DEVIL'S DAUGHTER is a "Ravenels meet The Wallflowers"
novel by Lisa Kleypas. These main characters wind up
being so much different than I expected them to be.
Phoebe, Lady Clare is a widow with two young children to
take care of. About a million years ago, West Ravenel was
a jerk to Phoebe's late husband when they were both boys
at boarding school. Thankfully Lisa Kleypas resolves this
past transgression of West's quickly. I was really
looking forward to DEVIL'S DAUGHTER and Lisa Kleypas
delivers. DEVIL'S DAUGHTER is a story with stellar
chemistry between the hero and heroine, great check-ins
with previous generation favorite characters without
being cheesy, and all about female empowerment.
I love stories about widows, and they usually fall into
two main categories -- women who cared for their late
husbands, and women who are greatly relieved or even
overjoyed by the death of their spouse. Phoebe and her
husband were childhood sweethearts, so she mourned him
and often thinks of him with fondness even though it has
been about two years since his death. Phoebe is initially
determined to dislike West when she first lays eyes on
him, because of the hurts he dealt her husband in their
youth. I'm happy that Lisa Kleypas doesn't take too long
before Phoebe and West hash that out and he makes a
heartfelt apology. Although she loved her late husband,
it's difficult for Phoebe to not make comparisons between
him and West. Her late husband was of a frail and sickly
constitution, while West is athletic and very capable. An
unintentional courtship develops between the two simply
because of the close proximity to each other, and the
natural and easy attraction that they have for each
other.
The difficulty that arises and the thing that acts as an
obstacle to Phoebe and West being together long-term is
West himself. Although typically alpha, as so many Lisa
Kleypas heroes are, West is very much a slave to his
inner demons and self-doubt. West doesn't think he's
worthy of love or good enough for Phoebe. As much as he
tries to put her off, Phoebe can't help but find West
attractive for a multitude of reasons. In addition to his
obvious good looks and resourcefulness, he is
affectionate with her children, and always finds ways to
enrich her life. As well as satisfying Phoebe sexually
and emotionally, he tries to educate her so that she is
capable of successfully running her estate on her own,
without being in the dark and at the mercy of whatever
men are currently managing it. West treats Phoebe with
the same degree of respect that everyone in her family
does, without any male condescension.
DEVIL'S DAUGHTER is a devil of a good time with
enchanting characters and a delicious romance. I enjoyed
seeing Sebastian, Duke of Kingston as a subtle and also
not-so-subtle matchmaker for his daughter. I eagerly
await the next Lisa Kleypas romance.
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas
combines the worlds of the Wallflowers with the Ravenels in
this incredible story of Lord St. Vincent and Evie Jenner’s
daughter, who falls for the last man any respectable woman
should want: notorious rake West Ravenel.
Although beautiful, young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has
never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain:
he’s a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made
her late husband’s life a misery, and she’ll never forgive
him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she
encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who
sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And
then he introduces himself...as none other than West Ravenel.
West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no
excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is
consumed by irresistible desire...not to mention the bitter
awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach.
What West doesn’t bargain on is that Phoebe is no
strait-laced aristocratic lady. She’s the daughter of a
strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian,
Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.
Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has
awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable
pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to
overcome the obstacles of the past?
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