ARC Review: Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas

Recommended Read!

“I always have high expectations when it comes to Lisa Kleypas, but somehow she manages to exceed them every time.”
~ Under the Covers

You may have noticed this, but here at Under the Covers we are rabid fans of Lisa Kleypas. She writes some of our favourite historical romances. With every single book she writes she gets us falling in love with her characters and raptly reading every word. So, with the release of the fifth book in the Ravenel series we were all very excited. Especially as we know that the heroine is the progeny of a beloved previous couple crafted by Kleypas (Evie and Sebastian from Devil in Winter). This means that our expectations for Devil’s Daughter was sky high. We expected perfection and would accept no less!

As we all anticipated this book so highly, we decided to do a team review to see if it met each one of our, admittedly, very high expectations:

In one sentence, what are your thoughts after reading Devil’s Daughter?

Suzanne: Thoughts? I have no thoughts, my brain is still scrambled from the sheer perfection of this book.

Francesca: I want to marry West Ravenel!

Annie: I always have high expectations when it comes to Lisa Kleypas, but somehow she manages to exceed them every time. She’s the one of the few cherished authors on my auto-buy list!

Let’s break it down. What stood out for you the most about this book?

Suzanne: It seems a very obvious answer, but the romance. And more particularly how Phoebe was the one who took the reins and pushed this romance forward. Although I love a book where the hero pursues the heroine and in some respects this is what happened. West made his attraction and affection very clear. But, I did find it refreshing to have a romance where the key steps in the relationship were knowingly led by Phoebe. There’s nothing I love more than a brave heroine and I think Phoebe’s willingness to move forward and find the strength to follow her own feelings and judgements was wonderful.

Francesca: Yes I agree with Suzanne.  I was completely swept up in the romance.  Lisa Kleypas is so talented at carefully crafting her books that it feels as if every moment and every scene is so purposeful but you also never really notice because you’re so involved in it.  Does that even make sense?  And I also agree about Phoebe but I really couldn’t expect less from Sebastian’s daughter!  The chemistry between a heroine like Phoebe and my future husband, I mean, the hero West was simply undeniable.

Annie: I totally agree with what was said above! One of my favourite things about Kleypas’ books is that she writes an array of different characters and although I love the rakish characters, there’s always something inspiring about a heroine who takes an initiative. I find this especially true in Historical Romance where heroines tend to be shy. The romance is the biggest star of the show and that’s thanks to the way Kleypas paid attention to the dynamic between West and Phoebe.

Did any familiar characters pop in? Did you enjoy the connection Kleypas forged between this book and the Wallflower series?

Suzanne: I am a huge fan of the Wallflower series, in fact as much as I adore the Ravenel series Wallflowers will always be my number one. So, seeing glimpses of previous characters had me grinning and bubbling with happiness. Also seeing possible other stories with other offspring of the Wallflowers has me bouncing with expectation! But, what I loved most about these “cameos” was seeing Sebastian as a father and a grandfather. If you didn’t already love him from Devil in Winter then I defy you not to fall in love with him in this book.

Francesca: I was all over any glimpses of the Wallflowers or their offpsring.  I particularly enjoyed the scene with Evie and Sebastian because it showed a different part of their life together.  The same but better if that’s even possible!

Annie: If you know me then you know that Sebastian is one of my all-time favorite characters so getting the chance to read about him again was so fun. What was more interesting was getting to see the ultimate rake in a different light. He’s still very much the same, but the subtle maturation of him definitely made me love this book even more. With that being said, I highly recommend reading Kleypas’ backlist to experience it for yourself.

Will you be reading the next book in this series?

Suzanne: Hell yes! I would read Kleypas’ shopping list and probably still enjoy it!

Francesca: Is that even a real question?

Annie: Absolutely! I don’t think I would ever want to kiss out on a Lisa Kleypas book!

What is your rating for this book?

Suzanne: 4.5 Stars

Francesca: 5 Stars!

Annie: 4 .5 stars from me too!

What did you think of our review?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[about-author author=”Lisa Kleypas”]

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