Customer Reviews

Daring the Devil

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Romance novels rarely make it easy to fall in love and live peacefully. What's the fun in that? Ms. La Foy understands the idea of conflict and obstacles well enough, and she puts her talent to work in a love story that, while not always utterly logical, is definitely a good read. The heroine is not a simperer or a passive patsy. She's savvy of the mean streets in which she lives and works picking pockets. She dresses in male attire and knows what the rough world demands, while at the same time having a heart that is tender enough to do whatever is necessary to safeguard her fragile mother. She has dreams of a life out West, sans a man. The hero is on a deadly quest to find a serial killer who has brought nothing but pain and upheaval to his life. He's a man living with nightmares. I found the heroine much more appealing than the hero, and smarter. The hero really drops the ball a few times, endangering others, and I guess that just makes him all the more human.What I liked best is the setting, the scrappy people living and working in a poor man's setting,getting by as best they can, the code of honor among thieves, the taste of the Irish immigrant experience.I recommend this romance novel to those who want something a little different than the usual historical romance fare-- noting that those who are very sensitive of stomach should be aware that the serial killer does mangle human beings. He is NOT a pleasant fellow. Be warned. And enjoy.*Mir*

From the back cover:

Forbidden desire and a deadly chase...

Darcy O'Keefe lives by her wits, picking pockets on the streets of Charlestown, Massachusetts, in order to survive. But when she chooses a well-heeled--and extremely handsome--gentleman as her next mark, her keen mind and quick reflexes fail her. Caught in the act, Darcy finds herself blackmailed into joining Aiden Terrell in a quest that has led him from the Caribbean to Great Britain and now to America. Aiden's daring scheme is to set himself up as a pickpocket bait to entrap a killer who murders for sport. As they comb the city's backstreets, Darcy can't decide which frightens her more--the prospect of finding the man they seek, or falling victim to the dangerous charms of Aiden himself...

And my review:

I've enjoyed books by this author before, so when I found this book at my local thrift store, I immediately snapped it up. All in all, I have mixed feelings about this book.

**Warning, spoilers ahead!**

First, the stuff I enjoyed. As with all of her books, Lafoy has created vivid characters who feel like they actually exist. They have their flaws, but are not overly flawed as to be unlikeable. The heroine is a spirited (not shrewish) and strong heroine. While she is definitely feminine, so can take care of herself without being a ballbuster about it. That's a very difficult balance to strike, but Lafoy does it well. The hero is your standard tortured soul, but also more than that. I felt that the author was very good at showing what drove the characters, what made them who they were.

The mystery was also well-written and well-paced. I kept eagerly turning the pages, wanting to find out what would happen next.

Now the stuff that I didn't like. The mystery/suspense storyline was very gory. If you're at all squeamish, you might want to skip this book. (You might also want to stop reading my review!) Not only does it involve murder, but the villain mutilates his victims horribly (even decaptiates some of them), sends body parts from them to the hero, and even cooks and eats some of them. It's definitely not "fluff" reading. I felt quite ill at times.

The romance was a bit unsatisfying for me. First off, the hero kept making innuendoes that were supposed to be sexy, but instead came off as sleazy. It was just overdone, and really got on my nerves after a while. Honestly, I think a heated look can do more for sexual tension than a cheesy line. And a lot of the hero's lines were so corny that any real-life woman would have either kicked him where it counts or laughed in his face.

I also felt that the way the hero and heroine enter into a sexual relationship felt very cold and calculated. The heroine basically agrees to become the hero's mistress. Yes, that's par for the course in many historical romances, but their discussion and decision of beginning an affair felt so calculating. I would have preferred for them to be swept away by passion, with the future uncertain, rather than a "I want you, you want me, so let's go do it already, and we'll split up when we get sick of one another."

The last thing that really bugged me was that the heroine, who up until the end was a strong, independent woman, decides that she's willing to remain the hero's mistress until he decides to end the relationship. She's willing to exist on crumbs, and not demand any commitment from the hero. This was three pages from the end! It was just so out of character. The heroine had never had any difficulty going after what she wanted, but when it came to the hero's love, she was willing to live with whatever little he planned to give her? It really bugged me.

In conclusion, I'm not sorry I read this novel, but it won't be one I keep to reread. I think Lafoy has written better books. Check out Jackson's Way and Come What May.

Romance novels rarely make it easy to fall in love and live peacefully. What's the fun in that? Ms. La Foy understands the idea of conflict and obstacles well enough, and she puts her talent to work in a love story that, while not always utterly logical, is definitely a good read. The heroine is not a simperer or a passive patsy. She's savvy of the mean streets in which she lives and works picking pockets. She dresses in male attire and knows what the rough world demands, while at the same time having a heart that is tender enough to do whatever is necessary to safeguard her fragile mother. She has dreams of a life out West, sans a man. The hero is on a deadly quest to find a serial killer who has brought nothing but pain and upheaval to his life. He's a man living with nightmares. I found the heroine much more appealing than the hero, and smarter. The hero really drops the ball a few times, endangering others, and I guess that just makes him all the more human.What I liked best is the setting, the scrappy people living and working in a poor man's setting,getting by as best they can, the code of honor among thieves, the taste of the Irish immigrant experience.I recommend this romance novel to those who want something a little different than the usual historical romance fare-- noting that those who are very sensitive of stomach should be aware that the serial killer does mangle human beings. He is NOT a pleasant fellow. Be warned. And enjoy.*Mir*

This is my second book by Ms. LaFoy. Her writing is intelligent, touching, and descriptive. All characters, main and secondary, work together to tell an interesting and romantic story. The ordeals that Darcy and Aiden faced in their respective pasts make their relationship realistic and all the more satisfying when they admit to their love. Thank you a very good book. (Now I only have to start at the beginning with It Happened One Night.)

The waters run deep in this one: A torured past, memories of too little, too late and inconsolable grief...all buffered by a consuming romance. Darcy O'Keefe and Aiden Terrell are characters of brilliant color painted on a canvas of evil and menance as they stalk and are stalked by a 19th century psychopath. The cast of supporting characters is clever, the witty humor is <LOL> funny and the love story is tender and redemptive. This is everything I've come to expect from the brilliant writing style of Leslie LaFoy. If you've read LaFoy before...this one's another keeper. If not, order up...and let the fun read begin!

This is my first by LaFoy so I can't say if it's typical but it is different. And entertaining.

Set in 1835 in Massachusetts (Charlestown and Boston), it tells the story of a complex and haunted hero, the wealthy Aiden Terrell, who has left his home in St. Kitts in the Caribbean to hunt his depraved serial killer step brother, Jules Terrell, who is playing a deadly game with Aiden. In turn, Aiden feels responsible to bring his brother to justice--or to kill him. Aiden has tracked Jules from Europe to Charlestown where he enlists the aid of an expert pickpocket, Miss Darcy O'Keefe, who knows the backwaters of Chrlestown where Aiden expects to find Jules. Darcy has lived on the edge ever since her father died and her mother seemed to loose touch with reality. But she has a golden heart and is loved by the Irish of Charlestown. Darcy soon begins to succumb to the practiced seduction of the charming Aiden who wants her only to warm his bed. He has no desire for marriage. While Darcy is in love with him, she knows the affair will last only as long as the search for Jules and is steeling her heart for the hurt the ending of it will cause.

This romance has lots of action and wonderful characters but it also has a dark side with the serial killer cutting people up. And Aiden is a cad for much of the book--a handsome and at times tender cad--but a cad nonetheless. He is willing to take Darcy's innocence and use her in the dangerous game he is playing with his brother, which made me really not like him for many MANY pages. (I have little sympathy for tortured heroes who steal the virtue of innocent young women who love them.) Darcy is beautiful, intelligent, unselfish, quick witted and practical--all of which Aiden admires. But Aiden is selfish and wallowing in a failure of the past that has him hold all women at arm's length. But then Darcy is the most unusual woman he's ever met.

The story held my attention and seemed very believable.