Tessa Astley fell in love with the image she had of Jered Mandeville, Duke of Kittridge.  When her godfather proposes a marriage between Tessa and Jered, both accept, though for different reasons.  For Tessa it’s a dream come true, for Jered a matter of convenience.  So imagine Tessa’s surprise when Jered leaves her at his estate and heads back to his rakish existence in London the morning after their wedding.  However, Tessa is not about to let Jered stick her in the country while he cavorts about London.  She follows her husband to town and begins placing herself directly in his path, whether he likes it or not.  Jered’s about to learn what his wife is truly made of.

I enjoy a good battle between the sexes in the name of love.  Sadly, just like Tessa’s eventual disillusionment with Jered, I found Upon a Wicked Time to be nothing like I had hoped.  I wanted to find something to like about it.  Unfortunately, when a hero treats the heroine like utter trash, it’s hard to like their story.  Jered is cruel, but not in an inventive way that would at least make him an interesting villain.  Rather he’s a brat whose excuses for his behavior are weak and who needs tragedy to make him appreciate what Tessa offers him.  It’s one step forward, three steps back with him for the majority of the book and I failed to understand why Tessa was in love with him.  She’s a bright, inquisitive heroine whose only fault is loving one such as Jered.  Imagine how delightful a romance Upon a Wicked Time would have been were Tessa to have a hero actually worthy of her.