Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas

Devil's Daughter

The Ravenels #5

Lisa Kleypas

Historical Romance

Published in 2019

H/h - Weston Ravenel/Phoebe, Lady Clare

Setting: England, 1877.

Read in June, 2019

My rating:

                                                        [spoiler alert]

Devil’s Daughter is the book 5 of Lisa Kleypas’s ongoing historical romance series, The Ravenels. Though I’ve had quite the ambivalent feeling towards a few of the installments, I’ve largely enjoyed her return to the world of historical romance since this series debuted in 2015. It was given, that Weston Ravenel, one of the prominent secondary characters of the series, would have his own book. But was I really anticipating the release of his book? Did it meet my expectations?? Let’s see if I can elaborate.

As usual, I’ll begin with a bit of background to connect the dots. So the series is set in the Victorian England. Two brothers, Devon and Weston, two of the very few remaining Ravenels, suddenly come to an inheritance that they never thought of gaining. Devon becomes an Earl when the direct heir to the Treanor earldom suddenly died in a riding accident without leaving any heir. The circumstance of Theo’s death was an example of how wild and unpredictable a bunch the Ravenels are. Having a self-destructive bend is how they’ve always been, probably since the beginning of their line. They were known for wild and fast living and many of their ancestors died young too maintaining that lifestyle. Devon and Weston were most probably heading to that direction, though they had none of the burdens of money and properties… until they were burdened. In fact, Devon and Weston were poor enough to not have any prospects. Both were known rakes, sometimes bullies and had a very debauched lifestyle of a true Ravenel. They’d probably planned on dying young (at least Weston had thought so…). But owning the legacy that was never meant to be theirs changed everything for them. And boy with that legacy came burdens! Not only Devon was now responsible for a dilapidated, debt-ridden mansion that he ardently wanted to raze down and wash his hands off of, but also he had to take care of Theo’s young widow, Kathleen and his 3 sisters; Helen, and the twins, Pandora and Cassandra.

Promo Spotlight: Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas

Today, I'm hosting a promo on Lisa Kleypas's latest historical romance release, Devil's Daughter (The Ravenels #5), as a part of the ongoing VBT. Also find an excerpt for your enjoyment.

Devil's Daughter

Lisa Kleypas

(The Ravenels #5)

Published: February 19, 2019 by Avon Romance

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 straitlaced 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?

Only the devil’s daughter knows…

Buy Links:
Amazon | B&N | Avon Romance | iBooks

Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Hello Stranger
The Ravenels #4

Lisa Kleypas
Historical Romance
Published in 2018

H/h - Ethan Ransom/Dr. Garrett Gibson
Setting: London, 1876.

Read in April, 2018.

My rating:

                                                     [spoiler alert]

Hello Stranger was the book 4 of Lisa Kleypas’s brand new historical romance series The Ravenels. Even with some ups and downs along the way I’ve been enjoying her return to the arena of historical romance. I’m just glad she’s writing HR again and hoping that she’ll continue to do so for years to come. And TBH I’m simply blown away by this one! Hello Stranger, for me, wasn’t a highly anticipated release like some of the previous ones in the series but... Wow! Ethan Ransom!! I *heart*!!!

First a bit of background, which is how I like to do my review... Set in the Victorian-era, book 1 of the Ravenels is titled Cold-Hearted Rake. It gives you the intro to The Ravenel family, and its two surviving brothers Devon and Weston. The Ravenels are a rowdy bunch who had always had a penchant for self-destruction. They live wild; always drawn to the adrenaline rush and the danger, never bothering to think about the consequences. And they die young too, which has come to be known as the “Ravenel curse”. Devon and West, both have the same bend on self-destruction. They had no title or money but, regardless, Devon didn’t want a title stooped under a pile of debt and a dilapidating country estate on his shoulders. But when his titled cousin, the last direct heir to Lord Trenear, breaks his neck from a fall from horseback, he had no other choice. Now, not only he was bordered with the duties that came with the title, but also Devon found that he’s now responsible for Theo’s 3 younger sisters—Helen, and the twins Cassandra and Pandora. If that wasn’t the worse thing to deal with, he’s also now responsible for Theo’s widow, Kathleen. At first, their relationship was that of oil and water but soon it turned into something else. Devon and Kathleen found themselves in love (which did nothing for me unfortunately), so on and so forth. A family, responsibility and love did change both Devon and West to become more cautious about their lifestyle, spending it on more fruitful ventures. As a result, they finally found themselves with a thriving estate. Devon and Kathleen have married, had a child, their life seemingly fulfilled.

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

Devil in Spring
The Ravenels #3

Lisa Kleypas
Historical Romance
Published in 2017

H/h - Lord Gabriel St. Vincent/Lady Pandora Ravenel
Setting: London, 1876.

Read in March, 2017.

My rating:

                                                      [spoiler alert]

Sooooooooo...I know this one’s going to be a difficult one for me because I was really, really looking forward to this book. But alas! I may have expected too much. :(

I just finished Lisa Kleypas’s much anticipated book 3 of the Ravenels series, Devil in Spring, and I’m rather underwhelmed by it. Don’t get me wrong, the writing was great; the storyline was, again, great as well. Any of LK’s ‘mediocre’ books are wayyyy better than what’s out there in the name of historical romance. But I am not going into that direction. I love LK and I will love her writing no matter what I felt. But the problem with Devil in Spring was that no one can really surpass Sebastian St. Vincent for me. Unfortunately, not even his own son. His reputation, for me, only comes after Derek, the hero of Dreaming of You, my most favorite LK book. Sadly, I had not reviewed this one, neither did I review the Wallflower series, probably LK’s best known and most loved series till today. I read and re-read those in my pre-Goodreads era.

If you haven’t read either Dreaming of You or The Wallflowers series, you really should. Sebastian St. Vincent was the hero of book 3, Devil in Winter. And boy he kept his lovely Evie (and us) so warm during those winter months, and beyond. ;) I, in general, have a great dislike for rakes even when others swoon over them. But LK’s rakes are a league of their own. She just knows how to make me fall in love with them so I always trust in her writing. Both Derek and Sebastian were two of her biggest rakish heroes that many of us still adore like no other.

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas

Marrying Winterborne
The Ravenels #2

Lisa Kleypas
Historical Romance
Published in 2016

H/h - Rhys Winterborne/Lady Helen Ravenel
Setting: England, 1875.

Read in June, 2016.

My rating:

                                                         [spoiler alert]

Marrying Winterborne was the most anticipated sequel to Lisa Kleypas’s new historical romance series, The Ravenels. This new series has brought back this star of the Historical Romance on the spotlight after 6 long years. Yes, all of us LK fans have been waiting with bated breath for a new HR series from Ms. Kleypas, and when the wait was over, along with our gleeful celebration, we all heaved a sigh of relief.

Now the first book in the series, Cold-Hearted Rake, was more of an introduction to this series. It’s completely, with a set of new characters in it. Set in the Victorian-era, Cold-Hearted Rake talks about The Ravenel family, and it’s last two surviving male, brothers Devon and Weston. The Ravenels are a rowdy bunch who had always had a penchant for self-destruction. They live wild; always drawn to the adrenaline rush and the danger, never bothering to think about the consequences. And they die young too, which has come to be known as the “Ravenel curse”. Devon and West, both with the same bend on self-destruction by living a life fast and furious. They had no title or money to speak of, but Ravenels are Ravenels and they know how to live. Even then, Devon didn’t need or want a title hunched under a pile of debt and a dilapidating country estate. But when his titled cousin, the last direct heir to Lord Trenear, breaks his neck from a fall from horseback, he had no other choice.  Not only he had several duties that came with the title, Devon found that he’s now responsible for Theo’s 3 younger sisters—Helen, and the twins Cassandra and Pandora. If that wasn’t the worse thing to deal with, he’s also now responsible for Theo’s widow, namely Kathleen, who was his bride for all of 3 days.

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

Cold-Hearted Rake
The Ravenels #1

Lisa Kleypas
Historical Romance
Pub date: October 27, 2015

H/h - Devon Ravenel, the Earl of Trenear/Lady Kathleen Ravenel
Setting: England, 1875.

Read in November, 2015.

My rating:

                                                 [spoiler alert]

Lisa Kleypas is one of those authors who have introduced me to the wonderful world of current day Historical Romances. It’s been quite a few years yet, for me, the appeal to her novels have never faltered. She’s one of those authors who always inspires me and made Historical Romance my favorite genre. I’ve always admired her, still do and have been eagerly waiting for this new book to be a reality. It must have been 5yrs since the last LK HR was published, ever since then.

After all the anticipation, did Cold-Hearted Rake, book 1 of The Ravenels, live up to my expectations? I have to be honest and say, “no”. Now don’t get me wrong, it was still a great book, LK’s writing as impeccable as ever. However the central characters, Devon and Kathleen won’t really make my list of LK’s favorite H and h. They were sometimes good together, yet oftimes tried my patience. They quarreled and bickered like two children, came together and the next moment, pushed each-other away. Needless to say, it left me frustrated. But on the bright side, the story did pick up and we got to meet a cast of amazing secondary characters whose books I can’t wait to read! I’d give this novel the benefit of doubt because it’s not uncommon for the first book of an entirely new series stumbles a bit before the series becoming a masterpiece.