Devil's Daughter: The Ravenels Meet the Wallflowers (The Ravenels, #5)

by Lisa Kleypas

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas delivers a scintillating tale of a beautiful young widow who finds passion with the one man she shouldn't . . . perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn and Eloisa James.

'Lisa Kleypas is the best' Sarah MacLean

Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he's a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband's life a misery, and she'll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself . . . as none other than West Ravenel.

West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire . . . not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn't bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She's the daughter of a strong-willed Wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent - the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past?

Only the devil's daughter knows . . .

'Kleypas can make you laugh and cry - on the same page' Julia Quinn

The Ravenels:
Cold-Hearted Rake
Marrying Winterborne
Devil in Spring
Hello Stranger
Devil's Daughter
Chasing Cassandra

Praise for Lisa Kleypas:

'Is it possible to give a book 6 stars? If so, Devil's Daughter gets them . . . [This] story has all of the forbidden romance, witty banter, and sigh-inducing declarations of love that you deserve' That's Normal

'Devil's Daughter is a must read' BookPage

'A love story to savour. Another winner in Kleypas' Ravenels series, with elegant prose, a fascinating heroine, and a Victorian London constructed with compelling historical detail' Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

'Witty, often hilarious, and delightfully passionate, this compelling, thrill-laced Victorian romance is another superb series entry' Library Journal, starred review

'Readers are introduced to the unforgettable characters and their original personalities through a delightful storyline peppered with sharp repartee and steamy sensuality' RT Book Reviews (top pick)

• ISBN10: 0062371932
• ISBN13: 9780062371935
• Publish Date: 19 February 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[nitzan_schwarz]

“If the hero hasn’t turned up, you may have to settle for the villain.” “If the villain’s the one who turns up, he is the hero.”

The Good and the Bad:

+ West saves himself from his bad behaviors BEFORE Phoebe enters the picture, which I loved. Of course, we can't allow him to see it on his own otherwise, god forbid, he'll think he's an okay person and there will be no conflict, but still. So many of these books rely on a woman walking into their lives and suddenly they no longer want to be promiscuous and yada yada.

- WAYYYY too fast. I wished they would have had more time to just talk.

- West's flowery speeches. Urg. I'm sorry, I'm not a fan of how guys suddenly become poets when talking about the girl and how they feel about her. I don't need grand speeches like that in my books, they make me cringe xD I mean, my favorite confession is the one in [b:The King's Men|23594461|The King's Men (All for the Game, #3)|Nora Sakavic|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417587954l/23594461._SX50_.jpg|43196898], and if you've read that fantastic series and know what I'm talking about, you understand lol

+Gotta stan a smart cookie as your main female character. Phoebe is a good mom, a good friend, a good wife, but non of that comes at the expense of her mind, her autonomy, standing her ground, etc.

+ The clan. At this point, I just really like both families a lot lol

[stacey_is_sassy]

I loved the Devil and his Daughter…

Back in the olden days (3 years ago) I was able to read five (5!!!!) books a week. Now, I’m lucky to read one. Don’t feel too bad for me, I am coping with this loss by supplementing the shortfall with a lot of audio books. It makes me a little sad though, that a book that would normally have taken me 24 hours, took me five days to read. I wanted…needed to read Devil’s Daughter quicker, but life got in the way.

By the end of the first chapter of this story, I knew I was in for a treat. Of course, I didn’t have to get that far before I realised, after all, it is a Lisa Kleypas. There’s something magical when you step back in time with Ms Kleypas. It’s always like your catching up with friends for a chat. In this case, it was very good friends I caught up with.

On that thought…how dare Sebastian and Evie get older. It makes me feel older because I recognise Sebastian’s silver at the temples on my hubby, and the slight crinkles around my eyes probably look very similar to Evie’s. So, the fact that we get to catch up with Sebastian and Evie AND see history repeating itself (not really, but kind of) brought a goofy smile to my face.

Phoebe has survived heartbreak and now is on the path to falling for a bad boy…does that sound a little familiar???

It’s actually not that similar to be honest. Phoebe’s heartbreak is because she’s a widow bringing up her two boys without her beloved husband. West, well, he was a bad boy…but he’s on the right path and dragging his reputation kicking and screaming behind him. So basically, both Phoebe and West are battling their pasts to find a happy future.

Devil’s Daughter is my kind of historical romance. The characters were lovable, the glimpse of the past was riveting, and the battle of the classes is frustrating to observe. It’s quite humorous to see men’s need to feel superior over women. I hate seeing the snobbery, social-climbing and what lengths people will go to for the power of a good name. It seems inconceivable that even in your own home you aren’t afforded privacy. I love the dresses, the furniture, formal sit-down breakfasts and wedding parties that last for days. All these little things seem different but were the realities of the time and very fascinating to me.

The romance story between Phoebe and West was fairly slow moving. Once it does hit the sheets…I mean floors…and walls… it gets decidedly fast. There was an initial physical attraction, but Phoebe knew of West before meeting him and was convinced she wouldn’t like him. West spent nearly the whole story loving Phoebe but never dreaming of keeping her. He was convinced he would sully Phoebe and her wonderful boys with his terrible reputation. Phoebe spent years acting perfectly calm and reasonable and now it’s time to move on from her late husband AND his death-bed wishes. West must be the one to accept and realise they were perfect for each other and meant to spend the rest of their days together.

If you’re a fan of historical romance Lisa Kleypas is a master and definitely worth checking out. I highly recommend you go back to the beginning, though, and check out the Wallflowers. Sebastian and Evie’s story is only one part of the best historical romance series I’ve ever read. If you have read the Wallflowers, you may be interested to know that we get to catch up with them all a little in this one.

The ending was a little abrupt, but I have my fingers crossed that Ms Kleypas has plans…BIG PLANS. I would not be opposed to a novella or two, checking in with The Ravenels to see how they’re all fairing. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge…Ms Kleypas. LOVE YOUR WORK!!!

[Rowena]

OMG, this book was super good. So, so good.