Kathleen spent more time with West than Devon in a large part of the novel, so I easily questioned which brother she would end up with. He was an inebriated fool to begin with, but Kathleen’s friendship and his honor to his brother changed him.

So charming in an enemies-to-lovers theme.ĭevon’s brother West is a rascal. His sparsely voiced sarcasm is pompous and delightful, easily putting the stately Kathleen into a sputter and fluster. It’s not necessarily the words Devon says but the very lack of them and his mannerisms that kept me laughing.

As his cousin’s wife, she didn’t have time to gain much experience, but she doesn’t let that stop her with her list of “proper” expectations for a family in mourning. His cousin’s sisters and wife are at Devon’s mercy, which seems like a disaster until he gains a conscience aided by his wastrel brother, West.ĭevon is very funny when he teases Kathleen, Lady Trenear. But new book frenzy sometimes pushes me over the edge, and that’s what DEVIL’S DAUGHTER did without me even reading it yet.ĭevon Ravenel inherits his cousin’s title upon his untimely death and a mountain of lost revenue and properties to go with it. I have been on a tangent of new-to-me authors and styles, so much so that it pained me to add another. Two things I had avoided for some time due to an overage of bibliophile exploration. She had been on my “historicals to try” list, as well as reading more books from Avon. I’ve only read one book by Lisa Kleypas, RAINSHADOW ROAD, which I enjoyed in 2013. Discovering that Lisa Kleypas writes what I prefer to read is the bomb. I don’t tolerate pompous jerks in real life, so I certainly don’t want them in my pleasure reading – unless, they are taken down a peg by humor and a woman they can’t help but love. Late Victorian Era is also different because I couldn’t find the more humorous ones that I love. I was on a mission to find a narrator who drew me in completely and that’s what Mary Jane Wells did.

My something different? Our theme had me determined to listen to one of the audibles I’d been stockpiling. Then I scrambled to listen to the first three books’ samples and bought them in Audible, followed by the next two in print because I had Barnes and Noble coupons.

I listened to a DEVIL’S DAUGHTER sample, which made me laugh. AND, an overage of Audible credits that needed used up. The squeeing of my GoodReads’ friends over DEVIL’S DAUGHTER made me finally take a hard look at the series. Why was this book in Dorine’s TBR? It’s not one that had been languishing, but I had adored this cover for what seems like forever. This book made me happy that I took the plunge. All it took was fan favor and listening to audible samples to get me to jump into the series full force. COLD-HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas is the kind of historical romance I love, full of humor and stuffy aristocrats who lose themselves in love.

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas