Devonshire
By Lynne Connolly

     Fresh from her whirlwind romance and adventures in the previous novel Yorkshire (also reviewed on this site), Rose Golightly is back in her native county and reluctantly in mourning for the relations she barely knew, but who have made her brother an earl and caused her to meet and fall in love with the elegant and fascinating Richard Kerre, Lord Strang. The wedding is now very close, and when Richard and his twin brother Gervase arrive, she has a chance to show them off to the locals, in particular those girls who laughed at her for being a plain and unmarriageable wallflower. But once again, they are going to get embroiled in adventures, as smuggling is rife and her family does not allow the goods to be taken through their land. Things are coming to a head, and Rose is going to discover some surprising things about her betrothed, as well as some local people she thought she knew all too well.

     The previous book started fast and ended slow, and the sequel does just the opposite. Resourceful and sensible, Rose still makes a fine narrator and unlike most of the alpha males who abound in romances, Richard comes across as being delightfully human and loving, the sort of man most women wish they knew. The smuggling adventures and main romance are threaded through each other in a satisfactory way, balancing each other out well and the scene is set from page one for a fairly pacy read. This is a much tighter and gripping story than the first one, which tended to sag in the middle and repeat itself, showing that if this is the tone for the rest of the series it will be enjoyable - although if it is to appeal to those who like a true romance (rather than a husband and wife investigation team thriller), then some of the other people in the story are going to need to be paired off. But I like it just fine the way it is…