LOVE'S REVENGE

Author: Monica Burns ISBN: 1586084003 4/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: NEW CONCEPTS PUBLISHING
Time Period: Victorian England, 1888

Revenge brought them together... but will they be able to resist Love's Revenge? Quentin Blackwell, the Devil of Devlyn, has returned home five years after a bitter betrayal by the woman he loved. He’d like nothing better than to extract his pound of flesh and when the opportunity presents itself, he’s more than eager to accept the challenge. Especially when it means exploring Sophie Hamilton’s delicious curves. He’s determined not to give his heart away, but there’s something about Sophie he can’t resist. At forty-one, Sophie Hamilton is beyond just sitting on the shelf. Hopes of love and family are a lost dream at this stage of her life. But her inexperience in the ways of the flesh can easily be remedied, and the Devil of Devlyn, despite his tender age of thirty-two, is just the man to accomplish the task. As she finds passion and pleasure in the arms of a younger man, she struggles with the notion of a love that can bridge the age difference between them.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

LOVE'S REVENGE is described as being a sensual historical romance with a darker, sexier edge. That description could not be truer! It has been a long time since I have read a book with such wonderful sexual chemistry between the two lead characters.

LOVE'S REVENGE is the perfect recipe for a nice long evening of reading. It was not hard at all for me to sit down and finish this entire book in one sitting. Devlyn and Sophie sizzle their way right through this book in such an engaging way, that I hardly realized when the book was almost at its end.

Sophie is proud and strong and it takes everything in her to defy her family and marry Devlyn, even after all the hurt she has suffered at their hands. When I read that she was almost ten years older than Devlyn, I was not put off at all, but intrigued to see how the author was going to make that work in historical England. Ms. Burns not only makes it work, but makes it work well and leaves the reader with a profound sense of happiness that the underdog has come out on top, for a change.

Devlyn is a down-on-his-luck Earl who was ruined by Sophie's father and sister five years beforehand. So when Sophie shows up on his doorstep, it is like an answer to his prayers. He can have his revenge on her family while enjoying the company of a beautiful woman, and hopefully producing an heir for his estate. It is the perfect solution.

This story shines in every sense of the word. The way that Devlyn protects Sophie from day one without caring what anyone else in the world might say about their marriage is wonderful. This book is a keeper with great lead characters, great sexual tension and an exciting plot that keeps the story moving at a wonderful pace.

Kristal Gorman