The Devil's Bargain

Rating:
Summary: Not up to snuff
Review: About 1/3 of this book should have been eliminated by simply taking out the repetitive thoughts of each of the two main characters. I've always appreciate the thoughtfulness of Edith Layton's work, which differentiates it from the standard romance genre, but this one went on way too much on his obsessing over revenge and her "oh he couldn't possibly want simple little me". Shorter would be better, but Layton is still above the crowd.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to snuff
Review: About 1/3 of this book should have been eliminated by simply taking out the repetitive thoughts of each of the two main characters. I've always appreciate the thoughtfulness of Edith Layton's work, which differentiates it from the standard romance genre, but this one went on way too much on his obsessing over revenge and her "oh he couldn't possibly want simple little me". Shorter would be better, but Layton is still above the crowd.

Rating:
Summary: A Regency with stronger emotions
Review: Edith Layton continues to do good work in the Regency era presenting solid novels with powerful ideas and emotion. The Devil's Bargain has some weak points in keeping up the tension and maintaining a strong historical feel, but it also has a pair of fascinating lovers and deep and believable emotions.

Tall and well-built (if not handsome) Sir Alasdair St. Erth is working through the endgame of vengeance. He has built up a fortune abroad in mysterious ways and has an uncivilized habit of pulling a gun when startled. Now he just has to work out how to force a confrontation with his foes - a couple called the Scalbys. Hunting for a way to do that he starts to mingle with society and is rescued from a social trap by Katherine Corbet, who just happens to be a cousin of the Scalbys.

Poor and pretty young Katherine Corbet has come to London to visit with her cousins the Swansons, and has been kept hidden away (along with the youngest sister) while the Swansons try to marry off three more of their many rich but ugly daughters. Watching the crowd from a hidden way Katherine and her friend Sibyl Swanson overhear the plot to compromise Alasdair into marriage, and Katherine pops up in the correct room at the right moment. Little does she know that Alasdair will latch onto her as a perfect key to his scheme and insist on plotting a way to bring her and Sibyl out into society where the Scalbys will certainly hear rumors about Alasdair and Katherine.

The plot grows more complicated with more parties who wish to harm Alasdair appearing, a deadly street fight, and an abduction. But it all boils down to : will Alasdair continue to hold vengeance as his highest priority, or will love change everything?

Amidst the improbabilities and melodrama of the plot, Alasdair and Katherine shine as flesh-and-blood human lovers. You will cheer for them in their successes and fear for them in their troubles. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Regency with stronger emotions
Review: Edith Layton continues to do good work in the Regency era presenting solid novels with powerful ideas and emotion. The Devil's Bargain has some weak points in keeping up the tension and maintaining a strong historical feel, but it also has a pair of fascinating lovers and deep and believable emotions.

Tall and well-built (if not handsome) Sir Alasdair St. Erth is working through the endgame of vengeance. He has built up a fortune abroad in mysterious ways and has an uncivilized habit of pulling a gun when startled. Now he just has to work out how to force a confrontation with his foes - a couple called the Scalbys. Hunting for a way to do that he starts to mingle with society and is rescued from a social trap by Katherine Corbet, who just happens to be a cousin of the Scalbys.

Poor and pretty young Katherine Corbet has come to London to visit with her cousins the Swansons, and has been kept hidden away (along with the youngest sister) while the Swansons try to marry off three more of their many rich but ugly daughters. Watching the crowd from a hidden way Katherine and her friend Sibyl Swanson overhear the plot to compromise Alasdair into marriage, and Katherine pops up in the correct room at the right moment. Little does she know that Alasdair will latch onto her as a perfect key to his scheme and insist on plotting a way to bring her and Sibyl out into society where the Scalbys will certainly hear rumors about Alasdair and Katherine.

The plot grows more complicated with more parties who wish to harm Alasdair appearing, a deadly street fight, and an abduction. But it all boils down to : will Alasdair continue to hold vengeance as his highest priority, or will love change everything?

Amidst the improbabilities and melodrama of the plot, Alasdair and Katherine shine as flesh-and-blood human lovers. You will cheer for them in their successes and fear for them in their troubles. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN-Alasdair and Kate-SPOILERS
Review: Favorite scene with Kate-
Her abduction.

Favorite scene with Alasdair-
Rescuing Kate from her abduction.

Together-
Their wedding night. Alasdair telling Kate the truth, and coming together in sweet love.

What did you like about Kate-
Her strength, even when abducted. Her love for her cousin Sybil and Alasdair. Standing by him, even when his need for revenge was great.

What didn't you like about Kate-
Nothing.

What did you like about Alasdair-
He's strong and powerful. His love for Kate. Doing what's right at the end re: his revenge, although I did think he let them off a little too easily.

What didn't you like about Alasdair-
Although I thought Alasdair was too obsessed with revenge, I finally understood once the reason was revealed. There were times when I thought him a little too dramatic.

If I had to cast Kate, I'd cast Reese Witherspoon.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Edith .....
Review: I am very fond of authors who consistently achieve high standards of story-telling, well developed characters, evocative descriptions, historical accuracy and honed, polished prose. Edith Layton rarely fails on any of these points.

Layton usually tells her stories from the masculine point of view, again, something which I relish, and in this novel, Sir Alasdair St Erth is a man whom we learn has some very dark secrets. The author often has exceptionally deep, troubled heroes and here is another! He has many redeeming qualities but there is enough about him that is flawed and troublesome to make him a most attractive and sympathetic hero.

At first, her heroines often try the sceptical reader but, in this as in others of her novels, the heroine, Kate Corbet, develops into a wholly credible figure who is the ultimate salvation of the hero.

As always with this brilliant author, a wonderful read and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Edith .....
Review: I am very fond of authors who consistently achieve high standards of story-telling, well developed characters, evocative descriptions, historical accuracy and honed, polished prose. Edith Layton rarely fails on any of these points.

Layton usually tells her stories from the masculine point of view, again, something which I relish, and in this novel, Sir Alasdair St Erth is a man whom we learn has some very dark secrets. The author often has exceptionally deep, troubled heroes and here is another! He has many redeeming qualities but there is enough about him that is flawed and troublesome to make him a most attractive and sympathetic hero.

At first, her heroines often try the sceptical reader but, in this as in others of her novels, the heroine, Kate Corbet, develops into a wholly credible figure who is the ultimate salvation of the hero.

As always with this brilliant author, a wonderful read and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Additional comments...
Review: I need to add a few things to clarify what I said earlier. Firstly, although this is a great book, from the point of view of a reader who dislikes dialogue, this is a book to avoid. A lot of time is spent reading dialogue - between the hero and his friend, between the hero and heroine, between the heroine and her friend, and between other persons. I happen to love both the fact that such dialogue exists, and that it is intelligent and credible (that is to say, in keeping with the period, the situation, and the characters of the hero and heroine). Others will find pages of dialogue boring.

Secondly, as someone pointed out to me on a board, this book is essentially about Revenge (with a capital R). It reminds me of other revenge-oriented books that I love - These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, By Arrangement by Madeline Hunter, among others. Keep in mind however (and this is a bit of a spoiler), that the hero does not allow his love for the heroine to distract him from his ultimate vengeance, even though he does make a couple of compromises here and there. If you loved the Duke of Avon in These Old Shades, this will be right up your alley. [And Katherine comes off better than does Leonie in the Heyer book]. If you believe that love completely or partially changes a man, and that love should definitely allow the hero to give up his plans for revenge (especially if they hurt other people), you might be put off. I don't think it is fair to compare this book to Mary Jo Putney's Silk and Shadows, because in that book, the hero's revenge is hurting other people, not just the heroine - and in very material and physical terms. In this book, Alasdair's revenge nearly hurts the heroine badly (when she is kidnapped) but he makes every effort to rescue her. It is true that he contemplates his revenge all through his subsequent courtship of the heroine, and that his need to revenge himself could have had a disastrous effect on his marriage. [For which and other minor flaws, I do take off one point here].

On the other hand, Alasdair is also keeping secrets from his wife, at least until their wedding night when, after the ultimate intimacy, he will tell her all his secrets. [Compare this with Heyer's Duke of Avon who keeps secrets from his wife all his life]. If you don't like books where a major secret is sprung on you nearly at the end, avoid this book. That secret goes a long way along with his professed reasons to explain why Alasdair is so driven by the need for revenge.

I still think this is a great book, an unusual one for Layton, and a clear homage to Heyer in more ways than one. But, if Revenge Plots trouble you, and a hero like Alasdair (who nearly allows his desire for revenge to consume him, and who refuses to give up that long-withheld desire for love) repels you, avoid this book. I am not usually fond of Revenge Plots, unless very well-done, but I happen to consider this well-done. This is a story of a man who finds love at the same time that he finds the opportunity for revenge, and who satisfies both his need to love and be loved at the same time that he tries to carry out his revenge. If you like the Duke of Avon in THESE OLD SHADES, you may enjoy this book (although Alasdair is of course not omniscient!).

Rating:
Summary: Additional comments...
Review: I need to add a few things to clarify what I said earlier. Firstly, although this is a great book, from the point of view of a reader who dislikes dialogue, this is a book to avoid. A lot of time is spent reading dialogue - between the hero and his friend, between the hero and heroine, between the heroine and her friend, and between other persons. I happen to love both the fact that such dialogue exists, and that it is intelligent and credible (that is to say, in keeping with the period, the situation, and the characters of the hero and heroine). Others will find pages of dialogue boring.

Secondly, as someone pointed out to me on a board, this book is essentially about Revenge (with a capital R). It reminds me of other revenge-oriented books that I love - These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer, By Arrangement by Madeline Hunter, among others. Keep in mind however (and this is a bit of a spoiler), that the hero does not allow his love for the heroine to distract him from his ultimate vengeance, even though he does make a couple of compromises here and there. If you loved the Duke of Avon in These Old Shades, this will be right up your alley. [And Katherine comes off better than does Leonie in the Heyer book]. If you believe that love completely or partially changes a man, and that love should definitely allow the hero to give up his plans for revenge (especially if they hurt other people), you might be put off. I don't think it is fair to compare this book to Mary Jo Putney's Silk and Shadows, because in that book, the hero's revenge is hurting other people, not just the heroine - and in very material and physical terms. In this book, Alasdair's revenge nearly hurts the heroine badly (when she is kidnapped) but he makes every effort to rescue her. It is true that he contemplates his revenge all through his subsequent courtship of the heroine, and that his need to revenge himself could have had a disastrous effect on his marriage. [For which and other minor flaws, I do take off one point here].

On the other hand, Alasdair is also keeping secrets from his wife, at least until their wedding night when, after the ultimate intimacy, he will tell her all his secrets. [Compare this with Heyer's Duke of Avon who keeps secrets from his wife all his life]. If you don't like books where a major secret is sprung on you nearly at the end, avoid this book. That secret goes a long way along with his professed reasons to explain why Alasdair is so driven by the need for revenge.

I still think this is a great book, an unusual one for Layton, and a clear homage to Heyer in more ways than one. But, if Revenge Plots trouble you, and a hero like Alasdair (who nearly allows his desire for revenge to consume him, and who refuses to give up that long-withheld desire for love) repels you, avoid this book. I am not usually fond of Revenge Plots, unless very well-done, but I happen to consider this well-done. This is a story of a man who finds love at the same time that he finds the opportunity for revenge, and who satisfies both his need to love and be loved at the same time that he tries to carry out his revenge. If you like the Duke of Avon in THESE OLD SHADES, you may enjoy this book (although Alasdair is of course not omniscient!).

Rating:
Summary: Revenge or love... which will win through?
Review: Kate Corbet is a poor relation, living in the house of her wealthier cousins, the Swansons. Unlike many other historical novels, the Swansons aren't evil; they simply have three unattractive daughters to marry off, and so Kate and the youngest Swanson, Sibyl, are kept out of sight. At a ball one night, however, they overhear a plan to trap Sir Alasdair St Erth into marriage. Kate engineers a way to help him escape from the trap, only for Sir Alasdair to accuse her of trying to trap him herself.

After this inaupicious meeting, Alasdair finds himself wanting to apologise, so he tracks Kate down... and discovers that she is a distant cousin of the Scalbys, a couple on whom he's plotted revenge for years. He blames them for his father's ruin and suicide and, we suspect, probably more too. He has the evidence to destroy them, but he wants to do it publicly, and he thinks that Kate would be the perfect means of getting close to them. So he suggests a deal to Kate: pretending that he needs help to be rehabilitated into polite society, he offers to squire her around to social events she won't get a chance to go to otherwise, if she will help to make him respectable.

Is Alasdair being fair to Kate? His best friend, Leigh, continually urges him to think of her and draw back before Kate gets hurt. In particular, Leigh says, what if she falls in love with him? She won't, Alasdair says - but can he guarantee it? He thinks he can guarantee that he won't have any feelings for her greater than fondness - but can he prevent himself?

The scenes of dialogue between Kate and Alasdair are tremendously enjoyable, and their first kiss - when it finally comes - is explosive. Kate is a fascinating heroine, worldy-wise in so many ways and yet naive in others. Alasdair is coldly cynical, and of course he is using Kate in quite a cold-blooded way, and yet he gradually reveals that he does still have a heart - and a soul.

Where the book began to lose its way, for me, was close to the end, and this is why it gets four stars rather than five. While the final chapter or two of the book - where we finally see Alasdair make his choice between revenge or love, and he almost makes the wrong one, as another review notes - are very well done indeed, the three or so before that just feel like filler, as if we're marching time waiting for the final denouement. Nothing much happens, and I wondered what the point was.

Layton again gives much detail about the London underworld, a feature of some of her earlier Signets and, of course, Gilly's story from her C series. Here, too, I felt that some of it could have been trimmed; we don't need quite so much extraneous information.

In terms of secondary characters, I liked Leigh and Sibyl very much indeed, and I'm hoping that Layton plans a book - or books - about them. However, I see that her next book is about neither. Still, we can hope!