Devil's Own Bargain (London Lords) [Kindle Edition]

I'll admit it. I've grown tired of Regency romances. Too many of them feel like ones I've read before, but Mary Gillgannon restored my enjoyment of Regencies with her first Lords of London story. Combining romance and adventure with intriguing characters, she hooked me from the first page and kept me reading far too late, simply because I had to learn what happened next.

Earl of Northrup, Devon Langley has sold his title and his own hand in marriage to the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Caroline Beaumont feels degraded at the idea that her father has essentially sold her off to the Earl who has only agreed to marry her for the money her father has offered him. Devon is surprised to discover that Caroline is also unhappy with the situation they've both been forced into due to circumstances beyond their control. When love starts to bloom between the reluctant spouses a murder threatens to destroy them both. Devon must find the murderer before Caroline is lost to him permanently.

I really enjoyed this even though Historical Romance is not my typical fare. The description blurb drew me in and I'm so glad I gave this a chance. Caroline and Devon are a very sweet couple; I thought they were adorable. I do understand that in a great deal of romance novels, it's necessary at times to get over the whole "they fell in love too fast" feel about the pace the relationships progress at. This is one of those cases for me, as I did have to get over how quickly the tide turned but I was willing to let it go because they were so cute and likable.

The mystery, the murders, and the blackmail were all really great plot devices to further bring the characters together and cement their feelings for each other. Not only that but it was actually an entertaining mystery. I don't think there were enough clues for the reader to figure it out for themselves convincingly. I know that can be a peeve so I thought I'd mention it. It didn't bother me personally though.

My only issue with the mystery part of the story was how quickly Caroline dismissed the possibility of Devon's involvement in pure faith despite the very incriminating circumstances. To me, that hurt the credibility of the character. It wasn't an intelligent response, I would have expected more from an intelligent character.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would happily recommend this.

This book gets off to a good start, then just sort of falters. The characters are unlikeable and change their personalities continually throughout the story. It's implausible, it's illogical, it's wrapped up suddenly. I'm glad it was a free selection at the time I downloaded it because it definately would not have been one worth buying. I guess it's the first of the London Lords series....don't think I'll be moving on to the next.