BCPL Staff Review 12-19-25

Devil in Winter

By Lisa Kleypas

Release Date: October 13, 2009

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3.5 Stars - A pleasant surprise in this seasonal series. St Vincent has all the charm of a man who is more villian than hero, and girls who swoon over the type are sure to love him. Evie, the wallflowerist of her group, turns out to be a truly perfect match for him, going toe to toe the whole book. A fairly fast paced period romance worth the read.

This tale was not all that Winter-y but it's a perfect escape from a cold, snowy day. The excitement starts from the first chapter, though it takes while for St Vincent and Evie to actually manage their elopement. Somehow, their softer sides show right away despite both insisting the marriage will be only for the sake of each's needs. I was a little shocked by Evie's show of backbone and St Vincent's sweet side appearing so often as well. He talks a good game about being cold, but his actions almost always show his true nature instead. I never thought these two would work at the end of the last book, but I quickly changed my mind.

A few things were a change of pace from other Kleypas stories that I really enjoyed. Their marriage at the beginning and while it wasn't filled with steamy scenes, it was nice to get to that early. I understand the need to stress the society rules of propriety in these but they get so old fast. The pacing was entirely changed from the suspense scenes to their progression as a couple, very refreshing. I think there were just a few things that held it back from being great. I think Evie's relatives would have been a better set of villians than the one that was used. Also, the original bargains that they struck were hardly ever mentioned. Granted their animosity vanished almost instantly. But, Evie really only half heartedly protested St Vincent's bossiness and her desire for freedom. She didn't seem to want her freedom once they were together, but I get why. A mention just might have helped. Also, there was just a hint of true connection missing between these two for me in comparison to other Kleypas couples.

(NS)