Caspar in the first book (Wicked As They Come) was annoying to me, but Caspar in this one was compelling. I didn't connect with the rescued princess, but as she changed, I liked her better. The girl was good. Now, either the end was a little rushed, or I read too fast. I'm willing to admit perhaps it's the latter. *clears throat* Either way it's the author's fault! :)

I found it helpful to have read the first one first, just FYI. I look forward to reading the third one! (Wicked After Midnight). ( )

Wicked As She Wants is absolutely fabulous, my dear readers! Swashbuckling, steampunkish, fangy adventure with a lost princess who needs to exact vengeance on her family murderers, and a brooding man who has nothing left to lose and needs redemption.

I loved it from the bloody beginning to its dark end.

The book starts when Casper whom we know from Wicked As They Come finds Ahnastasia stuffed in an old trunk and drained to the brink of death. Yes, she is a princess from cold northern Freesia (the equivalent of Romanov Russia), a country where a witch instigated a coup and now rules as a regent for a young and very unstable Blud prince Alexander.

Ahnastasia and Casper make an unholy alliance. He'll help her to get back to Freesia, and Ahna will make him a court musician.

Of course, nothing as simple as it seems. Ahnastasia is an arrogant, spoiled girl who thinks of humans as slaves and who plans to kill Casper and his young ward, Keen as soon as she gets what she wants, and Casper... Well, that man has a death wish for reasons I won't mention.

Slowly through their mad, exciting adventures their perception of each other as individuals and as species change, and they constantly evolve as characters.

Ahna is a fantastic heroine. She is unpredictable, volatile and ever so alive. You can feel all her emotions. She reminds me of mercury as a chemical element - dangerous, but contained and always moving.

Casper is not only edgy, hot and charming, he is disarmingly truthful to her and himself. He doesn't do angst and he is very practical, and at the same time he is not some sort of carbon copy of a hero, he is flawed, he is relatable.

Keen - his teenage delinquent helper/ward, is an awesome addition to this book. She is super snarky, street smart and a pure delight to read about.

Overall, I think that Miss Dawson grew as a writer a lot with her second book. This was a really fantastic read with just enough adventure and romance to appeal to all. Bravo! Highly recommended. ( )

This is the second book in the Blud series by Dawson. There are three books in this series, the third is already released and is titled Wicked After Midnight. This was a decent continuation of the series; although I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book.

Blood-princess Ahnastasia wakes up drained and starving in a suitcase; her rescuer is the most celebrated musician in London, Sangland...Casper Sterling. Casper has fallen on hard times and is just scraping by and Casper is Ahna’s only hope of getting help. Ahna needs to return to her homeland of Freesia to overthrow the evil sorceress Ravenna and reclaim her throne. Casper is accompanied by an orphan girl named Keen who seems to be from the same world Casper hales from. Can Casper, Ahna and Keen conquer all of the dangers enroute and finally get to Freesia?

I didn't like this book quite as much as the first book in the series. However, it was still an engaging steampunk romance and overall I enjoyed it.

I really love the world created here, Sangland is both a magical and deadly place. We learn a lot more about the Blud men and Blud women in this book as well and how their world works.

Ahna and Casper didn't have quite the chemistry of the two characters in the first book, but it was still well done. Ahna is feisty and haughty, honestly I didn’t enjoy her character a ton but she was okay. Casper has a very roguish desperate artist thing going on; again he is okay but not as interesting as Criminy was.

The story is mostly a romance, but there is some intrigue and adventure in here as well. The story wasn’t anything special but was a pleasant steampunky romance and entertaining.

Overall I enjoyed the story, though not as much as the first book in the series. The world continues to be intriguing but the characters just weren’t as engaging in this book. There are many paranormal and some steampunk elements in this story. I would recommend to those who enjoy steampunk romance with a heavy paranormal overtone. If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend Kristen Callihan’s Darkest London series and Bec McMaster’s London Steampunk series. ( )

Wicked As She Wants has a lot of issues. The main characters are far less interesting than in Wicked AS They Come (and, in the case of Keen, wretchedly unlikeable). The story is less engaging and it fails to really introduce the reader to a wider world. Even the introduction of Ahna's Freesia is very limited and mostly has to do with the castle and a few species of blud animals.

I wanted very much to enjoy this book as much as the first, but I'm sorry to say it did not live up to it's predecessor. ( )

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review

I was wondering how I would like this book after seeing a significant range of early read ratings and comments online by Blud fans, wherein there didn't seem to be quite the amount of enthusiasm as there was for earlier installments. I personally thought it was absolutely incredible, and my only guess as to why my opinion differed slightly from other Blud series lovers is that I started the series with book #1.5, not with Book #1, and didn't actually read Criminy's story until after Wicked As She Wants.

With that all said, Delilah's series is unlike anything I've read before and each new story just sucks me in further!

Readers are introduced to Casper Sterling, a.k.a "Maestro", in book #1 of the series when he's involved with Tish (who ultimately becomes Criminy's wife). Casper's story and elaboration of his tortured character are further elaborated in book #1.6, The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance. Finally, the enigma that is the Maestro is unveiled in Wicked as She Wants, and what a tale it is!

Casper has a lot of issues and even more secrets, but at his core he desperately wants to redeem himself, and he's truly a good man. He cares deeply for his charge Keen- a young orphan that he took under his wing, and even though she tried to kill him upon their first meeting, he decides to do everything in his power (and really whatever it takes) to help the Princess Ahnastasia.

Ahna is the Feodor of Freesia, rightful bloodman heir to the throne, and a truly fascinating character. She's haughty, oftentimes nasty, sometimes naive, and surprisingly vulnerable. She has an innate strength & kindness, but her circumstances have never taught her how to properly portray those qualities. She and Casper together learn countless things about themselves and each other and the growth of character is fascinating to read.

Wicked as She Wants was action packed, thrilling, and sexy, and I can't wait for Wicked After Midnight. 5 Skulls! ( )