Cold-Hearted Rake

The Ravenels, Book #1

By Lisa Kleypas

ISBN# 9780062371812

Author’s Website:  https://lisakleypas.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer

Devon Ravenel’s life is turned upside-down when his cousin is killed in a riding accident.  Theo was an earl and now Devon has inherited his earldom, and all the debt and responsibility that goes with it.  

Devon and his brother, West, live a carefree life indulging in all their vices.  And, they had no intention of changing that.  Devon’s plan was to sell off all of Theo’s property and be a landless earl.  However, that all changes when he meets Theo’s widow, Kathleen.  Kathleen is in her period of mourning, but Devon is willing to play the long game.  He’s even willing to keep his new estate that is crumbling into disrepair.  It’s all worth it, for a chance to be with her.

But all is not as it seems with Kathleen and the relationship she had with Theo.  The two had barely said their vows when Theo went off in a fit of rage to his death.

Can the dashing Devon convince the proper lady to take a ride on the wild side with him?

This is not my typical genre to read, but every once in awhile I delve into one.  It was a decent read, but it didn’t blow me away.

I enjoyed Devon and West.  Both of them took to their new responsibilities rather well.  Well, at least after Kathleen put West in his place!  The brothers seemed very fatherly with the girls as well too.  Although I’m feeling something brewing between West and Pandora.

I do wish this book hadn’t focused so much on Helen and Mr. Winterborne, even the epilogue was about them!  I found it boring and it just took away from Devon and Kathleen.  I found that Kathleen interfered way too much in that relationship too.  And, I suppose the next book will be about Helen and Rhys fixing what Kathleen broke.

I don’t know if I’ll continue this series or not, but it’s always there if I get a hankering for a historical romance.