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Daventry Sisters #2
De lady en de graaf
Op zoek naar de waarheid vinden drie adellijke zusjes de liefde…
Londen, 1813…
Jarenlang verkeerde Lady Maura Daventry in de veronderstelling dat de man die haar moeder vermoordde zichzelf van het leven had beroofd. Pas als ze haar moeders dagboek vindt, beseft ze dat de werkelijke dader nog vrij rondloopt en dat hij zich waarschijnlijk voordoet als iemand van adel.
In de hoop de dader te ontmaskeren, loopt ze zo'n beetje elk bal en elke salon in Londen af. Tijdens haar gevaarlijke speurtocht ontmoet ze Gabriel Sutcliffe, graaf van Hawksley. Al is hij nog zo knap en charmant, ze vertrouwt hem voor geen cent. Ook vindt ze het heel ongemakkelijk dat hij vaak heel dicht bij haar is - en dat zij dan telkens hevig moet blozen…
Londen, 1813…
Jarenlang verkeerde Lady Maura Daventry in de veronderstelling dat de man die haar moeder vermoordde zichzelf van het leven had beroofd. Pas als ze haar moeders dagboek vindt, beseft ze dat de werkelijke dader nog vrij rondloopt en dat hij zich waarschijnlijk voordoet als iemand van adel.
In de hoop de dader te ontmaskeren, loopt ze zo'n beetje elk bal en elke salon in Londen af. Tijdens haar gevaarlijke speurtocht ontmoet ze Gabriel Sutcliffe, graaf van Hawksley. Al is hij nog zo knap en charmant, ze vertrouwt hem voor geen cent. Ook vindt ze het heel ongemakkelijk dat hij vaak heel dicht bij haar is - en dat zij dan telkens hevig moet blozen…
318 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 4, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 14, 2016
Not a bad book, per se (especially compared to the plotless wonders clogging 90% of the modern Avon catalogue)...but it's not as good as Daventry #1.
Gabriel is dangerously close to a woobie-rake. I'll be nice & spare him the indignity of that label, since he *has* done rakish, horndog things purely to spite those who shoved him into an inherited reputation. But his emotional redemption came too easily for my taste. As for Maura... well, I didn't particularly cotton to her, though I sympathized with her plight. But her personality wasn't as vivid as Jilly's, & her reasons for not telling Gabriel abt her mother's threatening letters & the diary exonerating his father were just plain dumb. Such idiocy felt too contrived, what with her most reliable advisors being conveniently absent -- Jilly on a long holiday with Connor (<3), & her father bedridden with some vaguely dangerous illness.
Despite a good opener & strong closure, the plot spins its wheels for the middle third. Again, this pitfall was avoided in book 1 by giving the H/h something to focus on besides Elise Daventry's murder. I didn't dare hope for another awesomely gory serial killer, but *something* else would've been nice. Alas, no. The story content felt like a 280-pg HQN stretched into a 360-pg Avon (though the culprit's identity was quite delightfully WTF, so kudos :D).
...But it was still entertaining, so I'll give it a strong 3. I like that Logan tries to inject some genuine darkness & peril into her books. You don't often find that in category romance these days -- not outside the HQN historicals, anyway.
Gabriel is dangerously close to a woobie-rake. I'll be nice & spare him the indignity of that label, since he *has* done rakish, horndog things purely to spite those who shoved him into an inherited reputation. But his emotional redemption came too easily for my taste. As for Maura... well, I didn't particularly cotton to her, though I sympathized with her plight. But her personality wasn't as vivid as Jilly's, & her reasons for not telling Gabriel abt her mother's threatening letters & the diary exonerating his father were just plain dumb. Such idiocy felt too contrived, what with her most reliable advisors being conveniently absent -- Jilly on a long holiday with Connor (<3), & her father bedridden with some vaguely dangerous illness.
Despite a good opener & strong closure, the plot spins its wheels for the middle third. Again, this pitfall was avoided in book 1 by giving the H/h something to focus on besides Elise Daventry's murder. I didn't dare hope for another awesomely gory serial killer, but *something* else would've been nice. Alas, no. The story content felt like a 280-pg HQN stretched into a 360-pg Avon (though the culprit's identity was quite delightfully WTF, so kudos :D).
...But it was still entertaining, so I'll give it a strong 3. I like that Logan tries to inject some genuine darkness & peril into her books. You don't often find that in category romance these days -- not outside the HQN historicals, anyway.
February 22, 2021
This book checks all the romance boxes, which is great if that’s all you want! I loved the characters, and the added “who dun it” was a fun twist on the typical romance. Gabriel and Maura had off the charts chemistry and a pseudo-enemies to lovers origin (“pseudo” because they aren’t *exactly* enemies per se).
The two tropes I disliked that appeared in the novel:
1. It’s one of those romances where she’s keeping secrets for pretty much the entire book. Open communication is more my thing. And it even had one of those “she almost tells him but then he figures it out on his own and gets angry” moments. Like COME ON.
2. I know “the heroine almost dies at the hands of the villain because she encountered them alone” is typical, but it was kind of disappointing. It was obvious it was going to happen, and I was overwhelmed with this desire for Logan to have tried something new. Not her fault, but still.
Another thing: I figured out who the villain was about half way through the book, I’m sure there were earlier signs that I missed, and yet Gabriel and Maura didn’t figure it out until nearly the end. (Maura doesn’t until she’s actively confronted by the the villain and even then he has to literally tell her he’s the villain.) I wish Logan hadn’t made it so so obvious to the reader so much before the characters themselves figured it out.
All of that said, this book does really check off all of the things we’d want in a romance. There’s even some oddly mean dirty talk? (It was while they were still pseudo-enemies.) And, to be fair, some people love the tropes Logan played on. Overall, a great romance.
The two tropes I disliked that appeared in the novel:
1. It’s one of those romances where she’s keeping secrets for pretty much the entire book. Open communication is more my thing. And it even had one of those “she almost tells him but then he figures it out on his own and gets angry” moments. Like COME ON.
2. I know “the heroine almost dies at the hands of the villain because she encountered them alone” is typical, but it was kind of disappointing. It was obvious it was going to happen, and I was overwhelmed with this desire for Logan to have tried something new. Not her fault, but still.
Another thing: I figured out who the villain was about half way through the book, I’m sure there were earlier signs that I missed, and yet Gabriel and Maura didn’t figure it out until nearly the end. (Maura doesn’t until she’s actively confronted by the the villain and even then he has to literally tell her he’s the villain.) I wish Logan hadn’t made it so so obvious to the reader so much before the characters themselves figured it out.
All of that said, this book does really check off all of the things we’d want in a romance. There’s even some oddly mean dirty talk? (It was while they were still pseudo-enemies.) And, to be fair, some people love the tropes Logan played on. Overall, a great romance.
May 12, 2009
This latest by Kimberly Logan is full of clichés and just plain silliness. The title should have been called "The Devil's Cliche". You would think by her fourth novel she would have worked out her kinks. The plot and characters should have been written better. The book started out interesting but than dipped into despair of total inaneness.
Maura is on the lookout for the man who killed her mother five years ago. She constantly enters into places of inequity like courtesan balls and gaming dens because that is where this evil murderer must be. Whispers follow Maura where ever she goes because the nasty "Ton" thinks her mother had affair after affair with all these men because she was a former actress. Maura has found her mother's diary and knows her mother was a good woman to her father and children. She needs to clear her name.
Gabriel is knows as "The Devil's Own" (another cliché in historical romance. Why does the hero always have some lame nickname to do with the devil??) His father was an alleged lover of Maura's mother, an alcoholic and was found dead along side the mother. They were both shot, thus a murder-suicide. Gabriel is a rake and lives on the edge of society because of his father. Basically Maura and Gabriel meet and he can't keep away from her. He knows she is hiding some secret because she won't tell him why she goes to these masked balls in fear for her safety.
Maura is so attractive to Gabriel because of his smoldering looks and those eyes that can see deep into her soul! Gabriel can't let Maura go because after one kiss, he has become obsessed and needs her regardless of her reputation and the facts that his father may have killed her mother.
We all have seen this before and know how it will end. Not even the attraction and eventual sex scenes can save this book from Cliché-Ville.
Pass on this please.
Maura is on the lookout for the man who killed her mother five years ago. She constantly enters into places of inequity like courtesan balls and gaming dens because that is where this evil murderer must be. Whispers follow Maura where ever she goes because the nasty "Ton" thinks her mother had affair after affair with all these men because she was a former actress. Maura has found her mother's diary and knows her mother was a good woman to her father and children. She needs to clear her name.
Gabriel is knows as "The Devil's Own" (another cliché in historical romance. Why does the hero always have some lame nickname to do with the devil??) His father was an alleged lover of Maura's mother, an alcoholic and was found dead along side the mother. They were both shot, thus a murder-suicide. Gabriel is a rake and lives on the edge of society because of his father. Basically Maura and Gabriel meet and he can't keep away from her. He knows she is hiding some secret because she won't tell him why she goes to these masked balls in fear for her safety.
Maura is so attractive to Gabriel because of his smoldering looks and those eyes that can see deep into her soul! Gabriel can't let Maura go because after one kiss, he has become obsessed and needs her regardless of her reputation and the facts that his father may have killed her mother.
We all have seen this before and know how it will end. Not even the attraction and eventual sex scenes can save this book from Cliché-Ville.
Pass on this please.
July 14, 2021
I would give this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Enemies-to-lovers, handsome as hell brooding man, and a woman who can hold her own both come together to solve the tragic murder of her mother that caused his father to kill himself is how I would describe this book.
For me this book started off a little slow for my taste along with the fact (and this is one hundred percent my fault) that this is the second book to the series, so I had to catch up of what occurred in the last book.
As mentioned, this is the second book in a series although each one is technically a standalone following two different characters, but it all in the same world. The issue I had was that in the first book a murder occurs, but there are still unanswered questions surrounding it. Which leads me to say that the happenings of the crime are important to each book’s plot, so you might want to start at the beginning of the series instead of jumping in like I did.
I had never read a historical romance book before this one, so I had no clue what to expect. From reading the summary on the back I thought the plot was going to be something completely different from what it turned out to be. And this is not to say that the plot wasn’t good because it was. My issue was that I thought the solved mystery of this book was a little predictable along with its semi-cliffhanger ending.
I don’t think I’d read the rest of the series, but it was enjoyable enough that I just had to finish it.
I lastly wanted to say that I applaud the author in her ability to even write a beautifully planned out story because I know I don’t have near enough writing talent to do what she has so successfully been able to do.
Enemies-to-lovers, handsome as hell brooding man, and a woman who can hold her own both come together to solve the tragic murder of her mother that caused his father to kill himself is how I would describe this book.
For me this book started off a little slow for my taste along with the fact (and this is one hundred percent my fault) that this is the second book to the series, so I had to catch up of what occurred in the last book.
As mentioned, this is the second book in a series although each one is technically a standalone following two different characters, but it all in the same world. The issue I had was that in the first book a murder occurs, but there are still unanswered questions surrounding it. Which leads me to say that the happenings of the crime are important to each book’s plot, so you might want to start at the beginning of the series instead of jumping in like I did.
I had never read a historical romance book before this one, so I had no clue what to expect. From reading the summary on the back I thought the plot was going to be something completely different from what it turned out to be. And this is not to say that the plot wasn’t good because it was. My issue was that I thought the solved mystery of this book was a little predictable along with its semi-cliffhanger ending.
I don’t think I’d read the rest of the series, but it was enjoyable enough that I just had to finish it.
I lastly wanted to say that I applaud the author in her ability to even write a beautifully planned out story because I know I don’t have near enough writing talent to do what she has so successfully been able to do.
August 25, 2015
Not a bad book, but not one I would consider riveting either. Started out really well, but I felt that the dialogue and the entire storyline became a bit weak. Most of the book seemed to center around a weekend ball. While normally a good place for lots of intrigue, it was just a bit predictable to me.
September 18, 2017
the story of Maura and Gabriel. the middle Daventry sister and the son of the man accused of killing her mother.
secrets and mysteries abound will the truth ever come out.
I give this 4.5 stars.
I loved Gabriel and my heart went out to Maura as they both struggle with the hurts of their past and the attraction that is pulling them together now.
i took a half star away because I found Maura a bit grating and selfish. she is always trying to paint Gabriel as a bad person until the end even though she has so many secrets she is selfishly hiding from him.v
secrets and mysteries abound will the truth ever come out.
I give this 4.5 stars.
I loved Gabriel and my heart went out to Maura as they both struggle with the hurts of their past and the attraction that is pulling them together now.
i took a half star away because I found Maura a bit grating and selfish. she is always trying to paint Gabriel as a bad person until the end even though she has so many secrets she is selfishly hiding from him.v
June 14, 2021
Really loved it. Only giving it 4 stars because towards the end I was more distracted by getting to the next book for those characters
May 25, 2022
Love it! Zoveel beter dan het eerste boek! Spanning, drama en liefde, het zat er allemaal in.
October 8, 2023
Passionele zoektocht
January 10, 2024
Another good one
Another teaser until we find out who did the marquioness, I know, gotta work on my spelling, in. I like more romance less conflict between the hero and heroine but it was still good. Yes, I even paid full price to read Aimee's story. Maybe that'll be the next review I write.
Another teaser until we find out who did the marquioness, I know, gotta work on my spelling, in. I like more romance less conflict between the hero and heroine but it was still good. Yes, I even paid full price to read Aimee's story. Maybe that'll be the next review I write.
November 5, 2012
Very predictable romantic story, didn't like the clichés, it was like watching a cheap movie...
May 24, 2013
Great historical romance. You can sense the hatred and love the 2 main characters have for each other.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews