Devil in Disguise (The Ravenels #7) by Lisa Kleypas

5*


Kleypas and these families will always earn a 5* from me. She has a way with historical romance unsurpassed by any other writer I’ve read and always has a plot that involves a mystery where main characters are put at risk. Both the romance and the mystery are well-drawn and not at all gratuitous. Her characters are well-developed, her history accurate, and the relationships are full of intense, eternal love, sizzling chemistry, and lots of laughter. One of the things I love the most about the Ravenel series is that it features the children of the couples from the Wallflower series. If you’ve read those books, you get why the presence of Sebastian and Evie and Lilliana and Marcus is so emotionally satisfying. Her heroines are feminists who never let men dictate their lives, and they’ve produced equally strong daughters like Merritt and Phoebe.

Almost all historical romances aren’t just about the eventual happily-ever-after, but the journey to get there. In this case, it’s one that begins in the offices of a shipping firm owned by Lady Merritt Sterling, Marcus & Lillian’s eldest child, who took over the firm after the untimely death of her husband of only 1.5 years. It’s been three years, so she’s no longer grief-stricken but she’s also vowed to never marry again. Then Kier MacRae, an incredibly handsome Scot who owns a whiskey distillery and bears an uncanny resemblance to our favorite reformed rake, Sebastian, formerly Lord St. Vincent and now Duke of Challon. The attraction is instantaneous, and mysterious circumstances throw them together as they try to determine why Kier is being targeted.

I also appreciate how Kleypas seamlessly blends the aristocrats of the haute ton with the rise of the industrial revolution. On the surface, her pairings are ones that might have caused scandal, but by the time this story takes place (1880s), cash-strapped aristocrats either must marry for money or earn their fortunes through trade and industry. Generally, her characters buck tradition, marrying for love rather than money or social standing, and investing in the new inventions that power progress.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.