Sandy M’s review of The Devil’s Daughter by Laura Drewry
Historical Paranormal Romance published by Leisure 1 Apr 08
This is my first Laura Drewry book and I’ve actually had it a while. Based on the blurb I thought I would enjoy the story, but, unfortunately, I never warmed up to the heroine and this ended up being a disappointing read. For me it was too late to like her when she finally decided to toss her selfish ways for love, even if she is the devil’s daughter. I just couldn’t give her the benefit of the doubt, and not because of her relatives from hell.
Lucy Firr is determined to get out of hell and out from under father’s thumb. She’s tired of vying for his attention and always found lacking, tired of being tricked into doing something just for dad’s sport. So she needs an innocent soul. Being her father’s daughter, the lies trip off her tongue at a bride auction when she chooses the groom she wants, Jed Caine, to put her plans in motion.
Jed originally passes on the beautiful temptress. He needs a wife who knows how to work on a ranch, not a woman who’s never done a day’s work in her life. But when he sees the calluses on Lucy’s hands, he decides to take a chance. Marrying her and getting her home are the easy parts of his new life. Once home his sister-in-law refuses to allow Lucy inside their small home, telling Jed she’s evil and wants her baby. Jed, of course, has no idea how spot on the woman is in her predictions.
So Jed and Lucy make camp around the firepit outside the house and sleep in the barn. And they do sleep. Only. Lucy does her best to seduce Jed to finally get her plan moving, but she’s not very good at it, though Jed still would love to bed his new wife, but he also wants them to get to know one another. He knows love is probably not in the card for them, so respect will do just fine between them in his mind.
Lucy is a slow in getting that concept, but she’s determined to do whatever Jed wants. Then she finds she enjoys talking to the man and eventually begins to earn his respect. Things also don’t go smoothly outside the relationship due to visits from Lucy’s half brother, who is carrying out their fathers demands in sabotaging Lucy, which is par for the course for those two.
She does come around in the long run, but it was left too late for me to really like Lucy. By the time she learns what needs to be done and gladly does it because it’s the right thing, I hadn’t really liked her for quite a while and I didn’t have have enough good feeling left over to give her any when she starts to get things right. Now, Jed I did like. He’s hardworking, taking care of his sister-in-law since his brother’s been missing, doesn’t give in to Lucy and his libido as the men in town would have done with a pretty lady like his new wife. He does what has to be done and sticks to his guns on the important stuff.
There’s also a secondary story concerning Lucy and I actually found that a little too convenient after everything I’d already gone with through with these characters. Deacon, Lucy’s brother, is defeated in the end and he ends up the hero of the next book, Dancing with the Devil. I’m torn on whether I really want to read that one. The fact he’s redeemed is good, but if he holds out like Lucy did, I just don’t want to go through it again.
Grade: D
Read Shannon C.’s review here.
Summary:
GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUDE
Shoveling sulfur and brimstone could really get a girl down. When her dad offered freedom from the fiery depths in exchange for one simple soul-snatching, Lucy Firr jumped at the chance. With her considerable powers of seduction, she threw herself at rancher Jed Caine. Yet instead of taking her to bed, he made her muck out the pigsty.
It would take the patience of a saint to resist the likes of Lucy Firr—and Lord knew Jed was no saint. The temptress fired his blood like no woman he’d ever met. Why she’d suddenly latched on to him, he had no idea. But the safest place for her—and her virtue—was out in the barn.
Lucy could see the heat in Jed’s gaze. But it was the tenderness of his touch and his hard-won smile that undid her. She was supposed to steal his soul, yet here he was…capturing her heart.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
