Eighteen year old Kathryn Marshall, daughter of a renowned rake, has been in love with Sebastian Stockbridge, Viscount Huntington, for much of her life. Her father’s disappearance in the New World provides her with the means to gain proximity to Sebastian, by way of becoming his ward. Of course, she doesn’t really believe anything has happened to her father, though she hasn’t heard from him in over a year. Is Sebastian all she has built him up in her mind to be? Will her plan work – or flounder?

Sebastian never intends to settle down, and certainly won’t be doing so just to provide a chaperone to his newly acquired ward. Expecting a young child, he was stunned to discover his ward to be a young lady rather than a child, of presentable age to the ton. Not only has her age caused him discomfort, for Kathryn possesses the face of an angel, but the body of an enchantress. His own reaction is powerful and unsuited to a guardian, and being a rake himself knows just what he faces. Will guardianship to Kathryn prove to be Sebastian’s undoing? Can he resist his desires and make her a success with the judgemental ton?

Geogeanne Hayes’s Divine Devil is a great tale with a real go-getting heroine. Kathryn is a woman who knows what she wants, what she has wanted for most of her life, and she is going after him with all that she has. At first I was undecided about whether to like her, because initially she appears little more than a naïve, scheming child. However, as the tale continues Kathryn matures, partly as a result of her experiences and partly as she comes to care more for Sebastian’s interests than her own. Sebastian is a likeable character from the start, and his pole axed reaction to first meeting Kathryn was amusing to behold. Indeed, you’ll be chuckling a time or two for there is also some humor to this tale. The plot is fairly solid, and quite intricate. The thought that went into developing Kathryn’s history was excellent, and her history has had a huge impact on the route the story takes. There are a couple of unexpected turns in the tale, which I did not see coming, but thoroughly enjoyed and thought added brilliantly to an already pleasing plot. There is some sex, though not overly much and not very graphically detailed. If you’re looking for an enjoyable historical romance with a heroine who goes after her man full steam ahead, Divine Devil should certainly be on your list.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth