Devil in Disguise

May 31, 2021
Kleypas continues her winning streak with a thoroughly engrossing crossover between her Regency Wallflowers series and Victorian Ravenels novels. Three years after Lady Merritt Sterling’s husband’s death left her in charge of his shipping firm, a costly accident brings the bold, magnetic businesswoman—eldest daughter of an American heiress and the Earl of Westcliff—into close contact with client Keir MacRae, a strikingly handsome, rough-hewn whisky distiller. Both are surprised to find themselves so strongly and immediately drawn to someone so different. Merritt is far above Keir’s touch, and Keir, from the remote Scottish island of Islay, dislikes city life and English society. Complicating their budding relationship are a series of increasingly dangerous calamities, from broken casks, to a stabbing, to a warehouse “blown to smithereens”—all pieces of a deadly mystery to which a popular member of the Wallflowers family holds the key. Social differences notwithstanding, Merritt and Keir are kindred spirits: practical, grounded, and kind, they grew up well loved and loving. But losing her husband after less than two years of marriage and, pivotally, not being able to have his children broke Merritt’s heart. That issue’s clichéd resolution is an unfortunate blemish in an otherwise delightful tale. Still, fans of both series are sure to rejoice in the tender love story.

Starred review from June 15, 2021
A Scottish distiller, a businesswoman in Victorian London, an explosive attraction. Kleypas' beloved Wallflower/Ravenels series crossover continues with the next generation of feisty descendants, this time Lord Marcus and Lady Lillian Westcliff's widowed daughter. Drawn irresistibly to a client of her shipping company, Lady Merritt Sterling coaxes an equally smitten Keir MacRae to spend a night with her. While convinced that their unequal birth and upbringing make them ill-matched for a real relationship, Keir tells himself it's a memory he can cherish forever. But disaster strikes soon after, allowing Kleypas to deploy the classic "nursing a hurt lover to recovery" trope, with a twist that turns Merritt and Keir's bond into a variation of the second-chance romance. As the search for the cause of the attack on Keir leads to questions about his birth, a favorite Wallflower character looms large, with plenty of clues (including the title) to tell the reader why our hero is mistaken about his lineage. The third act is slightly anticlimactic, with all the nonromance action having occurred in Act 1 and served as a plot device to bring the romance and other relationships into being in Act 2. While Kleypas takes no risks to push her oeuvre in new directions, the novel abounds in the vintage pleasures of her writing: finely drawn characters; a tactile, sensuous style in both the sex scenes and the landscape descriptions; banter that illustrates the emotional compatibility of romantic partners; dual points of view that show both the hero's and the heroine's interior lives; moving moments of familial ties; and glimpses of couples from other novels to assure us that love lasts forever. Undemandingly pleasurable and guaranteed to go on the reread shelf.

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Starred review from August 13, 2021

In the seventh installment in Kleypas's "Ravenels" series (after Chasing Cassandra), Lady Merritt Starling has been running her late husband's shipping business since his death in a shipwreck the year before. Her well-ordered life is disrupted by the arrival of Keir MacRae, a Scottish whisky distiller who has come to London to sell his wares. Their chemistry is scorching, and the relationship develops quickly but feels complete. Both characters have strong backstories and personalities, which makes their eventual romantic pairing more satisfying. A suspense plot adds conflict and danger to the novel without overwhelming the romance, aiding the connection between the characters. Kleypas easily juggles plot lines, characters, and relationships; the novel never feels disjointed despite having many different elements. Her excellent characterization adds depth to familiar plot points. Longtime readers of Kleypas ("Wallflowers" series; "The Hathaways" series) will welcome the return of some of her most beloved characters, who retain the charm of their initial appearances while still maturing. VERDICT A must for historical romance lovers. Fans of Kleypas in particular will find this books essential.--Brigid Black, Lucius Beebe Memorial Lib., Wakefield, MA

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