Beyond a Wicked Kiss

By: Jo Goodman

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

USA Today best-selling author Jo Goodman captivates listeners with her Regency romances. She continues her acclaimed Compass Club series featuring four handsome and unruly men, North, South, East, and West, in Beyond a Wicked Kiss. Headmistress Ria Ashby hopes West, as a new Duke, can aid her in finding a missing student. When the two match wits and begin to unravel a long hidden mystery, an undeniable yearning pulls West and Ria closer together.©2004 Joanne Dobrzanski (P)2004 Recorded Books,LLC

Critic reviews

"... another beguiling tale that beautifully combines sexy romance and dangerous intrigue." ( Booklist)

Fabulous finish to the Compass Club series!

I loved all four of the books but this one was by far my favorite. Based on content of the first three books, I did not expect to like West as much as the other three Compass Club members, but it turns out he is by far the most admirable and one of the most attractive characters I have had the pleasure to meet. Also, the malevolence of the Bishops in this book reaches a climactic level of cruelty that serves to highlight the evil of the Society and vividly illustrates the good versus evil theme. Thoroughly enjoyable and the narrator was terrific.

5 stars for book; a lump of coal for narrator

This is the fourth entry in Goodman's Compass Club series in which all four stories occur in the same time period. Reading them out of order isn't really a problem, which I guess is a good thing since only two of the books are available here at Audible.
When I read this book in print I was so moved by Goodman's portrayal of the gradual thawing of West's cold and aloof heart. Apparently narrator Sterlin didn't grasp that because it was almost painful listening to a particularly intimate scene in which West confides his most painful secrets to Ria. This is the scene in which a "reader" would know that he had surrendered his heart, but sadly a "listener" would hear the same cold and aloof man we met at the beginning of the story.
I've seen enough BBC historical drama to recognize the high-toned cadence of a regency era upper crust accent and it works well enough in straight narrative here. However, Sterlin's voice for male characters sounds snide and slightly effeminate and I found it grating and wrongwrongwrong for a romantic lead. The villains are given a full Snidely Whiplash treatment and the other members of the Compass Club and romantic heroes in their own books sound fat, old, and blarbly (not a word, I know, but that's how they sound).

I Want More

This is my favorite Jo Goodman series and I really wish she’d revisit them and give us more Compass Club adventures. Also, I was at the end of the second book or beginning of the third when I realized the stories were not consecutive but concurrent. So interesting!

Witty, charming and dark

The heroine and hero are strong charming and delightful together. There are plenty of lol moments, but it must be said that aspects of this story are very dark and upsetting as well.

fan of this series -

this was not as good as south, but was better than east - on par with north. the author is great at continuing the series and connecting them all - really great as you are so familiar with the characters. this is a good read - a little far fetched conclusion, but I absolutely enjoyed every minute. the reader was great as always. write more!