The Devil to Pay

Rating:
Summary: Not her best...but enjoyable read...steamy, entertaining
Review: A little contrived...I feel like I've read the whole gentlewoman masquerading as the "...Angel", etc but it was entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: Everyone knows that the Black Angel (so named because of a tattoo located on her left breast) has an agenda: to take from the blue-blooded rakish cads and to give to the women (discarded mistresses, raped housemaids, etc) they have wronged. Many of the "gentlemen" she has robbed have sworn to bring her down, but so far none have had any success. It is almost as if no one in London's great underworld knows who the Black Angel is. And then Black Angel decides to take down the Marquess of Devellyn, unwittingly setting in motion a series of events she never anticipated. For Devellyn is unlike her other marks. To begin with he's not the cad she thought he was, and then there is the fact that she is rather attracted to him. In the greater scheme of things, the Black Angel's feelings for the Marquess of Devellyn shouldn't matter, for a thief and a lord are unlikely to mix socially. But the Black Angel is actually a lady; a lady moreover who has recently acquired Devellyn as a neighbour -- a neigbour who seems quite intent on getting to know her intimately. And while Sidonie Saint-Godard (her identity is revealed in the plot synopsis on the backcover) quite enjoys the attentions, part of worries about what will happen if Devellyn ever discovers who her alter-ego is. And part of her cannot help but be jealous by Devellyn's obsession with the Black Angel...

If you're looking for a compelling read, complete with two angst filled principal characters and a few highly sensual love scenes, "The Devil to Pay" has your name on it. Well written and briskly paced, this was a fast and completely absorbing read. Liz Carlyle did a wonderful job of "fleshing" out her heroine and hero and making them seem like real (with both good points and hang-ups) and likable (in spite of Devellyn's rather over the top reaction when he discovers who the Black Angel really is). Some readers, however, may feel a little leery about the hero and heroine's first sexual encounter which starts off with the hero more or less forcing himself on her. I'll admit I'm still of two minds about that scene, in spite of the fact the author did salvage that scene completely. All in all however, a really good read.

Rating:
Summary: Average entertaining read
Review: I have read The Devil You Know by Mrs. Carlyle and so I know that she is and enjoyable author. This book had steamy love scenes. Sidonie and Aleric have a very passionate and deep conection. The plot was good but could have been better. The plot in the story has the power to make this book a powerful page turner if it had more suspence or on the edge of your seat something, but the author chose to leave it on the lighter side, Im guessing. The Devil to Pay is a good read. Its an entertaining romp and I do recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: funny, sexy, & smart--just what you want in romance!
Review: I honestly didn't think Ms. Carlyle could write a better romance than her last, The Devil You Know. This book is quite different from that one, and possibly even better.

Of course, it helps if you like a strong, adventurous heroine. Sidonie is not unlike a Regency-era version of Alias's Sidney Bristow, taking big risks and donning all kinds of costumes and personas to carry out her covert operations. Sidonie's missions are of her own making, however, and they all have to do with stealing money from wealthy bad guys and giving it to the women they've exploited.

But what really makes this fun is the hot and fairly original sex scenes (Carlyle is awfully good at those) and the well-drawn characters. Sidonie and her leading man Devellyn are complex, intelligent, and sympathetic, and even the secondary characters are fully fleshed out rather than stereotypes.

Consider Sidonie's brother: he's a dealer in fine antiques, and spends all of his time in the company of his "particular friend," Maurice; he's also a tough guy, having grown up on the streets, and not at all someone that anyone would want to mess with. Or Devellyn's mother: she's a wealthy and proper grand dame and a bit of a snob, but she's also possessed of a formidable intelligence, and she truly loves her son. And I can only hope that Devellyn's charming best friend Alasdair will soon be starring in a romance of his own.

Best of all, genuinely heart-rending scenes are balanced with some very funny scenes. I hope you enjoy this book--it was pure pleasure for me!

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars -- Wonderful, slightly darker romance!
Review: I will admit that I was a little bit leery of the plot-line of this book because it sounded somewhat contrived (widowed gentlewoman masquerades as dockside prostitute/woman of loose virtue in order to rob rich, upperclass men targeted because they have exploited weaker women), but the story in Liz Carlyle's hands is *very* well done and the characterizations excellent!

The heroine, Sidonie Saint-Godard, is refreshingly unusual and very well-drawn. Sidonie's motivation for her dangerous behavior is complex and rooted in her resentment of her powerful father's treatment of her mother. She is a very independent, intelligent and imaginative woman, but she is far from perfect. Sidonie is a risk-junkie and driven by demons from her past--some of which she does not even acknowledge to herself. She is headed for trouble when she selects the cynical and dissolute Marquess of Devellyn, Aleric Hilliard, as her next target.

The Marquess is called "The Devil of Duke Street" (but don't hold that against him--he is a much less hackneyed character than that name might suggest to historical romance aficionados.) He is a wealthy, dissolute rake, but he is not the standard-variety polished, charming "romance novel" rogue. Aleric is a man *literally* wasting his life on drinking, gambling and meaningless relationships--thereby punishing himself and his father for mistakes made in the past. He is very rough around the edges but he has a good heart, as Sidonie comes to realize only *after* she has victimized him. Aleric finds himself becoming obsessed with both Sidonie, his elegant widowed neighbor, and her alter-ego, the Black Angel, without realizing that the women are one in the same (somewhat similar to the theme of Connie Brockway's excellent "All Through the Night".)

The development of Sidonie and Aleric's relationship is very well done, and the plot is interesting (although it does bog down just a little at the end) and the romance is edgy and hot (as usual for a Liz Carlyle novel.)

In summary, this is a well-written historical romance with unusually good character development and a unique, compelling plot. Highly recommended, especially for those who like slightly darker, more complex, character-driven romance!

Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!
Review: It's hard to explain just why Liz Carlyle's writing captivates me so. Is it the finely drawn characters with their complex emotions? The incredibly hot men and strong women who feel intensely and obsessively? The way she makes 19th century England come alive with smell and sound? The beautiful prose, or the way there isn't a superfluous chapter or scene to be found?
Maybe it's the tension that radiates from each book. Maybe it's because her stories are just a bit darker, a bit more suspenseful and a lot more seductive than most other romance novels?
I'm not sure, all I know is that ALL of her novels have grabbed me in a way most others can't, no matter how much I enjoy them.
THE DEVIL TO PAY is no exception!!

The storyline seems simple, but the story is not.
Sidonie Saint-Godard, sister of the fascinating George Kemble whom we know from previous novels, teaches deportment by day but isn't quite as respectable as she outwardly seems.
As the Black Angel she takes revenge on less than honorable men who've hurt women in one way or another.
When she sees how the Devil of Duke street, Devellyn, casts off yet another one of his mistresses who live across the stree from her, she decides he will be her next victim.

When the Black Angel leaves him tied naked to the bed in a seedy bar, Devellyn is livid. He vows he'll find Ruby Black and take what she cheated him out of.
In the meantime, he is forced to take up residence in his former mistress's house and meets his neighbor, the lovely French widow Sidonie. While he is still obsessed with earthy Ruby, he becomes fascinated by feisty Sidonie.

Sidonie is equally intrigued by Dev and soon starts to realize she might have made a mistake...

There are so many elements in this story I loved, but I'll try to keep it simple.
Aleric, the Devil Duke is my favorite kind of hero - a seriously tormented, big, brawny man. He is convinced his soul is "just a shade from black", and with good reason. This doesn't keep him from being honest about his feelings though. And he feels deeply. He's a complex character who's both cynical to the marrow and yet surprisingly open.
Sidonie/Ruby is a strong, independent woman with a mind of her own. She knows what she wants and acts without hesitation. Like Devellyn she has demons of her own that have shaped her.
Both Dev and Sid/Ruby were real persons to me. Fleshed out, with substance. I completely understood Dev's fascination, or obsession, with Ruby from the minute she opened her mouth. I thought they were perfect for each other.

While this is an intense and sexy read, there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments. I was giggling when Sid and Aleric first "officially" met, I laughed out loud at their second conversation and the scene when they got together after that was just plain hilarious. I won't get into what else made me sputter, but you'll know when you read it *eg*.

Buy this book, get comfortable and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: I seem to be in the minority here
Review: Like the book is okay and had some very good moments, overall it just wasn't that great for me. Devellyn is very hard to like at first, and later he seems to be almost a different person. Sidonie is a very conflicted woman, but I could really sympathize with her. There were some very sensual scenes, and the reader can definitely feel the attraction, especially on Devellyn's part.

Characters are so important to me. I can forgive many things about the plot is I love the characters. I didn't love these two. The avenging angel plot is not only overused lately, this wasn't even an original take on it, and Sidonie's rationale was not convincing. I will say, though, that I loved the change in Devellyn; he's great in the epilogue. Plotwise, some things were handled far too simply and too late, rather like an afterthought.

I liked secondary character Alasdair, who's the hero in the next book. We'll see. For me, The Devil to Pay is 3 & 1/2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining Victorian romance
Review: Sidonie Saint-Godard learned her self-sufficiency in France so to have to buckle up her independence due to London society norms feels like a strait jacket. Still to earn money, she teaches deportment to the inane daughters of the upward thrusting nouveau riche. In the evening she is the avenging Black Angel sworn to strike out on dishonorable men preying on misfortune women.

Her current target is the Devil of Duke Street, the Marquess of Devellyn whose mistresses come and leave rather quickly, but always leave in tears. Known for his hedonism, he is stunned when the Black Angel with a tattoo of her nom-de-plume on her breast seduces him into her bed, ties him up and steals his most valuable possession. Frustrated in several ways, he warns her that he is coming for her. Not long afterward Sidonie tries to serendipitously return Devellyn his things, but he catches her. They make love and both feel like a prisoner of their passion.

This is an entertaining Victorian romance with two likable but emotionally guarded individuals unable to trust anyone especially the opposite sex. The story line moves rather quickly forward as Devellyn and Sidonie engage in a battle of the sexes starting with when she ties him up and ending in one heated final altercation. Fans will enjoy this absorbing dueling duet as they furbish a fine nineteenth century romance.

Harriet Klausner



Rating:
Summary: Can this Robin Hoodess reform her rake?
Review: THE DEVIL TO PAY is sadly the last in Liz Carlyle's devilishly fun "devil" series--and I think perhaps the best. We meet Sidonie as the Black Angel. She disguies herself and captures the attention of the ton's worst men; then she deprives them of their valuables which she then sends the money to women harmed by these notorious men. Usually she researches her 'prey' well--but when she sees the 8th or 9th mistress in as many months hurling chamber pots at her neighbor's head she sets off on a reckless course of revenge.

The Devil of Duke Street may seem the perfect candidate for the Black Angel's revenge, but she has taken a thing of true value from Aleric, Devllyn. Now these two match wits in this game of revenge and seduction. Can they learn to trust and love one another as much as they desire each other?

A very sexy, fast-paced, FUN read. Can't wait for Carlyle's next book. Definitely a keeper to read on dreary, rainy days--THE DEVIL TO PAY will keep you snug and warm, very very warm.