Christina ~ Brunette Reader's Reviews > Devil in Winter

4.5 Stars
Everything has already been said about this top favourite, and there are already tons of great reviews here on Goodreads covering both ends of the scale, so I won't go into storyline details, but as you can see by my rating, I happily fall in the category of readers who have utterly loved Devil in Winter.
The "marriage of convenience", the "opposites attract" and the "reformed rake" tropes are probably as old as the genre itself and have been done innumerable times before, though rarely as engagingly as I've found here. The storyline is nothing new and, frankly, the suspense sub-plot is not particularly well-structured, but the characterisations of the leads, the chemistry and the romance—oh, perfection!

Evangeline is a great heroine, quietly strong and smart, but this is really Sebastian's book. His debauched days are at an end as the novel starts, more due to a shortage of funds than goodwill to tell the truth, so we don't get to witness firsthand all his despicable proclivities though, if this aptly serves to make him more readily believable as a hero, the aftertaste of his rakish past is nonetheless present in the rightful suspicions surrounding him and in his ambivalent reactions to what probably are the most genuine feelings he has ever experienced in life. There's an endearing and ironic self-awareness in this charming roué that, together with a stark loneliness hidden behind a skilfully cultivated insouciance and a natural magnetic sensuality, makes for an irresistible mix, but from the moment Evie gives him purpose and has him glimpse flickers of his own potential worthiness there's no turning back. And it's not an overnight change, thankfully.
The inspired writing, each banter, every playful dialogue, all the touching interactions and meaningful love scenes splendidly do the rest.

"Because I'm Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can't be celibate. Everyone knows that."

Ahh, Sebastian.