Over the years, I’ve heard some readers talk about how books should stick with one genre and leave it at that. If that were an actual rule, Wicked As They Come by Delilah S. Dawson would completely shattered that rule. Wicked As They Come has everything: Vampires that aren’t really vampires, time travel, alternate universes, steampunk, carnivals and evil, blood sucking bunnies called Bludbunnies. It might seem like too much but Delilah S. Dawson blended it all so perfectly that it was never too much.
When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?
Where do I start? Like I said, Wicked As They Come has so many layers, that it can’t be described easily. Yet, reading it, I was so completely sucked into the world that it never felt overwhelming. The plot never suffered from the world building; it moved along fairly quickly. I don’t want to give anything away but every time Trish and Criminy thought they had everything figured out, some new plot twist would mess up their plans.
Despite the fact that I was completely won over by Criminy in an instant, and would have followed him anywhere, I loved the fact that Tish didn’t. So often, heroines instantly fall into a relationship and let it completely take over their lives. Not so with Tish. She knew exactly what she wanted and what she wasn’t willing to give up. Granted, there were a few times when I wanted to shake some sense into Tish and tell her that she was never going to find a better (blud)man than Criminy and to just give up already.
I just want to add that there is some hot sexual tension (mostly from Criminy because Trish was too stupid to respond immediately). That sexual tension only got hotter and hotter until it exploded and burned the pages. Or maybe that was me, melting into a pile of goo. Either way, Criminy can absolutely follow through. With anything. *sigh*
Wicked As They Come was possibly the most unique, creative, imaginative, amazing, sexy, adventurous story I’ve read. There’s so much going on in this world, yet it was never overwhelming. I feel like if I go back and reread it (which I will be doing very soon) I will pick up on things I missed the first time around, and that will happen every time I reread it. I would recommend Wicked As They Come to everyone because there is so much diversity in it that everyone should be able to find something they like in it.
Series Order:
Wicked As They Come
The Mysterious Madam Morpho A BLUD Novella
The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance A BLUD Novella
Wicked As She Wants
The Damsel and the Daggerman A BLUD Novella
Wicked After Midnight