Review: Twilight with the Infamous Earl [Lords of Vice, book 7]

Title:     Twilight with the Infamous Earl [Lords of Vice, book 7]
Author:   Alexandra Hawkins
Rating:   ★★★ 1/2

After months of waiting for the last book in the Lord of Vice series, Twilight with an Infamous Earl has finally arrived. I mentioned in my review of the graphic novel Trese: Stories from the Diabolical Vol 1 that I think it's scary for the readers that sequels might not live up to the hype. As I mentioned in my previous reviews of the other Lords of Vice books, I most looked forward to Frost's story because I was very fascinated with how he became as frosty as his name supposes him to be.

Lord Chillingsworth’s reputation precedes him—the infamous “Frost” is as legendary on the field of honor as he is in the bedroom. Which makes it surprising that young Emily Cavell has taken up the cause of closing Frost’s favorite gambling hell. Who does this brazen, flame-haired beauty think she is?

Emily’s vendetta is personal: She is determined to take a pound of flesh from Frost, who ruined her sister. But the man she meets is not the cold-hearted devil she imagined—and is twice as handsome to boot—and soon Emily finds herself falling for him. Their battle of wills quickly ignites into blazing desire. Could it be that the most jaded Lord of Vice is finally willing to risk everything and gamble on her heart? Or is true love only a fool’s game?

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I was so excited that I immediately got a copy as soon as it was out. Did it live up to my expectations?

Alas, no. Sorry.

First, it was too short. We've been teased for the past six books about Frost's character and him being the biggest scoundrel of them all. I was expecting sharp exchanges of wit. Barbs. Delicious friction between him and the lady. I want to bang my head against the wall instead in disappointment. I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm just really frustrated! What I got was a toned down Frost, with very little of his notorious exploits that made me half love and half hate him. And he was partnered with a woman who could not even hold down her skirts long enough to make us truly anticipate the time when they would finally get together. She gave in too easily to Frost. And, despite knowing who Frost was, she didn't even manage to elude him easily. Emily wasn't as feisty or as strong as I expected to be able to battle wills with him.

Second, Frost didn't exhibit anymore his usual insouciance or the wicked, dark innuendos he used to dish out to his friends. And one of the reasons why I enjoyed the Lords of Vice series was Alexandra Hawkins' ability to make me like really notorious men--men who, in real life, would usually have me running the other way if I saw them coming my way. And for such an infamous earl, Emily's father didn't even balk at Frost's courtship of his daughter. The scandalous three dances with a single gentleman didn't even raise so much as an eyebrow from the ton. Egad.

Third, I felt like the story could have used a lot more pages, not because I wanted a longer story, but because Twilight with an Infamous Earl truly needed it. We are finally teased with a glimpse of his childhood story but we don't truly know what set him off to be like that. There was no word on what happened to Regan's relationship with her mother. Frost was also dealing with his friends' shifting of priorities since they all got married. He started feeling left out; I wish there were more paragraphs exhibiting the friends' slow withdrawal from their previous pursuits to truly establish that Frost was alone, and that he was right to doubt his friends' loyalty.

Twilight with an Infamous Earl wasn't all that bad--it just wasn't all that good either. It didn't leave me raving and feeling satisfied that the long wait was worth it. Ah well. C'est la vie. On to the next book.