Our Wicked Mistake is the middle book of a trilogy by Emma Wildes that follows three friends and veterans of the war in Spain. This may have been my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. I’m anxious to get my hands on the previous book, and looking forward to the release of the third.

When Madeline Mays, widow of Lord Brewer, believes she has murdered a man who had been blackmailing her with information about her married life, she calls Luke, Lord Altea. Though they haven’t spoken since the one night they spent together over a year ago, he comes at once and helps her bring her victim home (he was, fortunately, not in fact dead). Now back in contact, the two of them are reminded of the attraction and chemistry they share. Madeline loved her late husband, and has no desire to tempt fate by seeking another love match nor have a marriage of convenience, and Luke has a tragic past that has sworn him off falling in love. However, as a well-respected widow with freedom, she chooses to begin an affair.

Luke, while concerned for her reputation, agrees, and the two begin to raise eyebrows by appearing in public together (and spending nights together in private). However, the blackmailing that had brought them together again hasn’t gone away. The private diary that started it all was stolen for a reason, and as Luke and his friends look into that reasoning, it comes to light that Madeline and her son may be in danger.

While the blackmailing plot puts a frame on the story, most of it is much quieter and focuses on Luke and Madeline’s relationship development and growing affection for each other. In fact, until it was brought back up about halfway through the book, I thought the blackmail and “murder” were just an overly dramatic way of reuniting the two characters. There is more substance to the blackmail plot than that, but it still doesn’t overtake the relationship at the center.

And what a wonderful relationship it is. Luke and Madeline’s steadily growing love of each other felt utterly natural. It was one of those stories where you almost don’t even see it happen because it is so fluid. (I realize this doesn’t necessarily sound like high praise, but believe me — it is.) The only thing that’s missing is the motivation behind their original liaison that occurred before the story begins. There is very little discussion about the circumstances, even though it would have been significant for the characters. Luke was still heartbroken from what had happened while he was at war, and Madeline hadn’t taken a lover since her husband had died several years before.

It clearly wasn’t casual, but no details are given about what spurred that relationship, only that it strongly affected both of them. The novel was mostly well written, with the exception of some sentences, when the author, trying to impart too much information in a single sentence, injects too many clauses and interrupts the flow of it. Sort of like that sentence I just wrote. Far too often I got pulled out of the story to go back and reread a sentence that was just too convoluted to follow easily.

I thought this story was well crafted and compelling, with wonderfully complex characters and a smooth and natural love story. I have to say that I wish we had seen more of Madeline’s son. However, that and the other problems I had were fairly minimal in comparison to my enjoyment of the book.