Lady Margaret Hawkins has been known as the Half-Irish Harlot, for the past ten years, because she seduced her best friend's husband on the night before the wedding. Now she is out of mourning for the man she was forced to marry to repair her reputation. Yet she still can't forget Simon's betrayal; he was the man who should have trusted her but he didn't. Simon was her friend and the man she loved, but when first accused, Simon chose to believe the worst about Maggie and didn't support her during the scandal. Now a famous artist, she uses the identity of Lemarc, a male artist whose favorite object is to make Simon a laughing stock by drawing a cartoon of drunken Lord Winejester.

Simon, Earl of Winchester, is a rising star in Parliament and is looking for Lemarc to stop him from drawing the Winejester's cartoon. He has been in love with Maggie and planned to marry her ten years ago. But like everyone else, he didn't believe Maggie's innocence because he'd been deceived by the man who ruined Maggie reputation. Now they meet again when Simon is looking for Lemarc. Can they forgive and learn the truth about the past?

I loved the first book, THE COURTESAN DUCHESS and absolutely enjoyed THE HARLOT COUNTESS. Joanna Shupe's writing is captivating and sizzling; from the first page I couldn't put the book down and finished it quickly.

Maggie and Simon's story is great. Although Maggie is stubborn and didn't want to tell Simon the truth about the past, I still really like her and love how she cares about the misfortunes of other women who didn't have anybody and work in brothels. Simon is wonderful and strong, I love how he tried to control his jealousy and still couldn't. Even with Maggie's scandalous reputation, he still desires Maggie and tries to support and protect her through the whole story. THE HARLOT COUNTESS is another amazing story in the Wicked Deception series: It is best to read in order, but THE HARLOT COUNTESS can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Book Summary

Maggie, Lady Hawkins, had a debut she'd rather forget--along with her first marriage. Today, the political cartoonist is a new woman. A thoroughly modern woman. So much so that her clamoring public believes she's a man...

FACT: Drawing under a male pseudonym, Maggie is known as Lemarc. Her (his!) favorite object of ridicule: Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He's a rising star in Parliament--and a former confidant and love interest of Maggie's who believed a rumor that vexes her to this day.

FICTION: Maggie is the Half-Irish Harlot who seduced her best friend's husband on the eve of their wedding. She is to be feared and loathed as she will lift her skirts for anything in breeches.

Still crushed by Simon's betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as well. In fact, Lemarc's cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock...but now it appears that Maggie may have been wrong about what happened years ago, and that Simon has been secretly yearning for her since...forever. Could it be that the heart is mightier than the pen and the sword after all?