TO SAVE THE DEVIL

Author: Kate Moore ISBN: 9780425237489 10/2010 HISTORICAL Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION
Time Period: Regency

Ex-spy and former Bow Street Runner Will Jones rescues a beautiful, unsullied virgin from a London brothel, but she is no swooning maiden. Instead, he faces a woman of wit who resists his aid, escapes his protection...and captures his imagination.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

TO SAVE THE DEVIL is the follow up to TO TEMPT A SAINT in the Sons of Sin Trilogy. It is highly advised that the first book in the series is read beforehand. Unfortunately, this particular reader wasn't aware of such advice.

Kate Moore did a good enough job fitting the pieces of the former book's storyline into this one, but there's still a strong feeling of having missed important details. Then again, it wasn't too difficult be able to put everything together; just a minor annoyance that it had to be done, like coming into the middle of a story, rather than starting from the beginning.

The characters were fairly complex and a lot of the details about the heroine (Helen) weren't revealed until the end, which made her intriguing to read about. The hero (Will) was also fascinating and easy to feel connected to. Outside of the main cast, there were a few other interesting characters, like the urchin, Nate Wilde, and Will's family members.

The writing was very rich without being too detailed, and the pacing reflected the situations. There was a lot of action and mystery to pair with sensual romance. The steamy scenes were very hot and cleverly brought about, while the action was tense and engaging.

I did have a hard time buying the way that the hero and heroine came together. It just didn't feel like there was genuine love between them so much as possession on his part and curiosity and necessity on hers. The possibility for it was there, but it didn't feel actualized. That isn't to say that it isn't a good story, it's just that the romance aspect was a bit weak when compared to the mystery and espionage.

Overall this was a good book, but it left some things to be desired. Still, it is worth a read as long as you read TO TEMPT A SAINT first and don't expect heavy romance.

Sunny Lore