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Devil to Pay
Cressida Cross was anything but disciplined
Except when it came to her work as a wildlife photographer. Behind a camera she was utterly dedicated, meeting all her deadlines regardless of the job's difficulties.
So it wasn't surprising that despite the onset of a high fever, she left Auckland determined to reach Coromandel. But it was a disastrous idea--and when Cressy came out of her delirium she found herself at Devlin Connell's country estate.
Unfortunately, she'd interrupted a top-secret meeting and Dev wasn't about to let her loose to spill the beans....
Except when it came to her work as a wildlife photographer. Behind a camera she was utterly dedicated, meeting all her deadlines regardless of the job's difficulties.
So it wasn't surprising that despite the onset of a high fever, she left Auckland determined to reach Coromandel. But it was a disastrous idea--and when Cressy came out of her delirium she found herself at Devlin Connell's country estate.
Unfortunately, she'd interrupted a top-secret meeting and Dev wasn't about to let her loose to spill the beans....
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
5 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Susan Napier
141 books152 followersPerhaps being born on Valentine’s Day was an omen that Susan Napier would become a romance writer. This New Zealand author has written over 30 Mills & Boon category romances since 1984. Napier and her husband Tony Potter met when they both worked at the Auckland Star newspaper. After they married, she left the newspaper to work for a film company where she learned the art of dialogue. After the birth of her sons, Simon and Ben, she was a freelance scriptwriter for documentaries. It was soon after that she decided to try her hand at writing the romance fiction she dearly loved.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 23, 2017
Re Devil to Pay - Susan Napier takes her shot at a few tropes in this one, she has a clumsy but feisty h paired with an utterly besotted H that has to run hard to catch up.
But the big thing about DtP is that for the first time ever in HPlandia, the lurve connection goes way beyond the missionary position and there are even *gasp* mirrors involved. Yep, SN is going head to head with Miranda Lee and winning by a mile at this point, she skips the purple hues all together and goes straight for scarlet red passion.
This one starts with the h driving through New Zealand from Auckland to the Coromandel. She is going to photograph the newly rediscovered endangered Tusked Weta's of Middle Mercury Island for the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
(Weta's are really big cricket type bugs, and the Tusked Weta's were going extinct on Middle Island at the time this book was written. However the NZDC stepped in and were able to successfully re-establish Tusked Wetas on the other Mercury Islands off the Coromandel peninsula. This is a very, very good thing because as of a few years ago, no more Tusked Wetas could be found on the Middle island. So once again, a valuable piece of world information is relayed to us from HPlandia, now who says we aren't reading these books for the educational lessons?)
The only problem the h has is that she is very, very ill with a high fever and when the book opens, she has stripped down to her lacy purple slip, crashed her car in a ditch with the keys locked in it, stormed the H's remote estate electrical gates, gotten shocked and crashed the H's super-seekrit Captain of Industry Summit to save the environment.
The H is rather surprised and his staff, including his butler and his Irish male cook, think the h might be on drugs. In her delirium, the h clings to the H, whose nickname is Devil. The h likes people who remind her of animals and Devil the H reminds our out of her mind h of a sexy black panther. The H realizes she is very ill and calls his doctor.
The doctor friend tells the H to keep the h in bed and give her fluids and he leaves some medication. The H wants to ship her off to hospital, but his doctor friend tells him that he is stuck with her. The h wakes up a few days later in a room that strongly resembles a scarlet bordello. (We later find out the H's mum decorated it when she was mad at the H's father for flirting, they all call it the reconciliation room.)
The h is a bit perturbed about the room and strong arguments with the Irish cook and the H ensue. Unfortunately it clashes with her very red hair. Which the H can't tell the color of because it is very muddy and it couldn't be washed because of her illness. He explains that he knows what color her hair is when the h complains about the room, but not from the hair on her head. Leaving the h in a state of outraged mortification.
It soon becomes clear that the H has no intention of letting the h leave. Mainly cause of his super seekrit business summit to try and figure out a big business helpful environmental conservation policy and he thinks the h is a reporter. (She isn't, she only does wildlife photography for Nat Geo and the World Wildlife groups, her father is the ace investigative roving reporter.) But also because someone stole the h's car and most of her equipment, except for the camera she was carrying because her dad gave it to her when she was ten.
There is several amusing banter scenes, an escape attempt and one memorable moment where the H won't let the h come down to dinner with the bigwigs cause he claims she has nothing suitable to wear. So the h improvises and wears her lacy purple slip paired with a red lace table cloth she nabbed from a table in the bordello. Flirting ensues and the H has to get all snarly possessive cause he doesn't like the other guys trying to flirt with the h. (Even tho she really isn't trying to flirt, she is just friendly, but she is really attractive and the H is feeling very possessive.)
This H's possessiveness leads to the h being more clumsy than usual, (she keeps breaking things and eventually the Irish cook serves her on plastic plates as kind a running dig,) and the H's little murmured Spanish phrases spike little longings of lust. Passion is simmering nicely between the two of them and the lurve mojo force is strong. The H and h spend a little time getting to know each other and we find out that the h and H are both risk takers, tho the h claims it is really her father who jumps into danger without batting and eye and the H disagrees.
There is lots of bantering and the build up of the sensual tension is getting unbearable for the h, so when the H tries his big seduction move, the h is already wary and has to forcibly yank him back. She figured out a long time ago that she likes a certain type of man who probably isn't good for the long term and after one unsatisfactory relationship that did not end in her being with her One and Only, she isn't going down the physical passion road until she is absolutely sure the man is her ONE. So she kicks the rather presumptuous H in the dangly bits and escapes.
Then we find out that the H used to be a big time hunter until his BFF was killed in a hunting accident five years earlier and the H stopped hunting cause he thought about what he was doing and decided he was wrong. The h, who was outraged over the hunting, flips back to compassion when the H admits that he was wrong to hunt and refuses to do it anymore. The tension ramps up between the two of them again after the summit is over and the h stays on for a few more days. She has to remember to JUST SAY NO to the H's wicked temptation, cause the h thinks it is lust and not love and then SN throws the OW into the mix.
The OW is the widow of the H's BFF who died when he and the H went hunting. The BFF had stayed behind when the H went out, then he followed and something happened and he ended up shooting himself. By the time the H found him it was too late and the H has been carrying the guilt for that trip ever since. The OW, whom the H slept once with in the aftermath of the BFF's death, has been manipulating the H with his guilt for years.
She implies to the h that her husband's death was the result of adultery and murder by the H and the h and she have a little moment when the OW asks the h why she is being served on plastic instead of china for lunch and the h answers 'homicidal mania'.
The h goes on to explain that she can't be around items that could turned into sharp objects as she can't control her compulsion to kill around them. She grabs the butter plate, breaks it and makes a lunge. Which neatly riposte's the OW attempt to run the h off by making her think the H is a maniac obsessed with the OW, cause now the OW has reason to believe the h is just as murderous as she implied the H was.
The big fireworks actually start later tho, when the drunken H chases the h out of the dining room and the H confesses that he and the OW had a mojo moment and the h is more worried about his drinking and the fact that the OW is telling people that the H murdered his friend to get to the OW. Then she tries to seduce the H, but he rejects her and so the h leaves to go take pictures of Tusked Wetas, the police found her belongings and the h has another rental car.
There is a few h mopey moments because by now she is in love, but then the H has his local police friend pull the h over as she is driving back and we finally get to the big H seduction scene after some more verbal bantering. The scarlet passion is intense as SN changes things up and the h gets to be the ravisher, complete with ceiling mirrors, for a true HPlandia first with the lady in charge.
The next morning both the H's mother and father and the h's father descend upon them. The H has declared he and the h are marrying. But after thinking the H's dad is a chauffeur and ordering him to carry her bags out and then backing into the H's parent's car, the h refuses on the grounds that she would rather be the H's mistress, since he can't be bothered to actually propose to her.
The H says he will take what he can get and the h knows she loves him and he loves her back and they will end up married and happy with for a big pink and scarlet HEA cause they have already survived 'hostility, suspicion, threats, misunderstandings, arguments, kidnapping, abandonment… more trials than most relationships faced in a whole lifetime.'
This one is pretty funny and very fast paced. Give it a go if you like the lighter and feistier type of HPlandia outing, the h is hilarious, the H is pretty entertaining as well and overall this a wild romp on the more scarlet side of the HP universe.
But the big thing about DtP is that for the first time ever in HPlandia, the lurve connection goes way beyond the missionary position and there are even *gasp* mirrors involved. Yep, SN is going head to head with Miranda Lee and winning by a mile at this point, she skips the purple hues all together and goes straight for scarlet red passion.
This one starts with the h driving through New Zealand from Auckland to the Coromandel. She is going to photograph the newly rediscovered endangered Tusked Weta's of Middle Mercury Island for the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
(Weta's are really big cricket type bugs, and the Tusked Weta's were going extinct on Middle Island at the time this book was written. However the NZDC stepped in and were able to successfully re-establish Tusked Wetas on the other Mercury Islands off the Coromandel peninsula. This is a very, very good thing because as of a few years ago, no more Tusked Wetas could be found on the Middle island. So once again, a valuable piece of world information is relayed to us from HPlandia, now who says we aren't reading these books for the educational lessons?)
The only problem the h has is that she is very, very ill with a high fever and when the book opens, she has stripped down to her lacy purple slip, crashed her car in a ditch with the keys locked in it, stormed the H's remote estate electrical gates, gotten shocked and crashed the H's super-seekrit Captain of Industry Summit to save the environment.
The H is rather surprised and his staff, including his butler and his Irish male cook, think the h might be on drugs. In her delirium, the h clings to the H, whose nickname is Devil. The h likes people who remind her of animals and Devil the H reminds our out of her mind h of a sexy black panther. The H realizes she is very ill and calls his doctor.
The doctor friend tells the H to keep the h in bed and give her fluids and he leaves some medication. The H wants to ship her off to hospital, but his doctor friend tells him that he is stuck with her. The h wakes up a few days later in a room that strongly resembles a scarlet bordello. (We later find out the H's mum decorated it when she was mad at the H's father for flirting, they all call it the reconciliation room.)
The h is a bit perturbed about the room and strong arguments with the Irish cook and the H ensue. Unfortunately it clashes with her very red hair. Which the H can't tell the color of because it is very muddy and it couldn't be washed because of her illness. He explains that he knows what color her hair is when the h complains about the room, but not from the hair on her head. Leaving the h in a state of outraged mortification.
It soon becomes clear that the H has no intention of letting the h leave. Mainly cause of his super seekrit business summit to try and figure out a big business helpful environmental conservation policy and he thinks the h is a reporter. (She isn't, she only does wildlife photography for Nat Geo and the World Wildlife groups, her father is the ace investigative roving reporter.) But also because someone stole the h's car and most of her equipment, except for the camera she was carrying because her dad gave it to her when she was ten.
There is several amusing banter scenes, an escape attempt and one memorable moment where the H won't let the h come down to dinner with the bigwigs cause he claims she has nothing suitable to wear. So the h improvises and wears her lacy purple slip paired with a red lace table cloth she nabbed from a table in the bordello. Flirting ensues and the H has to get all snarly possessive cause he doesn't like the other guys trying to flirt with the h. (Even tho she really isn't trying to flirt, she is just friendly, but she is really attractive and the H is feeling very possessive.)
This H's possessiveness leads to the h being more clumsy than usual, (she keeps breaking things and eventually the Irish cook serves her on plastic plates as kind a running dig,) and the H's little murmured Spanish phrases spike little longings of lust. Passion is simmering nicely between the two of them and the lurve mojo force is strong. The H and h spend a little time getting to know each other and we find out that the h and H are both risk takers, tho the h claims it is really her father who jumps into danger without batting and eye and the H disagrees.
There is lots of bantering and the build up of the sensual tension is getting unbearable for the h, so when the H tries his big seduction move, the h is already wary and has to forcibly yank him back. She figured out a long time ago that she likes a certain type of man who probably isn't good for the long term and after one unsatisfactory relationship that did not end in her being with her One and Only, she isn't going down the physical passion road until she is absolutely sure the man is her ONE. So she kicks the rather presumptuous H in the dangly bits and escapes.
Then we find out that the H used to be a big time hunter until his BFF was killed in a hunting accident five years earlier and the H stopped hunting cause he thought about what he was doing and decided he was wrong. The h, who was outraged over the hunting, flips back to compassion when the H admits that he was wrong to hunt and refuses to do it anymore. The tension ramps up between the two of them again after the summit is over and the h stays on for a few more days. She has to remember to JUST SAY NO to the H's wicked temptation, cause the h thinks it is lust and not love and then SN throws the OW into the mix.
The OW is the widow of the H's BFF who died when he and the H went hunting. The BFF had stayed behind when the H went out, then he followed and something happened and he ended up shooting himself. By the time the H found him it was too late and the H has been carrying the guilt for that trip ever since. The OW, whom the H slept once with in the aftermath of the BFF's death, has been manipulating the H with his guilt for years.
She implies to the h that her husband's death was the result of adultery and murder by the H and the h and she have a little moment when the OW asks the h why she is being served on plastic instead of china for lunch and the h answers 'homicidal mania'.
The h goes on to explain that she can't be around items that could turned into sharp objects as she can't control her compulsion to kill around them. She grabs the butter plate, breaks it and makes a lunge. Which neatly riposte's the OW attempt to run the h off by making her think the H is a maniac obsessed with the OW, cause now the OW has reason to believe the h is just as murderous as she implied the H was.
The big fireworks actually start later tho, when the drunken H chases the h out of the dining room and the H confesses that he and the OW had a mojo moment and the h is more worried about his drinking and the fact that the OW is telling people that the H murdered his friend to get to the OW. Then she tries to seduce the H, but he rejects her and so the h leaves to go take pictures of Tusked Wetas, the police found her belongings and the h has another rental car.
There is a few h mopey moments because by now she is in love, but then the H has his local police friend pull the h over as she is driving back and we finally get to the big H seduction scene after some more verbal bantering. The scarlet passion is intense as SN changes things up and the h gets to be the ravisher, complete with ceiling mirrors, for a true HPlandia first with the lady in charge.
The next morning both the H's mother and father and the h's father descend upon them. The H has declared he and the h are marrying. But after thinking the H's dad is a chauffeur and ordering him to carry her bags out and then backing into the H's parent's car, the h refuses on the grounds that she would rather be the H's mistress, since he can't be bothered to actually propose to her.
The H says he will take what he can get and the h knows she loves him and he loves her back and they will end up married and happy with for a big pink and scarlet HEA cause they have already survived 'hostility, suspicion, threats, misunderstandings, arguments, kidnapping, abandonment… more trials than most relationships faced in a whole lifetime.'
This one is pretty funny and very fast paced. Give it a go if you like the lighter and feistier type of HPlandia outing, the h is hilarious, the H is pretty entertaining as well and overall this a wild romp on the more scarlet side of the HP universe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2017
When Susan Napier is on, she is ON. With Devil to Pay she is mostly on, but relapses every now and then with some overly macho male posturing by the H.
Boogenhagen does a comprehensive review that shows the highlights that I can’t do justice to…
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cressida arrives at the H’s house dressed only in her slip and 100 and-something-plus temperature due to a bad case of flu. Delirium and the h’s naturally feistiness create havoc for the H, the Dr, and the devoted but cranky family retainer as she hits out at anyone. She is so out of it the H has to physically take care of her for several days.
The H and h’s antics and banter are very entertaining. Several laugh out loud moments. One I thought was hysterical and incredibly naughty for the time, heck even now, was when the H talks about how her red hair clashes with the tacky red room he has put her in. She’s horrified because after she points out that her hair has been covered in mud his response is, “That’s not the hair I was talking about…”
Cressida is pretty adorable, scatty and clumsy. I always have an affection for a clumsy heroine as I can be pretty clumsy as well.
Where it went south from a 4 star to a 3 is the hero. In his manly manliness he wants to seduce the heroine and that’s it. The heroine knows that all he wants is her in bed, and SHE RESISTS! YES. She resists him. Of course, part of that is because of some, a little, emotional baggage, but still.
And then, Paul Harvey, we have the rest of the story...
The everything-the-heroine-is-not OW slithers in, my heart sank.
We have a HEA ending, yeah that’s a shock, with an OTT romantic effort by the hero that bordered on the Keystone Cops where his parents and her dad pop out of the woodwork, and he turns into one of the HP equivalents of one of those idjits that proposes on the scoreboard at a football game. To clarify he does not propose on any scoreboard. He just does some other very un-HP hero stuff that was entertaining but verged on cutesy. I'm tired and am on mythird second glass of wine.
Liked it as I almost always like Susan Napier as she has a whacky sense of humor and creates healthy sexual tension and banter between her H and h’s.
This review brought to you by...
Boogenhagen does a comprehensive review that shows the highlights that I can’t do justice to…
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cressida arrives at the H’s house dressed only in her slip and 100 and-something-plus temperature due to a bad case of flu. Delirium and the h’s naturally feistiness create havoc for the H, the Dr, and the devoted but cranky family retainer as she hits out at anyone. She is so out of it the H has to physically take care of her for several days.
The H and h’s antics and banter are very entertaining. Several laugh out loud moments. One I thought was hysterical and incredibly naughty for the time, heck even now, was when the H talks about how her red hair clashes with the tacky red room he has put her in. She’s horrified because after she points out that her hair has been covered in mud his response is, “That’s not the hair I was talking about…”
Cressida is pretty adorable, scatty and clumsy. I always have an affection for a clumsy heroine as I can be pretty clumsy as well.
Where it went south from a 4 star to a 3 is the hero. In his manly manliness he wants to seduce the heroine and that’s it. The heroine knows that all he wants is her in bed, and SHE RESISTS! YES. She resists him. Of course, part of that is because of some, a little, emotional baggage, but still.
And then, Paul Harvey, we have the rest of the story...
The everything-the-heroine-is-not OW slithers in, my heart sank.
We have a HEA ending, yeah that’s a shock, with an OTT romantic effort by the hero that bordered on the Keystone Cops where his parents and her dad pop out of the woodwork, and he turns into one of the HP equivalents of one of those idjits that proposes on the scoreboard at a football game. To clarify he does not propose on any scoreboard. He just does some other very un-HP hero stuff that was entertaining but verged on cutesy. I'm tired and am on my
Liked it as I almost always like Susan Napier as she has a whacky sense of humor and creates healthy sexual tension and banter between her H and h’s.
This review brought to you by...
March 28, 2021
Note to self: this is the one where the feverish photographer heroine stumbles upon a top-secret meeting of mining/energy bosses at the hero's remote estate in New Zealand. The hero thinks he has to keep heroine away from the press until Matters Are Resolved with the mining/energy bosses so he does everything to keep her there. Heroine, in her fever dream, thinks the hero is the devil, etc. . .
Once she is well, hero puts the moves on the much younger heroine - who is both reluctant and captivated - sometimes at the same moment. SN has lots of fun with the heroine's clumsiness and the hero's sense of humor.
She throws in an OW at the last moment and their interfering families, but the ending did not match the beginning in intensity. I just don't find SN's humor that funny, I guess. I like her straight-up angsty titles much better.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her spoiler review.
Once she is well, hero puts the moves on the much younger heroine - who is both reluctant and captivated - sometimes at the same moment. SN has lots of fun with the heroine's clumsiness and the hero's sense of humor.
She throws in an OW at the last moment and their interfering families, but the ending did not match the beginning in intensity. I just don't find SN's humor that funny, I guess. I like her straight-up angsty titles much better.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her spoiler review.
July 15, 2019
4 1/2 Stars ~ Cressida's brilliant red hair is only a hint of her unpredictable nature. As a world renowned wilflife photographer she's actually quite disciplined; but off duty, she's a turbulent tornado, both with her temper and her distracting clumsiness. On route to her latest shoot at a New Zealand nature park, Cressy is suffering from a virus and is burning up. She takes a wrong turn and ends up driving into a ditch. In her fever, she has a sense of urgency to get to her destination and she abandons the car to seek help. Devlin is shocked to discover the raving and ranting woman trespassing on his property. He thinks she's high as a kite, until he touches her and realizes she's on fire and delirious. Half conscious, to Cressy the man with the jagged scar on his face reminds her of a panther, and someone calls him the Devil, which seems rather fitting because the room she's in is a blazing red. Waking, she realizes her memory is sketchy of the last few days, however, her room is definitely red and resembles a room in a brothel. Devlin doesn't know what to make of the spitfire who stumbled into his home. All he knows is her timing is suspect, he's hosting a summit of industry leaders that he desperately wants to keep out of the press. Learning Cressy is a photographer, and possibly a journalist, forces him to keep her until the meetings conclude. Shaky for several days, Cressy has no choice but to stay, but that doesn't mean she has to give in quietly. At every turn she challenges Devlin, enjoying tremendously getting under his skin. There's something about this woman that brings out Devlin's possessive and protective instincts. He's perplexed as she's not anything like the women he's attracted to, she's all curvaceous while he normally goes for the tall, lean athletic types. She's definitely more trouble than he's ever encountered, and yet, he can't help finding ways to keep her long after the summit ends.
The opening chapter is truly delightful and had me chuckling out loud with Cressy's fever induced antics. From the moment Devlin meets her, she challenges him, and keeps him on his toes. Though his nickname of Devil shows he's not a saint, he's not truly the devil either. I really like Devlin and thought he made the perfect hero. He admire's Cressy's bravery and resourcefulness and often finds himself off balance by her impulsiveness. The ending was just as hilarious as the beginning, and I was thoroughly charmed when Cressy made her Devil pay his due. My only beef with Ms. Napier with this book, is where's the epilogue? I just couldn't get enough of these characters and would have loved a glimpse of their future.
The opening chapter is truly delightful and had me chuckling out loud with Cressy's fever induced antics. From the moment Devlin meets her, she challenges him, and keeps him on his toes. Though his nickname of Devil shows he's not a saint, he's not truly the devil either. I really like Devlin and thought he made the perfect hero. He admire's Cressy's bravery and resourcefulness and often finds himself off balance by her impulsiveness. The ending was just as hilarious as the beginning, and I was thoroughly charmed when Cressy made her Devil pay his due. My only beef with Ms. Napier with this book, is where's the epilogue? I just couldn't get enough of these characters and would have loved a glimpse of their future.
August 23, 2022
Cressida Cross was anything but disciplined
Except when it came to her work as a wildlife photographer. Behind a camera she was utterly dedicated, meeting all her deadlines regardless of the job's difficulties.
So it wasn't surprising that despite the onset of a high fever, she left Auckland determined to reach Coromandel. But it was a disastrous idea--and when Cressy came out of her delirium she found herself at Devlin Connell's country estate.
Unfortunately, she'd interrupted a top-secret meeting and Dev wasn't about to let her loose to spill the beans
Except when it came to her work as a wildlife photographer. Behind a camera she was utterly dedicated, meeting all her deadlines regardless of the job's difficulties.
So it wasn't surprising that despite the onset of a high fever, she left Auckland determined to reach Coromandel. But it was a disastrous idea--and when Cressy came out of her delirium she found herself at Devlin Connell's country estate.
Unfortunately, she'd interrupted a top-secret meeting and Dev wasn't about to let her loose to spill the beans
August 29, 2020
Devil to Pay by Susan Napier is one of those books that stands the test of time. First published in 1992, reading this book 28 years later is an experience that is worth your time if you love romances that are interwoven with humor, characters that make you fall in love, and delivers sexual tension and love of the kind that makes your heart hum with pleasure.
Cressida Kerr Cross (Cressy) is a photojournalist who is on her way to Whitianga, a nature reserve in New Zealand, in pursuit of a certain breed of insects, the subject matter being one that fascinates her to no end. However, her plans are derailed when she falls sick and finds herself at the residence of 39 year old Devlin Connell (Devil) of whom Cressy is equal doses wary of and drawn towards.
When Devlin finds an almost naked Cressy inside his home, he is more suspicious than anything else. Wanting a quiet life, Devlin is someone who does not like fanfare and has a deep rooted distrust, especially when it comes to reporters. One thing leads to another and before long, both Devlin and Cressy finds that their wariness towards each other cannot hide the fact that they are drawn to one another on an intrinsic level that is undeniable.
I loved both Devlin and Cressy; Devlin never having taken the tumble towards love and Cressy with an innate need to love and be loved, a hunger that has remained unappeased for far too long. When her life intersects with that of Devlin’s there is no turning back for either of them and I reveled in the heady emotions that coursed through me as I indulged in this mesmerizing romance.
Through a mix of angst-ridden and often hilarious situations bringing to light the side of Susan Napier as an author that I love and adore, Devil to Pay offers readers a delightful journey towards the happily ever after that is waiting for Devlin and Cressy. I absolutely adored this scrumptious read and would recommend it wholeheartedly to everyone who loves a romance of the good old variety.
Final Verdict: Devil to Pay is Susan Napier at her funniest and best. Loved the clumsiness, sexiness, emotional depth, and everything else in between!
Rating = 4.75/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Cressida Kerr Cross (Cressy) is a photojournalist who is on her way to Whitianga, a nature reserve in New Zealand, in pursuit of a certain breed of insects, the subject matter being one that fascinates her to no end. However, her plans are derailed when she falls sick and finds herself at the residence of 39 year old Devlin Connell (Devil) of whom Cressy is equal doses wary of and drawn towards.
When Devlin finds an almost naked Cressy inside his home, he is more suspicious than anything else. Wanting a quiet life, Devlin is someone who does not like fanfare and has a deep rooted distrust, especially when it comes to reporters. One thing leads to another and before long, both Devlin and Cressy finds that their wariness towards each other cannot hide the fact that they are drawn to one another on an intrinsic level that is undeniable.
I loved both Devlin and Cressy; Devlin never having taken the tumble towards love and Cressy with an innate need to love and be loved, a hunger that has remained unappeased for far too long. When her life intersects with that of Devlin’s there is no turning back for either of them and I reveled in the heady emotions that coursed through me as I indulged in this mesmerizing romance.
Through a mix of angst-ridden and often hilarious situations bringing to light the side of Susan Napier as an author that I love and adore, Devil to Pay offers readers a delightful journey towards the happily ever after that is waiting for Devlin and Cressy. I absolutely adored this scrumptious read and would recommend it wholeheartedly to everyone who loves a romance of the good old variety.
Final Verdict: Devil to Pay is Susan Napier at her funniest and best. Loved the clumsiness, sexiness, emotional depth, and everything else in between!
Rating = 4.75/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
February 17, 2018
"Devil to Pay" is the story of Devil "Devlin" Connell and Cressy Cross.
When wildlife photographer Cressy decides to drive from Auckland to Coromandel despite having high fever, she never expects to go delirious, crash her car, or land in a slip in Devil's country estate, where he is meeting dignitaries- rubbing up to him like a cat in heat.
Two days later, as she resurfaces from her haze, she finds herself in Devil's trap- where she is met with suspicion, lure and unrequited passion.
Really enjoyed the back and forth, as well as sizzling chemistry between the two. Our clumsy yet confident heroine was a perfect match for the determined, but scarred hero.
I loved the relentless chase, and how cute some of their scenes were.
Sweet ending.
SWE
4/5
When wildlife photographer Cressy decides to drive from Auckland to Coromandel despite having high fever, she never expects to go delirious, crash her car, or land in a slip in Devil's country estate, where he is meeting dignitaries- rubbing up to him like a cat in heat.
Two days later, as she resurfaces from her haze, she finds herself in Devil's trap- where she is met with suspicion, lure and unrequited passion.
Really enjoyed the back and forth, as well as sizzling chemistry between the two. Our clumsy yet confident heroine was a perfect match for the determined, but scarred hero.
I loved the relentless chase, and how cute some of their scenes were.
Sweet ending.
SWE
4/5
February 5, 2021
The book's start didn't work for me and it never got better. In the first chapter, we find our h sick with a fever driving in the remote countryside. She's so hot and feverish, she's stripped down to her slip. Dazed and confused, she walks for miles and breaks into the H's house, storms into a meeting, wreaks havoc, abuses the H who tries to help her and passes out. Cue continued crazy antics from a woman who rudely broke into someone's home. She physically harms the H, the cook, and the doctor. Yes, she had a fever but this is also her sassy, "spicy" character. Her ungrateful attitude leaves much to be desired. She does not thank these strangers for taking care of her. She also is very clumsy and has a tendency to crash into things and break things. I did not find this cute. She said things like "Whoops, broke a vase. Add it to my tab." The book was chaotic. I give it 2 stars because I would not re-read it or recommend it.
July 4, 2018
This was an amusing book. The Hero and heroine had great repartee.
The heroine gate crashes into the Heroes home, while he is hosting some “giants of industry” for a hush hush meeting. He is suspicious of her, but since she is sick, he takes the chance to keep her in the house so she can recover.
The heroine is smart, but the small, cute, clumsy type. The Hero is the strong athletic type, who usually goes for tall slim athletic women, so he doesn’t know why he is so attracted to the klutzy heroine.
I liked their back and forth banter, especially after the big wigs had left. The heroine can certainly give as good as she gets and she is quite feisty. She didn’t give an inch and in the end she had him on her terms! Go girl!
The heroine gate crashes into the Heroes home, while he is hosting some “giants of industry” for a hush hush meeting. He is suspicious of her, but since she is sick, he takes the chance to keep her in the house so she can recover.
The heroine is smart, but the small, cute, clumsy type. The Hero is the strong athletic type, who usually goes for tall slim athletic women, so he doesn’t know why he is so attracted to the klutzy heroine.
I liked their back and forth banter, especially after the big wigs had left. The heroine can certainly give as good as she gets and she is quite feisty. She didn’t give an inch and in the end she had him on her terms! Go girl!
April 17, 2019
I've read this little beauty a few times and it's a gem of a book.
I loved the h in this and the ever so slightly flawed but smitten H. He loses a bonus point for ever taking part in big game trophy hunting no matter that he has seen the error of his ways.
H is a big business type set on saving the environment through industry before he retires and the h is a darn good wildlife photographer.
They meet when she is ill and lands on his doorstep during a top secret meeting. Suspecting she is a spy and with a news type background (she has a famous war reporter dad too) he decides to keep her until the secret "bizniz" is conducted.
Our feisty h runs circles round the smitten H giving him lots of hell when he needs it and telling it like it is. she only slopes off when the OW shows up and he cant see what a poisonous cow she is.
Not sure about the legalities of how he caught her on the way back would stand up in court especially as he commandeers a police car! But we will overlook this for the epic reunion and his comparison to a stud horse during the love declarations at the end in front of all and sundry.
I loved the h in this and the ever so slightly flawed but smitten H. He loses a bonus point for ever taking part in big game trophy hunting no matter that he has seen the error of his ways.
H is a big business type set on saving the environment through industry before he retires and the h is a darn good wildlife photographer.
They meet when she is ill and lands on his doorstep during a top secret meeting. Suspecting she is a spy and with a news type background (she has a famous war reporter dad too) he decides to keep her until the secret "bizniz" is conducted.
Our feisty h runs circles round the smitten H giving him lots of hell when he needs it and telling it like it is. she only slopes off when the OW shows up and he cant see what a poisonous cow she is.
Not sure about the legalities of how he caught her on the way back would stand up in court especially as he commandeers a police car! But we will overlook this for the epic reunion and his comparison to a stud horse during the love declarations at the end in front of all and sundry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2019
One star because I finished the book and one extra star because the the last two chapters were funny. Otherwise this was nearly a "did not finish" book. Yes there was a lot of fireworks between the main characters but little else. I found the story hard going. I kept waiting and hoping for it to pick up. It, honestly, felt like I was reading a 300 page book...............it just kept going and going. Usually LOVE Susan Napier books but not this time. Will keep it to add to my Susan Napier Collection though.
May 21, 2012
A vintage HP that doesn't disappoint! Moderately-paced, dense, emotional, sexy read that makes you laugh, think, and bang your head on occasion.
I must say that I was royally ticked off that he slept with the grieving widow, but grief does make one do strange things. Other than that, he was a hero you can actually like and not at all what you entirely expect.
I must say that I was royally ticked off that he slept with the grieving widow, but grief does make one do strange things. Other than that, he was a hero you can actually like and not at all what you entirely expect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2012
Good, basic older Napier story. I like that she doesn't make her heroes 100% a--holes, unlike a lot of HP authors at the time. It wasn't the fastest-paced romance ever, but I still enjoyed it.
August 12, 2016
It was hilarious, I should admit, but as a love novel it failed deeply especially where the heroine is concerned. Sometimes, I felt she was a MAN! Enjoyable, but not so believable.
March 31, 2015
Cressida, la Trituradora, was taking photos of wildlife when she started to fell very ill. When she arrived to Devlin's house, she was hallucinating from the fever and she imagined that this masculine man was a black panther who wanted devoure her.
Two days later, she wake up a little better only to discovered that she was in an awful red room.
In that moment, Devlin (who thought she was a journalist) announced to her that she must stay in the house until he had closed an important business agreement.
While she stayed at his house, they fall in love but they still didn't trust on each other...
This book was so similar to another of this author: Amantes de fin de semana...
Two days later, she wake up a little better only to discovered that she was in an awful red room.
In that moment, Devlin (who thought she was a journalist) announced to her that she must stay in the house until he had closed an important business agreement.
While she stayed at his house, they fall in love but they still didn't trust on each other...
This book was so similar to another of this author: Amantes de fin de semana...
August 24, 2013
LOL!!Nice book.Loved the scene "Homicidal mania".good read and recommend it..
January 10, 2016
Had a few humorous moments.
May 11, 2021
She was just too much. She was too over the top. Too hysteric, too clumsy, too crazy, too agressive, too emotional. She was really offputting.
January 25, 2022
You know all sitcoms in the 80s/90s did murder mystery episodes? That is this in book form. Nothing make sense or flows into the plot, the characters are inconsistent, just a jumbled mess. Skip.
November 2, 2025
I adored this book. I adored the heroine. The hero was hot. Their interactions were spicy and hilarious.
OK so the heroine is a short, curvy, redheaded, professional wildlife photographer who decided to travel to a remote location for a photoshoot while coming down with a fierce fever.
She is stark raving delusional by the time she's stripped down to her purple slip, her car breaks down, she locks her keys in it, hikes deliriously to the nearest property which has an electric fence, angrily throws a random disembodied car bumper she's found nearby to short it out, climbs over the fence into the property, and stumbles into the H's life, ranting and raving at him about being a murderer who's trying to murder everybody, knowing all his secrets, threatening to tell everyone about his evil plots, etc.
Anyhow, she ends up staying for a while because she's very sick, and then the H keeps her on, because it turns out he does have some secret shenanigans afoot and isn't entirely sure she isn't a spy or journalist.
Shenanigans ensue.
This was a delightful read. Heroine doesn't take anything off anyone for long, and is just a wrecking ball to the H's life. It's so fun to watch them fall for each other.
OK so the heroine is a short, curvy, redheaded, professional wildlife photographer who decided to travel to a remote location for a photoshoot while coming down with a fierce fever.
She is stark raving delusional by the time she's stripped down to her purple slip, her car breaks down, she locks her keys in it, hikes deliriously to the nearest property which has an electric fence, angrily throws a random disembodied car bumper she's found nearby to short it out, climbs over the fence into the property, and stumbles into the H's life, ranting and raving at him about being a murderer who's trying to murder everybody, knowing all his secrets, threatening to tell everyone about his evil plots, etc.
Anyhow, she ends up staying for a while because she's very sick, and then the H keeps her on, because it turns out he does have some secret shenanigans afoot and isn't entirely sure she isn't a spy or journalist.
Shenanigans ensue.
This was a delightful read. Heroine doesn't take anything off anyone for long, and is just a wrecking ball to the H's life. It's so fun to watch them fall for each other.
October 3, 2021
It was fine, not bad. Lots of wordy dialogues and detailed personality analysis throughout the book by both the H and h. Started feeling a lot like "telling me, not showing me".
Not a fan of stories where the H has slept with the OW previously. So one point off for that.
The h's clumsiness was over rated IMO and the way the author did an about face and slammed a HEA on us in the last 2 pages felt rushed. The love scenes everyone liked were exagerrated. There was literally just one fade-to-black scene in the whole book. Random eyeing and finger touches don't count.
Not a fan of stories where the H has slept with the OW previously. So one point off for that.
The h's clumsiness was over rated IMO and the way the author did an about face and slammed a HEA on us in the last 2 pages felt rushed. The love scenes everyone liked were exagerrated. There was literally just one fade-to-black scene in the whole book. Random eyeing and finger touches don't count.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2023
Reread for the ?? time. However, it had been several years since I last read this long time fav read. Considering I first read this one while I was in middle school, I went in knowing I had found the book funny and exciting back then, but wasn't sure if it had aged well. Well, IMO it was still funny, and didn't feel dated. I loved the characters, the passion, and the humor. Overall, this book can keep its place on my bookcase.
September 18, 2024
September Readathon
2+
This one really heaves to and fro, almost too much for a harlequin category to contain. Pull it apart and there's probably four books here to expand upon.
The tone is also a weird blend.
There's the ott humor (the purposefully cheap bordello room, clumsy hijinks, the strange "banter" the heroine has with a cranky employee), there's the Masterful Hero (but only in fits and starts), there's the captive/captivated dynamic, there's too many arguments based on not much more than a misconstrued gesture or statement or action causing the leads to flare then flee then fight then find each other again, there's a Big Deal Thing she crashes at the start that comes to nothing in the course of events, and then a jolly And Everybody Laughed ending with the leads fighting, baldly discussing their interest/sexual history, dawning realizing, and declarations in front of the parents, parents who were adding their own digs and jokes and such as the fight lead to HEA-assured.
-I- felt heaved around.
Heroine's characterization is a bit ott too. She's chaotic mostly when the book needs a jolt, and to me that's poor form. I can hope she calms down now that she and the hero are M2B 4E. But at least both she and the hero are complicated and flawed; not always in ways that worked but I never mind that.
There's real sparks in it too. Chemistry for the leads, moments of levity, and interesting tweaks on well-trod romance ground that I appreciated. If we'd stuck with the Big Deal thing, or it being about the stud farm, along with the captive/captivated I might have hung in there better. I kept waiting for it to settle into a groove, but I think it was a story intended to be a romp, so every choice leading to more romping is what we got.
Well gosh, hm, urgh,
-- heroine trying to put the cranky employee in his place by calling him gay
-- hero having the temp affair in the past with the 3/4-in OW (grief does things to us, but it didn't track imo given the circumstances and who he was supposed to be)
-- that cringe ending
Toss in the 3/4-in reveal of a malicious other woman, the heroine running from the scene, the hero making assumptions and being mad over what he needn't be, the both of them avoiding to simply communicate at All costs, and it never quite came together for me.
2+
This one really heaves to and fro, almost too much for a harlequin category to contain. Pull it apart and there's probably four books here to expand upon.
The tone is also a weird blend.
There's the ott humor (the purposefully cheap bordello room, clumsy hijinks, the strange "banter" the heroine has with a cranky employee), there's the Masterful Hero (but only in fits and starts), there's the captive/captivated dynamic, there's too many arguments based on not much more than a misconstrued gesture or statement or action causing the leads to flare then flee then fight then find each other again, there's a Big Deal Thing she crashes at the start that comes to nothing in the course of events, and then a jolly And Everybody Laughed ending with the leads fighting, baldly discussing their interest/sexual history, dawning realizing, and declarations in front of the parents, parents who were adding their own digs and jokes and such as the fight lead to HEA-assured.
-I- felt heaved around.
Heroine's characterization is a bit ott too. She's chaotic mostly when the book needs a jolt, and to me that's poor form. I can hope she calms down now that she and the hero are M2B 4E. But at least both she and the hero are complicated and flawed; not always in ways that worked but I never mind that.
There's real sparks in it too. Chemistry for the leads, moments of levity, and interesting tweaks on well-trod romance ground that I appreciated. If we'd stuck with the Big Deal thing, or it being about the stud farm, along with the captive/captivated I might have hung in there better. I kept waiting for it to settle into a groove, but I think it was a story intended to be a romp, so every choice leading to more romping is what we got.
Well gosh, hm, urgh,
-- heroine trying to put the cranky employee in his place by calling him gay
-- hero having the temp affair in the past with the 3/4-in OW (grief does things to us, but it didn't track imo given the circumstances and who he was supposed to be)
-- that cringe ending
Toss in the 3/4-in reveal of a malicious other woman, the heroine running from the scene, the hero making assumptions and being mad over what he needn't be, the both of them avoiding to simply communicate at All costs, and it never quite came together for me.
July 9, 2022
Muitas reviravoltas, muita confusão: Uma guerra de sexos, típico meio-comédia. Cheio de idas e vindas. Brigas e discussões, interpretações errôneas. Mocinha desastrada, mocinho poderoso e. escrupuloso.
Uma divertida leitura, de fatos mal-interpretados levando os personagens a quase nunca entrarem em bom-senso.
No final tudo se resolve.
Uma divertida leitura, de fatos mal-interpretados levando os personagens a quase nunca entrarem em bom-senso.
No final tudo se resolve.
May 19, 2020
3.5 stars
March 19, 2023
Cressy's awkward clumsiness makes her a great character that any reader would want to see taken care of. When she crashes Devlin's secret summit, such a man is found - though they clash at first. As the two are drawn closer to each other it is interesting to see how they react to each others pasts and what each is willing to do to be with the other.
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