The Luck of the Devil (A Regency Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Metzger (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Regency Romance | Publication Date: June 30, 1991

When Rowanne Wimberley meets Carey Delverson, one of the Delverson Devils, at Almack’s, he is about to join his regiment in the Peninsula. Carey’s service is grueling, and his new sense of responsibility makes him offer (unsuccessfully) for a young relative. Rowanne isn’t waiting for this devil to capture her, but she’s in no hurry to settle for a man she doesn’t love. Regency Romance by Barbara Metzger; originally published by Fawcett

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (June 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449218732
• ISBN-13: 978-0449218730
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,215,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luck of the Devil, July 9, 2010

By 

Ida Kotyuk "Portrait Painter" (Villa Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Luck of the Devil (A Regency Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Metzger is the Oscar Wilde of romance writers and I award 98% of her novels five stars, my top rating. To get that fifth star an author has to make me fall-down laugh. But "Luck of the Devil" is different from her other novels; but just as witty, and the only novel I have read three times in a row. Her plot is as follows:

Hero meets Girl-1. Hero leaves to fight against Napoleon. Hero becomes wounded, patched, and fights again for three more times.

Limping from his wounds, Hero has to return to England to straighten out family responsibilities. To do so, Hero proposes to Girl-2, who turns him down. Then, more family responsibilities and Hero proposes to Girl-3, who turns him down.

In the meantime, Girl-1 is turning away suitors; not until towards the end do we hear her wondering when Hero will get around to her.

Hero and Girl-1 finally hook up. But it's under the pretense of helping to remodel his home. There are no weak-kneed kisses, nor kidnappings, for Hero to recognize his love for Girl-1. What we do get, in place of formulaic romance novels, is to learn he carried her memento throughout the Napoleonic war. Now THAT is romance.

Metzger retains her wit throughout this book, and gives us a mature love which delays instant gratification.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying and entertaining trad regency, July 8, 2007

By 

Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Luck of the Devil (A Regency Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sometimes, the sheer relief of finding an "oldie but goodie" is wonderful. Here is an old Barbara Metzger trad regency from 1991 that I picked up in a UBS recently. How delightful to read one of her clever, funny, carefully plotted stories with a truly likeable H/H. Young Rowanne Wimberley meets Lt Carey Delverson at a ball just as he is off to join his regiment in the Peninsula. Although there is great attraction, nothing serious comes out of it. However, the two meet from time to time over the next couple of years and it becomes obvious that they are meant for each other. Eventually, tragedy touches Carey's life when his cousins (and very best friends) die and he inherits his cousin's dukedom. Then, invalided out of the army, now a Major, he returns to England, Rowanne and a run down and neglected estate to put right. Despite a false starts, a near engagement and marriage with the wrong girl, interfering relatives and servants (not to mention a crazy dog), the two are able to pick up the threads of their relationship, realise that they truly are serious about each other and they eventually settle down to the requisite connubial bliss. This author always gives us a tale of love spiced with comedy but this time the story seems much more satisfying because of the long time span; thus we have a couple of well developed characters that you really are cheering for. Highly recommended - a gem and a delight!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the luck of the devil, October 20, 2010

By 

LH Moffett "heavy reader" (Farmington, NM, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Luck of the Devil (Kindle Edition)

barbara is one of my favorite regency romance authors. her sense of humor keeps me laughing throughout the pages of this great book.