The Devil in Winter

Lisa Kleypas

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

"I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows that."

Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London.

A marriage of convenience is the only solution.

No one would have ever paired the shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome viscount. It quickly becomes clear, however, that Evie is a woman of hidden strength—and Sebastian desires her more than any woman he's ever known.

Determined to win her husband's elusive heart, Evie dares to strike a bargain with the devil: If Sebastian can stay celibate for three months, she will allow him into her bed.

When Evie is threatened by a vengeful enemy from the past, Sebastian vows to do whatever it takes to protect his wife . . . even at the expense of his own life.

Together they will defy their perilous fate, for the sake of all-consuming love.

Ratings and reviews

That is my personal favorite in the 'Wallflower' series. I love Evangeline. She might be painfully shy but she has strong character. I like that Kleypas doesn't make it necessary for her to come out of her shelf, we accept and like her as she is and that doesn't impede her from having her friendships, and in this one - falling in love. I like St. Vincent, too, he might be vain and promiscuous but he is very honest about it and capable of self-mockery that is quite entertaining. It is nice to meet a character without any severe issues (painfully hurt by former lover, hates his father, doesn't want to become like him, etc.) Their wedding ceremony was funny, loved the entire episode and I also think it was pretty unique how they bonded - over her father dying and taking care of his affairs. Was quite believable without being overly dramatic, and a genuinely romantic Kleypas.

The book is very hard to read and it's hard to enjoy it when you can't read it. Punctuation is almost non-existent. Spaces were omitted numerous times so you don't know wheather or not you were even reading the right word. An apostrophe was almost never used. Because it was so difficult to read, you couldn't get into a steady flow of the dialogue and you missed a lot of the meaning.

Take London's most notorious rakehell in one hand, and a cripplingly shy (and unintentionally captivating) virgin in the other. Add a West End gambling hell, a magnetic/charismatic Gypsy, a resentful Cockney companion, some guns, and the rest of the delightful Wallflowers, and you have "Devil In Winter," the third book of the Wallflower series. Evangeline "Evie" Jenner is the daughter of ex-boxer Ivo Jenner (who made an appearance in Lisa Kleypas's previous acclaimed novel "Dreaming of You"), who owns a gaming club. She stands to inherit the largest fortune of all her Wallflower friends; couple that with her unique beauty (flaming hair and freckles everywhere), and she should be one of the biggest catches in the London Season. However, she is painfully shy, which results in a stammer (and thus is a "suitor repeller"), and her maternal relatives, the Maybricks, are a controlling and abusive lot who wish to marry her off to her cousin Eustace in order to keep her father's fortune in their family. Needless to say, this Wallflower is in a tight spot. Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent is a reprehensible rake who is in something of a tight spot himself. Mostly due to his spendthrift father, Sebastian doesn't have much of a fortune, despite his title. This led him to an *exceedingly* desperate action in the previous Wallflower book, "It Happened One Autumn": he kidnapped Wallflower (and soap heiress) Lillian Bowman, and tried to elope with her to Gretna Green. This abduction cost him his friendship with Lillian's fiancé, the Earl of Westcliff, and has him feeling a bit down in the dumps. Enter his salvation: equally desperate Evie, who summons great courage to propose marriage, of all things (though not with some reservations, namely her friendship with Lillian). They would elope to Gretna Green, consummate the marriage (at Sebastian's insistance, to make it legal), and the rewards would be twofold: Evie would be freed from her horrid family, and Sebastian could inherit her fortune and "go about his merry way." There is a catch, though: no sex after consummation. Evie doesn't want to give her heart over to someone who will only break it. Sebastian agrees to the proposition, and they quickly marry, and... do everything else attatched to the agreement. And then something inside him changes. It's as if he has been hit over the head with a blunt object known as Evie. She is unlike any woman he has ever known, and her effect on him was unforseeable when he agreed to marry her. Now, the formerly latent rake has several new responsibilities, including the reopening of the club, dealing with some people who don't really want him there, and caring for Evie's consumptive father. And he copes with all of them, while his beautiful wife remains in his life every day, and he can't have her. He doesn't want any woman but her--and that unnerves him. Soon, the tension between them becomes unbearable, and something has to give. So, Evie revises their agreement: if he can be completely celibate for three months, then she is his. If he cheats on her, then he must apologize to the Earl of Westcliff for abducting his fiancée (now wife) Lillian. Imagine the awkwardness...! So, Sebastian complies. And the sexual tension simmers continuously. Until he gets shot while protecting Evie, and his life hangs in the balance. Sebastian's steady (if a bit quick) transformation is believable, as his interests are not only in his new wife, but also his new profession. His charm (which was evident in "It Happened One Autumn") is irresistible, and his character surprisingly sympathetic. He manages to melt Evie's shyness and reveal a truly wonderful spirit, and it becomes impossible not to fall in love with her. The romance sizzles, and the subplots (including Ivo Jenner's eminent death) are often heartwrenching. All in all, a tale of two people who got married... and *then* fell in love. 5 stars

About the author

New York Times Lisa Kleypas graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. Her historical romance and contemporary women’s fiction novels are published in forty different languages, and are bestsellers all over the world. Currently she lives in Southern California with her husband Gregory.