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"I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows that."Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London.
A marriage of convenience is the only solution.
No one would have ever paired the shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome viscount. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Evie is a woman of hidden strength—and Sebastian desires her more than any woman he's ever known.
show more Determined to win her husband's elusive heart, Evie dares to strike a bargain with the devil: If Sebastian can stay celibate for three months, she will allow him into her bed.
When Evie is threatened by a vengeful enemy from the past, Sebastian vows to do whatever it takes to protect his wife . . . even at the expense of his own life.
Together they will defy their perilous fate, for the sake of all-consuming love.
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I absolutely bloody loved this – emotional growth, foot warmers, back massages… this is my love language! 😍
Devil in Winter is the book I first came across in this series, and its one of the most highly rated books in the historical romance genre, plus it focuses on Evie – the only true Wallflower in the group – so I was super excited to get stuck into this one. I had also really enjoyed St Vincent in It Happened One Autumn until he took his bewildering turn into pantomime villainy (what were you thinking Kleypas?).
I enjoy this so bloody much that I have read it twice in 3 months. Partly because crammed it into my brain within 48 hours the first time around, and then sped onto the final book, and consequently my memory was a show more little faded by the time I came to write the review up and really wanted to make sure I did Sebastian justice. You can read a fuller review full review on on my blog.
I am not a person that re-reads books unless it has been about a decade and I’ve entirely forgotten it. So, if I do reread something in a short time after finishing it that means I really loved it (also see [book:Bunny|42815544]!), and this I equally loved on my second read-through.
Plot Summary
This one is a real departure from the previous two books which I have to say felt very welcome, as I was getting very fatigued by the forced kisses and ‘bullish’ men after two books. It picks up right from the final scene of the previous book, as Evie proposed to St Vincent that they get married. They are both desperate – she needs the protection marriage will offer her from her abusive family, and he needs the money she’ll inherit when her father dies. It is an insane plan – after he kidnapped and threatened to rape her friend – but she has no other options.
I would say that most of the plot remains comfortably predictable as a romance, but it does go little nuts towards the end. I am now recognising a familiar formula to these books where at least one of the lovers (but ideally both, at different times) will face some form of mortal peril that the other will sacrifice to rescue them from. In this one, we have a disturbed assassin.. and it is rather clumsily written! But, let’s be honest.. we are all here for Sebastian St Vincent!
Characters
Evangeline Jenner
Evie is the real wallflower of the group, the only genuine wallflower that will hesitate to get involved due to her own anxieties and insecurities rather than social circumstances (though she has those against her too). I would go as far as to say that she is even a wallflower within the book series, as she has up until now gotten by far the least amount of scene time in comparison to the others.
She makes a nice change of pace for me as a quieter character that takes more care and consideration before she acts. This does not mean she is a pushover, she has her own strength but it’s just not as overt (or loud about it) as Lillian or Annabelle.
Evie grew up in a life of neglect, cruelty and outright abuse and now has a reasonable fear that if they once her family force her to marry her cousin they will murder her for the money she will inherit when her wealthy, dying father finally passes away. The desperation and lack of any other options make her bold enough to take a crazy risk, which also buys her freedom for the first time.
I really enjoyed seeing Evie have some excitement, and ultimately find her strength. I could empathise with many of her anxieties, especially the ones that surface later in the book after things finally start to go well for them both.
I can get on top of my anxieties if I am in a one-on-one situation with someone, especially somebody I felt comfortable with and supported by but as soon as you get me into any kind of group social setting it can all unravel. It is these vulnerabilities that make me love Evie so much as a character, she feels real to me – much more than Annabelle, Lillian or even Dasiy.
Sebastian St Vincent
Oh, man. Sebastian.
As much as I had enjoyed his introduction in the previous book, the way he ended things in that book does make the start of this one something of a struggle to get on board with. I will never understand why Kleypas went as far with him as she did. I also think she could have written the start of this one to more clearly communicate how wracked with guilt and shame he is over his actions. We only get a very short mention before he is thrust into the romantic lead. There is also an exchange with Evie where we are meant to believe that he wouldn’t have really raped Lillian, he was just a desperate threat… so what, are we meant to believe that if Westcliff hasn’t found her he’d have not forced her into marriage, and let her go?
This is all a real shame because otherwise, once you can put that mess out of your mind (which if you can, I urge you to just put it down to ill-judged writing!), Sebastian St Vincent is an absolute delight. Be still my heart!
He’s acerbic and funny, but also demonstrates a quiet depth of kindness and care that outstrips either Westcliff or Simon Hunt. These are things that he does very early on that seem to come from an innate desire to make her comfortable, as well as self-restraint, which is at odds with his outward persona of a thoughtless hedonistic rake. Over time the gap between the things that he says and his actions starts to close, as he reconciles that he might not be as bad as the reputation that he wears like a cloak.
I loved how both he and Evie come to get strength from each other, once they let down their walls and allow themselves to rely on another person’s support, for the first time in both their lives. Both characters have real, meaningful growth that is actually based on an emotional connection and that makes this easily the most romantic book of the series.
Evie knew perhaps better than anyone what it was like to live in desperate solitude … yearning for connection, for completeness. And she understood, too, the depths that his loneliness had driven him to.
Writing
I love all the little romantic subtleties in this book as affection grows between the pair, Kleypas is a master at this. I am not one to my blown over by grand romantic gestures – I don’t trust them – I need the small, everyday actions that show me you care. This book is full of those, which is what makes it such a soft and romantic read for me.
Of course, we do again have some horrendous writing of dialogue for the lower class, I guess cockney, characters by an American author but at this point, I find it part of the “charm!”
And this …
And of course
Beautiful.
Themes
I discuss themes more in my full review on my blog.
- Again, working people are better than lazy posh people
- Women have no choices
- Don’t judge a book by its cover, as both main characters break out of the boxes society, and their friends, have placed them in.
- Acts of Service are HOT
Recommendation: All The Hearts 5/5!
The best one in the series, and if you can overlook the events of Book 2 there is so much to be enjoyed in both St Vincent and Evie. I mean, this is a romance book and I wrote this long review of it with way too many quotes… (I think I have 47 kindle highlights!)… It is worth reading! If you are already a romance genre fan I am sure that you have already read it – but if you’re like me, and sometimes dip in and out, give it a go. If you liked the Julia Quinn Bridgerton books (especially Romancing Mr Bridgerton, the best one – obviously) you will love this. show less
Devil in Winter is the book I first came across in this series, and its one of the most highly rated books in the historical romance genre, plus it focuses on Evie – the only true Wallflower in the group – so I was super excited to get stuck into this one. I had also really enjoyed St Vincent in It Happened One Autumn until he took his bewildering turn into pantomime villainy (what were you thinking Kleypas?).
I enjoy this so bloody much that I have read it twice in 3 months. Partly because crammed it into my brain within 48 hours the first time around, and then sped onto the final book, and consequently my memory was a show more little faded by the time I came to write the review up and really wanted to make sure I did Sebastian justice. You can read a fuller review full review on on my blog.
I am not a person that re-reads books unless it has been about a decade and I’ve entirely forgotten it. So, if I do reread something in a short time after finishing it that means I really loved it (also see [book:Bunny|42815544]!), and this I equally loved on my second read-through.
Plot Summary
This one is a real departure from the previous two books which I have to say felt very welcome, as I was getting very fatigued by the forced kisses and ‘bullish’ men after two books. It picks up right from the final scene of the previous book, as Evie proposed to St Vincent that they get married. They are both desperate – she needs the protection marriage will offer her from her abusive family, and he needs the money she’ll inherit when her father dies. It is an insane plan – after he kidnapped and threatened to rape her friend – but she has no other options.
I would say that most of the plot remains comfortably predictable as a romance, but it does go little nuts towards the end. I am now recognising a familiar formula to these books where at least one of the lovers (but ideally both, at different times) will face some form of mortal peril that the other will sacrifice to rescue them from. In this one, we have a disturbed assassin.. and it is rather clumsily written! But, let’s be honest.. we are all here for Sebastian St Vincent!
Characters
Evangeline Jenner
Evie is the real wallflower of the group, the only genuine wallflower that will hesitate to get involved due to her own anxieties and insecurities rather than social circumstances (though she has those against her too). I would go as far as to say that she is even a wallflower within the book series, as she has up until now gotten by far the least amount of scene time in comparison to the others.
She makes a nice change of pace for me as a quieter character that takes more care and consideration before she acts. This does not mean she is a pushover, she has her own strength but it’s just not as overt (or loud about it) as Lillian or Annabelle.
Evie grew up in a life of neglect, cruelty and outright abuse and now has a reasonable fear that if they once her family force her to marry her cousin they will murder her for the money she will inherit when her wealthy, dying father finally passes away. The desperation and lack of any other options make her bold enough to take a crazy risk, which also buys her freedom for the first time.
I really enjoyed seeing Evie have some excitement, and ultimately find her strength. I could empathise with many of her anxieties, especially the ones that surface later in the book after things finally start to go well for them both.
I can get on top of my anxieties if I am in a one-on-one situation with someone, especially somebody I felt comfortable with and supported by but as soon as you get me into any kind of group social setting it can all unravel. It is these vulnerabilities that make me love Evie so much as a character, she feels real to me – much more than Annabelle, Lillian or even Dasiy.
Sebastian St Vincent
Oh, man. Sebastian.
As much as I had enjoyed his introduction in the previous book, the way he ended things in that book does make the start of this one something of a struggle to get on board with. I will never understand why Kleypas went as far with him as she did. I also think she could have written the start of this one to more clearly communicate how wracked with guilt and shame he is over his actions. We only get a very short mention before he is thrust into the romantic lead. There is also an exchange with Evie where we are meant to believe that he wouldn’t have really raped Lillian, he was just a desperate threat… so what, are we meant to believe that if Westcliff hasn’t found her he’d have not forced her into marriage, and let her go?
‘Go on, then,’ she challenged coolly. ‘Force me.’ She saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes. His throat worked, but he remained silent. And then … she understood. ‘You can’t,’ she said in wonder. ‘You would never have raped Lillian. You were only bluffing. You could never force a woman.’ A faint smile rose to her lips. ‘She was never in a moment’s danger, was she? You’re not nearly the villain you pretend to be.’
This is all a real shame because otherwise, once you can put that mess out of your mind (which if you can, I urge you to just put it down to ill-judged writing!), Sebastian St Vincent is an absolute delight. Be still my heart!
He’s acerbic and funny, but also demonstrates a quiet depth of kindness and care that outstrips either Westcliff or Simon Hunt. These are things that he does very early on that seem to come from an innate desire to make her comfortable, as well as self-restraint, which is at odds with his outward persona of a thoughtless hedonistic rake. Over time the gap between the things that he says and his actions starts to close, as he reconciles that he might not be as bad as the reputation that he wears like a cloak.
I loved how both he and Evie come to get strength from each other, once they let down their walls and allow themselves to rely on another person’s support, for the first time in both their lives. Both characters have real, meaningful growth that is actually based on an emotional connection and that makes this easily the most romantic book of the series.
Evie knew perhaps better than anyone what it was like to live in desperate solitude … yearning for connection, for completeness. And she understood, too, the depths that his loneliness had driven him to.
Writing
I love all the little romantic subtleties in this book as affection grows between the pair, Kleypas is a master at this. I am not one to my blown over by grand romantic gestures – I don’t trust them – I need the small, everyday actions that show me you care. This book is full of those, which is what makes it such a soft and romantic read for me.
Of course, we do again have some horrendous writing of dialogue for the lower class, I guess cockney, characters by an American author but at this point, I find it part of the “charm!”
‘You’re not so tangled in the gob as you were,’
And this …
‘’E gave it all to you, the damned bastard – ’e only wanted an ugly little tangle-tongue, when I was ’is son. ’Is son, an’ I was ’id away like a filthy chamber pot.’ His face contorted. ‘I did whotever ’e asked … I’d of killed to please ’im … but it never mattered. It was allus you ’e wanted, you bleedin’ parasite!’
And of course
Not a word. Or I’ll slit you open from neck to muff.
Beautiful.
Themes
I discuss themes more in my full review on my blog.
- Again, working people are better than lazy posh people
- Women have no choices
- Don’t judge a book by its cover, as both main characters break out of the boxes society, and their friends, have placed them in.
- Acts of Service are HOT
Recommendation: All The Hearts 5/5!
The best one in the series, and if you can overlook the events of Book 2 there is so much to be enjoyed in both St Vincent and Evie. I mean, this is a romance book and I wrote this long review of it with way too many quotes… (I think I have 47 kindle highlights!)… It is worth reading! If you are already a romance genre fan I am sure that you have already read it – but if you’re like me, and sometimes dip in and out, give it a go. If you liked the Julia Quinn Bridgerton books (especially Romancing Mr Bridgerton, the best one – obviously) you will love this. show less
A near perfect historical romance. Evie blossoms when she takes charge of her life. Her situation is sufficiently dire - betrothal to cousin Eustice - that she's incredibly brave and rational and asks a famous but impoverished rake to marry her, for mutual benefit thanks to her dying father's money.
She approaches Sebastian, the laconic, bored rake, at the exact moment that the scheme is indeed appealing to him; it is going to alleviate his boredom and fix his finances, despite the fact that Evie is the chief wallflower.
To both of their amazement, it turns out that they are the perfect match, filling needs both of them have. It is breathtaking how besotted Sebastian Lord St Vincent grows to be, and of course that is phenomenally show more romantic. Evie, too, finds a love she is willing to gamble on. Hard to resist.
I like the way it introduced Cam Rohan, as I read his book first. show less
She approaches Sebastian, the laconic, bored rake, at the exact moment that the scheme is indeed appealing to him; it is going to alleviate his boredom and fix his finances, despite the fact that Evie is the chief wallflower.
To both of their amazement, it turns out that they are the perfect match, filling needs both of them have. It is breathtaking how besotted Sebastian Lord St Vincent grows to be, and of course that is phenomenally show more romantic. Evie, too, finds a love she is willing to gamble on. Hard to resist.
I like the way it introduced Cam Rohan, as I read his book first. show less
Comfort reads go a long way in helping me overcome my more... ah... melancholic periods: be it romance novels, yaoi manga or even the trashiest of slash fanfictions. I normally don't reread them in their entirety, just some of my favorite chapters: when nothing else sparks my interest, I can always rely on old time favorites. This one in particular, gave me the perfect excuse for a review.
Rakes vs shy virgins are a well established trope in historical romance for a reason. There's nothing quite like the smug satisfaction one feels on seeing a former skirt chaser helplessly fall for the shy violet. Bonus points if you the author can work in some good old fashioned humorous banter.
Sebastian St. Vincent is the perfect rake, especially for newcomers to the genre. He is a definite womanizer, having basically bedded women from all walks of life, but at the same time there's a certain inner threshold he just doesn't cross. Sure, he may boast about "women begging me for it", but at the end of the day the worst he'll do is huff and puff when faced with an unwilling one... after he ties her to the bed, but that's a different story (It Happened One Autumn, to be specific).
Evangeline (Evie) Jenner is a rather boring character on her own. Yes, you feel sorry for her, and positively rejoice when she decides to run away from her abusive relatives... but it still wouldn't be fair to put her on the same level as St. Vincent. I didn't look forward to her chitchat with Annabelle, or her sorrowful bedside manner while caring for her dying father. In contrast, when St. Vincent was involved, I was instantly alert and perky. Christmas may as well have come early.
St. Vincent and Evie together on the other hand, definitely steal every scene with their excellent chemistry. It's that deliciously sizzling energy that romance novel aficionados can just feel in the air. They have the perfect passive aggressive comedic banter, that never fails to leave you wanting... well, almost never. *cue suggestive eyebrow wagging*
Score: 3.45/5 stars
No matter how I spin this, I don't think I could sell "handsome rake on the brink of poverty marries shy wallflower intent on a marriage of convenience, but ends up falling for her innocent charms." to those unwilling to read romance novels.
Were I to evaluate the book solely among others in its genre, Devil in Winter is just perfect. I wouldn't go so far as to call it my all-time favorite, but it's definitely up there with my top five. show less
Rakes vs shy virgins are a well established trope in historical romance for a reason. There's nothing quite like the smug satisfaction one feels on seeing a former skirt chaser helplessly fall for the shy violet. Bonus points if you the author can work in some good old fashioned humorous banter.
show more
“It’s impossible,” he snapped.
“Why?”
“Because
I’m Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can’t be celibate. Everyone knows that.”
Sebastian St. Vincent is the perfect rake, especially for newcomers to the genre. He is a definite womanizer, having basically bedded women from all walks of life, but at the same time there's a certain inner threshold he just doesn't cross. Sure, he may boast about "women begging me for it", but at the end of the day the worst he'll do is huff and puff when faced with an unwilling one... after he ties her to the bed, but that's a different story (It Happened One Autumn, to be specific).
Evangeline (Evie) Jenner is a rather boring character on her own. Yes, you feel sorry for her, and positively rejoice when she decides to run away from her abusive relatives... but it still wouldn't be fair to put her on the same level as St. Vincent. I didn't look forward to her chitchat with Annabelle, or her sorrowful bedside manner while caring for her dying father. In contrast, when St. Vincent was involved, I was instantly alert and perky. Christmas may as well have come early.
St. Vincent and Evie together on the other hand, definitely steal every scene with their excellent chemistry. It's that deliciously sizzling energy that romance novel aficionados can just feel in the air. They have the perfect passive aggressive comedic banter, that never fails to leave you wanting... well, almost never. *cue suggestive eyebrow wagging*
"I suppose I must feel comfortable with you. I tend to stammer less with certain people."
"No one's ever told me that I'm a comfortable sort. I'm sure I don't like it. I'll have to do something diabolical soon to correct your impression.”
“Easy, firebrand. You’ll knock out the few wits I have left—and then of what use would I be to you?”
“You would be purely ornamental,” Evie replied, giggling.
“Ah, well, I suppose there’s some value in that. God help me if I should ever lose my looks.”
Score: 3.45/5 stars
No matter how I spin this, I don't think I could sell "handsome rake on the brink of poverty marries shy wallflower intent on a marriage of convenience, but ends up falling for her innocent charms." to those unwilling to read romance novels.
Were I to evaluate the book solely among others in its genre, Devil in Winter is just perfect. I wouldn't go so far as to call it my all-time favorite, but it's definitely up there with my top five. show less
May 2023 partial re-read, downgraded to three stars but it's really a 2.5: errr, this did not hold up - for me on reread. I borrowed the audiobook from the library to listen to something while I worked on home projects and 1. the narrator really doesn't work for me. St Vincent's voice kept reminding me of how Toni Collette voiced Bryce, the antagonist of season 3 of The United States of Tara. . . iykyk because ICK! HISS! hate him! The audio brought out Kleypas's kind of silly characterization of St. Vincent. and 2. wow LK loathes sex workers and it's something that she reinforces throughout her work in pretty obvious ways that I don't see many readers discuss. Also!! No one talks about how fucking boring this book is! My attempts to show more reread Kleypas have really made me long for different reference points within romancelandia, especially in regard to authors. I would rather talk about any other fucking author in this genre. Anyway, I got about 45% thru before I decided to move on with my life; there are other, more interesting Sebastians.
original review: 4 stars show less
original review: 4 stars show less
I did it. And I'm not sorry. I think I needed a little something to prove there's a reason to read this author after the disappointing Ravenel series thus far. Not sure this is gonna help when it comes to Phoebe and West though.
********Original Review***********10/23/17
Where to begin?
I'm not sure...I was intrigued during his scenes when we met St. Vincent in [b:It Happened One Autumn|827412|It Happened One Autumn (Wallflowers, #2)|Lisa Kleypas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388206425s/827412.jpg|1823891]. He was menacing and seductive...and it continued through the epilogue. I tried to wait to read this, and then as I mentioned in an update, determined I could just, ya know, read it again instead of delayed show more gratification.
Considering I highlighted about 2/3 of this book, I'm thinking that's a pretty solid chance.
And a quick warning...I'm rambling. Likely because my review did not start forming in my head until I had dealt with my swooning and fainting spells from this perfect book.
Sebastian has just enough self-control, self-involvement, and desperation to make him a very interesting character. Instead of being the cold, calculating jackass, Kleypas made me think from the get-go that his facade was actually masking some pretty vulnerable intensity & fear. Even his words in cruelty (which there were several) to the heroine were essentially protective of him or her. And basically, he wasn't fooling anyone. I found his irritability to be the most telling trait about him. You can't get irritated if you don't feel, no matter what everyone, including yourself, says about you. You also probably don't keep friends for 22 years. Basically what I'm saying here is that Sebastian was clearly more like burning embers that just needed to be fanned to give light to the passion underneath...As a bonus, he unexpectedly cracked me up. I adored his quips and his exasperation in equal measure.
Evie. I loved her.Her "whatever you jackass, I've had worse" strength, her nurturing, and her willingness to be exactly how vulnerable Sebastian needed. Kleypas gave us a pretty good sense in the series that she was no weakling, and executed it in this flawlessly. She went in with no expectations, and continued to outsmart Sebastian and protect herself as a result. Until she realizes, of course, it's time for her to be the one who puts herself out there because she has a better understanding of their relationship than he. Only someone as brave and tough as Evie could've taken him on for multiple reasons.
As a couple, they were utterly delightful in their growth-while he teaches her to care less (and damn, I love that about him) she teaches him to care more. It works out without being heavy-handed. I love a marriage of convenience...And what works in this one is their outright honesty.
At the risk of more babbling, I'll go ahead and illustrate with quotes what it was for me...
"Are you..is it possible...you're jealous?"
Sudden bafflement flickered across his features. "Yes," he said gruffly.
"It would seems so." And throwing Evie a glance of bewildered annoyance, he left the room.
And lovely..
"...If you can love me without conditions, Sebastian, can't I love you the same way?"
Happy sigh.
Hard to sum up, I'll just say so many happy sighs for the execution & characters in this book. show less
********Original Review***********10/23/17
Where to begin?
I'm not sure...I was intrigued during his scenes when we met St. Vincent in [b:It Happened One Autumn|827412|It Happened One Autumn (Wallflowers, #2)|Lisa Kleypas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388206425s/827412.jpg|1823891]. He was menacing and seductive...and it continued through the epilogue. I tried to wait to read this, and then as I mentioned in an update, determined I could just, ya know, read it again instead of delayed show more gratification.
Considering I highlighted about 2/3 of this book, I'm thinking that's a pretty solid chance.
And a quick warning...I'm rambling. Likely because my review did not start forming in my head until I had dealt with my swooning and fainting spells from this perfect book.
Sebastian has just enough self-control, self-involvement, and desperation to make him a very interesting character. Instead of being the cold, calculating jackass, Kleypas made me think from the get-go that his facade was actually masking some pretty vulnerable intensity & fear. Even his words in cruelty (which there were several) to the heroine were essentially protective of him or her. And basically, he wasn't fooling anyone. I found his irritability to be the most telling trait about him. You can't get irritated if you don't feel, no matter what everyone, including yourself, says about you. You also probably don't keep friends for 22 years. Basically what I'm saying here is that Sebastian was clearly more like burning embers that just needed to be fanned to give light to the passion underneath...As a bonus, he unexpectedly cracked me up. I adored his quips and his exasperation in equal measure.
Evie. I loved her.Her "whatever you jackass, I've had worse" strength, her nurturing, and her willingness to be exactly how vulnerable Sebastian needed. Kleypas gave us a pretty good sense in the series that she was no weakling, and executed it in this flawlessly. She went in with no expectations, and continued to outsmart Sebastian and protect herself as a result. Until she realizes, of course, it's time for her to be the one who puts herself out there because she has a better understanding of their relationship than he. Only someone as brave and tough as Evie could've taken him on for multiple reasons.
As a couple, they were utterly delightful in their growth-while he teaches her to care less (and damn, I love that about him) she teaches him to care more. It works out without being heavy-handed. I love a marriage of convenience...And what works in this one is their outright honesty.
At the risk of more babbling, I'll go ahead and illustrate with quotes what it was for me...
"Are you..is it possible...you're jealous?"
Sudden bafflement flickered across his features. "Yes," he said gruffly.
"It would seems so." And throwing Evie a glance of bewildered annoyance, he left the room.
And lovely..
"...If you can love me without conditions, Sebastian, can't I love you the same way?"
Happy sigh.
Hard to sum up, I'll just say so many happy sighs for the execution & characters in this book. show less
I think the reason this book is a "classic romance" is because it features the trope of a man so lost that only the right woman saves him, and readers want to believe they're that woman. I'll admit, I was one of those people getting swept up in the story. I relished in St. Vincent's and Evie's growth as more confident individuals. This book really fleshed out their characters, and their romance truly brought redemption for everyone. It almost made me forget about the horrible things St. Vincent did in the previous novel. Almost but not quite, and that's why I gave this book 4/5. Deep down, he is capable of some dastardly things that not even the perfect woman could sweep under the rug.
In all honesty, I approached Devil in Winter with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation. I was excited by the prospect of reading a book that had been so highly praised, but at the same time, all the hype made me anxious. In my experience, a book that has so many ardent fans can either be a sure-fire winner or a huge disappointment. I had also finished It Happened One Autumn feeling a little skeptical about the possibility of redeeming a character whose villainous actions had made me go from mostly liking him to really disliking him in very short order, but I figured if anyone could make me like St. Vincent again, it would be Lisa Kleypas. Unfortunately, I finished Devil in Winter feeling that Ms. Kleypas did not fully accomplish that show more redemption (at least not in my eyes), and therefore the story as a whole ended up being something of a let-down to me. Of course, this makes me very keenly aware that I'm now part of a very small minority who was not wowed by this book and its hero, so I'll be ducking all the rotten tomatoes from St. Vincent fans as I continue with the rest of my review.;-)
Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, is a larger than life character who has gained a massive fan following among romance readers, but I am sorry to say that I will not be one of the ladies who is panting after this fictional hero. As I mentioned earlier, my dislike of him began in It Happened One Autumn when he kidnapped the heroine of that story and threatened to rape her. At that very moment, I was immediately turned off to the character, who I, for the most part, had previously found to be charming and gentlemanly. I was hoping for some deeper explanation of his actions in this book, but nothing beyond the mere desperation of being penniless within the month ever surfaced. Because of that, I could not understand why he had taken such extreme measures when by all accounts his charm and ravishing good looks could have gotten him almost any woman of his choosing. Sebastian's impulsiveness even cost him a life-long friendship with Marcus, Lord Westcliff, and all of this made it seem like he cared more for money than people. Granted he did admit to himself (though sadly not to anyone else that I recall) that his actions had been stupid and eventually apologized to Marcus and Lillian, but disappointingly, it was all done off-canvas.
Even if he hadn't done something so terrible in the last book, I probably still would have had a love/hate relationship with Sebastian simply because he was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. He was awfully rude and condescending to Evie when she came to his house to make her proposition and insulted her even further in his introspections which included a disdain for her shyness and her stutter. He did start to grow on me a bit when he showed some human kindness toward Evie during their arduous trip to Gretna Green, as well as during and after the wedding ceremony. He also made full use of his seductive skills when making love to her the first time. Then almost instantly, the honeymoon seemed to be over with him returning to his previous rude, arrogant, cocky self. Overall, it seemed to me that he behaved in a very dissolute, manipulative and selfish way, only occasionally seeming to think of anyone or anything else besides himself. His ping-ponging between being nice and gentle with Evie and treating her rather badly, in my opinion, continued throughout more than half the book. I'm normally pretty good at interpreting characters, but in this case, I didn't even realize until the end of the book that Sebastian had some fear about allowing himself to love Evie, so up to that point, his contradictory behavior was just simply confusing and irritating to me. I will admit that he was quite the silver-tonged devil when he wanted to be, as well as an incredibly skillful lover, but I really wish that those qualities had been embodied in a more pleasing overall package. He also literally put his life on the line for Evie which definitely showed he cared for her on some level, but in the end, he just didn't exhibit enough warmth and vulnerability to make me believe in the sincerity of his love and his claims that he wanted nothing more than a lifetime of fidelity with her. I'm all for the reformed rake plot, but there has to be reasons for his rakish behavior in order for me to sympathize and believe that he can and truly wants to change. In short, his characterization just didn't dig deep enough for me to fall for him in the way so many other fans have.
Now, on the other hand, I absolutely adored Evie. She reminds me very much of myself, so I felt like I understood her pretty well. Outwardly, she is a painfully shy but sweet girl, yet inwardly, she has a strength of spirit that can be easy for others to miss. She was treated atrociously by her family which gave her a desperation of her own to get away from them, and in my opinion, she had to be pretty darn desperate to propose to an unrepentant rake like Sebastian, especially after what he did to one of her best friends. At the same time, I think she had a whole lot of courage and backbone to take such steps, in addition to sometimes taking little jabs at him when he was being rude to her. I loved her creative bet with Sebastian to prove he could be faithful to her, but felt like she let him off rather easy and didn't take it far enough. I do think that Sebastian was willing to accept the bet because Evie really got under his skin. He saw her as something of a challenge, because he wasn't used to women turning him down for sex. I also loved Evie's tender care of both her father and Sebastian when they were ill. The only thing about her that I thought could have been better was, once again, a deeper characterization. She was so ill-treated by her family and had no one to truly love her all her life which should have made her very tortured, yet she didn't really exhibit those kinds of characteristics. She also desperately needed someone to love her, and in spite of Sebastian supposedly becoming a changed man, I didn't feel that intense love connection between them. I suppose I was just a bit skeptical of Sebastian's ability to love Evie in the way she deserved. Most of the time, it seemed to me like she was the one giving her all to him while he was returning meager crumbs.
Devil in Winter introduced handsome, half-gypsy Cam Rohan who becomes the hero of the first book in the spin-off, Hathaways series, Mine 'Til Midnight. Cam was very gentle, likable and easygoing. He was a loyal employee to Evie's father and more like a son. He's quite the seducer too, giving Daisy her very first kiss, and what a kiss it was.;-) Much like with Sebastian and Lillian in It Happened One Autumn, I couldn't invest myself in it much though, because I knew that their respective mates are other characters we've yet to meet. All the Wallflowers and their husbands returned in this book as secondary characters too, although the breezy interactions between them are not as prominent. Marcus and Lillian played fairly important roles, particularly Marcus, who once again showed his magnanimity by being there when his old friend Sebastian needed him most and offering a measure of forgiveness. There was also a light mystery side plot involving someone who was out to kill Evie, but it was rather anti-climactic since I figured out the person's motive long before it was revealed.
Since I've had a number of criticisms of this book and didn't really care for the hero, some readers may be wondering why I still gave it four stars and there are several reasons for that. Evie as the heroine was positively lovable, and even though I didn't feel like Sebastian was the best match for her, I liked her as an individual enough that she helped to carry a large part of the story. In spite of feeling that the characterizations and the mystery portion of the plot could have been better, I did think that the book as a whole was pretty well-written, at least equally as well as the first two books of the series, and Ms. Kleypas did stay true to the innate natures of the characters. Lastly, I do respect the author for making the attempt at redeeming a villainous character even though it didn't work for me. I also think that this story may have stirred up some personal issues (a very rare thing), and out of a sense of fairness to an author I've admired for a long time, I wanted to make sure that I didn't penalize the book/author due to my own objectivity being somewhat clouded by my personal prejudices. Even though Devil in Winter was not as enjoyable of a story as I was expecting, I do look forward to continuing the series to see what's in store for Daisy and what other developments the future might hold for all the Wallflowers. show less
Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, is a larger than life character who has gained a massive fan following among romance readers, but I am sorry to say that I will not be one of the ladies who is panting after this fictional hero. As I mentioned earlier, my dislike of him began in It Happened One Autumn when he kidnapped the heroine of that story and threatened to rape her. At that very moment, I was immediately turned off to the character, who I, for the most part, had previously found to be charming and gentlemanly. I was hoping for some deeper explanation of his actions in this book, but nothing beyond the mere desperation of being penniless within the month ever surfaced. Because of that, I could not understand why he had taken such extreme measures when by all accounts his charm and ravishing good looks could have gotten him almost any woman of his choosing. Sebastian's impulsiveness even cost him a life-long friendship with Marcus, Lord Westcliff, and all of this made it seem like he cared more for money than people. Granted he did admit to himself (though sadly not to anyone else that I recall) that his actions had been stupid and eventually apologized to Marcus and Lillian, but disappointingly, it was all done off-canvas.
Even if he hadn't done something so terrible in the last book, I probably still would have had a love/hate relationship with Sebastian simply because he was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. He was awfully rude and condescending to Evie when she came to his house to make her proposition and insulted her even further in his introspections which included a disdain for her shyness and her stutter. He did start to grow on me a bit when he showed some human kindness toward Evie during their arduous trip to Gretna Green, as well as during and after the wedding ceremony. He also made full use of his seductive skills when making love to her the first time. Then almost instantly, the honeymoon seemed to be over with him returning to his previous rude, arrogant, cocky self. Overall, it seemed to me that he behaved in a very dissolute, manipulative and selfish way, only occasionally seeming to think of anyone or anything else besides himself. His ping-ponging between being nice and gentle with Evie and treating her rather badly, in my opinion, continued throughout more than half the book. I'm normally pretty good at interpreting characters, but in this case, I didn't even realize until the end of the book that Sebastian had some fear about allowing himself to love Evie, so up to that point, his contradictory behavior was just simply confusing and irritating to me. I will admit that he was quite the silver-tonged devil when he wanted to be, as well as an incredibly skillful lover, but I really wish that those qualities had been embodied in a more pleasing overall package. He also literally put his life on the line for Evie which definitely showed he cared for her on some level, but in the end, he just didn't exhibit enough warmth and vulnerability to make me believe in the sincerity of his love and his claims that he wanted nothing more than a lifetime of fidelity with her. I'm all for the reformed rake plot, but there has to be reasons for his rakish behavior in order for me to sympathize and believe that he can and truly wants to change. In short, his characterization just didn't dig deep enough for me to fall for him in the way so many other fans have.
Now, on the other hand, I absolutely adored Evie. She reminds me very much of myself, so I felt like I understood her pretty well. Outwardly, she is a painfully shy but sweet girl, yet inwardly, she has a strength of spirit that can be easy for others to miss. She was treated atrociously by her family which gave her a desperation of her own to get away from them, and in my opinion, she had to be pretty darn desperate to propose to an unrepentant rake like Sebastian, especially after what he did to one of her best friends. At the same time, I think she had a whole lot of courage and backbone to take such steps, in addition to sometimes taking little jabs at him when he was being rude to her. I loved her creative bet with Sebastian to prove he could be faithful to her, but felt like she let him off rather easy and didn't take it far enough. I do think that Sebastian was willing to accept the bet because Evie really got under his skin. He saw her as something of a challenge, because he wasn't used to women turning him down for sex. I also loved Evie's tender care of both her father and Sebastian when they were ill. The only thing about her that I thought could have been better was, once again, a deeper characterization. She was so ill-treated by her family and had no one to truly love her all her life which should have made her very tortured, yet she didn't really exhibit those kinds of characteristics. She also desperately needed someone to love her, and in spite of Sebastian supposedly becoming a changed man, I didn't feel that intense love connection between them. I suppose I was just a bit skeptical of Sebastian's ability to love Evie in the way she deserved. Most of the time, it seemed to me like she was the one giving her all to him while he was returning meager crumbs.
Devil in Winter introduced handsome, half-gypsy Cam Rohan who becomes the hero of the first book in the spin-off, Hathaways series, Mine 'Til Midnight. Cam was very gentle, likable and easygoing. He was a loyal employee to Evie's father and more like a son. He's quite the seducer too, giving Daisy her very first kiss, and what a kiss it was.;-) Much like with Sebastian and Lillian in It Happened One Autumn, I couldn't invest myself in it much though, because I knew that their respective mates are other characters we've yet to meet. All the Wallflowers and their husbands returned in this book as secondary characters too, although the breezy interactions between them are not as prominent. Marcus and Lillian played fairly important roles, particularly Marcus, who once again showed his magnanimity by being there when his old friend Sebastian needed him most and offering a measure of forgiveness. There was also a light mystery side plot involving someone who was out to kill Evie, but it was rather anti-climactic since I figured out the person's motive long before it was revealed.
Since I've had a number of criticisms of this book and didn't really care for the hero, some readers may be wondering why I still gave it four stars and there are several reasons for that. Evie as the heroine was positively lovable, and even though I didn't feel like Sebastian was the best match for her, I liked her as an individual enough that she helped to carry a large part of the story. In spite of feeling that the characterizations and the mystery portion of the plot could have been better, I did think that the book as a whole was pretty well-written, at least equally as well as the first two books of the series, and Ms. Kleypas did stay true to the innate natures of the characters. Lastly, I do respect the author for making the attempt at redeeming a villainous character even though it didn't work for me. I also think that this story may have stirred up some personal issues (a very rare thing), and out of a sense of fairness to an author I've admired for a long time, I wanted to make sure that I didn't penalize the book/author due to my own objectivity being somewhat clouded by my personal prejudices. Even though Devil in Winter was not as enjoyable of a story as I was expecting, I do look forward to continuing the series to see what's in store for Daisy and what other developments the future might hold for all the Wallflowers. show less
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Author Information
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Lisa Kleypas received a degree in political science from Wellesley College. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts in the Miss America competition. She published her first romance novel at the age of 21 and has been a full-time writer ever since. She is primarily known for her historical romance novels, but she also writes contemporary romance show more novels. Her books include Sugar Daddy, Crystal Cove, and Cold-Hearted Rake. She has won numerous awards including a Rita award for her Christmas anthology novella Wish List in 2002, the award for Best Sensuous Historical Romance from Romantic Times magazine for Lady Sophia's Lover in 2002, and the RITA award for best Short Historical for Worth Any Price in 2004. Lisa's novel's Marrying Winterborne and Hello Stranger made the New York Times Bestseller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Devil in Winter
- Original title
- Devil in Winter
- Original publication date
- 2006-02-28
- People/Characters
- Sebastian St. Vincent, Viscount St. Vincent; Lady Evie St. Vincent, Viscountess St. Vincent; Daisy Bowman; Lady Lillian Bowman Marsden, Countess of Westcliff; Lord Marcus Marsden, Earl of Westcliff; Cam Rohan (show all 9); Simon Hunt; Annabelle Peyton Hunt; Ivo Jenner
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Gretna Green, Scotland, UK
- Important events
- 1843
- Dedication
- To Christina, Connie, Liz, Mary and Terri,
for friendship that makes my heart sing.
Love always,
L.K. - First words
- As Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, stared at the young woman who had just barged her way into his London residence, it occurred to him that he might have tried to abduct the wrong heiress last week at Stony Cross Park.
- Quotations
- One of Sebastian's brows arched. "Evie," he said dryly, "you eloped against your family's wishes, you married a notorious rake, and you're living in a gaming club. How much more damned gossip do you think you could cause?"<... (show all)br> pg. 148
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Just enough," she replied softly, and would say no more.
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.54
- Canonical LCC
- PS3561.L456
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- Reviews
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- (4.07)
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- ISBNs
- 49
- ASINs
- 15