Lady Merritt Sterling, a strong-willed young widow isrunning her late husband's shipping company & London society is dying to catch her in a scandal. So far, she's been too smart to provide them with one. But then she meets Keir MacRae, a rough-and-rugged Scottish whisky distiller, and all her sensible plans vanish like smoke. They couldn't be more different, but their attraction is powerful, raw and irresistible. From the moment Keir MacRae arrives in London, he has two goals. One: don't fall in love with the dazzling Lady Merritt Sterling. Two: avoid being killed. Keir doesn't know why someone wants him dead until fate reveals his secret connection to one of England's most powerful families.
This is the seventh book in the series & is easily read on its own. A well written book which I thoroughly enjoyed especially as it features children of the Wallflowers, I love it when an author’s world grows. I really liked both Merritt & Keir & was invested in the road to their HEA. I love a romance with mystery & this delivered on both fronts. My only quibble was how it was related to the Ravenels
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]

I love Lisa Kleypas books but I couldn't love Devil in Disguise. Although is a sweet book I found it lacking of strength, it never hooked me. The MC are lovely but their love story felt weak, there's no tension and mistery between them and there are so many character in this book that they seem secondary characters.
Although I love reading about my favourite Wallflowers characters, I think they stole the book, they are more interesting than the MC. I think this story would be better if it wasn't part of the Ravenels universe, the connection is very weak and forced. With less characters and less plot twist it would have been so much better.
But a weak Lisa Kleypas book is always a book worth of reading. I hope the next one will be simpler but better.

Devil in Disguise was one of my most anticipated releases this year, and sadly it’s been a bit of a disappointment.
The story itself was okay, but I didn’t love it.
My main issues were the characters. I didn’t really feel the connection between them.
Overall the book was alright, but not Kleypas‘ strongest work.

I was SO lucky to get an arc of this book from NetGalley and Lisa Kleypas never disappoints! This book combines two of my favourite families that Lisa has created - the Ravenels and the Wallflowers! It was so fast paced, the romance was epic and the story had me hooked from start to finish. If you love historical romances like me, you need to read this book when it’s out in July!

" He tried to say her name, But it came out as "Merry". A word of Joy, shaped in longing"

" All he knew was that after he left, he'd have to learn how to live with this heart beating somewhere far away"

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Tropes- Scot, Grumpy, Efficient and organised heroine, widow, Fake engagement, Assignation plot, Amenisia, Follow up past characters stories.

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I think books sometimes come to you when you really need them. Im in my 3rd trimester, I have very bad heartburn but this book was a tall glass of tonic. It transported me away, I lie in bed and gobbled this yesterday and cannot wait to eventually listen on audiobook with mary jane wells, who always knocks kleypas audiobooks out the water.

Lisa Kleypas is a powerhouse of the historical romance genre. I love the next stage of the Ravenals/wallflowers. Give us our wallflowers children being grown up and making love connections, give us more developed and older wallflowers. Give it!

I loved Merrit and Keir, Their chemistry throughout was bubbling away and the plot was well-paced. A little note to jump ahead, I've found recently Klepyas final 10% sometimes can be rushed but this was handled ok, a little faster than I expected but better than chasing Cassandras.

Now I glanced on Goodreads, at the general consensus of reviews and some people are very upset at the hinted lineage in the blurb feeling it betrays past stories. It's explored fully within the novel and SPOILER..... I actually think the spoiler isint that shocking nor does it ruin her past books. It only adds and expands. Wonderfully done. It was really sweetly handled and well done.

Also from a Scot, it wasent cheesy or overboard so bring on more delish Scottish hero's

4.5 stars

Lots of graphically written sex. It can be an interesting change. The hero was scottish by adoption so lots of ach the noo,which I can do without but it was an well crafted story and links into the Wallflower series via Sebastian (Book 3) and the Ravenels series. It's fairly standalone so you don't have to have read those but I think it does add a layer of nostalgia. Merrit is a fiesty heroine capable of running a business and a sharp shooter. Keir owns a distillery and we find out is being hunted. It falls to Sebastian to understand why and to Ethan and Dr Gibson (book 4) to help keep him alive. Merritt's childlessness was sensitively handled and I was a bit disappointed that the author went the obvious way in the epilogue especially when we had Keir's thoughts on adoption.

A quick entertaining read. Many thanks for the ARC

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Isn't the cover incredible sweet? I love the colors on it so much.

And back to the Ravenels world we go. Even though neither the hero nor the heroine is an actual Ravenel, we can say they are honorary family members since we see many of the previous loved characters from the Wallflowers and Ravenels series.

Merritt is a widow who is in charge of her late husband's shipping company. She has appointed her brother as manager but she is involved with the business.

Keir is in London for bussiness, his latest whisky shipment has been delayed which creates problems for his distillery and means that he has to stay away from his home in Scotland for longer.

While they work together to fix the issue they immediately feel the connection which makes it difficult to stay away from the other.

I can say I found a new book boyfriend and he is marvelous. I loved how he behaved and how he handled a very difficult situation involving Merritt.

This book has everything I love in a Lisa Kleypas book, a great plot, a mystery and bit of danger, a whirlwind romance that can swipe one of it's feet, a heroine that is loveable and a hero that is indeed a hero.

The returned of many of my favourite characters and their role in the story made the book even more interesting and I couldn't stop reading.


* I received an ARC from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I loved the characters, I loved their dynamic, and I believe in the story between Keir and Merritt, but some elements of this book are rather bananas.

From the top:
Keir and Merritt have instant chemistry, and I loved that, I would have expected nothing to happen between them until the 50% mark, but this book does not bother with a prudish setting (and Keyplas knows what they were, these books are highly researched). Merritt is a widow, and as such an experienced woman, who runs her own company. She knows what she wants and goes for it. Keir for his part basically tries his best to resist, but it's futile.
However, Keir is a brewery owner and not a peer, so whatever is rapidly blossoming between them cannot go anywhere long term or in ton society.
Or is it?

And this is where the book follows a path closer to latinx culebron than historical romance, and I am not complaining. It is only missing an evil twin. Because it does have: Insta-lust, a murder plot, exposions, lost baby and secret identity.

So, as you can imagine without me going into spoilers, Keir's "situation" as not being a peer needs solving so we can get our HEA, which is resolved. And people who might follow Keyplas' books will know how by about 20% of the book.
I am not crazy about this development, it feels a bit unnecessary to be honest, like a way to add another offspring because we run out of books to write of the original ones? Unsure.

But other than this minor, let's call it misgiving for lack of a better term, I truly enjoyed the book, and Keir is a great character, so many things are happening to him at the same time, his life is completely upended and he feels like he loses control of who he is while being hounded down by either a new family that wants to love him and make him very rich or a woman who wants to love him and make him very happy, and I know this does not sound terrible, but I can easily see how it would become overwhelming. Merritt navigates it with aplomb and when they come together they do so as partners and their coupling feels very substantiated by the people they are, without them changing, but growing.

It is as per usual with Keyplas, a very hot book, and an extremely satisfying one emotionally.

Merritt is a young widow running her late husband's shipping company. Kier is a Scottish whiskey distiller working with her company. The moment they meet their attraction is immediate and powerful, however, their paths are running in different directions. When someone wants Kier dead, Merritt cannot help but protect him as they uncover why his life is in danger.

I'm sure there are plenty of fans who will not appreciate the link Kier has to Sebastian. In my opinion, it's pretty obvious what it's going to be and is probably one of the aspects of the book I like the most.

Unfortunately beyond that and the enjoyment of re-entering this world, this book was a major disappointment. This book is 100% insta-love with no further development. I never felt any real connection between our main couple. Supposedly they bared their souls to each other that first night over dinner, however the majority of this scene takes place off page. Pretty soon after the danger takes over the plot and any further character or relationship development is shelved.

From around the 50-60% mark the book just devolves into a bunch of fan service. It contains many sections in Sebastian's POV about how much he loves Evie as well as a partial Wallflower reunion when Lillian and Marcus arrive. As a fan of Devil in Winter these were enjoyable scenes, however I didn't feel they were at all necessary and took up far too much of the story. Our primary couple takes a major back seat in the second half which is where I was hoping for that additional relationship development.

With every thing else going on we barely get anything additional from our main couple outside of them constantly claiming they're in love, which I'm still highly unconvinced of having finished the book.

Then to make matters even worse, the epilogue goes and ruins one of the only other aspects of the book I'd thought was handled well. I don't want to delve into spoilers but I felt a lot of the great conversations they'd had about family and what their future could look like was undermined by that epilogue.

**Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are subjective but my own.**

I absolutely adored this book. Lisa Kleypas is a master story teller and Devil in Disguise is just another jewel to add to her crown. The story was captivating from the start and it only pulls you in deeper and deeper until you're at the edge of your seat. Merritt and Keir were absolutely brilliant. I found Keir so endearing as a hero and I thought Merritt complemented him beautifully.

The secondary characters were great - as Lisa Kleypas' usually are - and it was like seeing old friends after years when the Duke of Kingston, Lord Westcliffe, Evie and Lilian came on the page. I love that the characters have evolved yet are very much the same as I remember them.

I would highly recommend this book. It's got drama, intrigue, plenty of steam, wonderful banter and heaps of sigh-inducing moments.

This was my second Lisa Kleypas read; the first one was Chasing Cassandra. Devil in Disguise is the story of Merritt and Keir. Merritt is a widow in charge of her late husband's business. Keir is a Scottish businessman in London to expand his whiskey sales.
I could not put down this book. Once I started, I had to finish it. The book is wonderfully written, full of romance and a bit of humour at times. I love the little mystery within the book; it's not just about the romance. And I love that the mystery and romance didn't overshadow each other. Rather, the suspense was perfectly blended into the storyline and made for a beautiful love story. I highly recommend this book and it is one that fans are eagerly awaiting!.

Lady Merritt is a widow who has the demanding task of running her late husbands shipping company while Keir is a distiller from Scotland. The two are worlds apart and the idea of a relationship is something that shouldn't have crossed either of their minds...

However, this was not the case. The attraction they felt for each other from the onset could not be denied by either of them nor did they hide it from each other. This is one of the things I liked most about this book they were honest about their feelings, they showed each other love and respect. There was no miscommunication or unnecessary drama, they were a very mature and straight forward couple, however this does not mean that their relationship was without its challenges.

I loved Keir's character, he was such a caring and thoughtful person. He even showed understanding towards his birth mother who gave him up as a child saying " I think I was the one of many men who hurt her one way or another. A lass who was protected and loved would no' have found herself in such circumstances" where she would have been pregnant and have to give up her child. That statement alone made me fall in love with him because it showed that he is an amazingly perceptive individual.

The twist in the story was not unexpected, so I was not surprised. There was no unnecessary angst in the story which I really needed at the moment and the steam level was up the roof.

The appearance of Kingston and Westcliff were also a necessary and enjoyable bonus to the story.

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review**

I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review, (and I wish I hadn't). I am beyond disappointed and annoyed. I hate what Lisa Kleypas has done here, making Keir the illegitimate son of Sebastian. No, no, no.

I was quite enjoying the story until that revelation, but I am afraid it has ruined the storyline for me. I can see why she wanted to tie up the Westcliffes and St Vincents - but to do it in this way? Really unsettled by this!

The book is of course well written but I hate the plot device and couldn't enjoy the book as I should have done. . I am struggling to know how to rate it. I disliked the story so much, despite LK's brilliant writing, that I have to downgrade it to 4 stars . I will now try to forget I ever read this and continue with the reality of Sebastian and Evie as described in all the other books.

This is not a reflection on LK's writing which remains excellent - simply a disagreement about the plotline.

I am sure readers who don't have the attachment to the Sebastian and Evie story which LK has pursued in so many books.,will find it easy to rate it higher and wonder why readers like me are so angry at what the author has done.

I really liked Keir and Merrit and enjoyed reading about their romance. Merrit is an unusual heroine, being in business rather than the usual society lady and I rather liked the novelty of this. There were some interesting twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and all in all I found it a great read.

PUB DAY REVIEW

Move over Sebastian St. Vincent - Keir MacRae is in town! And he’s every romance reader’s dream come true!

Keir is a whisky distiller from Scotland, who’s in London to transport a parcel. When something goes wrong, he’s forced to meet with the shipping company’s owner to solve the issue. That’s how he meets Lady Merritt Sterling, the widow of the owner, who has been running ship since her husband’s unfortunate passing. Keir is handsome, rugged and brawny, with a temper to match. Merritt is, simply put, a powerhouse: witty, smart, easygoing, beautiful, doesn’t step back from a challenge. It’s lust at first sight

Yet even though he’s immediately aware, in his heart, that Merritt is “it” for him, Keir still tries to do the honourable thing and protect Merry from her own impulsiveness. Every time she comes onto him, Keir is holding back, reminding Merry that she would pay a hard price for being with him. But Merry is, to quote Keir, ‘a wee bully’, so she does get her way in the end. And the chemistry, the tenderness, the care and devotion that Keir has for her on their night of passion…. Yeah, not going to lie to you guys, that is REALLY the stuff dreams are made of.

But then… the unthinkable happens.

I swear to you, this was the biggest OH SHIT moment of my life. A twist like I never expected, never saw it coming. And I cannot tell you about it, because that would be unfair. You’ll have to read it yourself. But believe me when I say that after that, the book was UNPUTDOWNABLE.

I loved to see how Merry and Keir’s relationship develops over the course of the book, and I was a reduced to a puddle of swoon every time Keir said something incredibly sweet and/or deliciously filthy to Merry. Damn, if only he existed in real life.

It was also absolutely fantastic to see many other well-known Lisa Kleypas’ characters as a supporting cast for Keir and Merry, helping them get to their happy ending. I want to say more about them, but… I would ruin the surprise.

In conclusion: GET THE DAMN BOOK. Yes, even if you haven’t read Lisa Kleypas before, get it nonetheless. Even if it’s only to swoon over Keir. It’s a ten-stars read.

Every year I get the new Lisa Kleypas book for either my birthday or Christmas because they usually offer more than their insipid and often forgettable Mills and Boon type regency romances. Unfortunately I did not feel that Devil in Disguise quite reached that calibre.

I liked Merritt as a leading lady. She was likeable with an interesting history and intellect. She didn't really have any development to follow in the book, starting off pretty perfect and ending up pretty perfect and married.

Keir was so much harder for me to come to grips with as a character. He was likable but he didn't seem to have a clear personality. He was sometimes blunt and simple and then suddenly he would be waxing lyrical like regency Shakespeare. He seemed to change depending on what the chapters needed but without conviction. In the end I found him to be too much of a wet towel to be honest.
We also didn't get into his head as much as with Merritt. There was little emotion in his narrative. I wanted to know what the distillery meant to him emotionally. Did it tear him apart to think of leaving it behind? Instead his narratives were quite heavy on the tell don't show style.

I loved the lust at first sight start to the relationship. It was tangible and enjoyable and offered something different to normal regency romances where there is usually some more dithering and denying attraction. This continued through the book and was by far the best element.

Otherwise I found the plot to be weak. The obstacles to the romance were barely entertained and had little impact.
The plot surrounding Keir was full of holes and lacked substance. It needed more tension and explanation. It needed to feel like Keir was really between a rock and a hard place choosing between his distillery and his new life and relationship.
Even if we had met the bad guy to see how serious he was about getting rid of Keir to add some tension.

I also got fed up with the series characters being such a huge part. Pages were given to reminding the reader who they were and their story when I either remembered or didn't care. Really none of it was relevant and I'd have rather the pages had been spent on the plot at hand and not one 10 books ago. The problem is that all of these past characters are so perfect with perfect Iives. They're all good and kind people. But that doesn't make for particularly interesting reading when they're all in one book. It needed some grit and a proper bad guy adding tension.

There were some genuinely funny moments and there seemed to be a focus on upping the steam in this book, both elements I enjoyed. But overall I felt it needed to be a bit more developed and focused on the plot at hand and not on the series as a whole.

Oh no. I was so looking forward to reading this. It was a real disappointment I’m afraid. I have loved Lisa Kleypas’ books in the past and I think I have read all and re-read many but this story seemed unlike her usual brilliant standard. There was no real reveal or jeopardy at the climax and the romance between Merritt and Keir seemed forced and not great. Usually the banter, storyline and chemistry leap off the pages but not in this one for me. Totally underwhelmed I’m afraid. If I hadn’t seen Lisa’s name on the cover I would not have guessed she had written it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

I enjoyed Lisa Kleypas’ ‘Devil in Disguise’. It was a very quick and easy read, perfect for after a busy day at work. While a while ago I tried to read one of the older books by the author and I didn’t get drawn into the story that much, I’ve heard a lot of good about Lisa Kleypas’ writing, and I gave this one a chance. I wasn’t disappointed!

Lady Merritt is a young widow running her late husband’s shipping company when he meets a handsome Scot, Keir McRae, who owns a whiskey distillery in rural Scotland. They couldn’t be more different, and yet there’s an instant attraction on both parts since the very beginning. Both Merritt and Keir are likeable characters, and their story engaging. The danger following Keir and the mystery related to his family adds to the story, and makes the book more interesting and engaging. I think Keir is my favourite character from the book, a bit rough on the edges, but so likeable and caring.

🥃Book Review🥃

Hi friends, here is my review of one of my most anticipated books of this year, and it's a Ravenels meets the Wallflowers.

I'd say the book could be read as a standalone but if you haven't read the series (both actually), you've been missing out😅

What you can expect of tropes:
🍀Irish self made hero
🚢 Working heroine as head of a shipping business left by her late husband
☀️Grump and Sunshine
🎲 Drinking whisky at Jenner's
🎯 Insta lust turned love
🤧 Sick comfort when the hero is severely injured


Now things might get spoilery, I want to mention that I loved this book and seeing how Lillian and Marcus were as parents - and that they kept being true to their personalities. Also seeing Evie and Sebastian again and their tender interactions made this book even better for me. I gotta say I was mad at Lisa for one part of the plot but I slept on it and this book did end up bringing an amazing message about love and family 🧡 what makes this book great was the full package of seeing old friends that we love so much and the romance of Merritt and McRae

Thank you @netgalley and Piaktus for my advanced reader copy, this did not influence my review.

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I didn't love Devil in Disguise.

Devil in Disguise mostly centers around our Scottish hero Keir MacRae's parentage and the insta-love between him & Lady Merritt. From the moment we meet Keir, we learn that someone wants him dead and although he's attracted to the lovely widow, Lady Merritt Sterling, he doesn't want anything further. However, even the best plans can go sideways and somehow they fall in love, and then Keir gets a head injury.

*spoilers ahead*
I can't believe I didn't notice the 'Devil' in the title before but minutes before I began reading, I noticed it and I thought about how Keir could be related to the 'Devil". It was pretty obvious but I just didn't want to accept it. You see, in the book 'Devil in Winter', Sebastian aka Lord St. Vincent said that he wasn't 'aware' he had any illegitimate children because he always used french letters. I don't know if the author deliberately used this language or if she thought of Keir's connection to the Devil later on.

Why did the author have to make Keir an illegitimate son of Sebastian? The writing is amazing because let's face it, it's Lisa Kleypas but there are so many things I disliked about this book:
1) why make Keir an illegitimate son? he could've had a different connection to the "Devil"
2) I didn't ship Keir and Merritt at all. Most of the time they were preoccupied with Keir's parentage and somebody trying to kill him.
3) We don't get a reveal as to who was trying to kill him so that subplot was underwhelming
4) It felt like a Wallflowers book in the latter half. It wasn't needed although I did enjoy the Sebastian and Evie scene.
5) I really don't like the insta-love trope

I wanted more banter, smoldering, maybe a marriage-of-convenience trope but despite some thirst traps, I didn't love how Merritt and Keir got together. *sighs* Devil in Disguise was one of my highly anticipated releases of 2021. This book was so hyped that I was worried if I would even get an eARC but alas, it was a miss for me. I'm so disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.