What do you think?
Rate this book
The Devil You Know
The Honourable Catherine Elford – Kitty – is presented with an awful choice.
Either she is cast off, penniless, by her penny-pinching step-brother, or she marries the handsome Earl of Ledbury, who would be perfect were he not a serial womaniser, and the very man Kitty idolised when she made her debut in Society; idolised right up until she found him in a compromising situation with a married lady.
Ledbury has only ever courted other men’s wives, and does not want a wife of his own. However, Kitty’s generous dowry, which will keep him from selling his beloved racehorses, proves too tempting. Following a swift ceremony and a disastrous wedding night, Kitty believes her only chance of survival is to make her head rule her treacherous heart. As Kitty begins to succumb to his seduction and believe that they have a chance of happiness together, Ledbury’s past starts to catch up with them.
This witty and spirited romance casts an historical light on Regency Society life, and reveals that, despite the changes in social protocol, love and desire – and what they do to us – has not changed.
Either she is cast off, penniless, by her penny-pinching step-brother, or she marries the handsome Earl of Ledbury, who would be perfect were he not a serial womaniser, and the very man Kitty idolised when she made her debut in Society; idolised right up until she found him in a compromising situation with a married lady.
Ledbury has only ever courted other men’s wives, and does not want a wife of his own. However, Kitty’s generous dowry, which will keep him from selling his beloved racehorses, proves too tempting. Following a swift ceremony and a disastrous wedding night, Kitty believes her only chance of survival is to make her head rule her treacherous heart. As Kitty begins to succumb to his seduction and believe that they have a chance of happiness together, Ledbury’s past starts to catch up with them.
This witty and spirited romance casts an historical light on Regency Society life, and reveals that, despite the changes in social protocol, love and desire – and what they do to us – has not changed.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
259 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Sophia Holloway
11 books105 followersSophia Holloway describes herself as a ‘wordsmith’. She read Modern History at Oxford, and her factual book on the Royal Marines in the First World War, From Trench and Turret, was published in 2006. Shea takes her pen name from her great grandmother ( hence the photograph portrait). She also writes the Bradecote & Catchpoll mediaeval murder mysteries under the pen name, Sarah Hawkswood. Her third Classic Regency novel, 'Kingscastle' was published in paperback and ebook by Allison & Busby in November 2021, with another due out in spring 2022.
She is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association, the Historical Novel Society, and the Crime Writers' Associationand the Romantic Novelists' Association.
She is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association, the Historical Novel Society, and the Crime Writers' Associationand the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
February 3, 2022
This was such a disappointment.
Dreadfully dull and probably very realistic of real Regency marriages.
MOC between two characters that don’t have a spark between them which is good since the author and the heroine do everything they can to keep the new husband out of her bed: cramps, the flu, her need to redecorate her bedroom, a Ton party to put on, a random kidnapping. Tacky interior decorating is a sad excuse.
Their good qualities: she’s good at renovations and the servants like her, and while he’s an impatient and insensitive jerk he does have a couple of nice friends and is good with married women. In fact he excels with married women.
A rare read where the hero actually gets worse instead of better through the story. Now I love me a bad boy, but this one starts out as a charming rake in need of money but is slowly exposed to be a petulant, self-involved, inconsiderate bore. I found his dismissiveness of his best friend’s mourning of his wife and daughter as well as the young girl distraught her father has died far more indicative of poor character than any poor treatment of his wife. He says he's falling for the heroine, but I suspect he'll cheat about five minutes after the heir is born. Note to authors: you hero can be a horse’s ass to his heroine, but bereaving best friends, sweet young girls in mourning and puppies are off limits.
An evil OW flits through and is ultimately stopped by, wait for it, one of the H's other big society conquests with a sense of honor.
I would love Inglesham's second chance romance.
P.S.
I wanted to add that writing is till very good. I just didn't care for her character choices.
Dreadfully dull and probably very realistic of real Regency marriages.
MOC between two characters that don’t have a spark between them which is good since the author and the heroine do everything they can to keep the new husband out of her bed: cramps, the flu, her need to redecorate her bedroom, a Ton party to put on, a random kidnapping. Tacky interior decorating is a sad excuse.
Their good qualities: she’s good at renovations and the servants like her, and while he’s an impatient and insensitive jerk he does have a couple of nice friends and is good with married women. In fact he excels with married women.
A rare read where the hero actually gets worse instead of better through the story. Now I love me a bad boy, but this one starts out as a charming rake in need of money but is slowly exposed to be a petulant, self-involved, inconsiderate bore. I found his dismissiveness of his best friend’s mourning of his wife and daughter as well as the young girl distraught her father has died far more indicative of poor character than any poor treatment of his wife. He says he's falling for the heroine, but I suspect he'll cheat about five minutes after the heir is born. Note to authors: you hero can be a horse’s ass to his heroine, but bereaving best friends, sweet young girls in mourning and puppies are off limits.
An evil OW flits through and is ultimately stopped by, wait for it, one of the H's other big society conquests with a sense of honor.
I would love Inglesham's second chance romance.
P.S.
I wanted to add that writing is till very good. I just didn't care for her character choices.
June 19, 2019
Read for the June prompt in the 2019 TBR Challenge.
The “historical” prompt in the TBR Challenge always used to be something of a busman’s holiday for yours truly, because in the past, I read historical romance almost exclusively. But the scarcity of really good HR on offer over the past couple of years has seen a bit of a change in my reading habits, and I’ve turned more and more often to other sub-genres to find what I crave from romance novels. Still, HR remains my first love and when looking through my Kindle for likely prospects, I decided on a relatively new release, Sophia Holloway’s The Devil You Know from 2017, which, while having a few flaws and treading a well-worn path, was nonetheless an enjoyable read from an author with a distinctive voice and a deft touch.
Kitty Elford, half-sister of Lord Bidford, is furious when her brother announces he’s basically sold her hand in marriage to a notorious rake because his – Bidford’s - betrothed refuses to set foot in the house until Kitty leaves it. Kitty is given no choice in the matter, and reasons that marriage to George Anstruther, Earl of Ledbury, is preferable to remaining under her obnoxious, penny-pinching brother’s roof, so when the prospective groom arrives to make his offer, Kitty makes no bones about accepting.
Ledbury isn’t completely sure how he ended up conversing with Bidford and agreeing to offer for the man’s half-sister – having been a little foxed at the time – but he needs an heir and the lady’s generous dowry is certainly not something to be sneezed at. He has to marry someone, so why not the Honourable Catherine Elford? Being married won’t change anything much; he can continue to cut a swathe through the beds of the married ladies of the ton and “a sensible woman who would let him continue in his way of life without fuss” will be just the thing.
The bulk of the story deals with how these two complete strangers set about navigating the waters of their marriage, and it’s charming for the most part, watching Kitty and Ledbury forge the beginnings of a relationship. After a disastrous wedding night (which is simply referred to – this is a ‘closed door’ romance) – for which Ledbury is brought to see he should take most of the blame, seeing as his bride is (or was) a complete innocent – Ledbury determines to try to do better, determining that if he’s to have that ‘comfortable’ marriage he’s envisaged, he should perhaps try to be friends with his new wife. In order to do that, however, he’ll need to approach Kitty in a completely different manner to all the other women who have fallen under his spell and into his bed.
Kitty is indeed a sensible young woman, but is also well aware of how easy it would be to fall in love with for her handsome, charming husband, and of what a disaster it would be were she to let that happen. She could only ever be a temporary diversion for him before he returns to his philandering ways, and she’s determined not to let him break her heart. She’s quick-witted, poised, competent and possessed of considerable insight; she says what she thinks, often with comical results, but sometimes goes a little too far, especially when her instinct for self-protection kicks in, and steers her towards making the wrong assumptions.
The author does a terrific job of showing Kitty and Ledbury gradually falling for each other – even if, on his part, Ledbury has no idea that’s what’s going on. They talk, they take long rides together and they’re both refreshingly honest with each other; Ledbury knows he can’t erase his past and Kitty knows it would be unfair of her to hold it against him, but he understands how society works and is at pains to ensure that Kitty is able to hold her head up as she takes her place as his countess. Sometimes in stories like this one, the heroine can be too good to be true, but that’s not the case here, because while Ledbury can be self-centred and ill-tempered (and is very well aware of both those traits), Kitty has her faults, too. Sometimes, her witticisms are barbed and too waspish and, in the later part of the book especially, she can be somewhat ‘holier-than-thou’. But these faults just make both of them that bit more human and endearing.
The tone of the book is fairly light and breezy – dare I say that there’s an almost Heyeresque quality to it overall? The dialogue sparkles, the characters are engaging and the author imbues the novel with a strong sense of time and place, but I found myself knocking grade-points off for a late-book plot-point that felt overly contrived and really out of place. There’s also a scorned former mistress out to make trouble – she made quite a juicy villain, actually – and her machinations, together with Ledbury’s tendency to over-react at times would have been enough on their own to create the tension needed to keep moving the story forward.
The fact that there are no sex scenes in the book may be off-putting for some, but I honestly didn’t miss them, because Kitty and Ledbury have great chemistry and the heated moments they share (while fully clothed!) are nicely done and provide just the right sort of frisson to fit the story. In short, The Devil You Know was an entertaining read in the vein of the Traditional Regency and I’d certainly recommend it.
The “historical” prompt in the TBR Challenge always used to be something of a busman’s holiday for yours truly, because in the past, I read historical romance almost exclusively. But the scarcity of really good HR on offer over the past couple of years has seen a bit of a change in my reading habits, and I’ve turned more and more often to other sub-genres to find what I crave from romance novels. Still, HR remains my first love and when looking through my Kindle for likely prospects, I decided on a relatively new release, Sophia Holloway’s The Devil You Know from 2017, which, while having a few flaws and treading a well-worn path, was nonetheless an enjoyable read from an author with a distinctive voice and a deft touch.
Kitty Elford, half-sister of Lord Bidford, is furious when her brother announces he’s basically sold her hand in marriage to a notorious rake because his – Bidford’s - betrothed refuses to set foot in the house until Kitty leaves it. Kitty is given no choice in the matter, and reasons that marriage to George Anstruther, Earl of Ledbury, is preferable to remaining under her obnoxious, penny-pinching brother’s roof, so when the prospective groom arrives to make his offer, Kitty makes no bones about accepting.
“I do not consider myself a romantic, my lord. I do not think that rakes reform, so I am unlikely to be shocked by your behaviour, however disappointing.”
Ledbury isn’t completely sure how he ended up conversing with Bidford and agreeing to offer for the man’s half-sister – having been a little foxed at the time – but he needs an heir and the lady’s generous dowry is certainly not something to be sneezed at. He has to marry someone, so why not the Honourable Catherine Elford? Being married won’t change anything much; he can continue to cut a swathe through the beds of the married ladies of the ton and “a sensible woman who would let him continue in his way of life without fuss” will be just the thing.
The bulk of the story deals with how these two complete strangers set about navigating the waters of their marriage, and it’s charming for the most part, watching Kitty and Ledbury forge the beginnings of a relationship. After a disastrous wedding night (which is simply referred to – this is a ‘closed door’ romance) – for which Ledbury is brought to see he should take most of the blame, seeing as his bride is (or was) a complete innocent – Ledbury determines to try to do better, determining that if he’s to have that ‘comfortable’ marriage he’s envisaged, he should perhaps try to be friends with his new wife. In order to do that, however, he’ll need to approach Kitty in a completely different manner to all the other women who have fallen under his spell and into his bed.
Kitty is indeed a sensible young woman, but is also well aware of how easy it would be to fall in love with for her handsome, charming husband, and of what a disaster it would be were she to let that happen. She could only ever be a temporary diversion for him before he returns to his philandering ways, and she’s determined not to let him break her heart. She’s quick-witted, poised, competent and possessed of considerable insight; she says what she thinks, often with comical results, but sometimes goes a little too far, especially when her instinct for self-protection kicks in, and steers her towards making the wrong assumptions.
The author does a terrific job of showing Kitty and Ledbury gradually falling for each other – even if, on his part, Ledbury has no idea that’s what’s going on. They talk, they take long rides together and they’re both refreshingly honest with each other; Ledbury knows he can’t erase his past and Kitty knows it would be unfair of her to hold it against him, but he understands how society works and is at pains to ensure that Kitty is able to hold her head up as she takes her place as his countess. Sometimes in stories like this one, the heroine can be too good to be true, but that’s not the case here, because while Ledbury can be self-centred and ill-tempered (and is very well aware of both those traits), Kitty has her faults, too. Sometimes, her witticisms are barbed and too waspish and, in the later part of the book especially, she can be somewhat ‘holier-than-thou’. But these faults just make both of them that bit more human and endearing.
The tone of the book is fairly light and breezy – dare I say that there’s an almost Heyeresque quality to it overall? The dialogue sparkles, the characters are engaging and the author imbues the novel with a strong sense of time and place, but I found myself knocking grade-points off for a late-book plot-point that felt overly contrived and really out of place. There’s also a scorned former mistress out to make trouble – she made quite a juicy villain, actually – and her machinations, together with Ledbury’s tendency to over-react at times would have been enough on their own to create the tension needed to keep moving the story forward.
The fact that there are no sex scenes in the book may be off-putting for some, but I honestly didn’t miss them, because Kitty and Ledbury have great chemistry and the heated moments they share (while fully clothed!) are nicely done and provide just the right sort of frisson to fit the story. In short, The Devil You Know was an entertaining read in the vein of the Traditional Regency and I’d certainly recommend it.
March 16, 2021
A great beginning, some really quality writing, then some boring middle chapters with incessant push-pull and a decent upswing of a wrap up. A shorter, tighter story would have helped.
I'd say that the middle where he acts nice (in order to seduce) is skippable, while post picnic when he reverts to form, lifts back the story.
I'd say that the middle where he acts nice (in order to seduce) is skippable, while post picnic when he reverts to form, lifts back the story.
May 4, 2020
A condescending but sometimes considerate hero. A heroine who's sharp and lovely, but just begging for scraps of love without exploring intimacy.
Just ugh. It didn't work for me. It's well written, although I didn't love the jostling from the mains to secondary characters, including the much maligned other women.
I think the detached 3rd person like this prevented me a bit from connecting and rooting for the couple.
Just ugh. It didn't work for me. It's well written, although I didn't love the jostling from the mains to secondary characters, including the much maligned other women.
I think the detached 3rd person like this prevented me a bit from connecting and rooting for the couple.
November 9, 2017
Poor Catherine Elford is between a rock and a hard place. Her horrid stepbrother, who is soon to marry a managing and similarly horrid woman, gives her two choices: (1) Accept an arranged marriage with the Earl of Ledbury, an infamous rake who needs the influx of cash her dowry will provide, or (2) Be cast out of the family, penniless. Well, being a practical woman, she chooses the devil she knows (only slightly, mostly by reputation) instead of an unknown future on her own.
The bulk of the story is about this arranged marriage. It's one of the most realistic looks at a rake and his slow reformation that I've read. Ledbury is handsome, charming, has a lot of sex appeal, but he's immature and self-centered, used to having his own way, and seems to be lacking any empathy chip. In addition, he's the Great Seducer of married women but, sadly, has no idea how to deal with a virginal, innocent like his wife. Matter of fact, their wedding night is so disastrous that neither seems to want a repeat and they draw father and farther apart.
Ledbury's one saving grace is his best friend, Lord Inglesham, a 34-year-old widower still grieving his wife and baby. Inglesham is such a great guy that the reader is inclined to want to learn to like Ledbury, since Inglesham does in spite of having his eyes wide open to his friend's faults. Ledbury confides his relationship problems to Inglesham and is convinced by him to try to become friends with his new wife. After all, why have years of complete estrangement ahead of them?
And that's the main thrust of the story. The H and h begin to interact, find they enjoy talking with each other, and share a common interest in horses and riding that brings them even closer together. Friendship turns into sexual attraction also, but there are backslides in the relationship frequently and roadblocks on the way to a completely happy and successfully consummated marriage. Among the roadblocks are two villains, one of them a devious former mistress, but I'd say the hero's immaturity and over-reactive behavior is the biggest pothole in the road to the HEA.
This is very well written, has excellent dialogue, is witty and has engaging, well-drawn characters. I've added the author to my list of authors I follow on Amazon and hope she puts out more Regency romances. It's not a perfect read. By about 75-80% I was beginning to feel very frustrated with the behavior of the H and also at times that of the h. Open communication would have kept their relationship much smoother, but romance authors do all dearly love that Failure to Communicate trope.
One more thing I need to say is that this is in the traditional Regency vein. No sex. Even the wedding night is only obliquely referred to as a failure. We are not privy to the step-by-step events that led to the consummation fiasco. The book is better for that.
The bulk of the story is about this arranged marriage. It's one of the most realistic looks at a rake and his slow reformation that I've read. Ledbury is handsome, charming, has a lot of sex appeal, but he's immature and self-centered, used to having his own way, and seems to be lacking any empathy chip. In addition, he's the Great Seducer of married women but, sadly, has no idea how to deal with a virginal, innocent like his wife. Matter of fact, their wedding night is so disastrous that neither seems to want a repeat and they draw father and farther apart.
Ledbury's one saving grace is his best friend, Lord Inglesham, a 34-year-old widower still grieving his wife and baby. Inglesham is such a great guy that the reader is inclined to want to learn to like Ledbury, since Inglesham does in spite of having his eyes wide open to his friend's faults. Ledbury confides his relationship problems to Inglesham and is convinced by him to try to become friends with his new wife. After all, why have years of complete estrangement ahead of them?
And that's the main thrust of the story. The H and h begin to interact, find they enjoy talking with each other, and share a common interest in horses and riding that brings them even closer together. Friendship turns into sexual attraction also, but there are backslides in the relationship frequently and roadblocks on the way to a completely happy and successfully consummated marriage. Among the roadblocks are two villains, one of them a devious former mistress, but I'd say the hero's immaturity and over-reactive behavior is the biggest pothole in the road to the HEA.
This is very well written, has excellent dialogue, is witty and has engaging, well-drawn characters. I've added the author to my list of authors I follow on Amazon and hope she puts out more Regency romances. It's not a perfect read. By about 75-80% I was beginning to feel very frustrated with the behavior of the H and also at times that of the h. Open communication would have kept their relationship much smoother, but romance authors do all dearly love that Failure to Communicate trope.
One more thing I need to say is that this is in the traditional Regency vein. No sex. Even the wedding night is only obliquely referred to as a failure. We are not privy to the step-by-step events that led to the consummation fiasco. The book is better for that.
May 24, 2020
1 star
This is a historical romance set in Regency England. Though I am not an expert, I thought it well-researched. The heroine, Kitty, isn’t bad, with a wry and pragmatic outlook that I appreciated. When her stepbrother gives Kitty a choice between marrying an infamous rake or being cast out without a penny to her name, she chooses the frying pan over the fire. But she is determined not to fall for her new husband, the Earl of Ledbury, since he’s a notorious breaker of hearts. She resists falling into bed with him, too, for that reason.
Ledbury has to marry Kitty for money and her dowry is generous enough to induce him to do so, despite her plain looks and her chilliness toward him. Kitty’s stepbrother is tightfisted, so it didn’t really make sense to me that he wanted to offload his sister badly enough to offer a sizable dowry. The given motive was that he had recently gotten engaged and his fiancée wanted Kitty gone from the house. But the fiancée herself is another penny-pincher so none of this seemed consistent. I was willing to disregard that enough to keep reading, though.
A bigger issue for me—a humongous issue, really—was Ledbury’s resentment for having to marry Kitty. He has only agreed to marry her because he’s in dire need of her money. I’ve read better books with that premise and I liked some of them. But Ledbury not only clung to his resistance, he denigrated Kitty in his mind. When, for example, she sets out to refurbish their country house using funds from her dowry, his internal monologue is full of resentment over it, to the point of even denying that the house needs updating.
Kitty and Ledbury share a love of horses so a romantic relationship could have been built on that, but the book struck me as thoroughly unromantic. Even when Kitty gets sick and Ledbury, almost against his will, decides to sit by her bedside and take care of her, his self-talk is filled with self-pity.
Ledbury is a realistic enough rake, I guess, but I needed to see him fall for Kitty. Waiting for that to happen bored me and irritated me. Even at 27%, which was as far as I got, I didn’t feel much romantic or sexual tension between them. I hated the way Ledbury whined about a marriage he chose to enter into of his own free will, and worse, the way he behaved like a petulant child. It was not Kitty’s fault that he needed her money.
The Devil You Know reads very much like a trad regency. Some reviewers here on Goodreads have compared it to Heyer’s work. But where I find Heyer witty and satirical, I thought this book was humorless. Other readers might like it better but I didn’t like it at all. DNF.
This is a historical romance set in Regency England. Though I am not an expert, I thought it well-researched. The heroine, Kitty, isn’t bad, with a wry and pragmatic outlook that I appreciated. When her stepbrother gives Kitty a choice between marrying an infamous rake or being cast out without a penny to her name, she chooses the frying pan over the fire. But she is determined not to fall for her new husband, the Earl of Ledbury, since he’s a notorious breaker of hearts. She resists falling into bed with him, too, for that reason.
Ledbury has to marry Kitty for money and her dowry is generous enough to induce him to do so, despite her plain looks and her chilliness toward him. Kitty’s stepbrother is tightfisted, so it didn’t really make sense to me that he wanted to offload his sister badly enough to offer a sizable dowry. The given motive was that he had recently gotten engaged and his fiancée wanted Kitty gone from the house. But the fiancée herself is another penny-pincher so none of this seemed consistent. I was willing to disregard that enough to keep reading, though.
A bigger issue for me—a humongous issue, really—was Ledbury’s resentment for having to marry Kitty. He has only agreed to marry her because he’s in dire need of her money. I’ve read better books with that premise and I liked some of them. But Ledbury not only clung to his resistance, he denigrated Kitty in his mind. When, for example, she sets out to refurbish their country house using funds from her dowry, his internal monologue is full of resentment over it, to the point of even denying that the house needs updating.
Kitty and Ledbury share a love of horses so a romantic relationship could have been built on that, but the book struck me as thoroughly unromantic. Even when Kitty gets sick and Ledbury, almost against his will, decides to sit by her bedside and take care of her, his self-talk is filled with self-pity.
Ledbury is a realistic enough rake, I guess, but I needed to see him fall for Kitty. Waiting for that to happen bored me and irritated me. Even at 27%, which was as far as I got, I didn’t feel much romantic or sexual tension between them. I hated the way Ledbury whined about a marriage he chose to enter into of his own free will, and worse, the way he behaved like a petulant child. It was not Kitty’s fault that he needed her money.
The Devil You Know reads very much like a trad regency. Some reviewers here on Goodreads have compared it to Heyer’s work. But where I find Heyer witty and satirical, I thought this book was humorless. Other readers might like it better but I didn’t like it at all. DNF.
August 1, 2017
Loved this author's writing style, but I do wish the story had been a bit shorter, especially in the middle. It dragged at times for me. All the drama with the misunderstandings and the schemes of his ex-mistress were a bit much. Also, I didn't expect the hero and heroine's sex life to go into hibernation after their wedding night. I respect an author's decision to write a clean book, but more sexual tension would have been nice. I wanted to know they desired each other even if I couldn't read about their sexual escapades.
I don't think Lord Ledbury was a devil at all. When he was a single man, he slept with married women who willingly climbed into bed with him. Once he married, he was faithful to his wife even though he doubted his ability to be a good, faithful husband. Yes, he was rough around the edges at the beginning of their marriage, but he matured. I liked Lord Ledbury and Lord Inglesham. I'd like to see Inglesham get his own happily ever after.
I don't think Lord Ledbury was a devil at all. When he was a single man, he slept with married women who willingly climbed into bed with him. Once he married, he was faithful to his wife even though he doubted his ability to be a good, faithful husband. Yes, he was rough around the edges at the beginning of their marriage, but he matured. I liked Lord Ledbury and Lord Inglesham. I'd like to see Inglesham get his own happily ever after.
September 23, 2017
Very, very enjoyable! I read it in one sitting. The writing resembles Georgette Heyer a lot (which is a high praise), with some more modern undertones. I am not a great fan of so-called reformed rakes, but I found George a very well-written and believable character. I also adored Lord Inglesham. I would love a sequel, but even if it does not happen, I will definitely read other books by this author.
did-not-finish
February 19, 2022It is in the good style of Regency romance. The characters were well-chosen, and it looked like a believable transformation of the rake. But around one-third part of the book, it dragged so much that in the middle I gave up.
July 25, 2022
Regency. I liked the first half better. Too much drama
& not enough story.
26 yr old Catherine, "Kitty," lived w/ her pinch-penny
half-brother James. He planned to wed, so wanted her
out of the house. George, a selfish earl, feared he'd lose
his racehorses, so he arranged w/ Jas. to marry Kitty,
for her dowery. George + Kitty were both horse-mad.
By his own admission, George was an easily bored wom-
anizer, with a bad temper. Soon after they wed, George
hosted an all-male shooting party at his country estate.
At first he treated Kitty like a stick of furniture. But she
made known to him her needs and wants.
George had much to learn about women from his bestie,
celibate, widower Henry. 32 yr old George did not always
act his age. He and Kitty had an uncomfortable wedding
night & Kitty put off repeating it. Prior to this, his lovers
included unhappily married ladies or paid mistresses.
2 mistresses re-surfaced: benign redhead Lady Feltham
& 0bnoxious Lady Louisa. George had already broken it
off w/ Louisa but she would not take a hint. She began
to taunt Kitty, etc. Lousia took up too much space + time.
Who cared about her?
& not enough story.
26 yr old Catherine, "Kitty," lived w/ her pinch-penny
half-brother James. He planned to wed, so wanted her
out of the house. George, a selfish earl, feared he'd lose
his racehorses, so he arranged w/ Jas. to marry Kitty,
for her dowery. George + Kitty were both horse-mad.
By his own admission, George was an easily bored wom-
anizer, with a bad temper. Soon after they wed, George
hosted an all-male shooting party at his country estate.
At first he treated Kitty like a stick of furniture. But she
made known to him her needs and wants.
George had much to learn about women from his bestie,
celibate, widower Henry. 32 yr old George did not always
act his age. He and Kitty had an uncomfortable wedding
night & Kitty put off repeating it. Prior to this, his lovers
included unhappily married ladies or paid mistresses.
2 mistresses re-surfaced: benign redhead Lady Feltham
& 0bnoxious Lady Louisa. George had already broken it
off w/ Louisa but she would not take a hint. She began
to taunt Kitty, etc. Lousia took up too much space + time.
Who cared about her?
February 2, 2023
Barely a three for me. The two most boring people on the planet find each other. If your a Heyer fan this might work for you . Unfortunately I'm not. Sacrilegious I know.
March 9, 2022
Such a frustrating book - beautifully written in every way, and near perfect up to roughly the 75% mark, and then things went a bit pear-shaped. It didn’t ruin the book for me, and I’ll certainly look out for more by this author, but it was disappointing.
Here’s the premise: Kitty Elford’s half-brother is about to marry, and his bride wants Kitty out of the family home at once if not sooner. Kitty is given an ultimatum - leave penniless to make her own way in the world, or marry the notorious rake the Earl of Ledbury. Kitty’s not unwilling - the earl is handsome, after all, and she sighed over him as a debutante, but she knows his reputation all too well having seen him about his seductive business one evening. But it’s better than being penniless, and the earl is happy to have Kitty’s generous dowry to fund his race horses (the sister-in-law really, really wants her out of the way), so married they are.
The wedding night is a disaster, but we see nothing of it because this is a traditional Regency. Despite the fact that a large part of the book is about sex, whether the hero’s pre-marital shenanigans, the wedding night fiasco or the long wait for hero and heroine to reach an accommodation in that direction, there’s nothing graphic about it at all. There’s no reason why this should feel odd, and I’ve written marriage of convenience stories myself that keep all the sex offstage, but the abrupt transition felt uncomfortable. One minute, the hero is fortifying himself to do his duty by his bride with brandy, and the next she’s waking alone in bed, and for a moment I wondered if perhaps he hadn’t come to her room at all. I don’t know how else it could have been done but somehow it all seemed understated. The jump deserved something more - a new chapter, perhaps?
The interesting question is why a rake, who presumably knows everything there is to know about pleasuring women, should make such a hash of things with his own wife, but perhaps the proffered explanation - that’s he’s never bedded a virgin before - will suffice. Anyway, he decides that he doesn’t like being married, and would rather pretend it’s never happened, especially as his bride sets to with workmen and wallpaper samples to set right the neglected house, and upend his whole existence. So he invites a group of his friends to stay to distract himself with jocular masculine company, which works about as well as you would expect.
Fortunately, one of the friends is Lord Inglesham, a widower and by far the more promising character to play the role of hero. He’s quite wasted as a sidekick, frankly. He offers Lord Ledbury some sound advice, which would have been blindingly obvious to any half-sensible man, and some of it does sink in, for Ledbury and Kitty do start to get onto better terms. He discovers that she’s an accomplished rider, for one thing, which is the one thing guaranteed to soften him towards her, and she’s starting to soften towards him, too.
Now, you’d expect that this would result in a return to the heir-producing efforts so unceremoniously abandoned after that disastrous, but unseen, wedding night, but no. One thing after another conspires to prevent it, and the author has to stretch credulity to snapping point to keep them apart. I confess to getting impatient with the artificiality of it all, and wondering why on earth they didn’t just sit down and discuss it openly, like sensible adults. But no, they have to wait and wait and wait some more, because reasons.
At this point, I was very much comparing the book with Mary Balogh’s The Obedient Bride, a book which takes the same basic premise of a marriage of convenience to a man of casual morals, and follows it with uncompromising honesty. Balogh doesn’t shy away from the sex, but she also creates a very believable transformation in both main characters. Holloway, by contrast, has to resort to some fairly tired old tropes to create the drama at the end which will finally bring the principals together.
And this is where the book veered off the rails for me. It wasn’t the melodrama that sank the final section of the book, but the hero’s response to it. He starts the book as a deeply selfish individual who’s gradually come to see his wife as not merely the funder of his racehorses, or a housewifely nuisance, but someone he values and appreciates in her own right. He even begins to realise that he loves her. But when the crisis comes, he simply runs away - there’s no other way to describe it. And I wanted to slap him upside the head, and tell him not to be so stupid, to go to Kitty and TALK to her, for heaven’s sake. You know, like a grown up. But no, he has to be rescued by his long-suffering friend, the heroic Lord Inglesham, once more. I can’t tell you how deeply disappointing I found this, but on the other side of the coin, if I’d cared less about Ledbury, I’d have been less disappointed. I suppose it’s a testament to the author’s skill that I so badly wanted him to come good at the end.
There’s some more fairly over-the-top melodrama before matters are resolved, but I can’t honestly say I was convinced by Ledbury’s transformation from perpetual rake to faithful husband. Reforming a rake believably is arguably the most difficult challenge a Regency author can undertake, and to be fair, few are truly convincing. The reader wants to believe, though, and maybe that’s enough.
I don’t want this to sound too negative, because for the first three quarters of the book I was breathless with admiration. The language is perfectly of the Regency, I didn’t detect a single anachronism or infelicitous phrase, the main characters have believable depth, and the dialogue is electrifying. The back and forth between Kitty and Ledbury, and particularly Ledbury’s volatile moods are brilliantly realised. I loved every moment of it. It was only that saggy ending that spoilt things for me and kept it to four stars, but I thoroughly recommend it all the same.
Here’s the premise: Kitty Elford’s half-brother is about to marry, and his bride wants Kitty out of the family home at once if not sooner. Kitty is given an ultimatum - leave penniless to make her own way in the world, or marry the notorious rake the Earl of Ledbury. Kitty’s not unwilling - the earl is handsome, after all, and she sighed over him as a debutante, but she knows his reputation all too well having seen him about his seductive business one evening. But it’s better than being penniless, and the earl is happy to have Kitty’s generous dowry to fund his race horses (the sister-in-law really, really wants her out of the way), so married they are.
The wedding night is a disaster, but we see nothing of it because this is a traditional Regency. Despite the fact that a large part of the book is about sex, whether the hero’s pre-marital shenanigans, the wedding night fiasco or the long wait for hero and heroine to reach an accommodation in that direction, there’s nothing graphic about it at all. There’s no reason why this should feel odd, and I’ve written marriage of convenience stories myself that keep all the sex offstage, but the abrupt transition felt uncomfortable. One minute, the hero is fortifying himself to do his duty by his bride with brandy, and the next she’s waking alone in bed, and for a moment I wondered if perhaps he hadn’t come to her room at all. I don’t know how else it could have been done but somehow it all seemed understated. The jump deserved something more - a new chapter, perhaps?
The interesting question is why a rake, who presumably knows everything there is to know about pleasuring women, should make such a hash of things with his own wife, but perhaps the proffered explanation - that’s he’s never bedded a virgin before - will suffice. Anyway, he decides that he doesn’t like being married, and would rather pretend it’s never happened, especially as his bride sets to with workmen and wallpaper samples to set right the neglected house, and upend his whole existence. So he invites a group of his friends to stay to distract himself with jocular masculine company, which works about as well as you would expect.
Fortunately, one of the friends is Lord Inglesham, a widower and by far the more promising character to play the role of hero. He’s quite wasted as a sidekick, frankly. He offers Lord Ledbury some sound advice, which would have been blindingly obvious to any half-sensible man, and some of it does sink in, for Ledbury and Kitty do start to get onto better terms. He discovers that she’s an accomplished rider, for one thing, which is the one thing guaranteed to soften him towards her, and she’s starting to soften towards him, too.
Now, you’d expect that this would result in a return to the heir-producing efforts so unceremoniously abandoned after that disastrous, but unseen, wedding night, but no. One thing after another conspires to prevent it, and the author has to stretch credulity to snapping point to keep them apart. I confess to getting impatient with the artificiality of it all, and wondering why on earth they didn’t just sit down and discuss it openly, like sensible adults. But no, they have to wait and wait and wait some more, because reasons.
At this point, I was very much comparing the book with Mary Balogh’s The Obedient Bride, a book which takes the same basic premise of a marriage of convenience to a man of casual morals, and follows it with uncompromising honesty. Balogh doesn’t shy away from the sex, but she also creates a very believable transformation in both main characters. Holloway, by contrast, has to resort to some fairly tired old tropes to create the drama at the end which will finally bring the principals together.
And this is where the book veered off the rails for me. It wasn’t the melodrama that sank the final section of the book, but the hero’s response to it. He starts the book as a deeply selfish individual who’s gradually come to see his wife as not merely the funder of his racehorses, or a housewifely nuisance, but someone he values and appreciates in her own right. He even begins to realise that he loves her. But when the crisis comes, he simply runs away - there’s no other way to describe it. And I wanted to slap him upside the head, and tell him not to be so stupid, to go to Kitty and TALK to her, for heaven’s sake. You know, like a grown up. But no, he has to be rescued by his long-suffering friend, the heroic Lord Inglesham, once more. I can’t tell you how deeply disappointing I found this, but on the other side of the coin, if I’d cared less about Ledbury, I’d have been less disappointed. I suppose it’s a testament to the author’s skill that I so badly wanted him to come good at the end.
There’s some more fairly over-the-top melodrama before matters are resolved, but I can’t honestly say I was convinced by Ledbury’s transformation from perpetual rake to faithful husband. Reforming a rake believably is arguably the most difficult challenge a Regency author can undertake, and to be fair, few are truly convincing. The reader wants to believe, though, and maybe that’s enough.
I don’t want this to sound too negative, because for the first three quarters of the book I was breathless with admiration. The language is perfectly of the Regency, I didn’t detect a single anachronism or infelicitous phrase, the main characters have believable depth, and the dialogue is electrifying. The back and forth between Kitty and Ledbury, and particularly Ledbury’s volatile moods are brilliantly realised. I loved every moment of it. It was only that saggy ending that spoilt things for me and kept it to four stars, but I thoroughly recommend it all the same.
April 27, 2023
A marriage of convenience with a rake seemed like a recipe for lots of steam and very little depth of feeling but this story got to the heart. Lighthearted and enjoyable banter, excellent characters and a lively plot accented a well-developed story about the definition of true love and the power of that kind of love to change people. Romantic and passionate without steamy scenes and very well-written, my only beef was with a few character reactions that I found unrealistic. Overall a great read.
January 14, 2018
This was flawless. I can't believe such a gem is so widely unknown.
July 10, 2025
I am not going to call Regency romances my guilty pleasure, I'm not at all embarrassed about thoroughly enjoying well written ones. Sure, they follow a formula, but the well written ones make it seem fresh and new. Loved it
March 12, 2019
Duration: 10 hrs 21 mins.
The Devil You Know is a traditional Regency romance by Sophia Holloway. A confirmed Rake, neither the Earl of Ledbury nor his reluctant new bride are expecting that their marriage of convenience will lead to romance. And yet, through their tentative friendship comes a burgeoning fondness to which both Lord and Lady Ledbury must learn to respond. The Devil You Know follows the newlyweds as they explore married life, their own feelings, and each other.
From the moment I first listened to the sample I was excited to begin this audiobook. The narrator, Matt Addis, brings it to life with such liveliness and vibrancy that I settled into it immediately. The voices for each of the characters felt just right, and he handled the rapid switching between characters with aplomb. His narration was well-paced, emotive, and a joy to listen to. I will definitely seek out more of his work, for his company has been a pleasure, and I could easily have listened to him for twice as long. His voice welcomes the listener into the story, and helps to imbue the characters with personality from the very first page.
It is easy for a traditional Regency to feel staid due to the constraints of the formal language and cultural practices. So much so, in fact, that in contemporary Regencies it has become commonplace to use sexually-explicit storylines as an excuse to cast off the expectations of the era and break down the barriers between the central couple, but this book does not fall into that trap. The characters feel authentically of their time, but the energetic narration makes it a little more accessible. Many traditional Regencies are marketed as ‘sweet’ romances, but despite the lack of bodice-ripping The Devil You Know is far from saccharine. The Earl in particular is a man so unapologetically flawed as to almost be unlikeable, in that infamous Darcy-ish fashion common to rich men in a time when they were indulged a great deal and held accountable for very little. Yet there is a depth to the characters, and a vulnerability to his in particular, that makes him endearing. The talents of the author and of the narrator combine on this score, and I am delighted that I listened to the audiobook version, for the performance was impeccable throughout. It very much felt as though I was listening to the best possible version of the story, brought to life by the joint creative process of author and narrator to breathe life into the characters. I seldom warm to a narrator or new author’s world as swiftly or completely as I found myself settling in to this one, and am very glad to have been introduced to it in time to anticipate the release of the author’s next.
Having once drafted a Regency of my own – abandoned for an inescapable sense of being far too generic – I am always overjoyed to find one which simultaneously manages to feel like an old friend and a fresh discovery, which The Devil You Know achieves. It is undoubtedly a little formulaic, as novels in this genre almost always are, but for many that is part of their appeal. There is a comforting familiarity to each of the most common romantic tropes, and the enjoyment comes from meeting characters whose journey you wish to follow to its expected conclusion. The Devil You Know balances the progression of the relationship between George and Kitty with the required roadblocks and frustrations well, compelling the listener to remain with the story as their happy ending hovers ever so tantalisingly out of reach.
I was initially a little surprised at the inclusion of the phrase “make love” used in its modern, sexual sense, for it has always been my understanding that it did not take that turn until the 19th century. However, unlike in other novels, I did not find it particularly jarring for there was a freshness to the writing and the narration which felt rather modern, and thus allowed it to nestle comfortably within the Regency dialogue without upsetting the balance between engagement and authenticity. It suited the moment, and the character’s motivations and was not an unwelcome bit of creative license. Additionally, Regency cant may not sit as well with a contemporary audience, to whom ‘the blanket hornpipe’ probably sounds more like a breed of dragon from a Harry Potter book than a term for sexual congress. (Speaking of dragons, another piece of bawdy slang that always raises a wry smile is ‘riding St George’ which casts the woman in the wyvern role, looming above her husband. Anyone wishing to learn more about the vulgar slang of the era may enjoy the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose, which is freely available in its entirety – due to being out of copyright – via Project Gutenberg.)
It is this very blend of vitality and formality which made the book so entertaining, and I think that it is simply a Regency which is very much of its time. Just as Heyer’s work differed in tone to Austen’s, so does Holloway’s differ from Heyer’s – but not to its detriment. The author’s familiarity with, and fondness for, the work of the women whose writing paved the way for her own is evident in her novel, and I am happy to have it in my Audible library alongside its notable predecessors. I enjoyed it from start to finish, cancelling the sleep timer more times than I care to admit in order to listen to a little bit more. (As the sound began to fade there was no way I could bring myself to switch off at the end of Chapter 21, as a key character settled into a chair with a gun in his hand; even if it was two in the morning.)
I felt that the book could have done with being an hour longer, to have better explored the tangle which ultimately led to the couple’s reunion, for it did feel a little rushed. I do not begrudge the time that was spent on other things, but did feel that the last hour or so packed rather a lot of important revelations – and realisations – into very little time. I would have liked to see Lord Knowle used a little more subtly in the beginning, for he was a little too obviously up to something nefarious, and it all came together rather abruptly. It did not spoil the story, however, and the other supporting characters were all much more favourably conceived.
It has been a while since I listened to an audiobook that I was either so excited to recommend, or so able to vividly picture the people whom I was most certain would also enjoy it. Anyone who likes Georgette Heyer and is content to listen to a romance which leaves its most sensual scenes in the reader’s imagination is likely to deal very well with the Ledburys. The Devil You Know was a thoroughly gratifying tale of love, friendship, and redemption, with which I was sorry to part at the end and which I know I will return to again.
*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
If you liked this review then please join me for more!
| Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
The Devil You Know is a traditional Regency romance by Sophia Holloway. A confirmed Rake, neither the Earl of Ledbury nor his reluctant new bride are expecting that their marriage of convenience will lead to romance. And yet, through their tentative friendship comes a burgeoning fondness to which both Lord and Lady Ledbury must learn to respond. The Devil You Know follows the newlyweds as they explore married life, their own feelings, and each other.
From the moment I first listened to the sample I was excited to begin this audiobook. The narrator, Matt Addis, brings it to life with such liveliness and vibrancy that I settled into it immediately. The voices for each of the characters felt just right, and he handled the rapid switching between characters with aplomb. His narration was well-paced, emotive, and a joy to listen to. I will definitely seek out more of his work, for his company has been a pleasure, and I could easily have listened to him for twice as long. His voice welcomes the listener into the story, and helps to imbue the characters with personality from the very first page.
It is easy for a traditional Regency to feel staid due to the constraints of the formal language and cultural practices. So much so, in fact, that in contemporary Regencies it has become commonplace to use sexually-explicit storylines as an excuse to cast off the expectations of the era and break down the barriers between the central couple, but this book does not fall into that trap. The characters feel authentically of their time, but the energetic narration makes it a little more accessible. Many traditional Regencies are marketed as ‘sweet’ romances, but despite the lack of bodice-ripping The Devil You Know is far from saccharine. The Earl in particular is a man so unapologetically flawed as to almost be unlikeable, in that infamous Darcy-ish fashion common to rich men in a time when they were indulged a great deal and held accountable for very little. Yet there is a depth to the characters, and a vulnerability to his in particular, that makes him endearing. The talents of the author and of the narrator combine on this score, and I am delighted that I listened to the audiobook version, for the performance was impeccable throughout. It very much felt as though I was listening to the best possible version of the story, brought to life by the joint creative process of author and narrator to breathe life into the characters. I seldom warm to a narrator or new author’s world as swiftly or completely as I found myself settling in to this one, and am very glad to have been introduced to it in time to anticipate the release of the author’s next.
Having once drafted a Regency of my own – abandoned for an inescapable sense of being far too generic – I am always overjoyed to find one which simultaneously manages to feel like an old friend and a fresh discovery, which The Devil You Know achieves. It is undoubtedly a little formulaic, as novels in this genre almost always are, but for many that is part of their appeal. There is a comforting familiarity to each of the most common romantic tropes, and the enjoyment comes from meeting characters whose journey you wish to follow to its expected conclusion. The Devil You Know balances the progression of the relationship between George and Kitty with the required roadblocks and frustrations well, compelling the listener to remain with the story as their happy ending hovers ever so tantalisingly out of reach.
I was initially a little surprised at the inclusion of the phrase “make love” used in its modern, sexual sense, for it has always been my understanding that it did not take that turn until the 19th century. However, unlike in other novels, I did not find it particularly jarring for there was a freshness to the writing and the narration which felt rather modern, and thus allowed it to nestle comfortably within the Regency dialogue without upsetting the balance between engagement and authenticity. It suited the moment, and the character’s motivations and was not an unwelcome bit of creative license. Additionally, Regency cant may not sit as well with a contemporary audience, to whom ‘the blanket hornpipe’ probably sounds more like a breed of dragon from a Harry Potter book than a term for sexual congress. (Speaking of dragons, another piece of bawdy slang that always raises a wry smile is ‘riding St George’ which casts the woman in the wyvern role, looming above her husband. Anyone wishing to learn more about the vulgar slang of the era may enjoy the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose, which is freely available in its entirety – due to being out of copyright – via Project Gutenberg.)
It is this very blend of vitality and formality which made the book so entertaining, and I think that it is simply a Regency which is very much of its time. Just as Heyer’s work differed in tone to Austen’s, so does Holloway’s differ from Heyer’s – but not to its detriment. The author’s familiarity with, and fondness for, the work of the women whose writing paved the way for her own is evident in her novel, and I am happy to have it in my Audible library alongside its notable predecessors. I enjoyed it from start to finish, cancelling the sleep timer more times than I care to admit in order to listen to a little bit more. (As the sound began to fade there was no way I could bring myself to switch off at the end of Chapter 21, as a key character settled into a chair with a gun in his hand; even if it was two in the morning.)
I felt that the book could have done with being an hour longer, to have better explored the tangle which ultimately led to the couple’s reunion, for it did feel a little rushed. I do not begrudge the time that was spent on other things, but did feel that the last hour or so packed rather a lot of important revelations – and realisations – into very little time. I would have liked to see Lord Knowle used a little more subtly in the beginning, for he was a little too obviously up to something nefarious, and it all came together rather abruptly. It did not spoil the story, however, and the other supporting characters were all much more favourably conceived.
It has been a while since I listened to an audiobook that I was either so excited to recommend, or so able to vividly picture the people whom I was most certain would also enjoy it. Anyone who likes Georgette Heyer and is content to listen to a romance which leaves its most sensual scenes in the reader’s imagination is likely to deal very well with the Ledburys. The Devil You Know was a thoroughly gratifying tale of love, friendship, and redemption, with which I was sorry to part at the end and which I know I will return to again.
*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
If you liked this review then please join me for more!
| Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
April 6, 2021
I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I knew I'd 'like' it because I love all my Georgette Heyer Regencies and I hoped this would be similar. Imagine how pleasant it was to find myself transported to that very world.
I adored Kitty, admired Lord Inglesham as probably one of the most decent men I've ever encountered in romantic fiction and enjoyed watching Lord Ledbury finally, actually, fall in love with his wife as much as his racing or hunting horses. We know how Regency and Georgian romances end, so no spoiler there, but it's a dashing fine read with enough little twists and hurdles for a very interesting 'run'.
I thought I would despise or loathe at least one character and I was right - had no idea there'd be three or 4 of them.
This from the book blurb:
The Honourable Catherine Elford – Kitty – is presented with an awful choice.
Either she is cast off, penniless, by her penny-pinching step-brother, or she marries the handsome Earl of Ledbury, who would be perfect were he not a serial womaniser, and the very man Kitty idolised when she made her debut in Society; idolised right up until she found him in a compromising situation with a married lady.
Ledbury has only ever courted other men’s wives, and does not want a wife of his own. However, Kitty’s generous dowry, which will keep him from selling his beloved racehorses, proves too tempting. Following a swift ceremony and a disastrous wedding night, Kitty believes her only chance of survival is to make her head rule her treacherous heart. As Kitty begins to succumb to his seduction and believe that they have a chance of happiness together, Ledbury’s past starts to catch up with them.
This witty and spirited romance casts an historical light on Regency Society life, and reveals that, despite the changes in social protocol, love and desire – and what they do to us – has not changed.
I adored Kitty, admired Lord Inglesham as probably one of the most decent men I've ever encountered in romantic fiction and enjoyed watching Lord Ledbury finally, actually, fall in love with his wife as much as his racing or hunting horses. We know how Regency and Georgian romances end, so no spoiler there, but it's a dashing fine read with enough little twists and hurdles for a very interesting 'run'.
I thought I would despise or loathe at least one character and I was right - had no idea there'd be three or 4 of them.
This from the book blurb:
The Honourable Catherine Elford – Kitty – is presented with an awful choice.
Either she is cast off, penniless, by her penny-pinching step-brother, or she marries the handsome Earl of Ledbury, who would be perfect were he not a serial womaniser, and the very man Kitty idolised when she made her debut in Society; idolised right up until she found him in a compromising situation with a married lady.
Ledbury has only ever courted other men’s wives, and does not want a wife of his own. However, Kitty’s generous dowry, which will keep him from selling his beloved racehorses, proves too tempting. Following a swift ceremony and a disastrous wedding night, Kitty believes her only chance of survival is to make her head rule her treacherous heart. As Kitty begins to succumb to his seduction and believe that they have a chance of happiness together, Ledbury’s past starts to catch up with them.
This witty and spirited romance casts an historical light on Regency Society life, and reveals that, despite the changes in social protocol, love and desire – and what they do to us – has not changed.
March 17, 2023
A poignant, and sometimes comical, slow burn
The plot of this well written novel is character driven. It puts under a rather forensic microscope the relationship of a virtuous woman who finds herself married to a rake. Kitty is charming, spirited and vulnerable. But the real achievement is the character of Ledbury. It is quite clear that he truly is selfish, self-indulgent and thoughtless. Yet we are able to understand how Kitty might love him, even whilst being aware of this. Into this potentially flammable dynamic, malice and madness conspire to destroy their relationship. Heat level is sweet. There is discussion of sexual behaviour and some embraces and kisses.
The plot of this well written novel is character driven. It puts under a rather forensic microscope the relationship of a virtuous woman who finds herself married to a rake. Kitty is charming, spirited and vulnerable. But the real achievement is the character of Ledbury. It is quite clear that he truly is selfish, self-indulgent and thoughtless. Yet we are able to understand how Kitty might love him, even whilst being aware of this. Into this potentially flammable dynamic, malice and madness conspire to destroy their relationship. Heat level is sweet. There is discussion of sexual behaviour and some embraces and kisses.
January 4, 2018
Just too long
The storyline was good but I felt like it would have been much better if it was much much shorter. I gave up reading the book a couple times because it was going nowhere in a round about fashion. And then I ended up scanning a few of the chapters in the middle of the book just to see where the events would start to pick up. Which it did finally pick up but only at the end. It would have been good if it was much more abbreviated.
The storyline was good but I felt like it would have been much better if it was much much shorter. I gave up reading the book a couple times because it was going nowhere in a round about fashion. And then I ended up scanning a few of the chapters in the middle of the book just to see where the events would start to pick up. Which it did finally pick up but only at the end. It would have been good if it was much more abbreviated.
January 6, 2018
Not too bad but at times got a little bit bored a tired plot with little new used by authors from Heyer to Chesney
An arranged marriage which starts out badly but the pair falls in love, of course there's a previous mistress and a man with an evil plan, but as usual it all turns out well
An arranged marriage which starts out badly but the pair falls in love, of course there's a previous mistress and a man with an evil plan, but as usual it all turns out well
February 2, 2018
Kindle unlimited read. Too long, had to skim in middle. The misunderstandings And problems were just repeating in same line.
November 22, 2020
MR
Boring boring boring..it started off ok but soon went down hill weak main characters I had a hard job finishing it although I had to skip some pages to quicken the process.
Boring boring boring..it started off ok but soon went down hill weak main characters I had a hard job finishing it although I had to skip some pages to quicken the process.
October 2, 2021
I skimmed this. Not very romantic.
March 15, 2019
Kitty is in a bit of a predicament as the story opens. Her half brother is the heir and is due to marry but his intended and Kitty don't get along. Her brother needs her out of the house and in a drunken state more or less sells her to serial womaniser, the Earl of Ledbury, who is currently in need of a wife in order to produce an heir and, I suppose, to become more respectable. So Kitty either must marry or be left homeless. She is rather practical-minded and goes with marriage rather the alternative.
The wedding takes place soon afterwards with the wedding night being quite a disaster for both. Obviously the pair requires more time to get to know each other and once they do, find some common interests. But along the way there must be the many stumbling blocks until they come to some happy ending.
I found this to be a better than average historical romance. The dialogue between Kitty and George is often quite witty and I like the way they have true common interests compared to many of these stories. My only issue was with the bit of drama towards the end of the book. I don't know why but it just doesn't quite fit with the rest of the story. It's almost as though it was added after the fact to provide an extra hiccup in the proceedings.
The wedding takes place soon afterwards with the wedding night being quite a disaster for both. Obviously the pair requires more time to get to know each other and once they do, find some common interests. But along the way there must be the many stumbling blocks until they come to some happy ending.
I found this to be a better than average historical romance. The dialogue between Kitty and George is often quite witty and I like the way they have true common interests compared to many of these stories. My only issue was with the bit of drama towards the end of the book. I don't know why but it just doesn't quite fit with the rest of the story. It's almost as though it was added after the fact to provide an extra hiccup in the proceedings.
January 3, 2020
I do not, generally, enjoy Regency romances where the couple get married at the beginning of the book. They often are just continuous not communicating with one another, and I find it intensely irritating. I decided to risk it as I had enjoyed Bless Thine Inheritance so much. I’m glad I did, as this book proved to be the exception. I felt like George and Kitty, even though they were both afraid to love, both made honest attempts to communicate effectively throughout. I greatly enjoyed their repartee (which started right from the beginning) and I feel like they would actually go the distance and remain happily married.
I also very much enjoyed the subplot of Inglesham and Lucy. The friendship between Inglesham and Lord Ledbury was another pleasing touch. All the characters were well portrayed.
I did find the last events of the book a trifle over dramatic for my taste, but this is only a small niggle in an otherwise entertaining tale. I laughed multiple times whilst reading this story (This is saying something, as I do often feel amused, but rarely laugh aloud whilst reading), and stayed up late to finish it, a high accolade indeed!
I also very much enjoyed the subplot of Inglesham and Lucy. The friendship between Inglesham and Lord Ledbury was another pleasing touch. All the characters were well portrayed.
I did find the last events of the book a trifle over dramatic for my taste, but this is only a small niggle in an otherwise entertaining tale. I laughed multiple times whilst reading this story (This is saying something, as I do often feel amused, but rarely laugh aloud whilst reading), and stayed up late to finish it, a high accolade indeed!
February 25, 2018
A light-hearted and easy read, following the story of Kitty and George, as they embark upon a marriage of convenience. George is a renowned rake, and fully aware of his scandalous past, Kitty is determined to protect her heart from being broken by her new husband, even as George sets his ambitions upon wooing his wife.
This makes for an enjoyable regency romance, and whilst the story is predictable, the central characters are engaging, and I enjoyed the witty banter between them. I also liked the character of Lord Inglesham, George's best friend, who wants nothing but the best for the pair, and thought the sub-plot of his own romance was rather sweet.
My main criticism would be that I thought the story rather started to drag towards the end, and probably would have benefited from being shorter, as the misunderstandings between George and Kitty and the medding from George's late mistress did become a little repetitive and frustrating.
This makes for an enjoyable regency romance, and whilst the story is predictable, the central characters are engaging, and I enjoyed the witty banter between them. I also liked the character of Lord Inglesham, George's best friend, who wants nothing but the best for the pair, and thought the sub-plot of his own romance was rather sweet.
My main criticism would be that I thought the story rather started to drag towards the end, and probably would have benefited from being shorter, as the misunderstandings between George and Kitty and the medding from George's late mistress did become a little repetitive and frustrating.
January 25, 2026
This book just did not work for me. Kitty drove me up the wall. I understand why she did not trust Ledbury, but reading the same doubts and reactions over and over got tiring fast. It felt like she was stuck in the same emotional place for most of the book.
Ledbury had potential, but stays closed off for so long that I stopped caring what his deal actually was. Their marriage setup should have been interesting, but the relationship barely shifts in any meaningful way. I kept waiting for things to change, and they mostly did not.
I finished it, but I was relieved when it was over. I did not hate every minute, but the characters frustrated me more than they engaged me.
Negative aspects
• Kitty’s internal conflict repeats without much growth
• Ledbury remains distant and underdeveloped
• The relationship feels stalled for most of the book
Ledbury had potential, but stays closed off for so long that I stopped caring what his deal actually was. Their marriage setup should have been interesting, but the relationship barely shifts in any meaningful way. I kept waiting for things to change, and they mostly did not.
I finished it, but I was relieved when it was over. I did not hate every minute, but the characters frustrated me more than they engaged me.
Negative aspects
• Kitty’s internal conflict repeats without much growth
• Ledbury remains distant and underdeveloped
• The relationship feels stalled for most of the book
June 15, 2024
There is much to like in this book. The writing and the atmosphere are great, yet at times it seems long and the story drags. The sexual tension - and that is all we are given- is very real and well portrayed. Yet for me , the most engaging character is Ledbury's best friend, Lord Inglesham. I wish his budding romance with the young Lucy had been given more prominence. In the end, Lucy grasping the nettle and practically suggesting they marry seems far too forward. The denouement and the build up to it is rather unconvincing.
I did admire Ledbury's determination to remain faithful to his wife, but felt frustrated that he could not have had a sensible conversation with her without the prompting of hid friend.
so not a perfect book, but entertaining enough if not quite the thing.
I did admire Ledbury's determination to remain faithful to his wife, but felt frustrated that he could not have had a sensible conversation with her without the prompting of hid friend.
so not a perfect book, but entertaining enough if not quite the thing.
June 2, 2024
Starts slow but picks up.
The tale starts out slow with little originality and Is a bit depressing. I was on the verge of giving up but decided to read a bit more. I'm so glad I kept reading. I became so invested in the story and the believable characters, I didn't want to put it down. It was refreshing to watch both the hero and heroine wrestle with their imperfections and attempt to become better people. It is not a perfect novel, there are some foils that are over played and predictable, but it is well written, with enough originality that it overcomes the weaker elements
The tale starts out slow with little originality and Is a bit depressing. I was on the verge of giving up but decided to read a bit more. I'm so glad I kept reading. I became so invested in the story and the believable characters, I didn't want to put it down. It was refreshing to watch both the hero and heroine wrestle with their imperfections and attempt to become better people. It is not a perfect novel, there are some foils that are over played and predictable, but it is well written, with enough originality that it overcomes the weaker elements
May 27, 2025
I loved these character and getting to know them and getting to know each other. The Earl of Ledbury had a bad reputation as a rake but he needed to marry. He was horse crazy and that was where his money went. So he is in debt and Kitty's brother wants her out of the house so he can marry. He has offered a good dowry to see her gone and the earl couldn't pass it up. They married and he promised her that he would be honest with her from now on. They worked up to getting along. Kitty liked horses as well. Once they went to London his last woman he saw became a problem for them. They are learning to love each other but can get past the barriers she keeps putting up?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews