"Excellently crafted and unusual Regency historical."
Bentley is an old family friend and frequent visitor to
Frederica's country estate. One night, he surprises
Frederica as she is sneaking home after a tryst with her
childhood sweetheart, who has broken her heart with the
news that he is marrying another woman. Bentley, a lovable
handsome rogue, is not quite steady on his feet as he tries
to console Frederica. The next morning he leaves
Frederica's bed expecting to have to face up to his
obligations. But Frederica never gets his note and thinks
he has left without a word. Will they find true love? Sounds like a typical regency, doesn't it? But in Liz
Carlyle's deft hands, it is unlike any predictable romantic
plot while still delivering a HEA ending. Her characters
are always unique and have real problems that are not
easily resolved. Her plots are darker than most, in that
really bad things can and do happen to principal
characters. Bentley, who has been pretty reprehensible in
her previous books, is never quite redeemed; he is a bit
slow in learning that he has to leave the hired help alone
. His character development is more believable
because he doesn't become a white knight overnight after
sleeping with the heroine, despite the best of intentions.
Frederica is young and makes mistakes a young woman would
make, and needs to learn to consider her actions before she
leaps. Together they discover why they act as they do and
change their behaviour so that they can grow into a love
that matches their sexual chemistry. For anyone like me who has read all Ms. Carlyle's books,
this is a feast to visit again with all your favourite
characters. For those of you new to her work, THE DEVIL YOU
KNOW can stand alone with an intriguing story you can't put
down. You will want to go back and read her other equally
excellently crafted novels. I highly recommend this book. Sensuality: Explicit, enthusiastic, and sensual H/H sex in
unusual locations. Reviewed by Karen Williston for Sensual Romance.
Reviewed by Sensual Romance
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted April 6, 2003
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