Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Lord Alistair Bevan, Viscount Farnham, has the weight of the world on his shoulders. With his father’s health ailing, the time has come for him to find a wife, produce an heir, and do his duty. But Alistair knows a traditional life is not for him, especially when a chance meeting with valet Joseph Logan turns his world upside down.

Joe Logan came to London in search of his missing sister, Lily. But months have passed, and not only is Lily still lost, more children have disappeared as well. The trail of the missing children might be growing cold, but things are just starting to heat up between Joe and Alistair.

When both Alistair and Joe seek out the help of The Brotherhood—an underground organization dedicated to helping the gay community—they are drawn into a much deeper investigation of children who have gone missing all over London. When it begins to look like people very close to Alistair’s family are involved, Alistair finally has a chance to make his father proud. But will the wild and wicked love blossoming between Alistair and Joe help them find Lily, or will their affair be exposed and destroy both of them?

Book Review

“I think perhaps love thrives on unlikely circumstance and chance: life thrives on these principles, and is life not love? And love not life?” - Brandon Boyd

Alistair Bevan, of ‘Just a Little Wickedness’ by Merry Farmer, is the eldest son of an earl. As such, he is expected to take over when his father dies, whether he wants to or not. His life has been planned since he was born and there’s no easy way to avoid it. With his father being sick, the challenges he dreads may come sooner than later.

Alistair suspects that accepting an invitation to dine with the Eccles family is a bad idea. His father has been ranting for months that members of the family continue to be engaged in the slave trade from which they made their fortune years ago. Due to his illness, no one, not even his family, take him seriously. Sure enough, his father starts ranting at the dinner table about how his guest is a criminal. Alistair deliberately spills soup on his father, giving them an excuse to leave the table. Being in a separate room gives his father time to calm down. They are assisted by a servant, Joe, who directs them to a private room where he cleans the stain off Alistair’s clothes and calms him down.

While waiting for his father to get himself together, Joe and Alistair strike up a conversation. Joe realizes that, like himself, Alistair favors men. He listens as Alistair bemoans the fact that he is obligated to marry and produce an heir. Joe suggests that Alistair contact an organization called “The Brotherhood” because they may be able to help find him a wife who won’t mind if her husband doesn’t want to spend much time in bed. Alistair takes his advice to heart and vows to contact them soon.

With his family putting increasing pressure on him to marry, Alistair decides to take Joe’s advice sooner rather than later. When he arrives at the address Joe gave him for where the Brotherhood meets, Alistair is amazed to see the freedom displayed by other men like him. The biggest and most welcome surprise of all is that Joe is there. While mingling with the others, Alastair and Joe are referred to a law firm, Dandie and Wirth, who should be able to help both of them with their respective problems; finding Joe’s sister and a “suitable” wife for Alistair. The law office is very helpful and quite unique considering they are both clearly homosexuals. Finding a wife for Alistair is definitely something they are used to. Finding lost children is a bit out of their purview, but they agree to try. Joe and Alistair team up with Dandie and Wirth in order to find not only Joe’s sister, but other children that have gone missing.

Joe and Alistair are great characters, atypical for their time, as are other characters in the story. I enjoyed watching Joe and Alistair as their attraction blossomed into something more. I especially enjoyed how Alistair wasn’t the typical aristocratic snob and that Joe wouldn't have bowed down to him even if he had been. Dandie and Worth were unique as well. Thank you, Merry, for helping Joe and Alistair find a way to be together.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 322 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	06-March-2020
Price	$2.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Just-Little-Wickedness-Brotherhood-Book-ebook/dp/B084LRZCF6