Lady Merritt Sterling, widower, is running her husband’s shipping business when she meets Keri MacRae, a Scottish whiskey distiller. Their chemistry is immediate and undeniable but a lady must be careful not to tempt society’s voracious gossips. Despite that threat Merritt invites Keir to her home for dinner, but he is attacked and injured. When his life is again threatened the next day she realizes that someone is out to kill him and with the help of the Duke of Lancaster (Sebastian from the Wallflower series) they shuffle off to the safety of his estate on the coast while an investigation is underway. Devil in Disguise revealed a new favorite heroine and hero in what is one of my favorite historical romance series by this author.

Merritt is a woman who “manages” the people around her. Right from the beginning Keir see’s that managing and declares her a “wee bully” and he is charmed by her kind of toughness and is riveted by her passion. These two were engaging, fun, and very romantic falling instantly in serious like. The only hiccup being their different places in society and the fact that someone is trying to kill Keir.

As this is book #7 we do get to welcome a few of our favorite past characters into this story, which I always welcome. Funny enough, I started my love affair with Lisa Kleypas’ earlier Ravenal novels and have just gotten into the Wallflower series. Merritt’s mother is one of those previous wallflowers and it’s fun to see those characters in a different light. I had not yet read the Duke’s (and his Evie) novel but now can’t wait to dig in!

If you like historical romances you will really enjoy Lisa Kleypas and her novels and Devil in Disguise does not disappoint! This can be read as a stand alone, but I think you’ll be curious about some of these other characters and will seek them out just as I have. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Devil in Disguise (Ravenels Book 7)

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Lisa Kleypas continues to deliver unusual but extremely likable main characters who may be different than main stream society but have a real-ness that readers can relate to and root for. Dr. Garrett Gibson is the first female physician in England. She works for my favorite Welsh department store owner Rhys Winterbourne and has doctored some of our past heroines, so is a familiar sideline character. In Hello Stranger, Garrett gets rocked out of her steady clinical world when Ethan Ransom, ex-Scotland Yard investigator, steps in to help her fight some men hassling her as she’s walking home through a bad neighborhood after work. His offer to help train her in self defense puts them at close quarters and of course their chemistry sizzles. However, Ethan is in the middle of an investigation and doesn’t want to endanger Garrett so tries to leave her be, but fate keeps throwing her in his path.

I love how this authors heroines are unusual for their time. Always smart and in this instance an educated doctor, not your typical society miss. Garrett is a bit stoic and cool, not used to the more passionate emotions but she is so well balanced by Ethan! He has got to be the most romantic historical male I’ve read in quite a long while. As it turns out, he has Irish roots and I don’t know if the author was trying to portray his Irish-ness with a poetic side, but wow. I’m married to an Irishman and I wish he spoke so poetically to me about his feelings! Ethan was a man’s man, yet was definitely not afraid of showing how he felt. If I were Garrett, he would’ve rocked my world too.

This was another fun novel by Lisa Kleypas. Was it my favorite of hers? No. Though I did enjoy these characters and learning about the difficulties Garrett had as a female doctor in a man’s world, even if learning about it in a historical romance, was eye opening.

I can’t wait for West Ravenels book. He was very present in Hello Stranger and he was hilarious! His romance is going to be worth the wait. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase! Hello Stranger: The Ravenels, Book 4

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved.