Megan Frampton’s THE DEVIL’S CHARM is the first in her Heirs and Spares series. It features Lord Lucian Blackwood, the second son of a duke, and Lady Diantha Courtenay. Their fathers were once friends but have long since been enemies and business rivals. After the court decides the two families must decide what to do with a factory both own, Lucian and Diantha are charged with deciding what to do with the building. As they work together to come up with a solution, they begin to see that they can get past their parents’ hatred.
I quite enjoy Megan Frampton’s works, and this is no exception. There’s a lot at stake here, yet Frampton pulls it off with a very low angst style I prefer. Having the characters decide what they should do with a vacant building is a great way to have them together but outside of ballrooms. Diantha is the only practical member of her family, as her father took seeing a comet streak across the sky as a sign to live life as he pleases. Lucian is the opposite of his father, who took the same comet as a sign he needed to live a rigid life of rules. Diantha wants to use the building as a factory for something useful to secure her family’s financial future so she may leave them. Lucian’s father has decreed he will help with the building or he will stop paying for his townhouse and other expenses. I loved watching Lucian grow up and learn that he was perfectly capable of being responsible, and even enjoyed it. He also falls first, which is my absolute favorite.
Many of the most charming scenes in this novel take place with Diantha and Lucian interviewing potential inventors, as they bounce off of each other and are bemused by the interesting inventors they meet.
Diantha’s family is fun, but I am glad I’m not related to them. I really liked that even her sister has a transformation as the story progresses. She goes from being just as silly as their parents to being more like Diantha.
THE DEVIL’S CHARM is a delightful and yes, charming, start to a new series from Megan Frampton. I enjoyed the low angst and fun characters who grow as they fall in love.
In this delightfully enchanting first book in Megan Frampton’s new series, Heirs and Spares, opposites attract when a devilish lord and a rule-following young lady from rival families find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another. Perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean and Julia Quinn!
One Night He Cannot Forget…
Lord Lucian Blackwood, second son of the Duke of Waxford, has assumed all the responsibilities of a spare, meaning it is his duty to seduce all the women, win vast sums at gaming, and appear gorgeously clothed for any occasion. He doesn’t expect his friend’s wedding to be any different—but then he meets, and kisses, her. Even more delicious is that she is the daughter of his rigid father’s longtime enemy…and now Lucian and Lady Diantha are tasked with working together on a project that will heal the rift.
One Night She Can’t Help but Remember…
Lady Diantha Courtenay always does the right thing. She wears the proper clothes, she speaks to the right people, she smiles exactly the right amount. When she attends her friend’s wedding, however, she sees a gentleman who makes her want to do all the wrong things. With him. The next morning, she is appalled, and sets herself back on course to being the most proper young lady, relieved she now has a family project to focus on. She thought she was safe from that other Diantha until she realizes she’ll be working with him.