Sandy M’s review of Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
Contemporary Romance Audiobook released by Brilliance Audio on 25 Mar 08

I wasn’t sure I was going to continue to like Hardy Cates because of some of his behavior in Sugar Daddy where we first meet the man. However, I knew I would like him because, well, he is the hero of this book and I know he will be redeemed. I never dreamed, though, I would like love him as much as I do after listening to the audio version of his book. Its narrator, Renée Raudman, does a brilliant job of bringing this book to life, including making Hardy one damn fine sexy hero.

First things first, though. This book is also about Haven Travis, the only daughter of millionaire Churchill Travis who has better relationships with his sons than he’ll ever have with Haven. It’s her father who thinks he trying to save her when he really pushes her into a marriage that turns horrifying with realistic scenes of domestic abuse. Haven loves Nick and is ready to marry him, but when her father refuses to give his blessing because he knows Nick is only after Haven’s money, instead of sitting down and talking with his daughter adult to adult so Haven might look at the situation differently, she jumps in with both feet despite Churchill’s threat of cutting her off from the Travis wealth. Things go well between the newlyweds only for a little while, until Nick begins to show his true colors and takes his rage out on Haven because they’re getting none of the Travis money to make his life easier. Haven does her best to make the bastard happy, and it’s when he literally throws her out on their doorstep for the night that she calls her brother Gage to help her get out of her living nightmare.

By this time Haven’s memory of her one and only meeting with Hardy is the furthest thing from her mind while she’s going through therapy, but when she runs into him again, that memory hits her full force, wondering what her life would have been like if she’d gone with the man who made her burn with passion and lust in a dark wine cellar at her brother’s wedding. And let me tell you, that scene is as sexy as hell. Between Ms. Kleypas’ writing and Ms. Raudman’s narration, a reader does’t have a snowball’s chance of getting through that scene with wanting Hardy’s hands and mouth on her.

And things only get better. Even though Haven doesn’t want anything to do with men at this certain point in her life, she’s still drawn to Hardy. Her father and brothers have nothing good to say about the man, but that doesn’t stop her. This time she knows she’s got a good man because of the way he patiently goes through her emotional roller coaster ride with her of wanting to get closer to him but still being afraid to let a man that close again. They take things slow and easy, learn about one another, and when that final trust is put in place by Haven, the long and winding road to get there is definitely worth it. For me, Hardy’s redemption comes in the many different ways he stands by Haven. Yeah, he’s sexy in the bedroom, but he’s even sexier because of the man he is.

Haven’s triumph over one of the most degrading things a man can do to a woman, Hardy finding the one woman he can share all of himself with to show the reader how he’s changed, and a cast of characters from a controlling father and later a controlling boss, a scum of man who deserves every little thing he gets, to brothers who only want their sister to be happy make for a very compelling book brought to life through audio. Ms. Raudman does an excellent job throughout the entire book, but it is those scenes with Hardy I found myself anticipating. This is one time that the hero in my head truly came to life just how I imagined him.

Grade: A+

Summary:

     MEET THE BLUE-EYED DEVIL

     His name is Hardy Cates. He’s a self-made millionaire who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. He’s made enemies in the rough-and-tumble ride to the top of Houston’s oil industry. He’s got hot blood in his veins. And vengeance on his mind.

     MEET THE HEIRESS

     She’s Haven Travis. Despite her family’s money, she refuses to set out on the path they’ve chosen for her. But when Haven marries a man her family disapproves of, her life is set on a new and dangerous course. Two years later, Haven comes home, determined to guard her heart. And Hardy Cates, a family enemy, is the last person she needs darkening her door or setting her soul on fire.

     WATCH THE SPARKS FLY….

     Filled with Lisa Kleypas’s trademark sensuality, filled with characters you love to hate and men you love to love, Blue-Eyed Devil will hold you captive in its storytelling power as the destiny of two people unfolds with every magical word.

     Listen to an excerpt.