Review -- Twilight with the Infamous Earl

Twilight with the Infamous Earl

Lords of Vice—Book 7

By Alexandra Hawkins

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Release Date: November 26, 2013

 

From the moment I started reading All Night with a Rogue by Alexandra Hawkins, I was hooked on this addictive series featuring seven decadent heroes who surrender to love one by one. As the series progressed, I enjoyed watching them fall and have been eagerly anticipating the story of icy, bad boy Frost. Twilight with the Infamous Earl is his story. 

Vincent Bishop, Lord Chillingsworth, or Frost to his friends, is the last unmarried owner of one of London’s most exclusive gambling hells, Nox. Frost is well-known for being a hard-hearted, wicked rake and doesn’t hide it. When young Emily Cavell launches a verbal rebellion against a few establishments of ill repute, Nox especially, Frost doesn’t take too kindly to it—especially because people are actually listening to her. He sets out to determine why. 

Emily has her reasons for her condemnation of Nox—its proprietor, Frost, ruined her sister years ago and she wants revenge. When she first meets Lord Chillingsworth, he helps her out in a tough situation. She later learns that Lord Chillingsworth is Frost and, naturally, has trouble equating the man who helped her with the terrible scoundrel she has heard about. As Emily gets to know the man inside, she finds it increasingly difficult to continue her retribution and begins falling for the very last man she ever expected to fall in love with. 

I really enjoyed Twilight with the Infamous Earl. Fans of the series know how sarcastic and acrimonious Frost can be and that the only woman to hold his heart is his sister—and she ended up marrying one of his fellow Lords of Vice. At the beginning of this book, we see just how alienated Frost feels after his friends found love in the previous books: 

 

As the children sobbed, and the adults tried to calm them, Frost watched, realizing that he was the one who did not fit the quaint family gathering. Somewhere along the way, his friends had moved on without him when they had married and started their families. 

He was part of their lives, but no longer one of them. 

 

I just wanted to hug him after I read that part! It makes the meeting of (and falling for) his perfect match all the sweeter. Frost needed someone who could stand up to him and with him. Emily is a strong young woman with a soft heart that isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with him. I loved this scene where Frost and Emily are discussing Nox: 

 

“Come now, Emily,” he said silkily. “You must have a notion about what takes place in such an establishment. After all, rumor has it that if you had your way you would rid London of all its corruption and vices.” 

She grew still at his revelation. People had been gossiping about her? The notion was absurd. “Who told you that?” 

“It isn’t important,” he said dismissively. “What concerns me is your interest in Nox. While your little moral crusade amuses me, it is also very dangerous.” 

“Are you threatening me, Lord Cilllingsworth?” she asked in hushed tones. A small part of her was hopeful that he was, since it would settle her internal debate about his character. 

“And confirm your worst suspicions about me or Nox?” He grunted. “Hardly. No, little innocent, Nox is nothing to concern yourself with.” 

“What about you?” 

“Oh, you should worry about me, Emily.” 

 

Twilight with the Infamous Earl is a fine conclusion to the Lords of Vice series. It is bittersweet because we finally get Frost’s story, but it also marks the end. Thankfully, we get to check in with the previous couples and see how their lives are going and it was like visiting old friends. Ms. Hawkins leaves the door open a crack and I hope that perhaps one day we will get to see the sexy Lords of Vice again. I would love to see them as secondary characters! For now, I will just have to be content with visiting them when I reread each of their wonderful stories.

 

 

~Andrea