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Knight Miscellany #5
Devil Takes a Bride
In the quiet English countryside, far from the intrigues of London, Lizzie Carlisle slowly mends her broken heart, devoting herself to her new position as lady’s companion to the Dowager Viscountess Strathmore— until her peaceful life is turned upside down by a visit from “Devil” Strathmore, the old woman’s untamed nephew—a dangerously handsome man whose wicked reputation hides a tortured soul.
Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore, has spent years adventuring on the high seas, struggling to make his peace with the tragedy that claimed the lives of his family. But now he has uncovered the dark truth behind the so-called accident and swears retribution. He has no intention of taking a bride—until his eccentric aunt’s will forces he and Lizzie together, and Devlin finds his path to vengeance blocked by the stubborn but oh-so-tempting Miss Carlisle. Her passionate nature rivals his own. But disillusioned once by love, Lizzie will accept nothing less than his true devotion.
Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore, has spent years adventuring on the high seas, struggling to make his peace with the tragedy that claimed the lives of his family. But now he has uncovered the dark truth behind the so-called accident and swears retribution. He has no intention of taking a bride—until his eccentric aunt’s will forces he and Lizzie together, and Devlin finds his path to vengeance blocked by the stubborn but oh-so-tempting Miss Carlisle. Her passionate nature rivals his own. But disillusioned once by love, Lizzie will accept nothing less than his true devotion.
469 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
109 people are currently reading
2363 people want to read
About the author
Gaelen Foley
44 books1,894 followersGaelen Foley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of twenty historical romances set in the glittering world of Regency England. Her books are available in sixteen languages and have won numerous genre awards, such as the Bookseller's Best, the NJRW Golden Leaf (three times), the CRW Award of Excellence, the National Reader's Choice Award, the Beacon, and the Holt Medallion.
A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.
A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
April 26, 2017
5 stars!
Wow. I'm on a roll. Love reading back-to-back 5-star reads! :D YAY!
Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore
*sigh* What is it with me and black-haired blue eyed guys that just gets me all a flutter? Guh. And what? He has long hair? And has a pierced ear? Excuse me...
Where to start? There was so much about this story I thoroughly enjoyed. I don't even know where to begin. The characters, their back story, the never-ending plot full of twists and turns dealing with revenge, murder, secrets and oh yes a lovely love-triangle thrown in there too. Still with me? I truly think this is one of Gaelen's strongest works and it is very underrated I must say. This will forever be a favorite of mine. There is a serious dark heavy edge to the tone and story that had me glued to my seat. Devlin and the story kept circling around in my head when I wasn't reading. That's always a positive for me. And of course I was expecting a HEA but there were several moments that I had no idea what was going to happen next and was a little nervous, somewhat anxious to see what played out next. Devlin suffers an unimaginable loss at the age of seventeen, losing his parents and sister in an 'accidental fire'. He pretty much goes on a downward spiral of drinking, gambling and whoring as a rebellion after dropping out of school for a few years until he decides to uncover the real truth behind the accident.
As a hero Devlin had a lot of layers and substance that made him so relatable and 3 dimensional. I could picture him clearly in my head and felt his sorrow and loneliness like a tangible thing. Besides the fact that he's drop dead gorgeous *quivers* (I WANT), there is real true heart and a vulnerability and sorrow to his character that had me fascinated and had me wishing I could hold his head to my chest and go woo woo woo. He puts on a calculated air of a careless rakehell to fool certain people in this but what lies beneath is so much more and very endearing. He's got a big heart, is incredibly selfless and very honorable and has a playful mischievous personality that makes you wish this guy was real. I honestly was expecting to get an arrogant dandy Lordly alpha male who is reckless. Devlin proved me wrong a few chapters in.
Loved seeing the connection between him and Lizzie. I don't know any two characters more perfect for each other. Both so alone, outsiders looking in and wanting so badly to find a place they belong to, a family to call their own. Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Carlisle is everything that Devlin needed and vice versa. I utterly adored Lizzie, such a root-worthy relatable heroine. A bluestocking in her own right, who stands by her principles but has a compassionate generous kind gentle heart. She amazed me with her endless capacity to show Devlin the kindness and love he so desperately needed and was unfailingly patient with him. I love that she didn't judge or put on airs which sometimes comes with heroines who are written as virtuous bluestockings who are leery of men in HR set ups. Loved seeing Devlin slowly become enamored by his Aunt's lady companion. What started out for him as a simple 'seduction' game turned into something much more real and has him scared yet in awe of what she is to him and he goes through the greatest lengths to put her first and protect her.
I was seduced by them both. Their story, the trials they go through separately and together and the wonderful all-consuming love they find for each other. I'm sorry for sounding so damn sappy but there it is. This book is chalk-full of surprises which is something I generally love to discover while reading.
And I really enjoyed seeing the Knight's in this. Alec Knight plays his part in this and I'll be honest I was skeptical of him after the stunt he pulled with Lizzie but his earnest guilt and attempt at winning her back was really sweet and so much fun. There were moments were I was just as conflicted as Lizzie, just a *little*. :P That's the kind of love triangles that I love to see. It amused me to no end to see two well known gorgeous 'rakes' fighting for the quiet unassuming Lizzie, who the ton only viewed as Jacinda's best friend and nothing more. Ha. Go Lizzie! :P
And I have to truly applaud and praise Gaelen for her characterization of the villains in this. There are very few villains that stand out to me while reading HR, there are the typical haughty villains who cackle and throw feeble threats and then there are these guys. Lord Carstairs, Quint Randall and Tarquil were truly terrifying because they came off so real and would do absolutely anything to hide their secrets. Gaelen actually gives them POV's and dives into their headd and almost has readers sympathizing with them at certain points. That's certainly not easy to pull off. There were certain parts that had me fidgeting and almost scared to find out what happens next. Naturally I couldn't put this book down because of that. There so many faucets of this book that had me sitting with a numb ass, glued to my seat not wanting to put this down. The 3 leaders of the reckless Horse and Chariot Club are as menacing and vile as you could possibly imagine. You have a child molester who has a penchant for young attractive men, a rapist, a sharp shooter who happens to have an incestuous affair with his own sister (and fathered her child) and thinks nothing of killing someone to cover his secrets. Oh and one of the 'steps' to gaining entry into this freak show hell hole is to rape a virgin in front of all the members. If that doesn't make your skin crawl and want to fidget I don't know what does. Gaelen seriously knows how to write dark gritty characters and she manages to write them so real and not in the least bit contrived or cartoonish, which is something HR villains generally suffer from. These guys have plenty of substance and are intelligent, cunning and predatory. There was nothing caricature-like about these three. The members of the club practice every form of debauchery imaginable and manage to hide their worst offenses because they happen to rub elbows with the ton and most of them have titles of their own.
I was amazed how even the villains were multi-layered and had their own inner demons to fight and each separately try to deal with the mounting guilt of what they did 12 years ago. Not many authors are willing to go that far. Bravo to Gaelen for going there. While I do think the final climax of the story took a *little* too long to draw to a final conclusion, it was wonderfully well written with so much drama and hair-ripping suspense. I almost felt like passing out after finally finishing it. There is so much that happens in this story that I can't describe or do it justice. I really wish this level of writing and edge comes back into Gaelen's recent work because it certainly is missing what is so present in her earlier works like this one.
Devlin and Lizzie made me melt, swoon, gush and get flustered a hundred times over like a little girl. I truly hope to see them in Alec's book which I will definitely read after reading this. I truly do hope he finds the right girl after seeing his 'Bits' find her HEA. ;)
I don't have anything negative to say about this. Only thing I did notice is the amount of typos I kept finding especially in the first half. It did become a little distracting because they were very obvious and a handful of them which surprised me but other than that amazing read!
I highly recommend this to any Gaelen fans or even new readers. So much happens in this story and if you like drama, angst, suspense and romance then this is the perfect way to go!
Wow. I'm on a roll. Love reading back-to-back 5-star reads! :D YAY!
Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore
*sigh* What is it with me and black-haired blue eyed guys that just gets me all a flutter? Guh. And what? He has long hair? And has a pierced ear? Excuse me...
Where to start? There was so much about this story I thoroughly enjoyed. I don't even know where to begin. The characters, their back story, the never-ending plot full of twists and turns dealing with revenge, murder, secrets and oh yes a lovely love-triangle thrown in there too. Still with me? I truly think this is one of Gaelen's strongest works and it is very underrated I must say. This will forever be a favorite of mine. There is a serious dark heavy edge to the tone and story that had me glued to my seat. Devlin and the story kept circling around in my head when I wasn't reading. That's always a positive for me. And of course I was expecting a HEA but there were several moments that I had no idea what was going to happen next and was a little nervous, somewhat anxious to see what played out next. Devlin suffers an unimaginable loss at the age of seventeen, losing his parents and sister in an 'accidental fire'. He pretty much goes on a downward spiral of drinking, gambling and whoring as a rebellion after dropping out of school for a few years until he decides to uncover the real truth behind the accident.
As a hero Devlin had a lot of layers and substance that made him so relatable and 3 dimensional. I could picture him clearly in my head and felt his sorrow and loneliness like a tangible thing. Besides the fact that he's drop dead gorgeous *quivers* (I WANT), there is real true heart and a vulnerability and sorrow to his character that had me fascinated and had me wishing I could hold his head to my chest and go woo woo woo. He puts on a calculated air of a careless rakehell to fool certain people in this but what lies beneath is so much more and very endearing. He's got a big heart, is incredibly selfless and very honorable and has a playful mischievous personality that makes you wish this guy was real. I honestly was expecting to get an arrogant dandy Lordly alpha male who is reckless. Devlin proved me wrong a few chapters in.
Loved seeing the connection between him and Lizzie. I don't know any two characters more perfect for each other. Both so alone, outsiders looking in and wanting so badly to find a place they belong to, a family to call their own. Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Carlisle is everything that Devlin needed and vice versa. I utterly adored Lizzie, such a root-worthy relatable heroine. A bluestocking in her own right, who stands by her principles but has a compassionate generous kind gentle heart. She amazed me with her endless capacity to show Devlin the kindness and love he so desperately needed and was unfailingly patient with him. I love that she didn't judge or put on airs which sometimes comes with heroines who are written as virtuous bluestockings who are leery of men in HR set ups. Loved seeing Devlin slowly become enamored by his Aunt's lady companion. What started out for him as a simple 'seduction' game turned into something much more real and has him scared yet in awe of what she is to him and he goes through the greatest lengths to put her first and protect her.
"I can't believe I get to marry you." The words slipped from her in a soft tone of amazement.
He reached out and cradled her cheek in his palm. "I was just thinking the exact same thing."
I was seduced by them both. Their story, the trials they go through separately and together and the wonderful all-consuming love they find for each other. I'm sorry for sounding so damn sappy but there it is. This book is chalk-full of surprises which is something I generally love to discover while reading.
And I really enjoyed seeing the Knight's in this. Alec Knight plays his part in this and I'll be honest I was skeptical of him after the stunt he pulled with Lizzie but his earnest guilt and attempt at winning her back was really sweet and so much fun. There were moments were I was just as conflicted as Lizzie, just a *little*. :P That's the kind of love triangles that I love to see. It amused me to no end to see two well known gorgeous 'rakes' fighting for the quiet unassuming Lizzie, who the ton only viewed as Jacinda's best friend and nothing more. Ha. Go Lizzie! :P
And I have to truly applaud and praise Gaelen for her characterization of the villains in this. There are very few villains that stand out to me while reading HR, there are the typical haughty villains who cackle and throw feeble threats and then there are these guys. Lord Carstairs, Quint Randall and Tarquil were truly terrifying because they came off so real and would do absolutely anything to hide their secrets. Gaelen actually gives them POV's and dives into their headd and almost has readers sympathizing with them at certain points. That's certainly not easy to pull off. There were certain parts that had me fidgeting and almost scared to find out what happens next. Naturally I couldn't put this book down because of that. There so many faucets of this book that had me sitting with a numb ass, glued to my seat not wanting to put this down. The 3 leaders of the reckless Horse and Chariot Club are as menacing and vile as you could possibly imagine. You have a child molester who has a penchant for young attractive men, a rapist, a sharp shooter who happens to have an incestuous affair with his own sister (and fathered her child) and thinks nothing of killing someone to cover his secrets. Oh and one of the 'steps' to gaining entry into this freak show hell hole is to rape a virgin in front of all the members. If that doesn't make your skin crawl and want to fidget I don't know what does. Gaelen seriously knows how to write dark gritty characters and she manages to write them so real and not in the least bit contrived or cartoonish, which is something HR villains generally suffer from. These guys have plenty of substance and are intelligent, cunning and predatory. There was nothing caricature-like about these three. The members of the club practice every form of debauchery imaginable and manage to hide their worst offenses because they happen to rub elbows with the ton and most of them have titles of their own.
I was amazed how even the villains were multi-layered and had their own inner demons to fight and each separately try to deal with the mounting guilt of what they did 12 years ago. Not many authors are willing to go that far. Bravo to Gaelen for going there. While I do think the final climax of the story took a *little* too long to draw to a final conclusion, it was wonderfully well written with so much drama and hair-ripping suspense. I almost felt like passing out after finally finishing it. There is so much that happens in this story that I can't describe or do it justice. I really wish this level of writing and edge comes back into Gaelen's recent work because it certainly is missing what is so present in her earlier works like this one.
Devlin and Lizzie made me melt, swoon, gush and get flustered a hundred times over like a little girl. I truly hope to see them in Alec's book which I will definitely read after reading this. I truly do hope he finds the right girl after seeing his 'Bits' find her HEA. ;)
I don't have anything negative to say about this. Only thing I did notice is the amount of typos I kept finding especially in the first half. It did become a little distracting because they were very obvious and a handful of them which surprised me but other than that amazing read!
I highly recommend this to any Gaelen fans or even new readers. So much happens in this story and if you like drama, angst, suspense and romance then this is the perfect way to go!
August 7, 2025
Read: 8/7/25
Setting: 1816 England
Trope: Revenge, class difference
Another solid romance book in the Knight series! It was nice to see Lizzie get her HEA. Devlin was just yummy. GF can sure write a charming antihero. I do think the quality of writing is starting to down a little compared to the first books in the series. Still, this was entertaining!
dislike: I needed more from the revenge plot. I wish Devlin had a more solid plan, but this complaint was minor.
Setting: 1816 England
Trope: Revenge, class difference
Another solid romance book in the Knight series! It was nice to see Lizzie get her HEA. Devlin was just yummy. GF can sure write a charming antihero. I do think the quality of writing is starting to down a little compared to the first books in the series. Still, this was entertaining!
dislike: I needed more from the revenge plot. I wish Devlin had a more solid plan, but this complaint was minor.
March 28, 2013
The story follows Lizzie and Devlin as they go through many ridiculous trials to finally be together. They meet when Lizzie writes a letter to Devlin telling him hat his aunt's health is failing, he shows up to find that she is lying to him. They have a quick connection early in the story, but he returns to London on his quest of revenge, leaving Lizzie behind. They meet again when his aunt dies, but he expresses no desire to forge a relationship with her until circumstances force his hand.
When the story began I really enjoyed it and I really loved Lizzie, but as the story progressed she became a vapid giggling girl. Whenever there was a scene with Lizzie and her friend, Jacinda, the girl was a complete moron.
Jacinda barely suppressed a girlish squeal of excitement. "Do you love him?"
"A little, I think!" She giggled, her eyes sparkling, cheeks aglow.
"Oh, Lizzie, he really is perfect for you! He's just dev-ine!"
Lizzie elbowed her, fighting laughter. "Dev-astating"
"I'll bet you can hardly wait to dev-our him!"
pg. 221-223
Reading this scene was excruciating.
I also felt that the two different story-lines, The love story and the revenge story, were not melded together well. The book would focus on one aspect for so long that I would forget about the other part.
Also, when referring to Lizzie, Devlin would sometimes say "Clever girl." I read it more than once and It is impossible to read that line and not think of Jurassic Park.
After the characters finally decide to get together(I am not calling that a spoiler, because honestly if you didn't know that was going to happen, You fail.) there is the constant "I love you"s. it is incessant and annoying. It's like being in high school and having to sit behind the couple who have been together for two weeks and constantly hold each others hand and giggle. I counted 5 times within the span of three pages. pg294-297. I suppose that doesn't sound like a lot but it felt like too much to me.
The final thing that I noticed was that in the beginning Lizzie wanted to own her own bookstore. It was mentioned several times, but near the end of the story it was simply dropped and never discussed again. I was hoping that somehow this would take place, or at least give a reason as to why it couldn't.
April 9, 2019
PopSugar 2019: 11. Un libro con una planta en el título o en la portada
DEVLIN
DEVLIN
DEVLIN
Caí rendida a este hombre es que este pícaro, sexy y libertino ENAMORA. Este tipo de protagonistas son uno de mis favoritos en romance histórico y Devlin lo cumple a la perfección.
Estaba un poco asustada de empezar este libro por eso duré algunos meses en decidirme y la casusa fue que en los primeros libro yo juraba y perjuraba que Alec y Lizzie sería pareja por el enamoramiento de ella hacía él y hay que recalcar que es otro rebelde libertino pero no fue así. Aunque ya me habían spoileado y golpe no fue tan fuerte pero igual como que los shipeaba.
Pero Devlin es un gran acierto lo amé y la pareja que hacía con Lizzie era muy bonita y ella me sorprendió bastante pensé que sería más mojigata y no aunque este hombre hace sudar hasta las piedras es un seductor nato.
La combinación de un hombre como Devlin y una chica tierna con aire de inocencia de Lizzie fue perfecta.
Me gusta mucho como Gaelen Foley te adentra al bajo mundo de Londres y las mañas y perversidades de cierto Lores.
Es una historia que tiene mucho romanticismo, sensualidad con un toque de misterio y acción.
Mi único pero sería que es un libro un poco extenso.
PD: Seductora Inocencia será forevah mi favorito junto con Robert.
DEVLIN
DEVLIN
DEVLIN
Caí rendida a este hombre es que este pícaro, sexy y libertino ENAMORA. Este tipo de protagonistas son uno de mis favoritos en romance histórico y Devlin lo cumple a la perfección.
Estaba un poco asustada de empezar este libro por eso duré algunos meses en decidirme y la casusa fue que en los primeros libro yo juraba y perjuraba que Alec y Lizzie sería pareja por el enamoramiento de ella hacía él y hay que recalcar que es otro rebelde libertino pero no fue así. Aunque ya me habían spoileado y golpe no fue tan fuerte pero igual como que los shipeaba.
Pero Devlin es un gran acierto lo amé y la pareja que hacía con Lizzie era muy bonita y ella me sorprendió bastante pensé que sería más mojigata y no aunque este hombre hace sudar hasta las piedras es un seductor nato.
La combinación de un hombre como Devlin y una chica tierna con aire de inocencia de Lizzie fue perfecta.
Me gusta mucho como Gaelen Foley te adentra al bajo mundo de Londres y las mañas y perversidades de cierto Lores.
Es una historia que tiene mucho romanticismo, sensualidad con un toque de misterio y acción.
Mi único pero sería que es un libro un poco extenso.
PD: Seductora Inocencia será forevah mi favorito junto con Robert.
August 28, 2018
4.5+ Stars — loved this one. Wonderful pacing and story telling. The hero and heroine were perfectly matched. It didn’t feel like one or the other had an unfair advantage, which is difficult to believe considering all that happens in this novel. The best in the series to date for me.
Buddy read with Loriidae in the HRBC as we near the end of this series challenge for this year.
Buddy read with Loriidae in the HRBC as we near the end of this series challenge for this year.
June 20, 2021
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Oh my goodness! Devil Takes a Bride is one of the best books I've read in quite some time. Gaelen Foley has done it again, with yet another engrossing installment in the Knight Miscellany series. Devil Takes a Bride has now become my favorite book in the series to date, and that's no easy task since all of them have rated 4-5 stars for me. Ms. Foley is masterful at painting word pictures that make me feel like I'm right there and part of the story. It was much like watching a movie playing out in my head, complete with slow-motion action scenes. I think she is able to make me see all of these things so vividly in my mind's eye, because of the richness in her characterizations and the detailed descriptions of the settings and actions, and I definitely consider her to be an incredibly talented author to do this. Devil Takes a Bride is a near-perfect novel with thoroughly likable main characters, dastardly villains, suspense, sweet and sensuous romance, and an action-packed ending, and to top it all off, everything flowed together with the smoothness of an ocean current. I didn't find a single plot hole, and if there were any to be found, I was simply too absorbed in this amazing story to notice. The best thing about it was that there was nary a misunderstanding or TSTL moment to be found. Devlin and Lizzie are both described as having above average intelligence, and they both actually put their brains to good use. There were a number of times that danger, problems or mysteries arose in which a weaker author probably would have taken the easy way out by allowing the characters to be clueless and act stupidly in spite of their intelligence, but every time, Dev and Lizzie always put two and two together to figure things out and make good solid choices. I cannot tell you how utterly refreshing this is, and it made me respect both the characters and the author a whole lot more.
For me, Devlin was the epitome of the romantic hero. He is described as having long dark hair, a tanned and well-muscled body, and he even sports a piratical gold earring. Dev is the perfect blend of proper English gentleman and exotic adventurer gained from his years of traveling around the globe. Outwardly, he is charming and intelligent, but within his gorgeous body, he harbors a dark tormented soul and an unquenchable thirst for revenge borne from the tragic murder of his family twelve years earlier. He has vowed never to love again, because all he knows of love is the pain of loss. Still, Devlin can't help but care, if somewhat reluctantly, for his aged Aunt Augusta who was his lifeline after his parents deaths, for his valet and best friend, Ben, and most of all for Lizzie. He sees in Lizzie a kindred spirit who understands him in a way no one else does except Aunt Augusta and Ben. Devlin is, without a doubt, a thoroughly masculine alpha male, but he isn't afraid to exhibit just enough vulnerability to also make him thoroughly human, which is a combination I can never resist.
I relate to Lizzie so much, because she is a lot like me, with just a little less fear and a little more spunk. I adored her all throughout the first four books when she was just a shy, bookish companion to Jacinda Knight, but in Devil Takes a Bride, Lizzie definitely comes into her own. She has always been rather invisible, caught between two classes and never really belonging to either, but in this book she earns all the love and attention she so richly deserves. What's even better is that Dev (and Alec) realized how much she merited her moment in the spotlight every bit as much as I did. I have to say that in those earlier books in the series, I had really liked Lizzie with Alec. In my opinion, they made a great couple, and I thought that for sure they would end up together eventually. I was rather sad when Alec hurt Lizzie so badly at the end of book #4, but Dev turned out to be far more than just a consolation prize. Until reading her book, I don't think I would have guessed the kind of passionate spirit Lizzie had within her. Alec's thoughtlessness had nearly jaded her completely toward men, and the determined bluestocking had decided to make it on her own for the rest of her life, until Dev came along to stir up her emotions again. Lizzie is simply a wonderful combination of gentility and tenderness toward anyone who needs it, intuitiveness and intense passion toward the man she loves, and ardent fortitude toward the world at large, making her one of the most perfect heroines I have ever read.
The secondary cast was equally as well-developed as Dev and Lizzie. Since Alec and Lizzie had unfinished business, so to speak, I was not at all surprised to see him resurface in Devil Takes a Bride, being his usual charming self, except now with a jealous streak added, after he realized what a huge mistake he'd made. I adored Aunt Augusta, a bit of a bluestocking in her own right, who was tough-minded enough to have made her way in life quite nicely after the death of her husband, and yet still thought the sun rose and shone with her much-favored nephew, Devlin. Even though she thought she had failed in guiding him through his grief, she actually did far more for him that she may have known. I only wish she could have had more scenes. Ben was also a wonderful character, and I was very impressed with the author's choice to place a freed American slave not only in the position of Dev's trusted valet, but his most treasured friend as well. She even gave a hint of a blossoming interracial romance for him by the end of the book. Mary Harris was another strong female character whose courageous actions saved lives on more than one occasion. She was much like Lizzie in that she was tender-hearted enough to raise a child who wasn't biologically hers for twelve years, yet spunky enough to take on the bad guys almost single-handedly. The young girls, Sorscha and Daisy brought innocence and light to the story, and Aunt Augusta's spoiled cat, Pascha, was a hoot. Even the trio of dastardly villains, while certainly not likable, were rather intriguing in their own way. Each had very different personalities which blended seamlessly into the motives for their evil deeds.
Devil Takes a Bride is quite simply one of the best romance novels I have ever read, with all the elements there to make it great. There are many marvelous scenes in the book such as Dev and Lizzie's first sensual interaction which was filled with tenderness and a deep trusting intimacy that was a joy to read, or Dev finally coming to terms with his parent's deaths which was heartbreakingly cathartic. I can't really say that Gaelen Foley is known for her humor, but there was even a pretty good dose of that in this book. I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but Ms. Foley managed to make one that was so endearing, I couldn't help but like it. Devlin and Alec's antics in vying for Lizzie's affections brought tears of mirth to my eyes. There was also a scene in which Devlin kidnaps Lizzie that was equal parts wry humor and dark sensuality, a heady combination. The only small issue I had with the book is a long passage of dialog that comes right before the consummation of Dev and Lizzie relationship, where Dev confesses his true involvement with the villains and the whole story of his family's deaths to Lizzie. I thought that the passage was equally as well-written as the rest of the book and the placement made sense, as the couple's long drive to the countryside was a perfect opportunity for conversation, yet it still seemed to interrupt the sexual tension of the moment. Overall though, this was a very minor thing in an otherwise wonderful story. Devil Takes a Bride is the fifth book in the Knight Miscellany series, and all the Knight siblings, their spouses and families put in an appearance, with the exception of the still errant Jack. Jacinda and Billy (Lady of Desire) and of course, Alec (One Night of Sin) actually have secondary roles, but none of the others have any dialog except for a very brief conversation between Lucien and Alec in the epilogue. Devil Takes a Bride was a well-rounded, engaging read that I cannot recommend highly enough, and one which I had an extremely difficult time putting down. Gaelen Foley is one of the most consistently good romance authors that I have found to date, and I'm eagerly looking forward to continuing this series, and reading about Alec's HEA very soon.
Oh my goodness! Devil Takes a Bride is one of the best books I've read in quite some time. Gaelen Foley has done it again, with yet another engrossing installment in the Knight Miscellany series. Devil Takes a Bride has now become my favorite book in the series to date, and that's no easy task since all of them have rated 4-5 stars for me. Ms. Foley is masterful at painting word pictures that make me feel like I'm right there and part of the story. It was much like watching a movie playing out in my head, complete with slow-motion action scenes. I think she is able to make me see all of these things so vividly in my mind's eye, because of the richness in her characterizations and the detailed descriptions of the settings and actions, and I definitely consider her to be an incredibly talented author to do this. Devil Takes a Bride is a near-perfect novel with thoroughly likable main characters, dastardly villains, suspense, sweet and sensuous romance, and an action-packed ending, and to top it all off, everything flowed together with the smoothness of an ocean current. I didn't find a single plot hole, and if there were any to be found, I was simply too absorbed in this amazing story to notice. The best thing about it was that there was nary a misunderstanding or TSTL moment to be found. Devlin and Lizzie are both described as having above average intelligence, and they both actually put their brains to good use. There were a number of times that danger, problems or mysteries arose in which a weaker author probably would have taken the easy way out by allowing the characters to be clueless and act stupidly in spite of their intelligence, but every time, Dev and Lizzie always put two and two together to figure things out and make good solid choices. I cannot tell you how utterly refreshing this is, and it made me respect both the characters and the author a whole lot more.
For me, Devlin was the epitome of the romantic hero. He is described as having long dark hair, a tanned and well-muscled body, and he even sports a piratical gold earring. Dev is the perfect blend of proper English gentleman and exotic adventurer gained from his years of traveling around the globe. Outwardly, he is charming and intelligent, but within his gorgeous body, he harbors a dark tormented soul and an unquenchable thirst for revenge borne from the tragic murder of his family twelve years earlier. He has vowed never to love again, because all he knows of love is the pain of loss. Still, Devlin can't help but care, if somewhat reluctantly, for his aged Aunt Augusta who was his lifeline after his parents deaths, for his valet and best friend, Ben, and most of all for Lizzie. He sees in Lizzie a kindred spirit who understands him in a way no one else does except Aunt Augusta and Ben. Devlin is, without a doubt, a thoroughly masculine alpha male, but he isn't afraid to exhibit just enough vulnerability to also make him thoroughly human, which is a combination I can never resist.
I relate to Lizzie so much, because she is a lot like me, with just a little less fear and a little more spunk. I adored her all throughout the first four books when she was just a shy, bookish companion to Jacinda Knight, but in Devil Takes a Bride, Lizzie definitely comes into her own. She has always been rather invisible, caught between two classes and never really belonging to either, but in this book she earns all the love and attention she so richly deserves. What's even better is that Dev (and Alec) realized how much she merited her moment in the spotlight every bit as much as I did. I have to say that in those earlier books in the series, I had really liked Lizzie with Alec. In my opinion, they made a great couple, and I thought that for sure they would end up together eventually. I was rather sad when Alec hurt Lizzie so badly at the end of book #4, but Dev turned out to be far more than just a consolation prize. Until reading her book, I don't think I would have guessed the kind of passionate spirit Lizzie had within her. Alec's thoughtlessness had nearly jaded her completely toward men, and the determined bluestocking had decided to make it on her own for the rest of her life, until Dev came along to stir up her emotions again. Lizzie is simply a wonderful combination of gentility and tenderness toward anyone who needs it, intuitiveness and intense passion toward the man she loves, and ardent fortitude toward the world at large, making her one of the most perfect heroines I have ever read.
The secondary cast was equally as well-developed as Dev and Lizzie. Since Alec and Lizzie had unfinished business, so to speak, I was not at all surprised to see him resurface in Devil Takes a Bride, being his usual charming self, except now with a jealous streak added, after he realized what a huge mistake he'd made. I adored Aunt Augusta, a bit of a bluestocking in her own right, who was tough-minded enough to have made her way in life quite nicely after the death of her husband, and yet still thought the sun rose and shone with her much-favored nephew, Devlin. Even though she thought she had failed in guiding him through his grief, she actually did far more for him that she may have known. I only wish she could have had more scenes. Ben was also a wonderful character, and I was very impressed with the author's choice to place a freed American slave not only in the position of Dev's trusted valet, but his most treasured friend as well. She even gave a hint of a blossoming interracial romance for him by the end of the book. Mary Harris was another strong female character whose courageous actions saved lives on more than one occasion. She was much like Lizzie in that she was tender-hearted enough to raise a child who wasn't biologically hers for twelve years, yet spunky enough to take on the bad guys almost single-handedly. The young girls, Sorscha and Daisy brought innocence and light to the story, and Aunt Augusta's spoiled cat, Pascha, was a hoot. Even the trio of dastardly villains, while certainly not likable, were rather intriguing in their own way. Each had very different personalities which blended seamlessly into the motives for their evil deeds.
Devil Takes a Bride is quite simply one of the best romance novels I have ever read, with all the elements there to make it great. There are many marvelous scenes in the book such as Dev and Lizzie's first sensual interaction which was filled with tenderness and a deep trusting intimacy that was a joy to read, or Dev finally coming to terms with his parent's deaths which was heartbreakingly cathartic. I can't really say that Gaelen Foley is known for her humor, but there was even a pretty good dose of that in this book. I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but Ms. Foley managed to make one that was so endearing, I couldn't help but like it. Devlin and Alec's antics in vying for Lizzie's affections brought tears of mirth to my eyes. There was also a scene in which Devlin kidnaps Lizzie that was equal parts wry humor and dark sensuality, a heady combination. The only small issue I had with the book is a long passage of dialog that comes right before the consummation of Dev and Lizzie relationship, where Dev confesses his true involvement with the villains and the whole story of his family's deaths to Lizzie. I thought that the passage was equally as well-written as the rest of the book and the placement made sense, as the couple's long drive to the countryside was a perfect opportunity for conversation, yet it still seemed to interrupt the sexual tension of the moment. Overall though, this was a very minor thing in an otherwise wonderful story. Devil Takes a Bride is the fifth book in the Knight Miscellany series, and all the Knight siblings, their spouses and families put in an appearance, with the exception of the still errant Jack. Jacinda and Billy (Lady of Desire) and of course, Alec (One Night of Sin) actually have secondary roles, but none of the others have any dialog except for a very brief conversation between Lucien and Alec in the epilogue. Devil Takes a Bride was a well-rounded, engaging read that I cannot recommend highly enough, and one which I had an extremely difficult time putting down. Gaelen Foley is one of the most consistently good romance authors that I have found to date, and I'm eagerly looking forward to continuing this series, and reading about Alec's HEA very soon.
November 4, 2018
4 ALMOST 5 STARS
EDIT 9-22-18 UGH I LOVE THIS BOOK
LMAO SOOO I STARTED THIS LAST NIGHT AND THEN I STAYED UP TILL 2 AM FINISHING IT AND DIDN'T BOTHER TO MAKE UPDATES SINCE I WAS SO IMMERSED IN IT!!!
First, in my opinion the plot and romance in this were not as nuanced as it was in the first book, which is the only other one in the series I have read so far. It was however, very sweet and a good, exciting book that I couldn't put down, albeit flawed.
Here's a lil plot recap
So Elizabeth is the governess of an 80 year old dragon lady. She is super sweet and adorably, with big grey eyes and brown hair, and I imagined her as a young Felicity Jones from Northanger Abbey!
"Elizabeth Carlisle had the flawless complexion of a woman whose daily habits were beyond reproach. Only plenty of sleep, wholesome food, fresh country air, and a stainless conscience could have produced such creamy perfection, naught but a tinge of roses in her cheeks. She had a high forehead, a prominent nose that thrust forth at a decisive angle, straight and true, and finely shaped eyebrows of walnut brown. The left curved slightly higher than the right, giving her a quizzical expression, as though she were perpetually mulling over some intriguing notion. But her mouth was soft and sensitive, her lips plump, silky pink, and Dev had to jerk himself roughly out of her spell."
sWOOoonnN THE WAY HE DESCRIBES HER YOU JUST KNOW HE IS SMITTEN
And Devlin aka "Devil" because he's a moral-less scoundrel (or so he makes himself out to be) obviously he's got depth and is secretly a brooding, sad little broken boy in need of fixing. That's not a spoiler lol it's obvious. So Devlin is the dragon lady's only living relation, he is her nephew and they have a connection made from being each others' only family after Dev's was tragically killed in a fire. After being a virtual pirate oversees for 10 years, he comes back hell bent on avenging his family.
Now ima GO FOR A TANGENT for a few seconds k?
Devlin, to me was Bucky Barnes aka the winter soldier aka sebastian stan aka beautiful broken white boy in need of fixing because he's so sad and regrets so much in his life and blames himself over everything. I LOVE BUCKY I ACTUALLY NEED TO MARRY HIM I LOVE BROKEN MEN WHO ARE JUST IN NEED OF LOVE AND THAT WAS DEVLIN.
Alas, Devlin:
LOOK AT THIS HULKING BEAUTIFUL SPECIMEN HE IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL I ACTUALLY CRY EVERY TIME
OK BACK TO MY REVIEW
So, Devlin comes to his aunt's house in the midst of his undercover mission to get closer to his enemy so he can find out who killed his family, because our Lizzie sends him a misleading letter. I loved that Lizzie was so ballsy! She was such a sweet girl, but had ovaries of steel! The first time they meet each other, they hate one another, because she thinks he is just a rake bent on continuously piling gambling debts that his aunt's money will pay off. And he is upset that she, a governess, felt the need to insert herself in his business.
But they quickly get over their dislike, and that's because they are so attracted to each other. When they start having conversations, I just was rooting so hard for them because their personalities complimented each other so well! They are both with mild temperaments, calm and beneath their facades, just nice people, and I just shipped them so hard. Devlin's layers were slowly peeled back, as were hers, and they just brought out the best in each other! I was so excited every time they were together because while he was a nice guy, he was still a scoundrel! And I fucking love scoundrels! Lizzie was just so so sweet, and patient and understanding. I feel like she opened her heart even when no man deserved the chances she gave! But they were just beautiful. So, their romance slowly grows, and I won't say anymore to spoil it but I will say it was a very beautiful satisfying romance!
HOWEVER THERE WAS ONE PROBLEMATIC PROBLEM AND THAT PROBLEM WAS CALLED
LOVE TRIANGLE
EWWWW I AM ACTUALLY ALLERGIC TO LOVE TRIANGLES, NO JOKE I HATE THEM SO MUCH USUALLY I PUT BOOKS DOWN RIGHT AWAY WHEN I REALIZE THERE IS A LOVE TRIANGLE IN IT. HOWEVER, THIS WAS THE TYPE, WERE THE HEROINE WAS REALLY SMART, AND NO ONE DID ANYTHING STUPID!!!! SO IF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND HATE LOVE TRIANGLES, NEVER FEAR!! IT WASN'T INTOLERABLE
Lizzie has been burnt badly a few months before this book, because she has always been infatuated with Alec Knight, whom we have met in previous novels. Alex was a grade A piece of shit who i actually wanted to feed to the dogs
Behold, Alec:
So basically, Alec comes in right? And he has the FUCKING AUDACITY TO SAY HE LOVES LIZZIE?? wtf????
I WAS LIKE
HE JUST COMES IN AND ACTS LIKE HE'S GOD'S GIFT TO EARTH. I SWEAR THERE WAS A POINT WHERE HE ACTUALLY WAS ARROGANT ENOUGH TO BE LIKE "SHE LOVES ME BECAUSE IM AMAZING IM SUCH A GREAT CATCH" OR SOME SHIT I ACTUALLY WANTED TO KILL HIM SEVERAL TIMES IN THE BOOK
SO HE COMES IN AND ACTUALLY THINKS HE STANDS A CHANCE AFTER HURTING HER SO BAD. WTF???? PIECE OF SHIT GO BACK TO THE TRASH WHERE YOU BELONG. AND THEN HE TRIED TO MANIPULATE HER RELATIONSHIP WITH DEVLIN BY MAKING DEVLIN LOOK LIKE A PEDOPHILE AND HE DIDN'T EVEN FEEL BAD FUCKING FUCKER
Definitely won't be reading his selfish asshole's book
But I loved that Lizzie was not indecisive at all. She knew she wanted and was in true love with Devlin! Alec was a thorn in the side of this book, but Lizzie was very sweet tempered and didn't give him to tongue lashing he deserved, instead she let him down gently, when she honestly should have cut his balls out.
Now I will say some words about the subplot: It was very good, and complex! I liked all the characters, because it's really hard to tie so much together without getting messy, and I thought Foley did a pretty good job! I don't want to spoil much about it cause y'all should read the book without knowing too much.
ok, now lastly I will say that the reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is because the ending was so dragged out! I ended up skimming because it kept going and going but it was unnecessary. It didn't however take much away from the book, except for being a little annoying, and that is honestly the main reason.
I was on the edge of my seat with this book for most of it! I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!!!
Once again, I will do what I do with my favorite book couples, and compare them with my favorite BBC serial of all time. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCENE IN TV HISTORY I CRI
I LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS
EDIT 9-22-18 UGH I LOVE THIS BOOK
LMAO SOOO I STARTED THIS LAST NIGHT AND THEN I STAYED UP TILL 2 AM FINISHING IT AND DIDN'T BOTHER TO MAKE UPDATES SINCE I WAS SO IMMERSED IN IT!!!
First, in my opinion the plot and romance in this were not as nuanced as it was in the first book, which is the only other one in the series I have read so far. It was however, very sweet and a good, exciting book that I couldn't put down, albeit flawed.
Here's a lil plot recap
So Elizabeth is the governess of an 80 year old dragon lady. She is super sweet and adorably, with big grey eyes and brown hair, and I imagined her as a young Felicity Jones from Northanger Abbey!
"Elizabeth Carlisle had the flawless complexion of a woman whose daily habits were beyond reproach. Only plenty of sleep, wholesome food, fresh country air, and a stainless conscience could have produced such creamy perfection, naught but a tinge of roses in her cheeks. She had a high forehead, a prominent nose that thrust forth at a decisive angle, straight and true, and finely shaped eyebrows of walnut brown. The left curved slightly higher than the right, giving her a quizzical expression, as though she were perpetually mulling over some intriguing notion. But her mouth was soft and sensitive, her lips plump, silky pink, and Dev had to jerk himself roughly out of her spell."
sWOOoonnN THE WAY HE DESCRIBES HER YOU JUST KNOW HE IS SMITTEN
And Devlin aka "Devil" because he's a moral-less scoundrel (or so he makes himself out to be) obviously he's got depth and is secretly a brooding, sad little broken boy in need of fixing. That's not a spoiler lol it's obvious. So Devlin is the dragon lady's only living relation, he is her nephew and they have a connection made from being each others' only family after Dev's was tragically killed in a fire. After being a virtual pirate oversees for 10 years, he comes back hell bent on avenging his family.
Now ima GO FOR A TANGENT for a few seconds k?
Devlin, to me was Bucky Barnes aka the winter soldier aka sebastian stan aka beautiful broken white boy in need of fixing because he's so sad and regrets so much in his life and blames himself over everything. I LOVE BUCKY I ACTUALLY NEED TO MARRY HIM I LOVE BROKEN MEN WHO ARE JUST IN NEED OF LOVE AND THAT WAS DEVLIN.
Alas, Devlin:
LOOK AT THIS HULKING BEAUTIFUL SPECIMEN HE IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL I ACTUALLY CRY EVERY TIME
OK BACK TO MY REVIEW
So, Devlin comes to his aunt's house in the midst of his undercover mission to get closer to his enemy so he can find out who killed his family, because our Lizzie sends him a misleading letter. I loved that Lizzie was so ballsy! She was such a sweet girl, but had ovaries of steel! The first time they meet each other, they hate one another, because she thinks he is just a rake bent on continuously piling gambling debts that his aunt's money will pay off. And he is upset that she, a governess, felt the need to insert herself in his business.
But they quickly get over their dislike, and that's because they are so attracted to each other. When they start having conversations, I just was rooting so hard for them because their personalities complimented each other so well! They are both with mild temperaments, calm and beneath their facades, just nice people, and I just shipped them so hard. Devlin's layers were slowly peeled back, as were hers, and they just brought out the best in each other! I was so excited every time they were together because while he was a nice guy, he was still a scoundrel! And I fucking love scoundrels! Lizzie was just so so sweet, and patient and understanding. I feel like she opened her heart even when no man deserved the chances she gave! But they were just beautiful. So, their romance slowly grows, and I won't say anymore to spoil it but I will say it was a very beautiful satisfying romance!
HOWEVER THERE WAS ONE PROBLEMATIC PROBLEM AND THAT PROBLEM WAS CALLED
LOVE TRIANGLE
EWWWW I AM ACTUALLY ALLERGIC TO LOVE TRIANGLES, NO JOKE I HATE THEM SO MUCH USUALLY I PUT BOOKS DOWN RIGHT AWAY WHEN I REALIZE THERE IS A LOVE TRIANGLE IN IT. HOWEVER, THIS WAS THE TYPE, WERE THE HEROINE WAS REALLY SMART, AND NO ONE DID ANYTHING STUPID!!!! SO IF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND HATE LOVE TRIANGLES, NEVER FEAR!! IT WASN'T INTOLERABLE
Lizzie has been burnt badly a few months before this book, because she has always been infatuated with Alec Knight, whom we have met in previous novels. Alex was a grade A piece of shit who i actually wanted to feed to the dogs
Behold, Alec:
So basically, Alec comes in right? And he has the FUCKING AUDACITY TO SAY HE LOVES LIZZIE?? wtf????
I WAS LIKE
HE JUST COMES IN AND ACTS LIKE HE'S GOD'S GIFT TO EARTH. I SWEAR THERE WAS A POINT WHERE HE ACTUALLY WAS ARROGANT ENOUGH TO BE LIKE "SHE LOVES ME BECAUSE IM AMAZING IM SUCH A GREAT CATCH" OR SOME SHIT I ACTUALLY WANTED TO KILL HIM SEVERAL TIMES IN THE BOOK
SO HE COMES IN AND ACTUALLY THINKS HE STANDS A CHANCE AFTER HURTING HER SO BAD. WTF???? PIECE OF SHIT GO BACK TO THE TRASH WHERE YOU BELONG. AND THEN HE TRIED TO MANIPULATE HER RELATIONSHIP WITH DEVLIN BY MAKING DEVLIN LOOK LIKE A PEDOPHILE AND HE DIDN'T EVEN FEEL BAD FUCKING FUCKER
Definitely won't be reading his selfish asshole's book
But I loved that Lizzie was not indecisive at all. She knew she wanted and was in true love with Devlin! Alec was a thorn in the side of this book, but Lizzie was very sweet tempered and didn't give him to tongue lashing he deserved, instead she let him down gently, when she honestly should have cut his balls out.
Now I will say some words about the subplot: It was very good, and complex! I liked all the characters, because it's really hard to tie so much together without getting messy, and I thought Foley did a pretty good job! I don't want to spoil much about it cause y'all should read the book without knowing too much.
ok, now lastly I will say that the reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is because the ending was so dragged out! I ended up skimming because it kept going and going but it was unnecessary. It didn't however take much away from the book, except for being a little annoying, and that is honestly the main reason.
I was on the edge of my seat with this book for most of it! I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!!!
Once again, I will do what I do with my favorite book couples, and compare them with my favorite BBC serial of all time. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCENE IN TV HISTORY I CRI
I LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS
August 5, 2018
I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 60 on my shelf. This is book 23.
(Tropes: Opposites Attract, Wallflower/Spinster, Enemies to Lovers)
This is how my 22nd re-read held up.
DNF!
Whoa. I did not expect this to happen, but I gave up on this book. I reached a scene I just couldn’t move past, and it soured a seemingly enjoyable book. It’s too bad, because I really love Gaelen Foley’s style of writing.
Downgraded to 1.5 stars.
(Even Jackman is upset)
*****
The good
The writing – it was a pleasure to read descriptive scenes like this.
- Candlelight danced over sparkling silver and fine china plates on a field of snowy white damask; it glittered in golden spangles over crystal wine goblets and was cast back by large gilt-framed mirrors hung from plum-colored walls.
The hearth fire crackled cozily beneath a white marble chimney piece, and liveried footmen manned their posts by the wall, ever ready to serve.
The table was richly laid, the dining room a setting of luxurious elegance for the unspoken interplay between the two of them.
Lady Strathmore sat at the head of the table, unwittingly giving Devlin and Lizzie an unfettered view of each other through the intimate glow of the candelabra.
Though they had based their truce on an agreement that what mattered most was the viscountess, Lizzie feared his aunt would soon notice they were entirely engrossed in each other.
The bad
The plot - it was a pain to read descriptive scenes and dialogues like this
- She tried to jerk away, but he pressed gently on her belly and her thigh, stilling her, his hands resting with casual dominance atop the thin white muslin of her night rail.
“Shh. There’s no use fighting me. You know it’s meant to be.”
Her heart hammered with mingled fear and thrill, her eyes adjusting gradually to the deeper darkness inside the coach. The warmth of his breath tickled her earlobe.
“Yes, that’s better. You listen well, my lady,” he ordered in a whisper as his hand stroked her thigh, up and down, slowly.
“There’s not going to be any bookshop in Russell Square. You’re going to marry me and be a proper viscountess whether you like it or not, and if your precious Knight brothers want my blood, let them try me. By then you’ll already be mine.”
His sly touch glided up between her legs. He cupped his hand possessively over her mound.
“After all—” His hand traveled higher, claiming every inch of her for his own, until it came to rest firmly on her stomach.
“You won’t think of trying to back out of it when I’ve planted my babe in your belly.”
She shuddered with desire, but shook her head stubbornly, refusing him with all her strength.
He kidnaps her to get her to marry him, and while she fights him in the carriage, his seductive touch and kisses weakens her and she is overcome by desire?
(Tropes: Opposites Attract, Wallflower/Spinster, Enemies to Lovers)
This is how my 22nd re-read held up.
DNF!
Whoa. I did not expect this to happen, but I gave up on this book. I reached a scene I just couldn’t move past, and it soured a seemingly enjoyable book. It’s too bad, because I really love Gaelen Foley’s style of writing.
Downgraded to 1.5 stars.
(Even Jackman is upset)
*****
The good
The writing – it was a pleasure to read descriptive scenes like this.
- Candlelight danced over sparkling silver and fine china plates on a field of snowy white damask; it glittered in golden spangles over crystal wine goblets and was cast back by large gilt-framed mirrors hung from plum-colored walls.
The hearth fire crackled cozily beneath a white marble chimney piece, and liveried footmen manned their posts by the wall, ever ready to serve.
The table was richly laid, the dining room a setting of luxurious elegance for the unspoken interplay between the two of them.
Lady Strathmore sat at the head of the table, unwittingly giving Devlin and Lizzie an unfettered view of each other through the intimate glow of the candelabra.
Though they had based their truce on an agreement that what mattered most was the viscountess, Lizzie feared his aunt would soon notice they were entirely engrossed in each other.
The bad
The plot - it was a pain to read descriptive scenes and dialogues like this
- She tried to jerk away, but he pressed gently on her belly and her thigh, stilling her, his hands resting with casual dominance atop the thin white muslin of her night rail.
“Shh. There’s no use fighting me. You know it’s meant to be.”
Her heart hammered with mingled fear and thrill, her eyes adjusting gradually to the deeper darkness inside the coach. The warmth of his breath tickled her earlobe.
“Yes, that’s better. You listen well, my lady,” he ordered in a whisper as his hand stroked her thigh, up and down, slowly.
“There’s not going to be any bookshop in Russell Square. You’re going to marry me and be a proper viscountess whether you like it or not, and if your precious Knight brothers want my blood, let them try me. By then you’ll already be mine.”
His sly touch glided up between her legs. He cupped his hand possessively over her mound.
“After all—” His hand traveled higher, claiming every inch of her for his own, until it came to rest firmly on her stomach.
“You won’t think of trying to back out of it when I’ve planted my babe in your belly.”
She shuddered with desire, but shook her head stubbornly, refusing him with all her strength.
He kidnaps her to get her to marry him, and while she fights him in the carriage, his seductive touch and kisses weakens her and she is overcome by desire?
January 22, 2019
If you've read my reviews regularly, you know that characters named "Devil," "Beast" or any other strange "I guess this is supposed to show what a bad boy he is" name really bothers me. It's a pet peeve of mine; it just feels like lazy writing. Therefore, it is a testament to how much I enjoyed this book that I'm still able to give Devil Takes A Bride four stars. After all, Foley does nickname our hero, the Viscount of Strathmore, "Devil" (his real name, Devlin, by the way, is much better).
Our story starts out soon after Devlin has made his way back to London. When Devlin was a teenager, his parents were tragically killed leading him to go seriously off the deep end. In response, his Grandmother, the Dowager Viscountess, kicked him out of England to go find himself on a ship. And he did. Which is why, although most of London thinks he is back to his wild ways, in reality, Devlin is desperately searching for his parents' murderer.
Lizzie Carlisle—lady's companion to the Dowager Viscountess Strathmore—is one of those haters. She has a huge ax to grind with irresponsible men after getting her heart shattered so when she sees gambling bill after gambling bill sent to her employer, she decides its time to teach the Viscount a lesson by sending him a letter saying that his grandmother is dying.
And thus the hijinks begin (that I will not spoil)
This book, like many of Foley's, almost sits at the edge of romance and thriller. The men Devlin investigates are seriously scummy—many have committed rape and murder. The danger faced by our two characters is real (there are no random unnecessary kidnappings in this book) and present throughout the novel. However, despite the fact that probably half of the book's words are devoted the mystery, I never felt like the romance between Devlin and Lizzie was lacking. Foley does an amazing job of navigating these two plots and giving them both justice. I honestly felt like neither were rushed.
Devlin was such a complex hero. He was very singularly focused on avenging his parents and I loved reading how his relationship with Lizzie affected his mission. His emotions over his parents' death and his reactions felt so real. I could feel Devlin's guilt and burden as a reader.
At the same time, I appreciated that the book didn't drown in Devlin's angst. The interactions between Lizzie and Devlin often left me smiling and I even giggled at a few points. Pretty remarkable when you consider just how heavy the plot was at times.
Lizzie was the perfect heroine for Devlin. She was kind and caring while also having a backbone of steel. While initially wary of Devlin, she soon let go of her first impression and trusted the goodness in him instead of his reputation. That said, I wish we had gotten to know Lizzie better: Devil Takes A Bride was primarily Devlin's book and oftentimes it felt like Lizzie was just a supporting character.
In conclusion, this book was beautifully written with interesting characters. It is the kind of book that you will stay up to finish with a smile on your face.
Rating: 4/5
reading my blog! sunflowersandromance.com
Our story starts out soon after Devlin has made his way back to London. When Devlin was a teenager, his parents were tragically killed leading him to go seriously off the deep end. In response, his Grandmother, the Dowager Viscountess, kicked him out of England to go find himself on a ship. And he did. Which is why, although most of London thinks he is back to his wild ways, in reality, Devlin is desperately searching for his parents' murderer.
Lizzie Carlisle—lady's companion to the Dowager Viscountess Strathmore—is one of those haters. She has a huge ax to grind with irresponsible men after getting her heart shattered so when she sees gambling bill after gambling bill sent to her employer, she decides its time to teach the Viscount a lesson by sending him a letter saying that his grandmother is dying.
And thus the hijinks begin (that I will not spoil)
This book, like many of Foley's, almost sits at the edge of romance and thriller. The men Devlin investigates are seriously scummy—many have committed rape and murder. The danger faced by our two characters is real (there are no random unnecessary kidnappings in this book) and present throughout the novel. However, despite the fact that probably half of the book's words are devoted the mystery, I never felt like the romance between Devlin and Lizzie was lacking. Foley does an amazing job of navigating these two plots and giving them both justice. I honestly felt like neither were rushed.
Devlin was such a complex hero. He was very singularly focused on avenging his parents and I loved reading how his relationship with Lizzie affected his mission. His emotions over his parents' death and his reactions felt so real. I could feel Devlin's guilt and burden as a reader.
At the same time, I appreciated that the book didn't drown in Devlin's angst. The interactions between Lizzie and Devlin often left me smiling and I even giggled at a few points. Pretty remarkable when you consider just how heavy the plot was at times.
Lizzie was the perfect heroine for Devlin. She was kind and caring while also having a backbone of steel. While initially wary of Devlin, she soon let go of her first impression and trusted the goodness in him instead of his reputation. That said, I wish we had gotten to know Lizzie better: Devil Takes A Bride was primarily Devlin's book and oftentimes it felt like Lizzie was just a supporting character.
In conclusion, this book was beautifully written with interesting characters. It is the kind of book that you will stay up to finish with a smile on your face.
Rating: 4/5
reading my blog! sunflowersandromance.com
January 21, 2016
I liked this book, but I doubt I'd ever reread it and I did think it too long.
The heroine, Lizzie, I liked her quite a bit, she was a bluestocking (the horror!) and didn't take any crap from males. She was the only one who stood up to Devlin and called him on his negligent behavior towards his aunt. She continued to keep him on his toes throughout the book, not letting him be a worthless dandy. I appreciated that she wasn't wooed by money and didn't fall for the silly platitudes spouted by unreliable men. She really made sure that the person she was going to be with was the right one for her and would love her.
Devlin, damn, did you really have to infiltrate that dirty rapist club? Couldn't you have just broken into everyone's houses and gone through things like a normal person? That seems to be a more expedient and safer route. Questioning people and possibly being murdered by known murderers or breaking into their house while they're away. I go for door number 2 every time, unless the questioning would be done when the person was tied to a chair, that'd make sense then. Anyway. I enjoyed his character, especially when he started to respect Lizzie as a person and not just a female that should be all over his hotness. She was really the first to not drop at his feet like a sacrificial lamb.
The whole mystery thing was interesting, but I did despise it at times for taking up so much of the book and sometimes making it so the author would skip a week in the timeline for the romance. That would leave me confused about the romance. And I would've made the villains more villainous throughout the entire book, not just at the beginning and end.
I did like this author and will read other books by her. I'm rather interested in Lizzie's best friend, Jacinda, and her dangerous assassin husband's story. I do love assassins.
The heroine, Lizzie, I liked her quite a bit, she was a bluestocking (the horror!) and didn't take any crap from males. She was the only one who stood up to Devlin and called him on his negligent behavior towards his aunt. She continued to keep him on his toes throughout the book, not letting him be a worthless dandy. I appreciated that she wasn't wooed by money and didn't fall for the silly platitudes spouted by unreliable men. She really made sure that the person she was going to be with was the right one for her and would love her.
Devlin, damn, did you really have to infiltrate that dirty rapist club? Couldn't you have just broken into everyone's houses and gone through things like a normal person? That seems to be a more expedient and safer route. Questioning people and possibly being murdered by known murderers or breaking into their house while they're away. I go for door number 2 every time, unless the questioning would be done when the person was tied to a chair, that'd make sense then. Anyway. I enjoyed his character, especially when he started to respect Lizzie as a person and not just a female that should be all over his hotness. She was really the first to not drop at his feet like a sacrificial lamb.
The whole mystery thing was interesting, but I did despise it at times for taking up so much of the book and sometimes making it so the author would skip a week in the timeline for the romance. That would leave me confused about the romance. And I would've made the villains more villainous throughout the entire book, not just at the beginning and end.
I did like this author and will read other books by her. I'm rather interested in Lizzie's best friend, Jacinda, and her dangerous assassin husband's story. I do love assassins.
April 11, 2019
Esta es la maneeeeera de cargarse a una pareja para crear otra mucho mejor. XD Así, sí. La autora se ha redimido con la pareja de Lizzie y Devlin, sobre todo con Devlin.
Lee la reseña completa en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
Lee la reseña completa en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
March 4, 2019
Gaelen Foley is an author who inspires so much ambivalence in me. While reading one of her books I will move from disgust to disbelief to resignation to pleasure to frustration and more. Some parts of her books are really good. Then the heroine does a doormat or TSTL move and I think: it's all over, red rover. I read on and lo! The hero stops being a dick long enough for me to start to like him, and I am engaged again.
That pretty much summed up my feelings about this one, #5 from the Knight Miscellany -strange name- series.
I initially really didn't like the hero, Devlin. He was so consumed with his plan to avenge the deaths of his family that he had lost all self-respect and basically saw the whole thing as a suicide mission. Of course, he reluctantly falls in love with Lizzie, the fairly bland character we met previously in the series, and starts to discover a new lust for life- and, well, a whole lot of just lust, too.
The story was a good one and GF manages to create quite a complex plot with great characterisations, especially of the villains, who are defs a ghastly bunch of nobs. Their lifestyle would probably have killed them eventually anyway, but Devlin desperately wanted to hasten their demise.
I found it hard to accept the fact that Devlin couldn't let go of his need for revenge, until I realised that he saw himself as somehow responsible for the deaths of his parents and sister and was on a massive guilt trip.
Lizzie seemed a bit too good to be true, initially, and she annoyed me, but then she loved Dev and was always prepared to give him a chance to explain himself and try to be a better person. That is actually a very admirable quality. So many HR's feed off mistrustful MCs to generate the big Misunderstanding that drives the angst in the relationship. Sometimes, it is actually pleasant to find MCs who really try to believe the best in each other and work together to overcome their obstacles rather than creating even bigger ones, by always jumping to the worst possible conclusions. Sure, if to turns out he WAS unfaithful- kick him to the kerb. Hard. But let's wait and see if there is another explanation.
There was a very dramatic and violent climax to the story (lots of blood and stuff) but I loved how the two women held their own in the end, proving to be just as resourceful, courageous and strong as the men.
I have now read Lord of Ice and Lady of Desire in this series, too. It took a while but I did end up liking Damien from Lord of Ice. Jacinda' vapid silliness just drove me nuts in Lady of Desire.
People rave about The Duke, but a few have slammed the hero's disgusting, sexist treatment of the heroine, (who is apparently a courtesan, which is never a trope I like), so I may not get to that one. I think Lucien in Lord of Fire sounds like a bit of a pig, too, but maybe GF can turn these guys around into men I actually like. (She may well struggle to do that for Alec in One Night of Sin!)
She has, however, succeeded in doing that for me so far. Devil takes a Bride was bloody good read- well worth the 4 stars!
That pretty much summed up my feelings about this one, #5 from the Knight Miscellany -strange name- series.
I initially really didn't like the hero, Devlin. He was so consumed with his plan to avenge the deaths of his family that he had lost all self-respect and basically saw the whole thing as a suicide mission. Of course, he reluctantly falls in love with Lizzie, the fairly bland character we met previously in the series, and starts to discover a new lust for life- and, well, a whole lot of just lust, too.
The story was a good one and GF manages to create quite a complex plot with great characterisations, especially of the villains, who are defs a ghastly bunch of nobs. Their lifestyle would probably have killed them eventually anyway, but Devlin desperately wanted to hasten their demise.
I found it hard to accept the fact that Devlin couldn't let go of his need for revenge, until I realised that he saw himself as somehow responsible for the deaths of his parents and sister and was on a massive guilt trip.
Lizzie seemed a bit too good to be true, initially, and she annoyed me, but then she loved Dev and was always prepared to give him a chance to explain himself and try to be a better person. That is actually a very admirable quality. So many HR's feed off mistrustful MCs to generate the big Misunderstanding that drives the angst in the relationship. Sometimes, it is actually pleasant to find MCs who really try to believe the best in each other and work together to overcome their obstacles rather than creating even bigger ones, by always jumping to the worst possible conclusions. Sure, if to turns out he WAS unfaithful- kick him to the kerb. Hard. But let's wait and see if there is another explanation.
There was a very dramatic and violent climax to the story (lots of blood and stuff) but I loved how the two women held their own in the end, proving to be just as resourceful, courageous and strong as the men.
I have now read Lord of Ice and Lady of Desire in this series, too. It took a while but I did end up liking Damien from Lord of Ice. Jacinda' vapid silliness just drove me nuts in Lady of Desire.
People rave about The Duke, but a few have slammed the hero's disgusting, sexist treatment of the heroine, (who is apparently a courtesan, which is never a trope I like), so I may not get to that one. I think Lucien in Lord of Fire sounds like a bit of a pig, too, but maybe GF can turn these guys around into men I actually like. (She may well struggle to do that for Alec in One Night of Sin!)
She has, however, succeeded in doing that for me so far. Devil takes a Bride was bloody good read- well worth the 4 stars!
May 18, 2016
She made him want to shake off the chains of the past, give up the awful burden of hate; she made him want to live, and be happy.
An enjoyable HR with lots of intrigue.
Twelve years ago Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore’s, family died in a tragic fire in an inn on their way to his school after he got into a fight. For all these years he has lived with the guilt of being the reason his family was at that inn on that fateful day, spending his years having adventures at sea, trying to find peace, but being unsuccessful. However two years ago he uncovered the truth that the fire was not an accident, but an arson set to bury a secret. And he swears to get retribution even if it takes all his money and his life. He doesn’t have time for innocent bluestockings, and he will never let himself love anyone again.
Elizabeth Carlisle is the companion to the Dowager Viscountess Strathmore, who she really cares for. And because she is tired of seeing how lonely the Viscountess is, how much she misses her nephew, she writes a letter telling him that his aunt’s health isn’t good and that he should visit her before it’s too late. What she didn’t expect is for him to arrive promptly, and to find out that he isn’t the spoiled and selfish nobleman she envisioned, but a wickedly sexy man who is a lot more than his wild reputation. But Lizzie has had her heart broken, and refuses to fall for another nobleman who would reject her love.
Both Lizzie and Devlin can’t deny the spark between them, no matter how hard they try. And after spending a few days together a friendship is formed, both believing that having more is not possible.
Then a tragedy and the cunning methods of a matchmaker forces them together again. Can Lizzie believe that this time her heart is not in danger of being broken again, and will Devlin choose love or vengeance?
The romance was good with sweet and sexy moments but it didn’t sweep me off my feet. There were too many other things happening that overshadowed the romance for me: the revenge plot and Lizzie’s previous love deciding that he made a mistake and trying to win her back.
Even though I found the romance slightly lacking, I really enjoyed the plot regarding the murder of Devlin’s parents, and his plans for revenge.
January 21, 2016
I liked it...I just didn't love it.
April 2, 2015
To put it in the simplest of terms:
Devil Takes a Bride is yet another engrossing installment in the Knight Miscellany series by Gaelen Foley. It's by large the most underrated books of the series and I have no idea why.
Where do I start? Devil Takes a Bride has just about everything I could ask for in a book. It has a thoroughly likeable/relatable heroine,a swoon worthy hero that you wish wasn't fictional, dastardly villains, suspense, a tiny love triangle(but come on, we know who Lizzie is going to pick in the end-She chose right, obviously.), heart stopping action, and of course, a romance to die for.
Devil Takes a Bride seemed to flow together and play out like a movie in my head. I simply couldn't tear myself away and I really didn't want to. There is a dark edge to the story that had me glued to my seat.
In my opinion, Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore, is the epitome of the romantic hero. I couldn't tick my imaginary list of 'the-author-is-doing-it-right' fast enough. Gaelen Foley is most definitely doing it right.
Described as having long jet black hair, ruthless blue eyes that would make any girl turn into jelly(mainly me and Lizzie), a gorgeous body and a pirate like gold earring. *sigh* What else could a girl ask for?
Devlin suffers an unimaginable loss at the age of seventeen. He loses his parents and little sister in an 'accidental fire'. After that, Devlin pretty much goes on a downward spiral of drinking and all sorts of debaucherous acts until his Aunt Augusta steps in, buys him a ship and sends him off on the high seas for adventure. On his family's tenth anniversary, Devlin realizes that perhaps the 'accident' wasn't so accidental and swears vengeance on the person or persons who took his family away from him.
Devlin is like an onion, he has many layers.(HAHA, SHREK REFERENCE!) Underneath all his beautiful is a deeply vulnerable guy, who is actually terrified to love or care about anyone. Devlin has real heart and WHY, Oh, WHY must he be fictional! MUCH WANT!!
And Thanks to my wonderful fellow goodreads reviewer ♥ Melody I was able to find the PERFECT casting for Devlin. Because of Melody and her awesome review, Giulio Berruti became the face of Devlin for
me and he would not leave. Literally, Every time Devlin had appeared: BAM! GIULIO BERRUTI'S FACE.
Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore
Devlin checking Lizzie out.
Devlin smiling at Lizzie's antics.
Devlin being adorbs and silly as hell.
Devlin in bed.
Perfect, casting am I right?(Gifs made by me, btw)
Devlin cultivates the image of being a dangerous rakehell, only seeking his own pleasures in life. Outwardly, Devlin appears to be a charming and intelligent ne'er-do-well but beneath all that he harbors a deeply tormented soul and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
Since the death of his family, Devlin refuses to let anyone get close but he can't help but care albeit reluctantly for his aged Aunt Augusta,for his valet and best friend, Ben, and most of all for Lizzie.
Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Carlisle is everything that Devlin needed and more.
Readers of the 'Knight Miscellany' series will have known Lizzie from previous books of the series. Lizzie is so relateable for me and such a root-worthy heroine that all you really wanted was for her to get her HEA.
Lizzie is the ward of Robert Knight (Duke of Hawscliffe). She was orphaned at four and grew up in the Knight household. Lizzie was very close friends and companion to young Jacinda Knight and that role continued into adulthood until Jacinda married. The Knight family had always considered Lizzie to be one of them but she always felt that she was a burden, never really a part of the family, never really belonging and therefore determined that she would find her own way in the world.
Since she was nine years old, Lizzie has been 'in love' with Alec Knight, the youngest brother in the Knight family. In the previous book,Lady of Desire, Alec and Lizzie seemed to be growing closer but certain events happen that leaves Lizzie broken hearted. After that, Lizzie seeks employment as a companion to Lady Augusta. Lizzie is determined to get over her heart break and boldly declares that she is a on the shelf spinster much to the cringe of renowned match maker, Lady Augusta. But then she meets Devlin.
I had liked Lizzie in the previous books. She was the shy bookish companion that I secretly related to but didn't know enough about to out right love. But Lizzie really comes into her own in Devil takes a Bride. She is more than just a incredibly smart bluestocking. She has a lot of spunk and I couldn't help but love her as much as I did, Devlin. And I love and I mean love Devlin.
Lizzie earns all the love and attention she so richly deserves.
I loved how Lizzie was abundantly patient and understanding with Devlin. She gives Devlin everything he needs. Love, kindness and understanding.
Devlin and Lizzie falling in love is obviously my favorite aspect of this book. I mean, How could it not be? Building snowmen who look like Napoleon together, Devlin teaching Lizzie how control a team of horses, CHARADES! OH, MY GOD THE CHARADES! Not to mention the library scenes. *Hint-hint,wink-wink*
Another delightful aspect of Lizzie and Devlin getting together is that Lizzie turns out to have a little bit of a kinky streak! Little Miss Blue stocking with a kinky streak...Love it.
In Lizzie, Devlin finds a kindred spirit. Both Lizzie and Devlin come with baggage from their past, but when they are together, the pain of their pasts doesn't seem to matter as much. Both of them have been outsiders looking in, desperately wanting to find somewhere they belong. They find that in each other. When they finally let down all their walls it's a sight to behold. Devlin, who previously could barely say the word 'Love' is now saying it with so much speed that one wonders how Lizzie didn't get whiplash. Their love is all consuming and Dev and Lizzie are perfectly matched in every way.
On to the 'love triangle', if you could call it that.
It's basically been a year since Alec and Lizzie have seen each other after their break. Since then, Alec has realized that Lizzie-Bits, as he fondly calls her-is actually pretty awesome and he wants her back. But Too little, too late, bro. Sheloved liked you BEFORE Darling Dev came in. If I was in Lizzie's place, I would have picked Dev too.
As much as I liked Alec Knight in the previous books-I couldn't help but root against him in this one. Honestly, I wanted to punch him in the face for all the cock blocking he does. Seriously, bro. Find yo' own woman.( He does, obviously. In the next book. But still-GOD DAMN YOU FOR YOUR COCKBLOCKNG WAYS). But either way, I still want him to have his HEA and I look forward to it.
With both of these well known gorgeous 'rakes' fighting for the affections of Lizzie-She really blossoms and I loved seeing how proud (and slightly jealous, mainly over Alec, though) Devlin was that she was getting all the attention she so richly deserved.
Ultimately, I loved this book! It just did it for me. I seriously recommend this to fans of Gaelen Foley as well as historical romance readers-trust me, you won't regret it...and If you do, that's not my fault, you and I obviously can't be friends.
I Put this here while I was reading DTAB and I'm not getting rid of it...It's important.
"And of course it has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't been with a women since I came to your bed back in February"-Devlin.
YASSSSSSSSSS!YASSSSSSSSSSSSS, BITCH, YASSSS!!!
That scene brought me so much joy!
Devil Takes a Bride is yet another engrossing installment in the Knight Miscellany series by Gaelen Foley. It's by large the most underrated books of the series and I have no idea why.
Where do I start? Devil Takes a Bride has just about everything I could ask for in a book. It has a thoroughly likeable/relatable heroine,a swoon worthy hero that you wish wasn't fictional, dastardly villains, suspense, a tiny love triangle(but come on, we know who Lizzie is going to pick in the end-She chose right, obviously.), heart stopping action, and of course, a romance to die for.
Devil Takes a Bride seemed to flow together and play out like a movie in my head. I simply couldn't tear myself away and I really didn't want to. There is a dark edge to the story that had me glued to my seat.
In my opinion, Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore, is the epitome of the romantic hero. I couldn't tick my imaginary list of 'the-author-is-doing-it-right' fast enough. Gaelen Foley is most definitely doing it right.
Described as having long jet black hair, ruthless blue eyes that would make any girl turn into jelly(mainly me and Lizzie), a gorgeous body and a pirate like gold earring. *sigh* What else could a girl ask for?
Devlin suffers an unimaginable loss at the age of seventeen. He loses his parents and little sister in an 'accidental fire'. After that, Devlin pretty much goes on a downward spiral of drinking and all sorts of debaucherous acts until his Aunt Augusta steps in, buys him a ship and sends him off on the high seas for adventure. On his family's tenth anniversary, Devlin realizes that perhaps the 'accident' wasn't so accidental and swears vengeance on the person or persons who took his family away from him.
Devlin is like an onion, he has many layers.(HAHA, SHREK REFERENCE!) Underneath all his beautiful is a deeply vulnerable guy, who is actually terrified to love or care about anyone. Devlin has real heart and WHY, Oh, WHY must he be fictional! MUCH WANT!!
And Thanks to my wonderful fellow goodreads reviewer ♥ Melody I was able to find the PERFECT casting for Devlin. Because of Melody and her awesome review, Giulio Berruti became the face of Devlin for
me and he would not leave. Literally, Every time Devlin had appeared: BAM! GIULIO BERRUTI'S FACE.
Devlin Kimball, Lord Strathmore
Devlin checking Lizzie out.
Devlin smiling at Lizzie's antics.
Devlin being adorbs and silly as hell.
Devlin in bed.
Perfect, casting am I right?(Gifs made by me, btw)
Devlin cultivates the image of being a dangerous rakehell, only seeking his own pleasures in life. Outwardly, Devlin appears to be a charming and intelligent ne'er-do-well but beneath all that he harbors a deeply tormented soul and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
Since the death of his family, Devlin refuses to let anyone get close but he can't help but care albeit reluctantly for his aged Aunt Augusta,for his valet and best friend, Ben, and most of all for Lizzie.
Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Carlisle is everything that Devlin needed and more.
Readers of the 'Knight Miscellany' series will have known Lizzie from previous books of the series. Lizzie is so relateable for me and such a root-worthy heroine that all you really wanted was for her to get her HEA.
Lizzie is the ward of Robert Knight (Duke of Hawscliffe). She was orphaned at four and grew up in the Knight household. Lizzie was very close friends and companion to young Jacinda Knight and that role continued into adulthood until Jacinda married. The Knight family had always considered Lizzie to be one of them but she always felt that she was a burden, never really a part of the family, never really belonging and therefore determined that she would find her own way in the world.
Since she was nine years old, Lizzie has been 'in love' with Alec Knight, the youngest brother in the Knight family. In the previous book,Lady of Desire, Alec and Lizzie seemed to be growing closer but certain events happen that leaves Lizzie broken hearted. After that, Lizzie seeks employment as a companion to Lady Augusta. Lizzie is determined to get over her heart break and boldly declares that she is a on the shelf spinster much to the cringe of renowned match maker, Lady Augusta. But then she meets Devlin.
I had liked Lizzie in the previous books. She was the shy bookish companion that I secretly related to but didn't know enough about to out right love. But Lizzie really comes into her own in Devil takes a Bride. She is more than just a incredibly smart bluestocking. She has a lot of spunk and I couldn't help but love her as much as I did, Devlin. And I love and I mean love Devlin.
Lizzie earns all the love and attention she so richly deserves.
I loved how Lizzie was abundantly patient and understanding with Devlin. She gives Devlin everything he needs. Love, kindness and understanding.
Devlin and Lizzie falling in love is obviously my favorite aspect of this book. I mean, How could it not be? Building snowmen who look like Napoleon together, Devlin teaching Lizzie how control a team of horses, CHARADES! OH, MY GOD THE CHARADES! Not to mention the library scenes. *Hint-hint,wink-wink*
Another delightful aspect of Lizzie and Devlin getting together is that Lizzie turns out to have a little bit of a kinky streak! Little Miss Blue stocking with a kinky streak...Love it.
In Lizzie, Devlin finds a kindred spirit. Both Lizzie and Devlin come with baggage from their past, but when they are together, the pain of their pasts doesn't seem to matter as much. Both of them have been outsiders looking in, desperately wanting to find somewhere they belong. They find that in each other. When they finally let down all their walls it's a sight to behold. Devlin, who previously could barely say the word 'Love' is now saying it with so much speed that one wonders how Lizzie didn't get whiplash. Their love is all consuming and Dev and Lizzie are perfectly matched in every way.
On to the 'love triangle', if you could call it that.
It's basically been a year since Alec and Lizzie have seen each other after their break. Since then, Alec has realized that Lizzie-Bits, as he fondly calls her-is actually pretty awesome and he wants her back. But Too little, too late, bro. She
As much as I liked Alec Knight in the previous books-I couldn't help but root against him in this one. Honestly, I wanted to punch him in the face for all the cock blocking he does. Seriously, bro. Find yo' own woman.( He does, obviously. In the next book. But still-GOD DAMN YOU FOR YOUR COCKBLOCKNG WAYS). But either way, I still want him to have his HEA and I look forward to it.
With both of these well known gorgeous 'rakes' fighting for the affections of Lizzie-She really blossoms and I loved seeing how proud (and slightly jealous, mainly over Alec, though) Devlin was that she was getting all the attention she so richly deserved.
Ultimately, I loved this book! It just did it for me. I seriously recommend this to fans of Gaelen Foley as well as historical romance readers-trust me, you won't regret it...and If you do, that's not my fault, you and I obviously can't be friends.
I Put this here while I was reading DTAB and I'm not getting rid of it...It's important.
"And of course it has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't been with a women since I came to your bed back in February"-Devlin.
YASSSSSSSSSS!YASSSSSSSSSSSSS, BITCH, YASSSS!!!
That scene brought me so much joy!
March 13, 2016
Oh man. Am I the only one that does not like this book? Because it certainly seems like it with all the 4/5 star reviews floating around. I'm being quite gracious and giving this an actual rating of 1.5 stars.
I don't....hate it, per se, so it still gets the 0.5 star. I did prefer some of the other books in the series. I mean, I've read worse books. This one just makes me feel like DNF-ing rather than feeling like I need to tear out my hair and erase its memory from my mind. Still, that places it on the shelf of meh, and on the bottom tier of that shelf, too - there are multiple reasons for the almost (almost! It was *that* close, I tell you!) DNF.
One of them: Foley's writing style. I know, I know. Writing style is subjective, but hear me out. I prefer fast-moving dialogue, full of subtext and not in whole, world-building chunks. I like plots with direction and characters with layers and conflicts that matter to the story as a whole. Most of all, and probably one of the harder things to do - I like a good balance of 'showing' character development through indirect means and 'telling' me how they've changed over the course of the story.
Of course, this is a romance novel - but even with my big leeway for romances, Foley fell flat for me in all these aspects. Where do I even begin?
Let's start with the meaningless, contrived, 'conflicts' that were introduced throughout the plot and led to - well, nothing. Many of the conflicts, or tropes, I would say, were unnecessary for the overall plot and were written so half-heartedly that they detracted from the story. When the prodigal tragic backstory son (1) who wants to take revenge on the club of evil who murdered his family (2) by becoming 'evil' and infiltrating them from the inside (3) is forced by the will of a crotchety old woman on her deathbed (4) to marry the impoverished, genteel, bluestocking companion (5) turned schoolmistress of a finishing school (6) whom he slept with (7) who also used to be in love with a close friend of the prodigal son (8), a currently reformed gambler (9) stuck with a sleazy partner out of a necessity for money (10).....I could go on, and this is only about 3/4 through the book.
Look, I've read plenty of novels that balance a complicated plot extremely well. I've read troperiffic novels, stuffed to the gills with angst and conflict and tropes galore, that really catch my attention because they're written so well. I love tropes, in fact. This is just not one of those novels that can carry it off.
Things happen, and go nowhere, and lead to nothing. A scene that stood out was thoroughly ridiculous 'bride abduction' mini chapter thing (!!!!!) about halfway through the book that...is indescribable, really. Let's just say that I wished she could have shot him in the balls instead of being turned on by a middle-of-the-night kidnapping. I wish she could have done anything else to make him grovel on his knees, but no. Nothing of the sort. I think it was at that point that I really lost all respect for the characters, and yeah, screw it. Nothing they said or did could make me believe that they really felt love for each other. The hero isn't an asshole, or anything, but man, is he shallow.
So: dislikable caricatures of characters (every last one of them, but notably the hero, my god) and an unnecessarily convoluted, draggy plot. A dull, monotonous, and over descriptive writing style, that doesn't contribute anything but additional boredom to the story. Why does everyone like this book?
And why did I finish it?!?!
I don't....hate it, per se, so it still gets the 0.5 star. I did prefer some of the other books in the series. I mean, I've read worse books. This one just makes me feel like DNF-ing rather than feeling like I need to tear out my hair and erase its memory from my mind. Still, that places it on the shelf of meh, and on the bottom tier of that shelf, too - there are multiple reasons for the almost (almost! It was *that* close, I tell you!) DNF.
One of them: Foley's writing style. I know, I know. Writing style is subjective, but hear me out. I prefer fast-moving dialogue, full of subtext and not in whole, world-building chunks. I like plots with direction and characters with layers and conflicts that matter to the story as a whole. Most of all, and probably one of the harder things to do - I like a good balance of 'showing' character development through indirect means and 'telling' me how they've changed over the course of the story.
Of course, this is a romance novel - but even with my big leeway for romances, Foley fell flat for me in all these aspects. Where do I even begin?
Let's start with the meaningless, contrived, 'conflicts' that were introduced throughout the plot and led to - well, nothing. Many of the conflicts, or tropes, I would say, were unnecessary for the overall plot and were written so half-heartedly that they detracted from the story. When the prodigal tragic backstory son (1) who wants to take revenge on the club of evil who murdered his family (2) by becoming 'evil' and infiltrating them from the inside (3) is forced by the will of a crotchety old woman on her deathbed (4) to marry the impoverished, genteel, bluestocking companion (5) turned schoolmistress of a finishing school (6) whom he slept with (7) who also used to be in love with a close friend of the prodigal son (8), a currently reformed gambler (9) stuck with a sleazy partner out of a necessity for money (10).....I could go on, and this is only about 3/4 through the book.
Look, I've read plenty of novels that balance a complicated plot extremely well. I've read troperiffic novels, stuffed to the gills with angst and conflict and tropes galore, that really catch my attention because they're written so well. I love tropes, in fact. This is just not one of those novels that can carry it off.
Things happen, and go nowhere, and lead to nothing. A scene that stood out was thoroughly ridiculous 'bride abduction' mini chapter thing (!!!!!) about halfway through the book that...is indescribable, really. Let's just say that I wished she could have shot him in the balls instead of being turned on by a middle-of-the-night kidnapping. I wish she could have done anything else to make him grovel on his knees, but no. Nothing of the sort. I think it was at that point that I really lost all respect for the characters, and yeah, screw it. Nothing they said or did could make me believe that they really felt love for each other. The hero isn't an asshole, or anything, but man, is he shallow.
So: dislikable caricatures of characters (every last one of them, but notably the hero, my god) and an unnecessarily convoluted, draggy plot. A dull, monotonous, and over descriptive writing style, that doesn't contribute anything but additional boredom to the story. Why does everyone like this book?
And why did I finish it?!?!
June 23, 2012
Devlin ‘Devil’ Kimball (Lord Strathmore) is a knee tremblingly sexy male who was determined to discover who had killed his parents and little sister. During his investigations he has to associate with some very ugly and unsavoury men and become one of their selective and secretive group.
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Carlisle, the ward of Robert Knight (Duke of Hawscliffe), was orphaned at a very early age and grew up in the Knight household. Lizzie was very close friends and companion to young Jacinda Knight and that role continued into adulthood until Jacinda married. The Knight family had always considered Lizzie to be one of them but she always felt that she was a burden and never part of the family and therefore determined that she would find her own way in the world. Lizzie is considered to be a ‘Bluestocking’ lady, very well educated and independent woman. As a teenager she developed a crush and fell in love with Alec Knight but it seemed that her feelings were not returned. So hurt and rejected she became determined that she was going to become a spinster and became companion to Viscountess Strathmore whose great-nephew was of course Devil Kimball.
To date I have loved all of the Knight series and found that some have been steamy than others but the sexual tension has always been fantastic in all of them. This is probably the steamiest one of the series so far - definitely no complaints from me in that area! :)
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Carlisle, the ward of Robert Knight (Duke of Hawscliffe), was orphaned at a very early age and grew up in the Knight household. Lizzie was very close friends and companion to young Jacinda Knight and that role continued into adulthood until Jacinda married. The Knight family had always considered Lizzie to be one of them but she always felt that she was a burden and never part of the family and therefore determined that she would find her own way in the world. Lizzie is considered to be a ‘Bluestocking’ lady, very well educated and independent woman. As a teenager she developed a crush and fell in love with Alec Knight but it seemed that her feelings were not returned. So hurt and rejected she became determined that she was going to become a spinster and became companion to Viscountess Strathmore whose great-nephew was of course Devil Kimball.
To date I have loved all of the Knight series and found that some have been steamy than others but the sexual tension has always been fantastic in all of them. This is probably the steamiest one of the series so far - definitely no complaints from me in that area! :)
October 25, 2020
Just OK, overly complicated and all too contrived plot devices and a weak Hero. He thinks he's super smart, and going to make evil men pay after he's lived like a wastrel for years. She's supposed to be super sweet, but I found her a manipulative person. I skipped so many pages, because blah, blah, blah - boring.
August 1, 2018
Lizzie is heartbroken in the previous book when her childhood crush Alec decides to become a gigolo to a rich woman to pay off his gambling debts. She has taken a position with the hero's aunt. H lost his family 12 years ago, went down a bad path with his aunt rescuing him. Now, he knows his family was murdered & is playing a dangerous game with the vile men responsible. Heroine calls him on his neglect of the aunt. They throw sparks off each other. As is the case in the series they get hot & heavy soon and off leaves the hero. The dying aunt has one ace up her sleeve, H has to marry h to get his fortune. A fortune he needs to complete his revenge plans & stay out of debtor prison. h says a hard no to him. He kidnaps her, she escapes & he realises he wants her & is going about it the wrong way. He starts courting her & doesn't tell her he found a way to break the will as he wants her to marry him. She fills his heart. Again repetition strikes & h walks off in a huff. They do get their HEA & H reunites with still alive baby sis.
This one was enjoyable actually.
This one was enjoyable actually.
August 24, 2022
My first Gaelen Foley book and I'm hooked. I love every single thing about the this story; the characters, the pacing, the romance. I have added this to my favorites shelf and will happily reread over and over.
May 19, 2010
I have been slowly but surely working my way through the "Knight Miscellany" series, and it just so happens that I enjoyed the books in the same order they were written with the Duke being my favorite, Lord of Fire my second favorite so on and so forth...that is until this one.
I have to be honest, I was beginning to question Gaelen Foley after her last installment (Lady of Desire) which I did not care for at all, but boy did she redeem herself with this one! What makes this book for me is Lizzie Carlisle.
Lizzie Carlisle is a breathe of fresh air...she is a woman of substance and I enjoyed her thoroughly! She is not titled, rich, or famous, but she is more a "Lady" than Jacinda Knight could ever be. She is sweet, compassionate, smart, honest, loyal, and completely lovable. She bursts into Devlin's life, and he just doesn't have a chance in the world! I liked Devlin as well, he and Lizzie share similar challenges, the biggest is that they are both alone and looking for a family. They find eachother through Devlin's delightful and matchmaking aunt. This is a love story filled with humor, wit, suspense, and action. The villians are truly vile and the ending is sweet and satisfying.
Both Lizzie and Devlin come with baggage from their past, but after friendship turns to passion which turns to love, both are able to settle the demons of their past and take a chance at love and happily ever after. This book is great...I'm reinvigorated and ready to finish out the series. Hopefully the next two will be in this same calaber!
I have to be honest, I was beginning to question Gaelen Foley after her last installment (Lady of Desire) which I did not care for at all, but boy did she redeem herself with this one! What makes this book for me is Lizzie Carlisle.
Lizzie Carlisle is a breathe of fresh air...she is a woman of substance and I enjoyed her thoroughly! She is not titled, rich, or famous, but she is more a "Lady" than Jacinda Knight could ever be. She is sweet, compassionate, smart, honest, loyal, and completely lovable. She bursts into Devlin's life, and he just doesn't have a chance in the world! I liked Devlin as well, he and Lizzie share similar challenges, the biggest is that they are both alone and looking for a family. They find eachother through Devlin's delightful and matchmaking aunt. This is a love story filled with humor, wit, suspense, and action. The villians are truly vile and the ending is sweet and satisfying.
Both Lizzie and Devlin come with baggage from their past, but after friendship turns to passion which turns to love, both are able to settle the demons of their past and take a chance at love and happily ever after. This book is great...I'm reinvigorated and ready to finish out the series. Hopefully the next two will be in this same calaber!
June 29, 2022
3’5. Me gustó mucho, pero en general, Lizzie necesitaba tener más carácter para mi gusto. Es una novela como las de antes, mucho amor, ternura, acción y pasión.
January 18, 2014
*4.5 stars*
It was wonderful to visit the Knight family again! Even though Lizzie never felt like more than the ward she was or maybe a poor relation, they were all she had and they loved her. But she never felt like she fit in, a feeling I understand too well. She had sworn off men and love and resigned herself to spinsterhood after finally giving up on her childhood crush, Alec Knight. Devlin truly earned the nickname Devil in the years after his family were killed. His grief led him into behavior that would have led to his end if his aunt hadn't sent him off to explore the world. He was the very picture of the tortured hero. When he returned to England, he was determined to learn what had happened to his family and once he determined that it was not an accident that determination led him on a quest for revenge.
These two lonely people found each other and despite their intentions began to care about each other and eventually to love one another. Their romance was very sweet. I especially liked that the heroine was able to stand her ground. She didn't allow the hero, or anyone, to control her. She didn't allow her emotions to control her either! Both the hero and the heroine were intelligent and it showed in their actions. When danger lurked, and it often did - the bad guys were truly rather twisted, they didn't react stupidly or rashly. They thought through the situation and acted in the most reasonable manner they could find. Which isn't to say they were unfeeling, the emotions were very strong in this book. I couldn't put my finger on what or why, but this story touched me deeply.
It was wonderful to visit the Knight family again! Even though Lizzie never felt like more than the ward she was or maybe a poor relation, they were all she had and they loved her. But she never felt like she fit in, a feeling I understand too well. She had sworn off men and love and resigned herself to spinsterhood after finally giving up on her childhood crush, Alec Knight. Devlin truly earned the nickname Devil in the years after his family were killed. His grief led him into behavior that would have led to his end if his aunt hadn't sent him off to explore the world. He was the very picture of the tortured hero. When he returned to England, he was determined to learn what had happened to his family and once he determined that it was not an accident that determination led him on a quest for revenge.
These two lonely people found each other and despite their intentions began to care about each other and eventually to love one another. Their romance was very sweet. I especially liked that the heroine was able to stand her ground. She didn't allow the hero, or anyone, to control her. She didn't allow her emotions to control her either! Both the hero and the heroine were intelligent and it showed in their actions. When danger lurked, and it often did - the bad guys were truly rather twisted, they didn't react stupidly or rashly. They thought through the situation and acted in the most reasonable manner they could find. Which isn't to say they were unfeeling, the emotions were very strong in this book. I couldn't put my finger on what or why, but this story touched me deeply.
September 26, 2010
Ok as a library book, but I don't recommend buying it.
There was nothing special about it. Nothing surprised or delighted me. If readers liked the other books in the series, then they might enjoy it. It was a nice story with nice characters but too predictable. In 1805, bad guys locked people inside an inn and burned it causing the deaths of Devlin's family. Twelve years later he goes undercover, pretending to be like the bad guys, drinking, gambling, etc. He wants to learn who killed his family and get revenge. Meanwhile he meets Lizzie. She thinks he is wild like the bad guys he spends time with.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
I did not like the way the author separated the hero/heroine. Lizzie got mad at Devlin, but she did not allow him to explain. When he later explained, she understood and all was well.
Ginny told Lizzie to run off with Scorcia while Ginny distracted the bad guys. This was to save the lives of Ginny and Scorcia. I hated that Scorcia ran back into the inn just because she heard a gunshot. That was the idea, these were bad guys, she was supposed to get away. Because Scorcia had run back in, Ginny was shot.
DATA:
Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: 1805 and 1817 Regency England. Copyright; 2004. Genre: regency romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date there are seven books in the Knight family series, of which I have read six, as follows.
The Duke (4.5 stars)
Lord of Fire (2 stars)
Lord of Ice (3.5 stars)
Lady of Desire (4.5 stars)
Devil Takes a Bride (2 stars)
His Wicked Kiss (3 stars)
There was nothing special about it. Nothing surprised or delighted me. If readers liked the other books in the series, then they might enjoy it. It was a nice story with nice characters but too predictable. In 1805, bad guys locked people inside an inn and burned it causing the deaths of Devlin's family. Twelve years later he goes undercover, pretending to be like the bad guys, drinking, gambling, etc. He wants to learn who killed his family and get revenge. Meanwhile he meets Lizzie. She thinks he is wild like the bad guys he spends time with.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
I did not like the way the author separated the hero/heroine. Lizzie got mad at Devlin, but she did not allow him to explain. When he later explained, she understood and all was well.
Ginny told Lizzie to run off with Scorcia while Ginny distracted the bad guys. This was to save the lives of Ginny and Scorcia. I hated that Scorcia ran back into the inn just because she heard a gunshot. That was the idea, these were bad guys, she was supposed to get away. Because Scorcia had run back in, Ginny was shot.
DATA:
Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: 1805 and 1817 Regency England. Copyright; 2004. Genre: regency romance.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date there are seven books in the Knight family series, of which I have read six, as follows.
The Duke (4.5 stars)
Lord of Fire (2 stars)
Lord of Ice (3.5 stars)
Lady of Desire (4.5 stars)
Devil Takes a Bride (2 stars)
His Wicked Kiss (3 stars)
March 9, 2016
This was an extremely satisfying read and I really enjoyed it. Lizzie was the companion to Jacinda and the woman who had been pining away for Alec Knight all of her life. After she realized that he was never going to love her like she loved him, as decided to move on. She has taken a companion role to Dowager Viscountess Strathmore. The Dowager has a scalawag of a nephew, Devlin "Devil" Strathmore. But Lizzie has had enough of his taking advantage of his aunt and so takes steps to see that he comes home. Once Devlin his home, however, Lizzie didn't quite expect him to be such an attractive, virile man. For his part, once Devlin got over his anger at Lizzie he started appreciate her finer qualities. Their first bedroom encounter was a bit unique to me and fit nicely in the book. After Devlin is gone, neither one of them can quit thinking about the other. Devlin's aunt has some crafty ideas of how she can bring these two chuckleheads together. Devlin has a convoluted revenge plot going to atone for guilt that he feels over the death of his parents and sister. But things seldome work out the way we plan and Devlin didn't plan on falling in love with a prim and proper, do the right thing at all times Ms. Lizzie. At times he was a a$$hole to Lizzie and she needed to knock him over the head. Alec comes in to make a third wheel and of course thinking that he might have been a bit hasty in turning Lizzie down. It took awhile for it all to work out, but Gaelen didn't rush the story and let it all come in its own good time. I thought Devlin and Lizzie made a wonderful couple.
August 27, 2020
This is more of a 3.5, but I am feeling generous. Something about Gaelen Foley's writing just never works for me. I loved BOTH MC’s in this book and that is big. She wrote them with relatable temperaments and faults. I found myself saying "I would act that way if that happened to me"- and that is huge for me because I want my MC's to act like humans, not clueless cutouts. I will give Galen huge points for that. However, it never fails- somewhere around the 50% mark everything that worked in the book suddenly fizzles and dies out. Her characters become sort of whiny and stupid. All her strong females become weak. The males- sigh- I do not even really know what happens to them. They wake up and are suddenly changed men. I hate that. It is like she runs out of story and wraps it up quickly. I doubt I will read anymore from this series, which is a shame because she really does have some good characters, but I do not want to waste my time watching them deflate after the 50% mark.
November 26, 2014
Another four and a half star read from The Knights Miscellany series.
I wasn't sure how splitting up Lord Alec and Lizzie would pan out but I loved the pairing of the compassionate bluestocking, Elizabeth Carlisle and the damaged rake, Devlin "Devil Strathmore" Kimball on a path of vengeance to avenge his murdered family. Although a longer book at 469 pages, Gaelen Foley did a superb job of combining the mystery part of the story with the growing relationship between Dev and Lizzie and I was riveted til the final page.
★★★★☆
I wasn't sure how splitting up Lord Alec and Lizzie would pan out but I loved the pairing of the compassionate bluestocking, Elizabeth Carlisle and the damaged rake, Devlin "Devil Strathmore" Kimball on a path of vengeance to avenge his murdered family. Although a longer book at 469 pages, Gaelen Foley did a superb job of combining the mystery part of the story with the growing relationship between Dev and Lizzie and I was riveted til the final page.
★★★★☆
Read
January 27, 2016I think I am giving up on Gaelen Foley. I like her characters and writing but I am almost always bored with her stories.
No rating because I read 50% of the book only. I couldn't make myself continue.
No rating because I read 50% of the book only. I couldn't make myself continue.
December 10, 2014
*Buddy read with Blacky <3<3<3*
Jesus!
Jesus!
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