Reviewer: Holly Devil in Spring (The Ravenels, #3) by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #3
Also in this series: Cold-Hearted Rake, Devil in Spring, Devil in Spring, Hello Stranger, Devil's Daughter (The Ravenels #5), Devil's Daughter, Chasing Cassandra, Devil in Disguise
Publisher: Harper Collins, Avon
Publication Date: February 21st 2017
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 288
Add It: Goodreads
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Series Rating:
An eccentric wallflower…
Most debutantes dream of finding a husband. Lady Pandora Ravenel has different plans. The ambitious young beauty would much rather stay at home and plot out her new board game business than take part in the London Season. But one night at a glittering society ball, she’s ensnared in a scandal with a wickedly handsome stranger.
A cynical rake…
After years of evading marital traps with ease, Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, has finally been caught-by a rebellious girl who couldn’t be less suitable. In fact, she wants nothing to do with him. But Gabriel finds the high-spirited Pandora irresistible. He’ll do whatever it takes to possess her, even if their marriage of convenience turns out to be the devil’s own bargain.
A perilous plot…
After succumbing to Gabriel’s skilled and sensuous persuasion, Pandora agrees to become his bride. But soon she discovers that her entrepreneurial endeavors have accidentally involved her in a dangerous conspiracy-and only her husband can keep her safe. As Gabriel protects her from their unknown adversaries, they realize their devil’s bargain may just turn out to be a match made in heaven...
Devil in Spring is the third book in the Ravenels series. I didn’t read the previous two books in the series, and I don’t feel I suffered for it. This stands alone well.
Pandora has no intention of ever marrying. She knows she’s considered peculiar by the Ton, but she doesn’t mind. She’s biding her time through the season while she works on designing board games. So no one is more shocked – and angry- than she when she inadvertently gets caught in a compromising position with none other than Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, and he’s forced to offer for her. She’d rather suffer the scandal than be tied to a man, especially a rake like Gabriel.
Gabriel knows his duty is to settle down and marry the right kind of woman. One who will be an asset to him in every way as he will eventually inherit a Dukedom. She must be poised and proper, able to run a large household without trouble, and maintain dignity and decorum at all times. Unfortunately, the woman he’s about to be shackled to is the exact opposite in all ways. She’s loud, runs off at the mouth, has the strangest notions and can’t seem to keep a thought in her head. She’s also fascinating, and more passionate than any other woman he’s ever met.
As they try to navigate a betrothal together, they learn neither is exactly what they first thought, but they may have found the exact thing they needed all along.
It was lovely to revisit Evie and Sebastian, yet the real draw here is the unlikely romance between Gabriel and the wallflower Pandora. I loved what a free-thinker Pandora was, and how Gabriel came to love her for her unconventional thinking. Kleypas is a fabulous storyteller. Even after all these years, her stories remain fresh and entertaining.
4.25 out of 5
The Ravenels
I enjoyed this (but some of my favorite books by the author are her contemporaries and some of her older historical romances).