Sunday, September 29, 2019

Devil In Winter Review

Title:  Devil In Winter
Series:  Wallflowers #3
Author:  Lisa Kleypas
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Release Date:  Feb. 28, 2006 (since reissued)
Purchase Link:  Amazon


My Rating:  4.5 Fabulous Hearts


Synopsis:

"I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows that."

Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London.

A marriage of convenience is the only solution.

No one would have ever paired the shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome viscount. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Evie is a woman of hidden strength—and Sebastian desires her more than any woman he's ever known.

Determined to win her husband's elusive heart, Evie dares to strike a bargain with the devil: If Sebastian can stay celibate for three months, she will allow him into her bed.

When Evie is threatened by a vengeful enemy from the past, Sebastian vows to do whatever it takes to protect his wife... even at the expense of his own life.

Together they will defy their perilous fate, for the sake of all-consuming love.

Review:
If anyone had told me I'd one day pull for the scum ball Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, (actually-some did!) after I finished reading It Happened One Autumn, I would have said "you're crazy"!  However, I stand here today eating my words after reading Devil In Winter.  Kleypas wove an amazing magic spell and transformed two misfits into an endearing couple, revealing a softer, more vulnerable side of both.  Evie's on the run from her maternal relatives because they've threatened her with a forced marriage to her own cousin in an effort to gain control of her fortune.  I found Evie to be shy and awkward. . . and yes, even forgettable, in previous books, as she struggled with an embarrassing stutter, but she displays a braver, more forward side in this book.  Evie steps outside her comfort zone and calls on the infamous rogue Lord St. Vincent in his home with a brazen offer he can't refuse - marry and protect her and her fortune is his.  Sebastian was an arrogant womanizer in previous books - a desperate man on the verge of losing everything.  While he's shocked by Evie's offer, he quickly realizes it's the answer to all his problems and thus their odd joining begins.  Watching Sebastian's interaction with Evie is a pure delight as his honesty and humor reveal a different man beneath the badboy facade.  Evie knows she's made a deal with the devil.  Will she live to regret it?

Nobody does Historical Romance better than Lisa Kleypas!  Nobody!  Her writing is always picturesque, flowing flawlessly as she manipulates scenes and breathes life into characters with depth, personality, and believable qualities.  The author's ability to take two characters who appear to be polar-opposites and bring them together in such a heated way that causes readers to pull for them is nothing short of amazing.  They don't always fall in love willingly, but fall they do.  The banter and sexual tension ramps up as the story unfolds as does the suspense and sense of urgency.  Series readers will love the support cast including characters from previous books.  Devil In Winter is a fantastic addition to the Wallflower series, and I highly recommend it to fans of historical romance.

My Rating:  4.5 Redeemable Hearts
Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra

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