Customer Reviews

The Devil You Know

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

 

 

I love this book for many reasons, the main one being that it portrayed three young women who, by their own will, determination, and intelligence, and (okay, okay), beauty made it to the top of their fields. I really have seen very few novels in the market today who portray females as such vibrant young women who have dreams and are willing to work to fulfill them. Louise Bagshawe does an absolutely superb job of forming three intensely rich characters that are incredibly realistic. Each of the women, though portrayed as independent and strong, still have their own insecurities--Bagshawe really blends the two sides well together and as a result crafted beautiful characters to read about.

The novel itself is pretty much (for most of the book) split into three perspectives (one for each of the girls) and at the end, the three become one--and that's where my only complaint lies. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say this: I thought the ending was a slight letdown, and unfortunately, I was afraid it was going to be. As you read on about each character's life, you know that they will eventually meet, and once they do, well, the uniqueness of each girl is just slightly lost, and from that point on, the plot is very predictable, and the book just isn't as fun to read.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed every bit of this book (until it began to wind down) and I really would suggest it to anyone--male and female, though I would want my daughter to read it (if I had one) simply because it shines a positive light on young independent women. :-)

First, I have to say that I really admire and respect Ms. Bagshawe for having obtained so much success at such a young age. I wish I had the amount of ambition and intelligence Ms Bagshawe has.

Second, although "The Devil You Know" has the same formula as all of Ms. Bagshawe's books- beautiful, ambitious women
+ sexist as well as sexy, rich men- she never fails to suck the reader in with her juicy plots until she or he almost physically cannot put the book down and has devoured every deliciously naughty detail.

Lastly, I would definitely recommend "The Devil You Know" and all of Ms. Bagshawe's books to any one who wants a vacation from his or her-mostly her-drab little life and wants to explore the world of some of the sexiest and most ambitious characters ever in print.

Louise Bagshawe is a very good writer who manages to deliver romantic payoff without indulging in too many standard cliches. At the same time, she develops her female characters so they feel complex and real. You'll likely enjoy this book if you're a fan of chick lit or if you enjoy women's fiction that promises a happy ending.

This book intertwines the stories of three women who end up connected by the close of the story. Each is ambitious and gunshy when it comes to relationships with men. Most of the book deals with their developing careers, and the ups and downs they experience as they strive to be as powerful and successful as they can be. They also each have a significant romantic relationship that challenges them emotionally.

If you normally devour romance novels, you might find yourself wishing for a little less focus on the women's careers and more on romance. Also, Bagshawe doesn't develop her male characters as well as she does her female. Finally, if you've read other books by this author, you might grow tired of the fact that everything always takes place in the world of the big city rich, there's a lot of designer label name-dropping, and all the women are incredibly beautiful, even if they don't know it.

But this is one of Bagshawe's most satisfying reads, and she blends the three different strands of the story very well.

This book is not one that you will rave about to your friends but it tells a good enough story to keep you reading. It is actually more like 3 and a half stars.

In a nutshell, three sisters (triplets!) are separated at birth after an act of betrayal by their uncle causes the death of their parents. Each of the girls grows up differently from the others and pursues an interesting career.

We get to know each girl very well and we understand what drives them and how they each become successful at their chosen careers.

Without revealing the ending, the girls do meet up and revenge is exacted against the uncle.

This book is not fine literature but makes for an enjoyable enough read if you are stuck inside on a rainy day.

It's about 3 girls who are the decendents of a wealthy royal family but because of their jealous-filled uncle, their parents are dead and they grow up not knowing each other in different parts of the world. The triplets' struggles in succeding in their chosen fields lead them to find each other and avenge their birth-parent's murderer. If you liked this author's preious books and enjoy her style you'll love this one.

This was the perfect take to the beach book. I finished it quickly and then wished there was a part two. Interesting characters and plot. It sort of faded near the end but it was still a great read.

I seriously could not put it down. I picked it up at around 11pm unable to sleep thinking "This will bore me to sleep for sure"...Geez was i mistaken. I read the whole BOOK last nite, i didn't want to go to sleep not knowing what happens next. Its so filled with adventure, drama, intrigue, good dose of sex, love and rock and roll. Its moving with these girls through parts of their lives as they discover themselves. Absolutely loved it! It was a book bought home with my father so you could see why i thought it would be boring lol...but i loved it and i would totally reccommend this book...to be read somewhere in the morning or afternoon so you don't wake up the next day dog tired like i am hahaha...

What i love about Louise Bagshawe's books as that they have the ability to hook the reader. With juicy plot lines, handsome men and strong females. What i love about The Devil You Know... is that these three young women are so incrediably determined and driven to succeed. These characters have spunk! Rose's storyline is interesting, as it shows just how far one will go to extract revenge, but when she looks back at her life she really has nothing else. And you just know that underneath the blistering hatred Rose has for Rothstein Realty there lurks a powerful physical attraction to the youngest heir of the family fortune...
The Devil You Know is my favourite out of Louise's books.
Sure, if you put it up against some of her others, the plot isn't exactly new, but these books are such empowering reads that i can overlook that fact. Louise's books may not be serious novels, but they are wonderful escapism that gives you hope that even girls who have been wronged can rise to the top with a little determination, courage and attitude. By the end of the book i really wanted the guy to get what was coming to him.
All in all a very good read, one that i have read several times over in fact. I look forward to many more from this very talented author.

I usually read Historical Fiction (Regency England, preferably) but I was returning home from England and couldn't find any of those books at the airport. It was a long flight back to Seattle so I picked up "The Devil You Know" even though it wasn't my time period and quite a bit longer (500 pages) than I was used to. I loved it!! I read it so fast it didn't even last the whole first flight! I tried to get another book by Louise Bagshawe in Pittsburgh, but they didn't have any. Boy was I disappointed. Her plot was never slow, her characters were well developed, and I loved how she kept jumping from one to the other until they ultimately all meet. At first this was a little confusing and I had to refer to the back of the book to remind myself which girl this was--oh, yes the chunky british gal or the spoiled american girl. Normally not one for the present day and it's dreariness, these girls were so determined to make something of themselves that they made me wish I'd had similiar goals earlier in life. Very good read that you won't be able to put down.

This is my 4th read, and like always, I truly enjoy this book, and now I own it. This book has that "power" to just grab you to the point that you never want to put it down - it is a true page turner. It was interesting to see what path each of the sisters would take, and how these paths would eventually cross to bring them together for their "first" meeting. This meeting of the sisters was satisfaction in itself. I was all for their dressing down of their "uncle." He was the devil himself. Did he not know that jealousy never lives long, that no matter what, it always comes back to bite the hand that fed it? My hat's off to Louise Bagshawe, who has become one of my favorite writers. Thank you, Louise!!