[MUZ]≡ PDF Devil in Spring The Ravenels Book 3 Lisa Kleypas 9780062371874 Books

Devil in Spring The Ravenels Book 3 Lisa Kleypas 9780062371874 Books

Download As PDF : Devil in Spring The Ravenels Book 3 Lisa Kleypas 9780062371874 Books

Devil in Spring The Ravenels Book 3 Lisa Kleypas 9780062371874 Books

I hope there's room here for a differing opinion about this book. I know I'm an outlier. The general consensus is that this is a 5-star, or at the very least 4-star, HR. And I would perhaps feel the same way if this were one of the first books Kleypas had ever written. She has done some good research about the field of medicine in the Victorian era, political unrest, the beginning of board games, and a few aspects of feminism and the suffragette movement. And she has created a lovely hero, for the most part, in Gabriel, son of Sebastian and Evie of DEVIL IN WINTER.

Speaking of Sebastian and Evie, their cameos and that of Westcliff of IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN made this book better for me, b/c the story itself is not an upgrade on anything Kleypas has written in the past. Perhaps my objections have to do with that trend towards writing second-generation romances, an obvious marketing ploy to take advantage of the popularity of first-generation romance couples but one that usually ends in disappointment and unfulfilled expectations for me. Cases in point for me are Lorraine Heath's Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series spin-off from the earlier Scoundrels of St. James series, and Eloisa James Desperate Duchesses books after #6. And now Kleypas is using readers' love of the H and h of DEVIL IN WINTER to get us excited about this Spring version. IMO, if there had been no references to Gabriel's parentage and no cameo appearances of beloved characters, this would be a 2-star book; it's just that disjointed in plot and uninspired in writing.

But the elephant in the room of my indifference to the story is my actual dislike of the heroine. I've read some reviews here of readers who believe Pandora has undergone personality improvements and become more mature when compared to her behavior in the first two Ravenel books. If so, it wasn't all that obvious to me. I found her to be less than bright, self-obsessed and self-serving, careless of the feelings of others, and unwilling to compromise about anything. It's all about her, her, her. Gabriel gives and gives and gives in this story. Pandora takes and takes and takes.

Why Gabriel falls in love with Pandora is a puzzle to me. He obviously sees things that I don't and he continually praises her and thinks wonderful thoughts about her throughout the book. I'm happy that he is happy, but the book is unsuccessful in getting me to see her good points. She's quirky, but not in a cute way. She's very pretty, I hear, but he could have any beautiful woman he wants. Why her? She's stubborn and opinionated and oh-so-feminist but she's lacking in much logic and reasoning power.

And the story itself? Well, it has some interesting historical and cultural tidbits, but the plot was all over the place and a mishmash of things: Pandora's feminism/ Pandora's ear issues/ Gabriel's supposed dark sexual needs (really?)/ the OW (related to the "needs"/ a tacked-on danger element to show Kleypas's research about Victorian political provocateurs/ a near-death experience to show Kleypas's research about Victorian medical procedures. The writing is, of course, competent b/c it is written by Kleypas, but only that. It's not clever or witty or humorous or warm and fuzzy or poignant or angsty or anything that touched me emotionally or intellectually. It was just a storytelling event.

I was disappointed. I liked the first two books in this new series better. This one is a 2-star book that I gave an extra star for the Wallflowers connection. I've always loved Evie and Sebastian.


Tags : Devil in Spring: The Ravenels, Book 3 [Lisa Kleypas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <em>New York Times </em>bestselling author LISA KLEYPAS delivers the unforgettable tale of a strong-willed beauty who encounters her match in one of London’s most notorious—yet irresistible—rakes . . . <em>An eccentric wallflower  . . .</em> Most debutantes dream of finding a husband. Lady Pandora Ravenel has different plans. The ambitious young beauty would much rather stay at home and plot out her new board game business than take part in the London Season. But one night at a glittering society ball,Lisa Kleypas,Devil in Spring: The Ravenels, Book 3,Avon,0062371878,Romance - Historical - Victorian,Emgland - Social life and customs - 19th century,Historical fiction,Historical fiction.,Love stories.,Man-woman relationships,Nobility;Fiction.,Romance fiction,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN LIGHT ROMANTIC FICTION,England,FICTION Romance General,FICTION Romance Historical General,FICTION Romance Historical Regency,FICTION Romance Historical Victorian,Fiction,Fiction-Romance,General Adult,MASS MARKET,Monograph Series, any,RomanceRegency,Romance: Regency,United States

Devil in Spring The Ravenels Book 3 Lisa Kleypas 9780062371874 Books Reviews

I don't know how certain romance authors do it, you have the same basic notion of the naive girl meeting the smart & handsome guy, this is 95% of how most romance plots starts. But then how the story surrounding the main characters unfolds, this is how Lisa Kleypas, among other talented writers, like Sabrina Jeffries & Tessa Dare, varies tremendously. I'm shocked how many couples & plots these romance novelists can conjure up & make you fall in love w/ their stories, such terrific & mind boggling talent. The 2 main characters in this book Gabriel & Pandora- WOW! super adorable. At first, i was thrown off w/ the female name, Pandora, i thought of the Greek mythology "Pandora's box," a box that contains evil misdeeds. But then getting to know Kleypa's Pandora, it seems somewhat befitting, given she's a handful of mischief. And you have Gabriel's name, which i thought of the biblical archangel, in Hebrew, means "God is my strength." Gabriel definitely is the stronghold Pandora needs, but doesn't realize it at the beginning. So, as the plot unfolds, gosh, you fall in love w/ this couple, well i did. Can't wait for the 4th book about the Dr. & Ransom. Thanku Lisa for your wonderful stories!
"You do not want to marry me, my lord. I would be the worst wife imaginable. I'm forgetful and stubborn, and I can never sit still for more than five minutes. I'm always doing things I shouldn't. I eavesdrop on other people, I should and run in public, and I'm a clumsy dancer. And I've lowered my character with a great deal of unwholesome reading material." Pausing to draw breath, she notice that Lord St. Vincent didn't appear properly impressed by her list of faults. "Also, my legs are skinny. Like a stork's."

FINAL DECISION So rarely does a highly anticipated sequel live up to expectations. While not as good as DEVIL IN WINTER, this book is a worthy successor. Will take a place on my favorites' shelf.

THE STORY Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent has accidentally compromised an unusual young lady, Lady Pandora Ravenel. Neither, however, wants to marry -- Gabriel because he sees that Pandora is completely unsuitable to be the type of dignified wife he needs; Pandora because she has no intention of allowing any man to control her fate and life. Gabriel is fascinated with Pandora and finds himself drawn to her. Pandora finds in Gabriel a man who listens to her and respects her opinions, but the risk of becoming essentially his to control is something she doesn't want to risk even as she falls for him.

OPINION

"No matter how she had tried to make herself want what she should want, she knew she would never be happy in a conventional life."

Pandora is an amazing creation. She is neurotic, opinionated, intelligent, oh so clever and yet sweet in a unique way. I loved just about everything about her. She is a different kind of wallflower. A woman who is so brilliant that she has difficulties with the social niceties that society demands. Always the odd person in the group, she has managed to forge a future for herself as a game designer. (I absolutely loved her devotion to her budding career). Everything about her character felt fresh and new and oh so lovely, especially for all of us who feel out of step with what people expect from us.

Gabriel is a hero who is so different from his father and yet has the best qualities of both his parents. He manages to be so incredibly caring and supportive of Pandora. She is a special person and Gabriel knows exactly how to care for her. He is kind and so so dreamy. Sexy and definitely a man in charge, he also has the gentleness of his mother and the benefit of having grown up in a loving family. He is a man who doesn't need to be reformed to be a wonderful man -- he just is.

"Your problem," his sister continued, "is that you're too good at maintaining that facade of godlike perfection. You've always hated for anyone to see that you're a mere mortal. But you won't win this girl that way." She began to dust the sand from her hands. "Show her a few of your redeeming vices, dear. She'll like you all the better for it."

I rarely love a book as much as I loved this one primarily because Gabriel was such a warm loving man and he made it his mission to balance out all the jagged edges of Pandora's life. His giving nature and willingness to put his own needs and desires aside to help fulfill Pandora was so wonderful to read about. He finds Pandora incredibly charming and she brings something to him that makes him want to protect her. And yet, he cannot crush her by forcing her to conform and be "safe".

"It was insane to let a creature so perfectly beautiful and artlessly spirited and vulnerable as his wife venture out into the world that could crush her with casual unconcern, and he had no choice to but allow it. For the rest of his life, he would feel a stab of dread every time she walked out the door, leaving him there with his heart wide open."

I loved this book and if I liked it a smidgen less than the book on Gabriel's parents it is only because the timeless trope of that book -- wallflower and rake -- is probably my favorite. But this one is original and fresh and very wonderful.

"Their marriage would be a partnership, just like their waltzing...not perfect, not always graceful, but they would find their way together."

Just incredibly lovely!

WORTH MENTIONING I would buy this book for the Prologue alone where Evangeline and Sebastian from DEVIL IN WINTER are most prominent. One of my all time favorite books and the prologue shows why.

CONNECTED BOOKS DEVIL IN SPRING is the third book in the Ravenels series. This book is much better if read as part of the series, but a new reader should also include DEVIL IN WINTER which is from Kleypas's Wallflowers series. This book is a direct sequel from that book as it tells the story of the son of the DEVIL IN WINTER couple (who make appearances of their own).

STAR RATING I give this book 5 stars.
I hope there's room here for a differing opinion about this book. I know I'm an outlier. The general consensus is that this is a 5-star, or at the very least 4-star, HR. And I would perhaps feel the same way if this were one of the first books Kleypas had ever written. She has done some good research about the field of medicine in the Victorian era, political unrest, the beginning of board games, and a few aspects of feminism and the suffragette movement. And she has created a lovely hero, for the most part, in Gabriel, son of Sebastian and Evie of DEVIL IN WINTER.

Speaking of Sebastian and Evie, their cameos and that of Westcliff of IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN made this book better for me, b/c the story itself is not an upgrade on anything Kleypas has written in the past. Perhaps my objections have to do with that trend towards writing second-generation romances, an obvious marketing ploy to take advantage of the popularity of first-generation romance couples but one that usually ends in disappointment and unfulfilled expectations for me. Cases in point for me are Lorraine Heath's Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series spin-off from the earlier Scoundrels of St. James series, and Eloisa James Desperate Duchesses books after #6. And now Kleypas is using readers' love of the H and h of DEVIL IN WINTER to get us excited about this Spring version. IMO, if there had been no references to Gabriel's parentage and no cameo appearances of beloved characters, this would be a 2-star book; it's just that disjointed in plot and uninspired in writing.

But the elephant in the room of my indifference to the story is my actual dislike of the heroine. I've read some reviews here of readers who believe Pandora has undergone personality improvements and become more mature when compared to her behavior in the first two Ravenel books. If so, it wasn't all that obvious to me. I found her to be less than bright, self-obsessed and self-serving, careless of the feelings of others, and unwilling to compromise about anything. It's all about her, her, her. Gabriel gives and gives and gives in this story. Pandora takes and takes and takes.

Why Gabriel falls in love with Pandora is a puzzle to me. He obviously sees things that I don't and he continually praises her and thinks wonderful thoughts about her throughout the book. I'm happy that he is happy, but the book is unsuccessful in getting me to see her good points. She's quirky, but not in a cute way. She's very pretty, I hear, but he could have any beautiful woman he wants. Why her? She's stubborn and opinionated and oh-so-feminist but she's lacking in much logic and reasoning power.

And the story itself? Well, it has some interesting historical and cultural tidbits, but the plot was all over the place and a mishmash of things Pandora's feminism/ Pandora's ear issues/ Gabriel's supposed dark sexual needs (really?)/ the OW (related to the "needs"/ a tacked-on danger element to show Kleypas's research about Victorian political provocateurs/ a near-death experience to show Kleypas's research about Victorian medical procedures. The writing is, of course, competent b/c it is written by Kleypas, but only that. It's not clever or witty or humorous or warm and fuzzy or poignant or angsty or anything that touched me emotionally or intellectually. It was just a storytelling event.

I was disappointed. I liked the first two books in this new series better. This one is a 2-star book that I gave an extra star for the Wallflowers connection. I've always loved Evie and Sebastian.