Sandy M’s review of Love in a Mist (Devereaux, Book 4) by Patricia Grasso
Historical Paranormal Romance reissue published by Lachesis Publishing 22 Dec 15
I like that a good number of older books by our favorite authors are being re-released in ebook. It gives a bookaholic like me the chance to slim down the old bookshelf some. It also affords the opportunity to read them for review, instead of hoping for time that may not come to read them from the TBR mountain. So in this case, when Love in a Mist was offered to me for review, I jumped right on it.
Keely has had, for the most part, a good Welsh childhood, learning at her mother’s knee the druid ways she hopes to continue on, especially now in her mother’s memory. However, her stepfather has cast her out of the only home she’s ever known, and now is the time for her to follow her mother’s dictate in locating her English father. Accompanied by her cousins, Odo and Hew, Keely begins her journey to the unknown.
The only man able to keep the Queen’s coffers full to the brim, Richard Devereaux is England’s richest earl. He comes into contact with Keely by way of her cousins, who decide to rob him in their attempt to keep her safe and get her to her destination. Richard is out for blood in his search for the robbers, but when he meets Keely, all else eventually falls away. Even her fear that he won’t want her when he discovers what she is doesn’t deter him. That made him a terrific hero in my eyes.
Keely is one with nature, and I enjoyed the scenes when she communes with each and every part of Mother Earth. Though I do think her exact ritual doesn’t need to be described in detail each and every time. By the fourth or so time, I’d had plenty. I also like that her father takes her in with no questions asked, being the child of his heart. He does have two other children, one is jealous of Keely and acts accordingly, the other receives her with open arms. It takes Keely a bit longer to trust these strangers in her family, which, again, goes on a bit too long for me. Even her fear of totally trusting and loving Richard is taken a little too far, especially when he is upfront with his feelings for her.
I think these small issues I have is due to the sometimes outdated feel of the story. It was first published in 1994, and that time difference does peek through once and again. But, all in all, still a lovely story of family and love, even in the midst of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. I enjoyed Richard’s solution of escaping the Tower to get back to Keely after his crazy incarceration. Odo and Hew are delightful in their verve of guarding their cousin and partaking of twin servant girls. I’ll have to see if one of the series’ books is about Morgana. While she’s not a lovable character for most of the book, there is a change in her when the right man comes along. I wouldn’t mind reading about her and her hero.
Grade: B
Summary:
“Trust the man who wears a flaming crown and possesses the golden touch. Beware the blacksmith.”
Cast out of Wales after her mother’s death, Keely Glendower travels to England to find her natural father, the Duke of Ludlow. She wears her magical dragon pendant and carries within her heart her mother’s prophetic words. Though there is no love lost between the Welsh and the English, Keely cannot resist the heated gaze of Richard Devereux, England’s wealthiest earl, the English queen’s “Midas”.
Despite, her eccentric ways, Richard is drawn to Keely. Just gazing at the raven-haired, violet-eyed beauty kindles a passion he’s never known. Richard is a very determined man, but when a long buried secret is revealed, can the earl use his power to protect them or will his enemies destroy them both?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
