Customer Reviews

Devonshire (Richard and Rose)

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

 

 

By TT reviewer Hunter MCKenna

Miss Roselind (Rose) Golightly is waiting patiently for her wedding to Lord Richard Strang. Rose has resigned herself to spinsterhood and feels that she isn't as beautiful as her sister, Lizzie. Rose lives in Devonshire with her family and considers herself average looking. Humor and stress abound around the planning of the wedding; Rose can't fathom why Richard has fallen in love with her. Lord Richard and his twin brother, Gervase, arrive early. Richard claims he is impatient to be with Rose again and start their life together.

Devonshire is a sweet romance full of love, hate, and plenty of adventure. Rose comes across as a little insecure, but then aren't we all? Although Richard has faults, he is perfect for Rose. Both of the twins are tall, carry clothes well, and their looks stop women in their tracks, but Richard holds Rose's love. It is rather comical watching conversations stop and heads turn because not only are they identical twins and one has a title, but they are very striking in appearance.

Devonshire spans the month leading up to the wedding and the events that happen. The story covers a case of smuggling, kidnapping, and murder. Smuggling along the Devonshire coast is a part of history and this story shows just an instance of it. The kidnapping of a few of the characters were so well written that you actually hated the kidnapper himself. The Devonshire coastline is so well described that you feel you are there.

The only thing bad I can say about Devonshire is that you MUST read Yorkshire first. Also both Devonshire and Yorkshire could be combined to create one awesome story. Devonshire is the second book in a very well written duet. So be sure to read the stories in order to thoroughly enjoy them. That said, if you are interested in a sweet story, pick this one up.

Devonshire is Lynne Connolly's second Rose and Richard book and the plot keeps the reader interested all the way through. You will be looking for book No. 3 upon finishing just to see what happens next. I thoroughly enjoy these stories and find Ms. Connolly's historic content accurate and pleasing. The mystery involved with each book is very nice and reminds me of my Nancy Drew mysteries of days long gone by.

Another great book from Lynne Connolly. I eagerly awaited this one and do eagerly await the third book in this series, Venice.
Keep them coming, Lynne. Your public loves you.

4.75 out of 5

While reading Lynne Connolly's "Yorkshire" last year, I fell completely under the spell of her heroes Richard and Rose, and I determined to read more of their adventures. In general, I'm a bit leery of series that feature the same main characters over multiple volumes, because I'm afraid that I'll become bored with them. (Yes, my attention span really is that short!) However, the pull of Richard and Rose was just too much for me to resist, so I finally sat down to enjoy the second novel of the series, Devonshire. And enjoy it I did. This story is just as irresistible as its predecessor.

In "Devonshire," we find Rose back in her natural element among friends and childhood rivals. This story gives us a picture of the country gentry of the time, who are perhaps not so refined as the fashionable society of London. It also gives us a startlingly realistic picture of the village of Darkwater, which is a little run down. Cottages may look quaint on the exterior, but the poverty of the residents is reflected in the filth and eye-watering stench inside, reminding us of the huge financial and social gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" of the era.

I found the characters in this novel just as fresh and vivid as they were when I met them initially in "Yorkshire." Both Richard and Rose have hidden depths, and this story peels away another layer to reveal more about their characters. Richard proves that he can be quite ruthless - cruel, even - when he needs to be, but he always reserves his softer side for Rose. The connection between these two is undeniable. Even though Richard has pushed people away his entire life, he opens himself to her emotionally, intellectually, and sensually. Rose is his rock, trusting in her heart that Richard loves her even as she wonders what her appeal could possibly be. She is unswerving in her devotion, regardless of the worries and poorly informed opinions of others.

One common feature that I have found in many historical novels is the kidnap of the heroine. But while Ms. Connolly does feature this plot device in "Devonshire," this particular kidnapping is exceptionally well done. It is a nasty and frightening situation for the victims, and there were times when I found myself truly worried about Rose's safety.

I found "Devonshire" to be very satisfying on many different levels. It contains a realism and a level of detail that brings the narrative to three-dimensional life and transforms the characters to living, breathing, rational individuals. It effortlessly pulled me into Richard and Rose's world with a finely spun plot and a well-crafted mystery and held my fascinated attention until the very end.

The more of Ms. Connolly's work that I read, the greater my admiration for her as a writer becomes. You probably would not be surprised to find out, then, that my Sony Reader is home to "a few" more of her books, and I can't wait to read them all. I might even branch out and read one of her paranormals soon. That is, after I have gorged myself silly on her wonderful Georgians.

Note: This story builds on the foundation set by the previous novel in the series. In order to appreciate the characters and events in Devonshire, I strongly suggest that you read Yorkshire first.

Rose Golightly is back in Devonshire and getting ready to marry Richard,Lord Strang. But as Richard and Rose speanding some quite time together smugglers are all around them and when Rose's childhood friend takes a stand against them he puts Rose in danger. So it up to Richard and his brother to take a stand against them be it to late for Rose.
"Devonshire" is the second book in book in "Richard and Rose" series by Lynne Connolly. I have to admit that I better than the first book. I thought that the storyline was better and the character got background to them. Overall, while I liked "Devonshire" I don't know if I will continue to speand 15.00 per book for the series

Richard and Rose are back, a few months after the events of Yorkshire and shortly before their upcoming wedding.

Devonshire takes place at Rose's childhood home, which she shares with her brother James, a newly inherited earl, their other half-siblings, his wife and their children. It's a full house, but Connolly manages to weave them into the story enough to show a large, close family dynamic but not overwhelm with a confusing cast of characters. The major players in this drama remain Richard and his twin Gervase and Rose and her sister Lizzie.

Like the previous novel, Richard and Rose become involved in solving a mystery of sorts. Unlike that book, however, this time the suspense plot is a bit undeveloped and poorly tied in with their relationship growth. I felt the suspense arc and relationship arc were isolated from each other, with their own contained patterns of tension and release, making the book rather disjointed. Sometimes the focus was on the romance, sometimes it was on the smuggling drama, and there was rarely any sort of connection between the switches.

There was also a lack of suspense, really. We were not given a cast of characters from which to guess at being the guilty party. We are instead just dragged along the sub-plot as non-participatory observers. It all just sort of unfolds, with the climactic ending feeling just sort of cold-blooded on Richard's part.

I did still enjoy Connolly's voice and attention to setting and period. It's narrated in the first person from Rose's point of view and she's a wonderful character. She's sensible, fair, self-effacing without being whiny, and observant. Through her eyes and ears I felt I was walking through Georgian Devonshire personally. Despite the first person narration, Richard is a fully-fleshed characters and is easily understood through his words and deeds.

Though I found the plots poorly integrated, the romance is a joy to read. Richard and Rose are clearly devoted to and in love with each other. I'll continue with the series, even if it's just for more of those two lovebirds.

In the aftermath of events from the first book of the series Yorkshire (Richard and Rose), Richard and Rose are eagerly anticipating their wedding day. They are deeply in love and Rose has returned to Devonshire with her family to plan the day.

Unable to be away from Rose for too long, Richard and Gervase descend on Devonshire in all of their town sophisticated fabulousness much to delight of the people of the Town.

But all is not sweetness and light. Since they are so close to the coast Devonshire has seen it's share of the smuggling trade. And the smugglers aren't criminals with a heart of gold, they are just plain criminals who use intimidation and terror tactics to keep their smuggling enterprise thriving. Most people know to look the other way on the nights a shipment is due, but the boldness and cruelty of the smugglers are beginning to be leech more and more into the open and affect everyday life. Richard intervenes on a beating and is thus drawn into what quickly becomes a power struggle.

I am in love with Richard and Rose. I really enjoy a book and in this case, a series, where the protagonists are in love and face adversity together. Romance novels don't always have to be about the couple meeting and falling in love. As Connolly aptly shows in her series they can also be about a couple already in love who are navigating how to make a life together and who are learning about each other.

Richard, as in the previous book, continues to be a revelation. We have a man who is very much a fashionable sophisticate of his time but who is underneath it all much more than that. During the course of the story, Rose is exposed to a dangerous villain who kidnaps her and tortures her. She isn't raped, but he certainly assaults her. When she and Richard reunite (through clever machinations of Richard's where he outwits the villain) she is upfront and frank about what happened and wonders if Richard is ok with it (at that time, of course, a woman was blamed and her virtue suspect even if she was a victim and only in the company of a man for a short time). Richard, naturally, not only doesn't blame her but is all about vengeance.

Rose is a worthy mate for Richard. Instead of being overcome by her assault, she is righteously angry. She doesn't want Richard to go riding off to avenge her kidnapping. She wants to be there and she wants to get her own vengeance.

When they do confront the kidnapper, what happens is shocking (for a romance novel) and worthy of a re-read. I was highly gratified at what Connolly chose as the kidnappers fate.

I think one of the reasons I am so immensely enjoying the series is because Connolly is actually doing something a bit different. She isn't writing cliche romance. She's actually subverting the genre in small but noticeable ways. I am glad the story and characters are not predictable romance novel fare. I gave up reading historicals because frankly you could almost predict the characters and plot from book to book. But not so these and I am enjoying myself reading historicals more than I have in a really long time. Richard and Rose talk to each other, they don't keep secrets, there are no manufactured misunderstandings. How refreshing!

great book. what about book 3? kindle has books 1, 2 and 4. wheres book 3!

This book is better than the first, with more intimate, heart-felt times between Richard and Rose. Great climax as Rose gets kidnapped and Richard comes to her rescue! I am not a real romance reader, but these books are great. I'm bummed they don't have book 3 (which is about the wedding) on Kindle... will I have to go buy an actual hard copy?? Guess I'll wait to see if it comes out soon, because I can't stand the suspense!