Devil's Daughter (The Ravenels, #5)

by Lisa Kleypas

[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!!!