Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

Hello everyone..after reading a fairly uninspiring book series i wanted to cheer myself up. So I decided to reread Devil in Winter – for the umpteenth time now. Although Tempt me at Twilight was my first Lisa Kleypas book and i just adore the Hathaways but Devil is one of those books that i reach out for after every few months. Ms Kleypas has this way of creating her stories that they leave a lasting impression on you. I guess that’s why i remember most of her characters as compared to other authors’. And I’m not kidding when I say that I’ve read my fair share of historical romances.

However coming back to the story, this is the third installment of the Wallflower series which opens with the shy, meek Evangeline Jenner propositioning a marriage of convenience to the notorious Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. For those who haven’t read the earlier two books,the Wallflower series are the stories of four wallflower best friends and how they find love. After Annabelle Peyton (Secrets Of A Summer Night) and Lillian Bowman (It Happened One Autumn) its Evangeline’s turn to get hooked. With curly, red hair and deep blue, innocent eyes, she is the shyest of all the wallflowers and has a stammer to boot.

On the other hand, we have our drool-worthy protagonist Sebastian who is the devil incarnate in all his golden beauty. By his own confession he’s a wicked, amoral and debauched man. His finances are fast dwindling but he considers working for living beneath him. When Evangeline (Evie) – who is going to inherit everything from her father as he lays dying – approaches him in order to run away from her own relations (relatives), it is an opportunity that he cannot miss.

As they run away to Gretna Green Sebastian comes to realize that Evie has a lot more to her than what she appears to be. That she can also be stubborn and resilient when she wants to have her way. As the story develops Evie begins to lose her stammer as she gets comfortable with Sebastian (although it amuses him as he doesn’t considers himself the comfortable type). But what I really like is that later in the book when she gets nervous or worried her stammer returns back and does not magically disappears completely.As they get back to London to her father’s club Sebastian also discovers a purpose for reestablishing the club. As they get settled in the gaming club, Sebastian throws himself into work in order to avoid Evie and the growing attraction between them. But as usual through dramatic ups and downs they end up trusting each other deeply and falling in love.

Sebastian and Evie’s transition from being mere acquaintances to being in love has been depicted in a gradual manner which is creditable and their heart melting chemistry actually makes me tear up. We also get to see some of the characters like the wallflowers, Lord Westcliff and also Cam. Even Derek Craven from Dreaming of You is mentioned is the passing. Apart from this, the only thing I really found lacking was Sebastian’s back story. Yes, we have some glimpses of it throughout the book but nothing has been told in detail. I truly wish to know more about his relation with his father which is hinted as a strained sort. Another thing is that unless a person has read the previous book its difficult to pick up the story immediately in the beginning. But in all, its one of the best reads ever and I would definitely recommend to all the romance lovers.