Customer Reviews

Don't Bargain with the Devil (School for Heiresses)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

DON'T BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL is a wonderful read - I rushed out to buy it this afternoon and didn't put it down until I had finished! If you haven't read all (or any) of the other "School for Heiresses" books don't worry because this book can be read alone - though many of the characters from previous ones do reappear, so that's something to look forward to if you have. I myself only read the first book, Never Seduce a Scoundrel, yesterday and am looking forward to catching up on the other ones before the final one, Wed Him Before You Bed Him, which comes out June 23 and in which "Cousin" Michael is *finally* revealed. I've only read two books and I'm already dying to know - personally, I'm rooting for Mrs. Harris's anonymous benefactor to be the Marquess of Stoneville (Jeffries teases you at the end of this book with the possibilities - so cruel!).

BASICS:
Lucinda Seton (20), our heroine, is outspoken, energetic, trusting, loyal, smart and friendly; she's very caring and we see this throughout her interactions and exchanges with the other characters. Lucy is searching for her place and trying to find where she belongs. Diego Montalvo (28) is the delicious hero; he's mysterious, charming, seductive, clever, and tender. He's the type of hero who is haunted and driven by his past and aside for his mentor-turned-assistant, he's quite alone in the world - without home or family.

Sabrina Jeffries combines a strong and sympathetic hero and heroine, great sexual tension, several laugh-out-loud moments, wonderful secondary characters, some *very* confusing genealogy, family secrets, a kidnapping, and the backdrops of the English countryside, a ship, and the Spanish coast for a delightful historical romance.

SUMMARY:
Lucy has recently had her heart broken by a man whom she had hoped to - and been led to believe that she would - marry. As a graduate of Mrs. Harris's finishing school, she offers to help the headmistress when her drawing teacher quits without warning, thinking that the opportunity to put her drawing skills to use will be the perfect distraction from her pain. The post will only be temporary, after which she'll return to London for the Season with her father, Colonel Seton, and her stepmother, Lady Kerr. However, once rumors spread that a certain Man of Mystery magician, Diego Montalvo, has rented the property next to the school and is planning on buying it to convert it into a pleasure garden, Lucy finds herself with a cause to take up - and a school to defend! She's just that day met the sinfully handsome Spaniard in the orchards and she knows that he cannot be up to any good ...

Diego is an illusionist, but this time his goal of building a pleasure garden is the illusion - Diego is actually there searching for the long-lost granddaughter of a wealthy Spanish marqués. Don Carlos has promised Diego the return of his family's property, Arboleda, in exchange for the return of his grand-daughter and it is an offer that Diego cannot refuse. For many years he has been seeking to regain possession of the family estate that was lost due to debts, for as a young boy he promised his dying father that he would protect and restore the family lands that had been ravaged by war. Diego has no love for the English, but traveling around their country is what he's had to do to search for the don's long-lost heir and he thinks he finally may have found the young woman, but his success is bittersweet ...

The attraction between Lucy and Diego is immediate, but they are both suspicious. Lucy has already had her heart broken and doesn't know if she should trust the mysterious foreigner who seems intent on ruining her precious school by building a pleasure garden, while at the same time focusing his attention on her and even acting in ways that go against his supposed business interests. For his part, Diego knows that he dare not get involved with Lucy; he has promised the don to return the man's granddaughter untouched and he knows the old man's future plans for her do not include a penniless count with no estates or family. How can he threaten his dream of regaining Arboleda by letting his feelings for this young English chit get out of control?

COMMENTS:
Overall I thought this was a great book; the two main characters are easy to root for and Diego had me practically sighing out loud with some of the things he says to Lucy (and the Spanish endearments that he always uses - give me a Diego anytime!). There was no mystery or villain subplot thrown in, which was a nice change - one does start to wonder why it seems true love *always* has to happen amid some serial killing spree or old family murder scandal. Jeffries does still provide us with some unlikable and/or nasty characters, so all you readers out there who love them, don't despair.

One tool that is often employed in the genre is the "I'm going to lie to you and say ___ for your own good so that you go away or don't fall in love with me or whatever" and this was definitely used by BOTH main characters several times. It got to be kind of annoying, *however* I do have to say as someone who absolutely cannot stand those books that are dominated by big misunderstandings, this was NOT one of those and DON'T BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL will definitely be put on my reread shelf.

The mystery about Lucy's past - who were her real parents and how did she get to be the Colonel's adopted daughter? - was very interesting and definitely kept me hooked. You don't really know who to believe and Jeffries does a very good job with this in that the players in that whole mystery are not either evil or pure-as-the-driven-snow - instead she gives us three-dimensional characters full of regret, doubt, love, and the feeling that they thought they were doing what was right.

"THE SCHOOL OF HEIRESSES SERIES":
(1) Never Seduce a Scoundrel - Lady Amelia Plume and Major Lucas Winter
(2) Only a Duke Will Do - Louisa North and Simon Tremaine, Duke of Foxmoor
(3) Beware a Scot's Revenge - Lady Venetia Campbell and Sir Lachlan Ross
(4) Let Sleeping Rogues Lie - Madeline Prescott and Anthony Dalton, Viscount Norcourt
(5) DON'T BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL - Lucinda Seton and Diego Javier Montalvo, Conde de León
(6) Wed Him Before You Bed Him - Mrs. Charlotte Harris and _________ (alias: Cousin Michael)

Magician Diego Javier Montalvo is causing havoc for Charlotte Harris's finishing school. Seems that the exotically handsome new neighbor has plans for the dilapidated estate next door. Shockingly they include a Vauxhall-like pleasure garden! Appalled by the very idea that such a scandalous place would be located next to her beloved school, and knowing full well the disastrous effects on enrollment it would cause, art teacher Lucinda Seton takes it upon herself to put a stop to it at once. But the illusionist has put up a smoke screen thus cloaking his true mission -to find, and return, a long-lost Spanish heiress. The reward is the return of Diego's family estate, thereby keeping a deathbed promise to his father. Soon a positive confirmation is made. Lucy is the one. The lovely Lucy, completely unaware of Diego's true intentions, is duped. And those smoldering glances, the passionate embraces, and the longing kisses have been a ruse. Or have they? For his part, Diego is finding it more and more difficult to let go of his carino, a woman he can see spending the rest of his life with while rebuildinig all that was lost from his family. But he can't have both. Or perhaps the Master of Mystery has one more trick up his sleeve?

A devilishly dashing and simply swoon-worthy Spanish hero make book five in The School for Heiresses series an absolute keeper! Diego Javier Montalvo (now doesn't that name just roll off your tongue?) is the perfect passionate hero whose driven by conflicting emotions -one towards his family and one towards Lucy. I loved how he struggled with his self worth and deep desire to have the one woman unattainable to him. Lucy, on the other hand, has to deal with all this new information, and possibly sinister developments, about her birth and later adoption.

A delightful romance sure to please any historical romance reader looking for adventure, passion and a bit of magic. Besides who can resist a hero who looks are modeled after Rodrigo Santoro? Feast your eyes on that man!

Order of The School Of Heiresses Series-
Never Seduce a Scoundrel
Only The Duke Will Do
The School Of Heiresses anthology Ten Reasons To Stay
Beware A Scot's Revenge
Let Sleeping Rogue's Lie
Snowy Night With A Stranger anthology When Sparks fly

My other Jeffries shelf keepers-
To Pleasure a Prince (The Royal Brotherhood) (v. 2)
The Forbidden Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 2)
Beware a Scot's Revenge (The School for Heiresses)

Can't wait for the sixth and last of the series Wed Him Before You Bed Him (The School for Heiresses) -finally *cousin* Michael's identity will be revealed!

Lucinda Seton has always been a free sprit, after her heart was broken she takes a temporary job at her old school. Lucinda father adopted her after her parents died in the Spanish war, her mother being of Spanish decent. Diego is a Spanish count who is sent to find the stolen granddaughter of wealthy man in Spain. Diego was told to keep his hands of Lucinda and bring her to Spain .... This was another wonderful book by this author - great twist and turns in the plot, great romance, strong characters and nice journey into the Spanish culture, Enjoy. Looking forward to final book in the series Wed Him Before You Bed Him (The School for Heiresses) due out June 23, 2009 when we find out who Charlotte's anonymous benefactor, Cousin Michael really is!!!

School for Heiresses Series; Never Seduce a Scoundrel (The School for Heiresses) (book 1), Only a Duke Will Do (The School for Heiresses) (book 2), Beware a Scot's Revenge (The School for Heiresses) (book 3) , Let Sleeping Rogues Lie (The School for Heiresses) (book 4), Don't Bargain with the Devil (The School for Heiresses) (book 5) and final book Wed Him Before You Bed Him (The School for Heiresses).

Sabrina Jeffries is one of my all time favorite authors. This one had a rather interesting mystery which became even more intriguing as new details emerged. There was even a "Deep Throat" type scene with Cousin Michael!

The beginning of this book was slow for me, so if you pick it up and start to read and think you might not like it, just keep going. It gets much better.

The hero is a Spanish magician and Count whose family lost its wealth, and the heroine is a recently rejected debutante who is doubting her ability to attract a husband. She believes she is too passionate and outspoken, traits the hero discovers he loves in her. There is great passion and tension between the hero and heroine and that is what ultimately makes this a definite recommended read with a couple of really HOT love scenes. The more I read, the harder is was for me to put the book down. I grew to care about both characters and found this a very enjoyable read. I won't go into the story anymore because it looks as though the other reviewers have covered every detail of it. I'll just say it's definitely a worth the read.

Ms. Jeffries has again created a perfect romance to share with readers. She captures the essence of her characters and captivates readers as we become a part of Lucy and Diego's lives with a wonderful combination of the angst of true love and delicious spice.

But in DON'T BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL, Ms. Jeffries has taken her craft to a new level of perfection. She's woven and layered both mystery and magic into a rich tapestry of storytelling that's not to be missed.

A GREAT read!

I ran right out and bought DON'T BARGAIN WITH THE DEVIL as soon as it hit the shelves and I was not disappointed. The School for Heiress' series has been so enjoyable and this most recent addition doesn't disappoint. Sabrina Jeffries is brilliant as always! I can hardly wait for the next book.

"Don't Bargain With the Devil" is the sixth book in Sabrina Jeffries 'School for Heiresses' series. This time we get the story of Lucinda, one of the former students but now stepping in as a teacher to help out the owner. This is a tale filled with Jeffries' humor, sensuality, and the search for a missing heiress.

Lucinda Seton is furious, hurt and furious. The man she thought was going to propose DID come up with a proposal...but not for marriage! Well, she'll show him! Her Spanish blood doesn't mean she can't behave like a proper society miss and as soon as she finds a husband, she'll make sure the ex knows just what he passed up! Of course, the husband will need to be a proper British lord, not that Spanish magician...even though he is very handsome, and flirtatious, and WHAT! trying to build a pleasure garden next to the school? NEVER!

Diego's lost everything during the war. His father to maurading British soldiers, his family's estate to try and care for his mother afterwards, his mother who never recovered from her treatment by the same soldiers that killed his father, and his pride when he was caught stealing. But instead of turning him in, the man taught him his trade...that of the magician, and now Diego is one of the most famous in Europe. Yet when the wealthy and influential Spanish Marques de Parama offers to return his family's estates, Diego is determined to get them back. All he has to do is track down the Marques' granddaughter, stolen by her nurse during the war and taken back to England. Which will be stronger? Love or land?

I laughed through most of this one. Reading about Lucinda, with her fiery temper and quick retorts, trying so hard to be proper...it was almost impossible not to laugh! And Diego, ahhh Diego. I think we should all get a shot at a Diego once in our lives, don't you? Although at times I did keep picturing Gomez from the Adams family show when he would start kissing Morticia's arm...well, maybe that was just me.

So a bit of a mystery with the whole missing heiress and who are the real parents bit, lots of steamy seduction, scintillating battles of wit, and even a kidnapping. "Don't Bargain with the Devil" is a delight for regency lovers and historical lovers both. And Sabrina Jeffries' final book of series "Wed Him Before You Bed Him" is already out (Jun09) so I can mark these off my list.

I adore Jeffries's School for Heiresses Series. They are all a little different, but Don't Bargain with the Devil is of a distinctly different mold than others in the series. I adore the hero--Diego, the magician. Not only was he sexy as hell, he was honorable in his way. And appreciative of Lucinda, our heroine, from the very first.

The shifting locales gave this book a different flavor, and the supporting cast of characters were--as usual--well developed and interesting. I found Lucinda to be unusually immature compared to how I imagined someone used to army camps would act. She seemed a bit too naive for me to fully believe in, but I enjoyed her impulsiveness. At least she wasn't simpering and weak.

Overall, this was a fun, quick read with a few less familiar plot twists and themes.

In 1824 famous illusionist Diego Montalvo plans to convert some property, if he can purchase it, into a pleasure garden. He is unconcerned that next door is The School for Heiresses as he figures the students, faculty and owner Charlotte Harris would learn something useful by being peeping Thomasina.

Teacher Lucinda Seton plans to prevent him from putting a scandalous edifice next to the school though she is not sure how to stop him. Actually, he has no interest in the estate or in building a house of pleasure. Instead he has used that as a ploy to get close to Lucinda to determine if she is the granddaughter of a Spanish nobleman; in return for bringing home the heiress, he will regain his family's lost property. To prove she is who he thinks he is Diego must seduce Lucinda in order see if she has a special birthmark on her body. As he plays master magician she proves to be his enchantress when they fall in love. However, he knows when she learns the truth about his mission she will flee back to England while he demands she remain in Spain.

The latest School for Heiresses late Regency romance (see LET SLEEPING DOS LIE, BEWARE A SCOT'S REVENGE and NEVER SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL) contains a terrific early premise with the rogue proclaiming his plan. His scheme places the school in jeopardy as zoning codes probably do not exist or if some do they are very ineffective. The story line takes a twist into more traditional historical themes of falling in love with the lost heiress the hero finds but is kept refreshed by his original ploy. Sabrina Jeffries provides quite an education for her fans with this charmer.

Harriet Klausner