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Devil #2

Devil's Daughter

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Devilish romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author. Golden-haired hellion Arabella goes to Naples, Italy, to solve the mystery of her father's missing ships and cargo. But soon she discovers that the man behind the thievery is a man she can't resist.

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1985

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Catherine Coulter

306 books7,175 followers

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5 stars
810 (34%)
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762 (32%)
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596 (25%)
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149 (6%)
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50 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
Profile Image for Naksed.
2,225 reviews
August 7, 2016
I am a mean, spiteful, and petty reader who wants my villains to get their proper comeuppance and my mean anti-heroes to give me epic grovel while at the same time not shedding an ounce of their crazed, Alpha, persona. Neither of these things happened here, which is why I gave Catherine Coulter's Old Skool, Swashbuckler of a Bodice-Ripper, Devil's Daughter, a low rating.

First things first, don't read this as a stand-alone. This book is the continuation of Devil's Embrace and must be read in chronological order to make sense of all the relationships between the numerous characters and plot.

Devil's Daughter, despite its title, does not merely give a fresh story starring the daughter of one of the protagonists of the earlier novel, but deals with the multitude of children born of not only the principals of Devil's Embrace but the secondary and tertiary characters as well.

It is a very uneven book, divided in two parts: one taking place in the Royal Court of Naples and one in an Algiers harem. The former was very flat and boring. Things picked up in the harem and for a while, it was a delight to watch the trading of insults, injuries, witticisms, all culminating in heated passion, between the captor Bey of Oran, Kamal, and his feisty harem captive, noblewoman Bella.

All unfortunately leading to a rather wimpy ending that once again failed to properly punish the same villain that wrecked havoc in Book 1 and then continued on her gloriously evil path in Book 2. Worse than that though was the pale imitation of the crazed, obsessive, but compelling courtship that occurred between the protagonists of Book 1. The anti-hero here was a scared, whimpering, little pooty-cat, who did not stand a chance against the heroine's dominant personality.

Overall, this was a disappointing and unnecessary sequel to Devil's Embrace.
Profile Image for Regan Walker.
Author 32 books827 followers
April 30, 2012
Enthralling Sequel to DEVIL’S EMBRACE!

Set in 1803 in the Mediterranean, this is the sequel to DEVIL'S EMBRACE (to which I also gave 5 stars), and tells the story of Adam and Arabella Welles, the children of Cassie and Anthony Welles. Equally intense and equally well written as DEVIL'S EMBRACE, this is a page-turner that will keep you reading late into the night. I am in awe at how well Coulter has done this duology. Simply marvelous.

Arabella Wells is an independent, strong-willed young woman who at 20 declares she will not wed unless she can find a man like her father or brother. We all know what a rough wooing Arabella's parents had so you can expect a bumpy ride. Arabella and Adam travel from England to their second home in Genoa where they learn from their father someone has been taking their merchant ships, ships that sail under the protection of the Bey of Oran in Algiers to whom their father pays tribute. The current Bey is Kamal El-Kadar, also known as Alessandro di Ferrari, the son of our villain from DEVIL'S EMBRACE, contessa Giovanna Giusti, who in this book is seeking revenge for her years in the harem of Khar El-Din. When Arabella and Adam travel to Naples, seeking to learn the mystery of the missing ships, the contessa conceives of a plot to kidnap Arabella and send her as a "whore" to Kamal for his harem as bait to lure Arabella's father to Oran.

There are two love stories in this novel, Adam and Rayna Lyndhurst (daughter of the Viscount who was engaged to Arabella's mother in DEVIL'S EMBRACE), and Arabella and Kamal. Both are very well done with a rich tapestry of characters and well described Mediterranean locations. Arabella and Kamal's "courtship" is every bit as tumultuous as that of Arabella's parents. I loved Arabella--such a feisty heroine! But she was the only one who was woman enough for Kamal. There are lots of twists and turns in this one and lots of action.

I say Coulter has another keeper here. For all you alpha male hero lovers (like me), I highly recommend it.

Profile Image for Stacey.
1,446 reviews1,127 followers
August 29, 2021
A different kind of darkness...

Slightly spoilerish, please proceed with caution.

While I really enjoyed the first book, Devil's Embrace, Devil's Daughter was not as dark in some ways but still at times, quite disturbing. The brutality in the first one was something hard to get past but it had a purpose to move the story forward. In this case, it was more about the squicky factor of men and their needs. (Just typing that makes me feel a little squicky.) Harems, where women are only used to serve their master and breed sons. Men who gang rape defenceless young girls for the 'sport' of it, was also something I hated reading about. Sure, these things moved the story forward, but it didn't really help me connect with the characters.

We are treated to two romances in one story, and I enjoyed the progress of both of them. Arabella and Adam are siblings on a mission to find out who is stealing their ships and the cargo they carry. Unfortunately for them, they must work independently from different angles while trying to act as new acquaintances. Both the siblings try to stick to their mission, but love has a way of making them drift off their course.

I did enjoy Devil's Daughter but struggled to connect with the characters a bit. Maybe it was because I was distracted by having to keep track of the simultaneous romances, or it could be that the characters didn't draw me in as well. Arabella was just a little too immature and of course, gets captured when she tried to do things on her own. Adam was an absolute SUCKER for Rayna and seemed to let lust overtake his common sense.

I will definitely be back for more bodice-rippers soon. I can't keep myself away from them. 😉

Profile Image for Rhapsody.
451 reviews
December 9, 2015
I've read enough Coulter novels for her stories to be pretty predictable at this point. As usual, the writing was great, but I had a little trouble getting into the story. I've owned this book for over six months now and couldn't quite pick it up because some of it is set in a Muslim harem, which for me is about as far from an appealing romance novel setting as possible.

There are two romances in the novel: Adam's and Arabella's, the children of Clare and Cassandra from Devil's Embrace. It is the time of Napoleon--as someone who doesn't know much history, I found all the political talk boring. The two siblings go to Naples to find out why goods that were plundered from their father's ships have been sighted there. It all comes down to a vengeful enemy of their father's; Arabella is taken prisoner and sent to the harem of Kamal, but of course, just like in all Coulter's books, her hatred soon turns to love despite all his abuse. Okay, that isn't quite fair, he isn't THAT bad, but still.

One of the things I liked the least was that it wasn't until page 264 or so that Arabella even meets Kamal. Their romance was the one I was anticipating. Adam's by contrast is pretty pale and lifeless; I thought the girl he ends up with wasn't that compelling. Actually, I didn't love Arabella that much either. I hate females in these historical romances where women are still pretty oppressed being so cute and uppity, saying things to the men in their lives like, "What would you do without me," and, "I have to go with you to protect you." Not to say that they should be doormats either, but it irks me watching them constantly put themselves in positions to be condescended to. None of these females is a real, disgruntled shrew; they're all pretty comfortable with their low position in society.

SPOILER
Another thing I didn't like; Kamal basically ditching her at the end and breaking her heart, saying all those nasty things to her just to push her away, and then waltzing back into her life two months later. That is not cool. It ticks me off that she forgives him so happily, like she's grateful he changed his mind. I know fans of the book will object that she loves him and that it's great that she forgave him, but I feel that a person's pride is worth something too, and that when you're as in love as the two of them and one decides to act so cruelly, there should be some real consequences.
Profile Image for Melluvsbooks.
1,570 reviews
November 29, 2021
Reread!! Still love this book with 2 love stories in one. My favorite is the 2nd half, because who can resist a fiery h held captive in a harem? Well, certainly not this gal. 😏 And if she has to bargain with her v-card to save her father’s life? I’ll probably just throw all my stars at you.

It’s science. 🤷🏼‍♀️


Bottom Line? Still a fantastic entertaining read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️

- no cheating or sharing

- OW drama - the H in the 2nd couple has a harem with women he beds, before the h arrives. He uses one of them to make the h jealous, but doesn’t have relations with her after he meets the h

- No OM drama

- dubcon

- h is whipped after publicly attacking the H

- both hs are virgins (18 & 20)

- both heros are experienced (mid-late 20s)
Profile Image for Linda.
1 review
April 6, 2012
I enjoyed most of this book...well-written in most respects but the hero was not heroic enough. I kept waiting for him to get his a$$ kicked by Anthony. *** SPOILER ***
Am I the only one that caught the part where, before he has Arabella whipped, she sees one of the young girls in the harem starting to show a pregnancy but it can only be Kamal's as he has been at the harem for something like 6mos and using the concubines for his pleasure...the Western world part of me told me that there was all sorts of wrong going on there...:( I will be sure to stay away from harem-mentioning 'romance' novels from now on...
Profile Image for Olga Goa.
Author 4 books350 followers
January 14, 2020
My first Dark Romance story I have read when started enjoying this genre. Actually I reread this story about 3rd time already.

Arabella was an English noblewoman. She was guided by her powerful, arrogant and richest father, and she was tired of being controlled. Arabella always wanted to experience some great adventures in her life; she hated her calm existence. And it seems like the destiny fulfilled her dreams. In her worst nightmares Arabella couldn't imagine that faces such a horrible fate, far from her native country, England. The beautiful, dangerous, eastern man, bay Oran, and Arabella meant to be to meet each other. The dreadful and unexpected circumstances brought them together. And the reason of Arabella's capture was the old enemy of her father, the count Clare. But who could even imagine that, right? If you want to know more who was this person who became the misery of Arabella's life and also spoiled some great moments of the count Clare, Arabella's dad, read the first book of the series DEVIL. I advice you to. I also love it!

I adore this story so much! It is so passionate and twisted. I like how this book was written: fast paced, short dialogues, more action, and lots of emotions. I do not know do I like the first book more than this one, or I prefer this one.

Anyway, I love both books in this series DEVIL, #1 and #2, because I love heroines who are bad asses and smart. I am tired of reading whinning heroines who need a protector all time, I like to read about women who are strong and ready to overcome all obstacles they face. Arabella is one of such heroines who want to fight till her last breath. Well, I can say that the bay Oran also such a tough nut and fits this blonde Amazon absolutely. Despite of their ANGST relationships and some misunderstanding, it is perfectly clear that they fall in love with each other.

But would they able to keep their love in safe? You need to find out!

10 stars from 10! ;)
MUST READ who loves Dark Romance!
Profile Image for Olivia Minova.
42 reviews3 followers
February 2, 2020
Wow. One of my favourites. Hot, dark, suspense, love, and HEA. 😇💥💏
Recommended.
Profile Image for BookAddict  ✒ La Crimson Femme.
6,923 reviews1,439 followers
January 8, 2011
This is a two for one - daughter and son of the first book, Devil's Embrace. Anthony and Cassie (Cassandra) have their boy and girl. In this one, we keep the theme of kidnapping and dub/non-con sex for the girl. Arabella is now abducted and in a Harem. The reason why is really a blast from the past of her parents.

Sins of the fathers fall on their...daughters? Fortunately Kamal is not as expected. Kind of hot and smexy, actually and I enjoyed him. This is yet again not really BDSM but kind of kinky. Not what I expected when I picked the historical romance book up. I guess that's why it's considered a bodice ripper.

Let's not forget Adam and Rayna. Adam has to deal with Rayna who is also acting on a hidden agenda. Geesh - does it never end? Still, both adventures were amusing. The HEA is as expected. All's well that ends well.
Profile Image for Sue Lyndon.
Author 193 books918 followers
October 3, 2011
I finished this book in 2 days...would have been shorter if only I didn't require sleep! I'm giving it a 4 instead of the 5 I gave Devil's Embrace because it did start off a little slow, but if you hang in there it's worth it. I loved seeing all the characters from Devil's Embrace come out to play again, and Cassie and Anthony's kids were fun characters. Adam and Rayna have great chemistry and I would have loved to read more about them. Arabella, of course, despises Kamal until shortly before the end of the book, but their love seems genuine. I'm sometimes hesitant to read sequels of romance novels, but I'm glad I read this one.
Profile Image for Aly is so frigging bored.
1,706 reviews266 followers
July 16, 2014
Color me surprised, there wasn't that much bodice ripping in this one. We still had an abduction and all the trappings, but there was no rape... Wow, that sounded so weird :)) I am happy that the heroine wasn't raped, what does that say of me?!
702 reviews57 followers
April 10, 2023
My main gripe with this book is that the central hero and heroine do not meet until pg 250 in a 500 page book. In fact, this could be considered a double romance, since the first half dealt with the relationship of another couple. Devil's Daughter is Arabella Welles, Anthony and Cassandra Welles' daughter (they being the couple from the first book). Anthony's merchant ships have been attacked - looted and sunk - with no survivors. Anthony has paid tribute all these years so he is unsure about the change in circumstance.
So he sends his son Anthony in a disguise to Naples to discover the evil-doer because he wants to have the upper hand in finding out information. Arabella goes along and stays with friends of the family. They have a daughter, Rayna, who is her age and who falls for Adam's mysterious persona and is not aware that it is Arabella's brother. Anthony and Rayna develop a relationship that I found kind of boring. Probably more so because I was waiting for the main event. This part of the book was also filled with political intrigue and lots of plot set up. Blah.
Turns out there is this Contessa who was behind the destruction of Anthony's ships. She wanted revenge on him because she thought herself to be engaged to him long ago. She believes that he had her sold to a sheik in Oran. While there as a part of the sheik's harem, she had a son, Kamil (or Alessandro as he is known in Italy). Kamil's half-brother was sheik until there was a plot to kill him but surprise! he was not really killed only on an island somewhere. But Kamil had to come to Oran to be sheik and adapt to their ways - including having a harem of women.
So the Contessa is pissed that Anthony Welles did not come to Naples to investigate his ships, instead sending his children. So she devises a plan to use Arabella as bait. She drugs Arabella and sends her to Oran, telling her son to use her as a whore. Ps Arabella is an innocent. Arabella fights Kamil at every turn and refuses to submit. She hurls verbal abuse as well as physically assaulting Kamil in order to protect her virtue. Kamil, who has women at his beck and call, is intrigued by her fieriness. He wants nothing more than to subdue her to him and to have her begging.
This part of the book was the most fun. I really enjoyed the relationship that developed between Kamil and Arabella. Kamil has to honor the customs but he did not wholeheartedly believe in them and found himself making allowances for Arabella. He started thinking that he wanted her to stay with him always. However, Arabella could not imagine doing this if he sought to enact revenge against her parents. Still, she berated herself for feeling an attraction to a man who challenged her at every turn.
In the end, I would say I really enjoyed the parts that I liked (the second half), but would have preferred that the first half was excised from the book. Too much filler.
Profile Image for Christina Michaels.
Author 1 book15 followers
December 4, 2017
This is my favorite historical romance. It follows the love story of two couples, both swoon-worthy. I read this as a stand-alone book, not knowing it was a sequel. The story also works as a stand-alone.
Profile Image for Sheila.
Author 3 books6 followers
January 5, 2018
As much as I love this author's books, I found myself skipping over quite a bit of the love scenes...it's becoming a little like some other authors who use sex to sell rather than romance. The plot, however, was great, and hence my rating.
Profile Image for Amber.
425 reviews8 followers
September 13, 2018
Sequel to Devil's Embrace (really should read that one first as this really isn't a stand alone). There is much about Coulter's writing style and character development at the enjoy. She's very good at building romance. But I think this book cemented the fact that she is a bit to dark for my tastes.
Profile Image for Liz Miguez.
77 reviews14 followers
March 29, 2020
DNF but made it most of the way through. I’m just never going to be okay with a heroine being raped and then staying with the guy, no matter what time period the book is set in.
2 reviews
January 6, 2020
Sue

Not as much as thrilling like the first book but not a bad read. I wish more from the characters.
Profile Image for Thayer Berlyn.
Author 2 books9 followers
May 3, 2017
I read the prequel to this book, Devil's Embrace, when it first came out and was on some kind of roll in reading HR romance novels. It was one of several I bought during that time, and one of the few I kept. I liked it well enough, a 3 star. I found a pristine copy of book #2, Devil's Daughter, at a sale along with a couple other Catherine Coulter books, and picked them up having recently been on a kind of nostalgic kick for reading the genre.

I actually liked this sequel. The writing was more intuitive and thorough, although will say a bit bogged down in the first half. I liked the Earl of Clare far better in the second book. It was kind of a rage to write harem stories at the time of this particular book's publication, so the events in the story follow that trend to some degree, but I found an affection for Kamal and Arabella despite all that. The story held my interest with the subplots and Adam's relationship with Rayna. 4.5 stars.
Profile Image for Anna McFadden.
1,016 reviews8 followers
November 11, 2015
Adam and Arabella Welles are brother and sister. Adam has had many women but none who was made just for him. Arabella is strong will, independent just like her parents and brother. When they go to Naples to find why their father ships went missing only to find it was done by an enemy from their fathers past, when Arabella is drug and kidnapped and being sent to a harem in another country. When Adam goes to find hid sister he finds he has a stowaway. Rayna Lyndhurst . whose father hates the Welles family. Arabella finds the harem frightening as well fascinating. her master Kamal, the Bey of Oran, a man who must be get enemy but is unlike any man she ever known. As for Kamal he is face with a women who will fight him to the death, a women who infuriates as well as wanting
Profile Image for Anita.
2,660 reviews223 followers
October 25, 2014
Adam and Reyna. Arabella and Kamal. Two star crossed couples whose very lives are intertwined from the moment of their births. In the book Devil's Embrace, Cassi and Anthony, parents of Adam and Arabella, left behind two very disgruntled former loves when they hooked up. One of them can really hold a grudge, a very nasty grudge. The book is very good and I enjoyed it a lot more than Devil's Embrace. It is a tangled plot about obsession, vengence, honor and a look at how different a culture the musilm world is. In the end, love conquers all.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
1,136 reviews15 followers
March 22, 2013
This was the novel that introduced me to good historical romance. I've read it countless times. Now that I'm older, I do see its flaws - but it is hard to find well-written romance novels, and this is one of them. I like this novel so much I have two copies - both the original print and the revised edition (I favor the original). I find it is hard for me to read other romance authors because Catherine Coulter has set the bar so high.

I love this story - set in northern Africa and parts of Europe. I find my favorite historical romance novels have a "foreign" flair to them.
Profile Image for abi rafon.
44 reviews14 followers
March 30, 2016
The whole book focused on both Arabella and Adam, the children of Cassie Brougham and Anthony Welles from Devil's Embrace of the same author. They have their own struggles, adventures, and romance.

The story of Arabella and Kamal somewhat reminded me of Silver Angel by Johanna Lindsey. And a few or one scene from The Conqueror by Brenda Joyce. It's just awkward to me since Ive read the other two first.

All in all, Devil's Daughter was a fun read. fast paced and entertaining.
Profile Image for Pamela.
1,829 reviews39 followers
July 13, 2016
I read this a while ago, but the harem part brought it right back, along with the female stow away. I remember really liking all her books, and her ability to go into historical romance with ease. Her characters are always vibrant, and her plots filled with adventure. She never disappoints.
Profile Image for Steffanie.
12 reviews15 followers
August 12, 2016
Vintage Coulter. Read this multiple times in my teens (swooned then), but not sure if it holds up. Needed to turn off the feminist side of me to enjoy the ride. Still cringed occasionally when the macho got too loud.
Profile Image for Robert Ongley.
Author 3 books3 followers
October 11, 2016
I enjoyed this historical romance. It was a great combination of storytelling and character creation. The historical and cultural references were of interest to me. The erotic scenes were tastefully done and well-placed. I would read another Coulter book without hesitation.
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