Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas
The Ravenels #7
Historical Romance
July 27, 2021, by Avon
ARC

Review by Angela

Lisa Kleypas is one of the few authors I’ve kept on my auto-buy list through the years. I simply adore her voice and find her writing to be some of the sexiest and most romantic in the historical romance genre. Devil in Disguise features Merritt, the oldest daughter of Lillian and Westcliff from It Happened One Autumn, and a brand new character who will take your breath away.

Merritt Sterling is a widow running her late husband’s shipping company when she first meets Keir MacRae, a distiller who is in London to sell his supply of whiskey. But as soon as he hits the docks there are problems and Merritt, as the owner of the warehouse where it will all be stored, is determined to make it right. She bullies him into changing his whiskey-soaked clothing and into getting something to eat before he spends the next day and a half unloading and seeing to his business about town.

The two share an instant attraction and y’all this book is SEXY right from the beginning. The sizzle and snap of their chemistry had me all in almost immediately. Merritt is experienced and knows what she wants and that’s Keir and he can’t help but give in. I loved it. Keir is just so manly and sweet and he kisses her passionately and then spends the night leaving an exhausted, but happy Merritt behind.

Then something happens and he loses his memory.

This couple going from zero to a hundred between the sheets kind of took me off guard, but I was expecting something to happen to bring in conflict to their relationship. And whoo boy it’s a doozy. I think there will be some fans of one specific previous book (yes, I’m being vague, NO SPOILERS) that may be surprised, I know I was. But I thought it was handled well and ended up really working for me.

The external conflict, and the reason Keir loses his memory and is in danger, does manage to do one thing… bring this couple closer together. And also to give readers what they’ve craved for years, glimpses of Merritt’s extended family and friends and their interactions with them. There is one specific beloved character that plays a huge part in this storyline and I think once fans get over their surprise will fall in love with him even more. Thankfully, the conflict isn’t drawn out too much, if anything I was expecting a big showdown at the end and then was surprised again when there was just a small scene with some intrigue that ended pretty quickly.

My only real disappointment with this book is the contents of the epilogue. Merritt tells Keir right from the beginning that she is infertile, and he immediately responds with the possibility of adoption, he himself was adopted by a loving family. Then suddenly, to my surprise, there is a miracle pregnancy being discussed between the two grandfathers and it left me really disgruntled. I truly don’t believe this couple needed a pregnancy to have a wonderful HEA.

But, all in all, I do believe this is one of my favorite books in this series to date. The romance between Keir and Merritt swept me away and I couldn’t stop reading. I’m more than ready for whatever comes next.

Final grade-B+

Amazon * Goodreads