Book Blurb :
When dealing with the devil it’s easy to be burned… especially when passion ignites the flames.
Who can find a virtuous woman… Beautiful, respectable, and dutiful, Lady Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley has long resigned herself to her decade-long loveless and childless marriage to a feckless husband…until his gambling pushes them to the brink of financial ruin.
Sometimes the devil is in disguise…as a gentleman… Viscount Ludovic, “The Devil DeVere”, is a man accustomed to taking what he wants according to his whim and heedless of the cost…until he encounters a woman who won’t be had at any price.
When dealing with the devil, it’s easy to be burned… When Diana discovers a secret that shatters the carefully built façade concealing her private pain, she seeks aid and comfort from the most unlikely place…the devil’s arms. But will a single night of heavenly passion damn them both forever?
Tash M
Review:
The Devil You Know is the third story in the series and the first of two books telling the story of Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley and Ludovic “The Devil DeVere”. From the previous book, we have come to know Ludovic and Diana well and been given tantalizing hints of their relationship. We also heard about Diana’s marriage to her husband Reggie and Caroline Capheaton, the girl Ludovic nearly got engaged to but until now we never knew the backstory on how they all met.
This is an interesting addition to the series as we get the answers to the questions we have about DeVere and Diana. The argument and meetings in the previous book show tension yet fire and we now the reason why. If you haven’t read the previous two books, I highly recommend you do before you read this one and get the background story about the characters in this. The book title is perfectly apropos. What do we really know about Ludovic De Vere than that gleaned from his actions and the talk of the ton?
The start of the story goes back to when Ned and his wife Annalee were in their third year of marriage and Ludovic was dating Caroline and was going to propose to her. Instead, Caroline tossed him away and married instead a Duke who was her father’s age. The year was 1768 and Ludovic soon began a debauched lifestyle and kept mistresses including Caroline, earning himself his reputation as the Devil.
Fast forward to the year 1779 and The Devil is hosting a party in antipation of the races. Ned and Annalee have travelled to his estate for the party along with Diana but Diana is on a mission. Her husband Reggie has two passions: gambling and horses and plans to race his horse in the races and has gone ahead to prepare.
However, Reggie isn’t there and instead she runs into an old acquaintance, Caroline Capheaton. Caroline, a recent widow, has joined the party as its hostess and hopes to marry Ludovic. Along with Hew, the party settles in for a good time with everyone thinking that it will be a fun filled week or so. We, the reader, get the impression that Ms. Vane will continue the same mix of fun and hilarity, so are unprepared for a change.
The Devil You Know is a departure from the tone of the previous two books in the series. In this story we learn how Hew gets his commission but, more importantly, we learn about the couple we’ve been wanting to know more about and the background to the whole story and how all the main characters know each and why Diana has become what she is as we read about her past.
Reggie is found at another house where he has gambled away the estate because he is unable to pay his loss of some 3000 pounds and this becomes the start of her story with DeVere as she turns to him with her only valuable item that could be of use for the races, her mare. But DeVere, being the master of wagers and manipulation, makes Diana a deal and soon Diana can’t get Ludovic out her head, which is bad news for her as Ludovic’s mistress Caroline doesn’t like one the tension in the air between them one bit .
I have to give this book 5 couples. I didn’t expect half things that happened in the story and it was a nice surprise. The characters of Caroline and Reggie were the perfect respective partners to explain the way Diana and Ludovic become who they are in the first two books of the series. I can’t wait until the fourth book, The Devil’s Match, which tells the continuing story of the pair in the current year of 1783 which the first two books are set in.
Pubisher : Breathless Press
Source : Manic Readers
Released :July 27 2012
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