Search - The Devil Earl (Harlequin Historical, No 317)

The lair of the Devil Earl, perched precariously on a sea cliff like the castle in Dark Shadows. A night filled with tempest-tossed seas and the crackles of thunder. A tall and brooding hero, accused of murder.
These sound like the perfect ingredients for a gothic novel, right? Well, those elements are in place, but what's purposely missing is the damsel in distress.

The damsel not-in-distress is Prudence Lancaster, a bespectacled author with ink-stained hands. She is strong, level-headed, intelligent and determined. She is also on the shelf, never having noticed her body beyond the fact that it is unfashionably tall, bronzed, and leggy. Her face? She has never noticed its beauty behind the glasses her sister, "the pretty sister," has her constantly wear.

The Devil Earl is the hero. Dark, intense, with brooding gray eyes, Sebastian Ravenscar has been a party to all sorts of carnal debauchery in the past. He has never met a woman who could satisfy him in body and mind...until he meets Prudence. She alone is not afraid of him - she sees him as a pagan god capable of providing the thrills she has only written about.

Prudence and Sebastian fit together in body, mind, and soul. Sebastian's discovery of the delights of Prudence are many and filled with loving humor. It's such fun to read Sebastian's erotic musings -- he lusts after her ink-stained hands and delights in removing her spectacles. It's so enjoyable to have a heroine reach out and literally grab (ahem) what she wants.

An OK read. The first half of the book felt forced (the characters were stereotypical, overdone setting/mood setup, etc.), but the last half was much better.

If you like mystery and a great twist and hot love scenes, this is a great book.

Out of a midnight coach stepped Ravenscar...The perfect Gothic mystery man...Dark and brooding and rumored to have done murder the Devil Earl was everything Prudence Lancaster's imagination could conjure....

good book

Out of a midnight coach stepped Ravenscar... The perfect gothic mystery man.

Dark and brooding and rumored to have done murder, the Devil Earl was everything Prudence Lancaster's imagination could conjure.

This was a great fun quick read. This is the romance between Prudence and Lord Ravenscar. In this book you have a mix of healthy respectful mature romance with subplot of mystery.

Dark and brooding and rumored to have done murder, the Devil Earl was everything Prudence Lancaster's imagination could conjure. But he was also flesh and blood. and infinitely more seductive than anything she had ever created. In his presence, the dreamy authoress became a sultry sleuth, hungry to solve the mystery of Ravenscar's missing brother and to save her beloved Devil Earl from his own wicked legacy...

Out of a Midnight Coach Stepped Ravenscar...The Perfect Gothic Mystery Man

Dark and brooding and rumored to have done murder, the Devil Earl was everything Prudence Lancaster's imagination could conjure. But he was also flesh and blood, and infinitely more seductive than anything she had ever created. In his presence, the dreamy authoress became a sultry sleuth, hungry to solve the mystery of Ravenscar's missing brother and save her beloved Devil Earl from his own wicked legacy...

Out of a coach stepped Ravenscar, the perfect Gothic Mystery man! Great historical novel!

Historical romance set in 1818. The main female character is a published author. Also a bit of a sleuth. When she meets the earl she turns his world upside down. All in all, an enjoyable read!!