Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #6
Also in this series: Cold-Hearted Rake, Marrying Winterborne, Devil In Spring, Hello Stranger, Devil's Daughter, Devil In Disguise
Published by Avon on February 18, 2020
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Everything has a price.

Railway magnate Tom Severin is wealthy and powerful enough to satisfy any desire as soon as it arises. Anything—or anyone—is his for the asking. It should be simple to find the perfect wife—and from his first glimpse of Lady Cassandra Ravenel, he’s determined to have her. But the beautiful and quick-witted Cassandra is equally determined to marry for love—the one thing he can’t give.

Everything except her.

Severin is the most compelling and attractive man Cassandra has ever met, even if his heart is frozen. But she has no interest in living in the fast-paced world of a ruthless man who always plays to win. When a newfound enemy nearly destroys Cassandra’s reputation, Severin seizes the opportunity he’s been waiting for. As always, he gets what he wants—or does he? There’s one lesson Tom Severin has yet to learn from his new bride: never underestimate a Ravenel.

The chase for Cassandra’s hand may be over. But the chase for her heart has only just begun . . .

As you may or may not have figured it out by now, I am flying through Lisa Kleypas’s books at a speed that honestly surprises me. I rarely read two books of the same genre in a row, so the fact that I’m on my 8th Lisa Kleypas historical romance in a row really says something about these books! I was so, so excited to read Cassandra’s love story and Lisa Kleypas has delivered. Again. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Ok, so Cassandra is the last member of the Ravenel family to fall in love. She’s Pandora’s twin sister, and is the quieter, sweeter of the two of them. She’s been so kind and caring and loving towards her family and, of course, deserves the very best man in the entire world. I loved learning more about her and seeing more of her personality. She’s so understanding with Tom, yet she also calls him out when she needs to.

2. Tom Severin completely stole this book for me. I will admit that I was initially concerned about Lisa Kleypas’s choice for Cassandra. Tom has been mentioned in passing throughout the books in this series, but all I’ve ever really known about him is that he’s a rich railroad tycoon and he’s got a love-hate friendship with the Ravenel men. Actually, it’s mostly been hate because Devon and West haven’t said much good about him at all. I thought he would be cold and unfeeling but I really, really loved him. He’s super serious and not at all socially savvy. He’s of the opinion that money will get him whatever he wants in life, so when Cassandra doesn’t immediately fall all over herself to be his bride he’s downright confused. Like, literally surprised and confused by this situation. I loved watching him fall in love and learn how to navigate something like this. He is so thoughtful and considerate, and Cassandra quickly becomes the most important thing in his life.

3. The meet cute is adorable (seriously one of my favorites ever), and the progression of the romance is so unbelievably sweet and swoony. Tom and Cassandra have the best banter, and they are so cute together! Tom comes up with the idea of a marriage contract so they can both ensure they’re happy! My goodness, how cute.

4. Chasing Cassandra is relatively low-angst, low stakes and I loved every second of it. Lisa Kleypas knows how to put her characters through stuff. I was expecting a little danger, maybe some conflict, but this was just light and flowy and all smiles for me. It made for the most wonderful reading experience!

So basically, you need to meet Tom and Cassandra. They’re great as individuals, but even better as a couple. And that’s what makes a great love story, right? Queen Lisa Kleypas’s writing is, as usual, flawless. I love her books so much! Just go get all of them.

Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #5
Also in this series: Cold-Hearted Rake, Marrying Winterborne, Devil In Spring, Hello Stranger, Chasing Cassandra, Devil In Disguise
Published by Avon on February 19, 2019
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 375
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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A scintillating tale of a beautiful, young widow who finds passion with the one man she shouldn't . . .

Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he's a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband's life a misery, and she'll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself—as none other than West Ravenel.

West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire . . . not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn't bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She's the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past? Only the devil's daughter knows.

*happy sigh* Can I just say that my Lisa Kleypas-a-thon is doing wonders for my mental health? I am enjoying her books so much that I literally want to read nothing else right now. I can easily say she’s my favorite author, and that’s crazy to me because I’ve had favorite authors before but I’ve never loved every single thing an author has written. Ever. Lisa Kleypas is that author for me. I just can’t find anything wrong with her books! I don’t know why it took me until this year to finally jump into her stories, but I guess it happened at just the right time for me. Devil’s Daughter is book #5 in the Ravenels series, and we finally get West’s love story!! I knew I was going to love it, and I did. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. WEST. West appears is introduce in the first Ravenels book, Cold-Hearted Rake, and he’s very unimpressive at that point. He was a spoiled brat who thought only of himself, but he quickly transformed into a hardworking, caring, and compassionate man when he moved to Eversby Priory to help his brother, Devon. If you’ll remember, Devon inherited a title and an estate (with tenants) after his brother died in a freak accident. He was also thrust into the position of taking care of his brother’s widow, Kathleen, and his sisters: Helen, Pandora, and Cassandra. Devon sends for help and all of a sudden, West has a purpose, a family, and many people depending on him. He has continued to evolve and warm my heart, and quickly solidified his position as my favorite member of the Ravenel family (although, don’t quote me on this because I love them all and will deny such an accusation). He is whip-smart, flirtatious, dependable, loyal, passionate, caring, loving, etc. All the good things.

2. Phoebe arrives at Eversby Priory to attend Pandora’s wedding to Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent. Their love story is told in book #3 of the Ravenels (Devil In Spring). Phoebe is a widow and mother of two adorable little boys (I usually don’t love kids in romance, but these two stole my heart), and I really loved how sweet and strong she was. She married her childhood best friend, Henry, who suffered his whole life and ultimately perished from a wasting disease. That kind of devotion to a person, and that willingness to essentially sign up to be their caretaker until the end of their life, shows you the kind of person Phoebe is. She’s selfless and wonderful. Henry’s death left her to raise two young children on her own, plus manage an estate that is sort of being swindled away from her by her late husband’s friend. Oh, and she lives with a witch of a mother-in-law who would rather turn the family home into a mausoleum for her son than allow for enjoyable, happy living. Phoebe is a saint, really.

3. The romance is *chef’s kiss*. Phoebe has suffered recent and very real loss, so she guards her heart closely.  She’s also aware of a past between Henry and West–one that West does not remember–so she has already thrown all her walls up against West before she even arrives at the wedding. When they inevitably meet, West is captivated by her beauty and her sweet disposition. That charming, flirtatious, smooth-talking, smirking West would be hard for anyone to resist, but Phoebe does a great job of it. This cat and mouse game quickly turns into a genuine friendship as West works slowly and patiently to garner her trust. He offers to help teach her how to run her estate and maximize productivity among her tenants. He is so, so sweet with her boys that I nearly lost all my teeth. I loved watching him wiggle his way into that family. I also loved watching him give Phoebe the tools necessary to manage her estate, secure inheritances for her sons, and stand up for herself in the process. And then… then comes the love story. What a beautiful, tender, slow-burning romance. There are so many sweet and poignant moments between these two that pierced my heart and made me swoon. The care West shows Phoebe gives her the safe space she needs to tear down her walls and fall in love again. I loved watching it all happen.

4. Lisa Kleypas has a knack for writing amazing dialogue. It’s always full of love, romance, swoons, and humor. 

5. As I always say, I loved seeing the other members of the Ravenel family pop up and it was even better that it was for a wedding! And of course, Sebastian St. Vincent is there to see his son get married and I LOVE Sebastian. I love all the opportunities Lisa Kleypas gives us to catch up with him. And now he’s this salt and pepper grandpa to Phoebe’s children, which I just loved! In addition to the Ravenel family, I loved the other supporting characters. I loved reading West’s interactions with the people who work on his estate. I LOVED Phoebe’s older son, Justin. He’s precious!

6. A random side note, but something I love that needs to be pointed out: I love that every book where Sebastian plays any type of role in the story has “Devil” in the title. Devil In Winter is his story, Devil In Spring is his son’s story, Devil’s Daughter is his daughter’s story, and there’s one more devil Ravenel book on the horizon, Devil in Disguise, that I’m nearly done with and I won’t spoil the role he plays in that one!

All in all, is it any surprise I loved Devil’s Daughter? I’m just going to lie to myself and pretend that Lisa Kleypas is going to write a million more books in this series. I never want it to end!