The Devil of Davenport is in need of a bride. Everyone knows the wicked earl is looking to wed, but only his childhood friend, Anne, knows his secret. Despite what society believes, he’s not a devil–not really. Not at all. Of course, he’s no saint either. He’s a man. One she hopes will solve all her family’s financial woes by marrying her eldest sister, the only sibling not tainted by scandal.… scandal.
But the earl has other plans. While Anne’s sister is the safe choice, she’s not the one who makes his pulse race. There’s only one who can tame his wicked ways, but choosing Anne will thrust her into the type of scandal she’s tried so hard to avoid. Can a devil like him ever win an angel?
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This is the first book of Ms Dallen’s I have read and received as an ARC. I was very happy to do a review of this novella. I felt she developed the story line and characters well so that it flowed nicely through a short read. The story was developed from the characters having a past history, money troubles and the Earl needing a wife. The bases of many historical romances but well condensed to fit this novella. I was more than happy to sit and read this book in one sitting. I hope that some of the secondary characters will get their own book. Looking forward to reading more of her books.
4.5 stars – For a debut into Historical Romance, this was a very good book, the author clearly took the time to learn the period and with the exception of a couple of very minor mistakes, it was spot on!
Anne Cleveland is in a bind and she is hoping her childhood friend and neighbor, Fredrick Belford, the Earl of Davenport can help her.
Her brother Jed has reduced the family to ruin and if Anne’s plan doesn’t work, they stand to lose everything. She has heard that Davenport is looking for a wife and while she doesn’t consider herself acceptable as she is most likely illegitimate, she believes her sister Claire is the perfect wife for him! Anne fondly remembers Davenport as the boy that always defended her from the unkind remarks made about her birth. She knows the ton calls him the Devil and that he is not a saint, but to her, he is a hero.
She goes to his home with her companion and when he arrives, he acts like he doesn’t know how she is. But once she realizes he is teasing her, she gets down to business. She asks him to marry Claire and save her family. He tells her he will consider it and leaves the room.
There is no way Davenport is going to marry Claire – she is dull and prim and he will crush her within a week, no, he needs a strong woman, someone who can stand up to him, someone a little bit scandalous, someone like… Anne. Once that thought takes root, that is it, Davenport decides that Anne is the woman for him and no other will do.
He visits the next day and asks for her hand, she is shocked, but accepts. He then insists that they marry immediately. He gives her an hour to get ready and then they will head to Scotland.
This was a very sweet story of two people who don’t see their own worth, but see it in each other. Davenport has cultivated a reputation to protect himself and Anne has accepted that she has less worth than others because of her birth. The book was short, but I had no problem believing they were in love, Ms. Dallen gives the reader an established history between them, so it wasn’t hard to believe that they fell in love so quickly. Their road to HEA is not without bumps, but nothing dragged out very long and they were honest and open with each other. There are a couple of passionate kisses and one warmish love scene as well as a very sweet declaration scene.
I would be happy to recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author!
4.5 Stars
Frederick William Belford known as The Devil of Davenport is in need of a bride. Everyone knows the wicked earl is looking to wed, but only his childhood friend, Anne Cleveland, knows his secret. Despite what society believes, he’s not a devil, he’s no saint either. He’s a man. One she hopes will solve all her family’s financial woes by marrying her eldest sister Claire, the only sibling not tainted by scandal. Anne visits Frederick & tells him he should marry her eldest sister but he has other ideas & it’s Anne he wants.
Another lovely short story & a worthy addition to the Wicked Earls Club. This is the first book I’ve read from the author & it won’t be the last. Strong characters & a very well paced plot had me reading the novella in a sitting. I loved Frederick a torn hero who because of his childhood hid behind a persona he’d invented. I’m loving the series as I’m meeting new authors as well as favourites
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
The devil and his bastard bride
Earl of Davenport may be a quick read, but it is a complete story. Fully developed story and characters. Frederick is known as the Devil of Davenport but Anne sees the kindness, goodness, and wild spirit in him. Anne had been raised believing she is an outcast, not wife material, especially for an Earl, and the subject of gossip and scorn from the ton. Frederick sees in her the face and soul of an angel and courage and spirit of a little hellion. They are both unwanted in society; him for his reckless behavior, and her for her questionable parentage. They are a perfectly matched couple who find their Happily Ever After. A really enjoyable, quick read.
The “Devil” or Earl of Davenport needs a bride. Anne tries to keep the scandal of her brother gambling away their money from becoming common knowledge. She has a scheme to marry her oldest sister, Claire, to him. Does the “Devil” marry the proper sister? No violence . Light sexual content.
Actually 3.5 stars
I believe this is Maggie Dallen’s first foray into the Historical Romance genre and I believe she did a very credible job of it. If she continues in this genre she’ll want to check her use of modern phrases such as ‘tad’ which didn’t appear until 1877 and then was used to mean a young child. It wasn’t used to mean ‘a small amount’ until about 1915. She’ll also want to get a feel for distances and travel time in the Regency period. In this story, the H/h are leaving London and going to Scotland to be married. They are to stop the first night at the half-way point. They’d need a modern motor car to meet that time schedule. It is over 300 miles from London to Scotland and would have taken at least four days (traveling as quickly as possible). Is that picky of me – probably, but I love the books set in that time period and inaccuracies just jar me right out of the story.
I enjoyed the story and loved the characters, but it felt ‘unfinished’. The novella was really short and if there had been two or three more chapters showing more of the characters, including the supporting characters, it would have felt more complete. I would have loved to see some interactions between Davenport’s aunt and Anne. I think they could have been kindred spirits and it would have added a lot to the story. An epilogue AFTER the wedding – maybe 6 months or a year out would have also added a lot of interest for me. It always bothers me when a romance ends before the wedding. I do plan to purchase and read Dallen’s upcoming Regency featuring Anne’s older sister Claire.
Frederick, Earl of Davenport – has worked hard to earn his sobriquet, The Devil of Davenport. He started earning it – in a good way – when he was a high-spirited young child and his father referred to him as a little devil. That all changed with the death of his older brother Robert who was all things good, kind, caring – the perfect son. Frederick’s parents blamed him for Robert’s death because Robert had been out searching for Frederick during a storm – he caught a chill and died days later. Frederick never knew another drop of love or kindness from his parents. Is it any wonder that he learned to live down to their expectations? Even though he doesn’t even know it himself, he is really a caring and kind person beneath it all.
Frederick has begun to see the need for a wife but absolutely cannot stand the idea of marrying the typical debutante available on the marriage mart. Imagine how his interest is piqued when Anne, an old friend from his childhood, visits him and asks him to marry her sister Claire in order to save her family. She touts Claire as the perfect Countess and she’s beautiful to boot. Claire doesn’t interest Frederick, but Anne strikes a chord deep inside him.
Anne Cleveland and her family are a scandal. There are several siblings – and all but the first two or three are rumored to be illegitimate. Anne is one of those and she’s always felt – well – that she didn’t quite belong. She was raised in the home of her father and was mothered by his wife, but she was told from a very young age that her mother wasn’t really her mother. Anne never expected to marry well, but she did hope that she might find a nice man to marry for love. Anne had been in love with Frederick since they were children living on neighboring estates. Anne was in total disbelief when Frederick showed up at her home to offer for her and not Claire.
I thought it was a sweet story of two people who each see the good in the other, but not in themselves. Their growth to finally accepting that they were not at fault in any way for the sins of others and that they were worthy of love and respect was a sweet one.
I’m looking forward to giving Claire’s book a read and I hope I see a bit more of Frederick and Anne in it. I’d like to see how they are doing.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
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