Month: July 2021

Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas

On By TracyIn Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels, #7)Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Ravenels, #7

Release Date: July 27, 2021

When Lady Merritt Sterling, the widowed daughter of the Earl of Westcliff and owner of the Sterling Enterprises Shipping Company meets her client Keir MacRae, the Scottish owner of whisky distillery – sparks fly and the sensible, responsible and proper Merritt throws caution to the wind and embarks on a heated affair with the handsome, Scotsman. They both know that nothing can ever come of their relationship, but neither can seem to walk away. Things between them get so intense that Merritt begins to formulate ideas for them to stay together, but before anything can be decided, Keir is almost killed in an explosion, and forgets who Merritt is! But this is just the beginning of the shocks, surprises, and revelations in store for them!

This book is a well-written, brilliantly executed story that held me in thrall from the first page until the last. I know this is supposed to be a Ravenels story, but it definitely had more of a Wallflowers vibe – especially with Sebastian, Evie, Marcus, and Lillian having such large roles in the book. This book has caused a lot of uproar within the Kleypas fan base, with many people very upset with the direction Ms. Kleypas decided to go – for me, as long as the timeline gets corrected, I had no problem with Keir’s parentage – (I read an uncorrected proof that states Keir is 33, which if you read the Wallflower books, you will know the timeline doesn’t match statements made in this book). I really loved this book, it has wonderful characters, steamy love scenes, surprises, heartache, intrigue, soulmate-type love, lots of cameos, a bit of angst, and a nail-biting ending before they finally get their HEA! This is the seventh book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no issues. I really enjoyed this story and sincerely hope that it leads to a Wallflower Progeny spinoff!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

It Had to Be The Duke by Christi Caldwell

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

It Had to Be the Duke (All the Duke's Sins #0.5)It Had to Be the Duke by Christi Caldwell
Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: All The Duke’s Sins #0.5
Publication Date: 7/23/21
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 109
This author’s books are always well written and compelling and this one is no exception. All the Duke’s Sins will feature the stories of the illegitimate children of Geoffrey Meadows, the Duke of Bentley. Since this is a novella and the prequel to the series, it will be difficult to tell you much without telling you the entire story. However, I will tell you that I absolutely adored Geoffrey.

Lydia Mayweather and Geoffrey Meadows grew up together, played together, and fell head-over-heels, soul searingly in love with each other. They planned to marry and Geoffrey longed for the family they’d make. Then, suddenly, without warning, Lydia ended it all and married Geoffrey’s friend Lawrence Brandeis, the soon-to-be Earl of Chombley. After thirty-two years, they have their second chance at a HEA.

I really wish this novella had been just a tad longer because it just left me wanting more and it also made me sad. Yes, there was a HEA, but I was so very sad for Geoffrey and the life he had during those thirty-two years. Frankly, I didn’t feel nearly as much sympathy for Lydia – after all, she made the choice to end the relationship and marry someone else all to make the life of a selfish sister easier. I was supposed to ‘admire’ Chombley, but I couldn’t figure out why. He supposedly loved Lydia before they married – and he was supposed to be Geoffrey’s friend. If truly loved Lydia, he wouldn’t have married her knowing she loved someone else and was being forced into the choice. I was really, really tired of reading the phrase about her being happy in her marriage and coming to love her husband. Anyway, I would have preferred the novella to be a little longer to explain or justify or something, these things.

This was a good set-up for the series and shows you what happened in Geoffrey’s life and how he came to have illegitimate children. My heart still hurts for him and I hope we see a lot more of him in the subsequent books in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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