. Who doesn't love a book that has so much love between two people right from the beginning. And the twists and turns along the way. Great book!

A country house party allows a friendly group of widows to make a try at controlling their future in this linked series, starting with the match of a young woman cheated at a chance for love by a manipulative father--that aspect is never entirely solved in her new match with a handsome veteran neighbor.