Tuesday, March 21, 2023

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


Lady Merritt Sterling has been running her late husband's shipping business. Keir MacRae, a Scottish whisky distiller, meets Merritt and all of her carefully regimented rules to avoid scandal fall apart as soon as it becomes apparent that he is the target of a murderous man. Will these two fools make it?

(Look, this book has so many characters from the previous books that I think you would be entirely confused if you have not read the four Wallflowers books and the previous six Ravenels books. I think the fact that these books become less and less able to stand on their own is a serious detriment of the series, but if you like seeing multiple generations do their thing then this will be right up your alley.)

Interesting characters: WHY DO HER HEROES ALWAYS HAVE DADDY ISSUES?!?! I am really over it. I mean, why can't Keir just be a guy who had a lovely mom and dad and just falls in love? 

Who even cares about Merritt? She's okay, I guess, but not one of the best leads ever.

Believable conflict: OH MY GOD. WHY DO I READ THESE BOOKS? I mean, it's so convoluted what the conflict really is and I honestly don't believe any of it is BELIEVABLE. Thank goodness this is the last book in this series and you won't have to hear me screaming about this again.

Emotional tension: For heaven's sake. There is no tension. They sleep together almost immediately, and even the amnesia thing doesn't stop them. I have no words for how terrible this book is.

Happily ever after: Oh, I bet you know how this book ends, don't you? I'll give you one hint: baby. *sigh*

Here's the thing. I started to like these books because of the witty banter and all of the lines of banter I marked in this case were all from characters who were not our leads. What is this book, Lisa Kleypas?!

2/5 stars

Lines of note:

“How do you know I won’t insult her virtue?” the Scotsman demanded in outrage.

Luke lifted his brows, looking mildly interested. 

“Are you going to?” 

“No. But I could!” (location 538)

This was banter between the hero and the lead's brother. They have more chemistry together than the main couple.

“I’ve never cared for the phrase ‘falling in love,’ as if love were a hole in the ground. It’s a choice, after all.” (location 727)

Is it? Is it a choice? Interesting.

“Common interests can be acquired,” he pointed out. “What matters most is having similar values.”

 “Oh? What values do you and Evie have in common?” But the question sounded teasing rather than mocking. 

Sebastian thought for a moment. “She and I have both always wanted me to be happy.” (location 4141)

NOT OUR LEADS.
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4 comments:

  1. Jenny3/21/2023

    Ha ha... well, you make it sound awfully appealing, but I think I'll skip this one!

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    Replies
    1. NGS3/21/2023

      Ha ha. I am not sure why I even wrote a review since I was so mean about it, but I guess I just wanted to have a complete record of the whole series!

      Delete
  2. Diane C.3/21/2023

    I so agree with you about the lack of good parents in romance novels. They are often either dead or incompetent. It feels like a serious lack of imagination to have so many character issues stem from lack of stable parents. I mean it's an understandable issue to have, but there must be other reasons someone has inner conflict. The Bridgerton series has one good living parent - I don't love the whole series, but I find Violet Bridgerton delightful.

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    Replies
    1. NGS3/22/2023

      Yes! I had the same beef with Bridgerton. *sigh* Get a new trope, historical romance authors!

      Delete

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