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what_karla_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
violetsto_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
disclaimer: i have not read the other books in this series and this is my first kleypas.
picked devil in winter as my start because it seems to be the most popular and i am HERE for like 85% of this book. the whole journey to gretna green was amazing, the smut is hot, and there are some surprisingly tender moments in this book. some of the side plot took me out of it, but we made it and i had a great time!
MCs: horrendously shy “wallflower” with red hair and a stammer and older villainous rake of a lord who doesn’t believe in love and absolutely fucks
tropes: marriage of convenience, age gap, “sick” bed
likes:
● the first half was a fucking riot: journey to gretna green (the foot warmers!!!), the opposites attract vibe (but isn’t grumpy/sunshine), sebastian being a hot sinful dark angel, the humorous anvil wedding, sebastian being sweet and fun until evie starts challenging his husbandly authority, heheheheh good for her
"I'm certain you already have many women to f-fortify your vanity. You don't need one more."
"I always need one more, darling. That's my problem."
● i’ll say it once, i’ll say it again: i love pet names and sebastian’s pet names are amazing, even if they are freely given, okay?
● idk just watching that absolute asshole fall in love and turn into an absolute sap was a great time, while evie becomes more comfortable with him and herself
"Don't you dare send me away, you c-coward. Who else would love my freckles? Who else would care that my feet were cold? Who else would ravish me in the billiards room?"
● one the last chapters is literally one giant love confession and it was amazing!
● st. vincent blushes … please someone help me, i have to love every boy that blushes
dislikes:
● the roving pov wasn’t my favorite. we swerve in and out of characters in a way that makes it difficult to discern the “voice” … sometimes within the same paragraph. definitely a different vibe that dual 3rd pov.
● i wasn’t super invested in the villainy subplots … i guess most books have them, but i cared even less for these ones than usual.
steam:
● the smut in this book bumped this rating up to a 4. it is surprisingly scrumptious once you get passed the dubcon. (this is my first pre-2010 historical romance, so i am not sure if the dubcon in this is standard, worse, better, than other books by kleypas, other HR books at this time, etc.)
● the kissing in this book is basically smut, i am speechless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He wanted things that she didn't know how to give. Sensing her confusion, he drew back and possessed her mouth with small, persistent kisses, the bristle on his face scraping gently against hers. His fingers came to the fragile structure of her jaw, tilting her chin, his thumb coaxing her lower lip apart from the upper. The instant he gained an opening, he sealed his mouth over hers. She could taste him, a subtle and alluring essence that affected her like some exotic drug. His tongue pushed inside her, exploring in caressing strokes ... sliding deeper as she offered no resistance.
● so much more cunnilingus than i was expecting …
● the celibacy bet is amazing and more book should do it.
"Six months?" Sebastian's eyes widened, and then he threw her a scornful glance. "Sweetheart, what gives you the idea that you're worth a half-year of celibacy?"
"I may not be," Evie said. "You're the only one who can answer that."
● the … the billiards room … awakened me
“You said I could kiss you," came his gentle, wicked whisper near her ear. "But, my love... you didn't specify where."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Dubious consentkuroko's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Abandonment
ember_eyes_are_for_tigers's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The novel begins incredibly strong, with the two main characters seemingly opposites and having to work through their differences to make the best of their situation.
What I believe is the strongest point of this book is the incredible character development that both protagonists go through, especially Sebastian.
That said, however, halfway through the novel begins to fall a bit flat and, if you read other novels by the same author, you could even start noticing than in most novels one of the main protagonists falls ill, gets injured or is in some way physically altered (I’m including inebriation) for the story to continue developing.
In this specific case of this novel I believe thathaving Sebastian injured by a gunshot was rather unnecessary and felt rather forced.
Nevertheless, the book is incredibly enjoyable!
What I believe is the strongest point of this book is the incredible character development that both protagonists go through, especially Sebastian.
That said, however, halfway through the novel begins to fall a bit flat and, if you read other novels by the same author, you could even start noticing than in most novels one of the main protagonists falls ill, gets injured or is in some way physically altered (I’m including inebriation) for the story to continue developing.
In this specific case of this novel I believe that
Nevertheless, the book is incredibly enjoyable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Death of parent
hellobellarose's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Cute marriage of convenience romance, some iffy elements including racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Kidnapping
Use of G slur to refer to a Roma character and racialized language and stereotyping around him. Main character marries to escape abusecepbreed's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Now this is what I'm talking about! After the trainwreck that was the last book I was seriously having doubts about my determination to give Kleypas another chance, and I wasn't disappointed! Unlike in It Happened One Autumn the main characters are actually very likable! Shocking considering how much redemption St. Vincent had to go through, yet Kleypas managed it. Everything he did in the previous book was terrible, and it made me hate him, yet the new side of him we saw, with the help of Evie's perspective made him an instant favorite for me. Maybe it's my bias for the shy girl and bold guy trope but this novel was infinitely better. St. Vincent became a male lead I actually loved, the slow realization that he's falling for Evie had me in such a chokehold, I eat that shit up everytime! I'm sorry for doubting you Lisa Kleypas 🙏 If I had read this before It Happened One Autumn maybe I would've given Lillian and Marcus more grace
Songs:
Songs:
- Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift
- Norman fucking Rockwell - Lana Del Rey
- Million Dollar Man - Lana Del Rey
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Rape, and Pregnancy
lauramparis's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism