The Devilish Mr. Danvers

Would not know. Paid for the book and it only gave me 2 chapters.

This was a fun, sweet book. Very little angst and no real challenges to overcome, but it was an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed The Elusive Lord Everhart, the first in this series, so I was excited to jump into this one. With a familiarity of the rakes, and Rafe in particular, this story held promise.

A love affair gone pear shaped, Rafe’s ex fiancés family holds the keys to the tumbledown Greyson Park. He’s wanted the property, believes he should have inherited it, and to get his own back at the Sinclairs for a while now, and it appears that Hedley is the way to get his desires.

Hedley is unique for the time, and develops into a wonderfully competent and strong woman as the story progresses. Essentially ‘hidden’ from society and treated poorly by her family, her wish and goal, to live life on her own terms, comes true when she inherits Greyson Park from her grandfather. Despite some fairly desperate and dilapidated circumstances, she is growing and changing: taking charge of her life and her estate with flair. There’s just one kink in the works: Rafe.

Holding a grudge and nursing a broken heart from a faithless fiancé who just happens to be the sister of the new owner in residence at Greyson Park is not going to be a problem for Rafe. Or so he thinks. The moral character (or lack thereof) of the Sinclair family is proven to be fickle in his estimation, and the curvaceous and beautiful chit is just one more obstacle. Boorish and abrasive at first, his behavior is wholly driven by his hurt, but with Hedley’s refusal to back down and allow him to bulldoze her, and her stalwart refusal to descend to the rudeness he displays is making an impact on his thoughts.

Rafe isn’t truly mean or spiteful, he’s a bit immature and childish, but not truly vengeful deep down. Sure, he wants what he feels is his, but Hedley’s strength and story, once he starts to realize her own trials, do make a difference. And of course, when the villain appears to show everyone just what true despicable intentions are, Rafe can’t help but protect what he wants. His only problem is determining if that want is Greyson Park or its very lovely owner. He could just lose both if his priorities aren’t organized properly.

With secondary characters and plenty of interactions, this is a lovely, fun story as enjoyable as the first. The return of several of the other rakes, and a few new additions and friendships for Hedley fill out the story, as do the descriptions and details that help to build tension with a tiny mystery of hidden treasures and the dangers from a highly motivated villain.

A wonderful addition to The Rakes of Fallow Hall series, I can’t wait for the next book!

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.