“Tell me something wicked.”
Genre: Historical Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 5 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses spouse and parent death.
“When He Was Wicked” is the sixth book in the Bridgerton series, and it follows Francesca Bridgerton, the sixth of eight Bridgerton siblings, as she is widowed extremely young. It also follows Michael Stirling, Francesca’s husband’s cousin, who is set to inherit her husband’s title after his untimely death. But Michael wanted anything but this. He loved Francesca in secret and he never wished for the title, but what if now he must have both?
I think this will be the winning underdog of the Bridgerton series. I haven’t bonded with Francesca, not through the books nor through the Netflix series. I was completely impartial to her, as I am to the other two younger siblings. But oh how I loved this book and the complex feelings it brought on. It felt like a forbidden romance even though it wasn’t. It felt like friends to lovers even though that felt wrong too.
Francesca is lovely and Michael is as wicked as the title suggests. I think this was my favorite Bridgerton book where spice is concerned. But it also broke me to see the player get played. Players are entitled to have true feelings, you know? And then there was Michael, being broken down time and time again, until he finally allowed himself to be happy.
I would recommend this book to lovers of the friends to lovers and widowed tropes. Naturally, if you’re a fan of the Regency Era, you’ll enjoy this too, but I feel like this story was a bit more timeless than the rest. I would highly recommend resorting to “When He Was Wicked” if you’re looking for a spicy read where the woman in the relationship takes a bit more initiative (given the context).
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“Why? It’s because I love you, damn me to hell. Because I’ve always loved you. Because I loved you when you were with John, and I loved you when I was in India, and God only knows I don’t deserve you, but I love you, anyway. (…) How’s that for a witty little joke? (…) I love you. I love you, my cousin’s wife. I love you, the one woman I can never have. I love you, Francesca Bridgerton Stirling.”
andrea's galley 