My affection for Lisa Kleypas was slow in arriving. I was generally pleased with Secrets of a Summer Night, my only real drawback being the secondary storyline with the heroine’s mother. Simon and Annabelle were a delight. It Happened One Autumn was a step in the wrong direction for me, while the individual characters of Lillian and Westcliff worked I was bored during the first half and had serious reservations about the characterization of Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. Trusting our other romance readers, I kept going, but I was nervous.
Spoilers for book two:
You see, in that book St. Vincent is part of a kidnapping scheme and threatens marital rape in order to get Lillian’s compliance. It was… a problem for me in that book. While I do enjoy that Kleypas writes with more historical accuracy than many of the other romance writers I’ve come across, it doesn’t mean that ALL of the historically accurate things are wanted on the page, or that I felt at all comfortable with the idea that I would be asked, in the very next book, to forgive the character this enormous transgression since all romance books end with a coupled happily ever after.
But somehow, Kleypas made it work. Or I’m a sucker, and I think I’m okay with either answer.
Devil in Winter picks up immediately following the events of It Happened One Autumn, and our third wallflower Evie has decided that the only possible solution to her familial problems is the safety of marriage to St. Vincent, knowing full well what he just attempted. Evie knows it will likely cost her the only friends she has, but her circumstances are that dire. The first two books in the series hint at Evie’s family situation, but this book elucidates the very real problems of being under someone else’s hand and their wishing you only harm and no care for you as an individual with feelings, emotions, or rights. Evie’s stand for herself and the deal she strikes with St. Vincent completely pulled me in to her world, and through her eyes we get the redemption of the epitome of rakes.
I was sold on these two during the very early parts of the novel, as they head to Gretna Green and everything after that point was just bonus points. There was a side plot I could do without and I’m sure on rereads I’ll just skip it entirely. I was however very excited to find out that Cam Rohan appears in the Hathaway series and am even more intent on finishing this series so I can move onto that one next year.
To sum up, Kleypas sets up a romance where each character gets to find the best version of themselves, both leads are sexual equals (not in experience, but in openness and appetite), and secondary characters are developed but do not overtake the plot. And its steamy. SOLD. I was making heart eyes at this book by the end.
He is the Sebastian by which all literal and figurative kissing book Sebastians are measured. I adore him. Plus the book is so funny.
“I’ll take your bet,” he said grimly. “I’m going to win it. And in three months, I’m going to put this back on your finger, and take you to bed, and do things to you that are outlawed in the civilized world.”
“Nature had squandered an unreasonable quantity of male beauty on this undeserving creature.”
Cam Rohan is indeed in the first of the Hathaway books. Unless you have a desperate need to read a complete series, I would strongly urge you to skip the second book in the series, which is just awful and one of the most frustrating and annoying romances I’ve ever read. None of the books in the Wallflowers series, even the ones I don’t exactly love, come close to its suckitude. I’m quite sure that other romance readers on here can support me in the “skip Win and Kev’s book”. Trust me. It’s just not worth it.
Yes! Skip that book and skip it hard. I have a very low tolerance for Kleypas’ magical mystical gypsies, and Kev is the worst. Or the combination of Kev and Win is the worst.
Malin speaks truth; however, if you like Cam and Amelia as much as I do (and she is one of my all-time favourite heroines) they get quite a bit of attention in Kev and Win’s book so you might want to read it for those bits.
Let me add to the skip book 2 of the Wallflowers. It is THE WORST (said in Jean-Ralphio’s voice). And Amelia, like Mrs. J, is a personal favorite of a heroine. It’s still not worth it to read for their parts in my opinion. I’ve re-read every one in that series more than once, but Sunrise.
I second the “Don’t even read the bits with Amelia and Cam” opinion. Really, Seduce Me at Sunrise is a sad disappointment of a book, the only Kleypas I’ve read that I hated more was Somewhere I’ll Find You, which was pretty much irredeemable. The hero is mentally unstable and the heroine is wet as a damp blanket – there is NOTHING appealing to that book. I really like and can highly recommend the other four Hathaway books, though. Just pretend that Win never got a book, she got married off-screen.
I’m joining the chorus! Seduce Me at Sunrise earned the dubious honor of garnering one of, if not the very first, romance-related rants I’ve put to e-paper.
I have gone back and reread that rant… and yep I’ll avoid it. Although you might have to remind me then, since I’m not planning on starting those for awhile.