Customer Reviews

Silver-Tongued Devil

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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anyone who is interested in a good conversation along with a good romance will enjoy this book. the heroine has a wit to match the heroes. you have to pay close attention and infer what is being said. don't skip pages cause you will miss out. this was definitely something for the mind to enjoy. i rate it one of the best because it never lagged, you never get bored because they are always sparring with words;whether with eachother or their own conscience. so if you want an intense novel this is is.

I bought this book thinking it would roll smoothly and fluidly, engrossing me to keep reading until I was done. Unfortunately it has taken me 2 weeks just to get to page 74. Ms. Blake is the Don King of the Romance Writing World. There are so many nauseatingly long descriptions of every little detail from conversations to observances that I find it impossible to read more than 3 or 4 pages without getting frustrated. I want to get in to the story, I'd like a little of the fantasy to be left up to my imagination. Ms. Blake is so long winded that I feel like I'm reading a blow by blow narrative of a documentry, instead of losing myself in a historical fantasy life.

hey :)

i think this is a really cool book to read because it keeps you interesting. you can't just put the book down because you HAVE to know what's going to happen next... i like that in a book. it's a cool romance novel, and i highly recommend it. it's changed my opionion about romance novels. you must read it! :) if you have any questions about the book you can email me at: rivas_juanita@hotmail.com, take care :)

SILVER -TONGUED DEVIL by Jennifer Blake is a wonderful historical romance set in 19th century New Orleans and Louisiana."Silver-Tongued Devil" is the story of Angelica Carew and Renold Harden. It is full of emotion,romance,secrets,lies,Louisiana customs,passion,sweet sensuality,gambling,doubt,mistrust,revenge,betrayal,and love. "Silver-Tongued Devil" is not only rich in details,but has strong characters and a Louisiana plantation.Ms. Blake has done a wonderful job on this historical romance. I enjoyed how the hero,was not such a hero to start with but changed his ways as love blossomed. The heroine was confused from the beginning with her own questions,but went along with the hero,until his lies and deceptions caught up with him. Love can find a way,and conquer even deception and lies,and come out the winner. A must read for anyone who enjoys historical,romance,America history,Louisiana and New Orleans life during the 19th century. Received for an honest review from Net Galley and the publisher. Details can be found at Sourcebooks Casablanca and mybookaddictionreviews.wordpress.com.

RATING: 4

SILVER TONGUNED DEVIL by Jennifer Blake is a historical romance that is not for the faint of heart. Strong characters, rich description and agonizing drama make this novel an eloquent, yet emotional journey.

Angelica Carew knew the expected path of her life. She was to marry the man her father had chosen and live out her days on the property granted to her as her dowry, Bonheur. Little does she know, but Renold Harden is going to do everything he can to make sure Angelica is married...not to her current fiancé, but to him instead. Years ago Angelica's father, Edmund, won Bonheur in a card game against Renold's stepfather who eventually took his own life over regret from such a loss. Now Renold wants nothing more than revenge against the man and can see no greater punishment than taking away Edmund's daughter through marriage, which would also give him back Bonheur.

Angelica is shocked to wake up from an injury she sustained on the journey to America married to Renold. It causes her to question her situation, especially since her new husband is a man she barely knows and seems to have an ulterior motive for everything. What is even more confounding is that she eventually finds herself falling for this handsome devil. Despite his original intent and to Renold's shock, he too finds himself falling for the wife he never wanted. Yet by the time all the lies are revealed, will it be too late for forgiveness?

You are not going to find two characters more entertaining than Renold and Angelica. Renold is certainly not the most lovable hero to ever be created, far from it actually. If there is anything to have a difficult time accepting, it is the credibility of such a devious and manipulative character. He is exactly as the title describes, the silver-tongued devil who speaks seductive words yet always has a hidden agenda behind them. Yet underneath it all there is something terribly compelling about his character that draws you in. His heart seems to be the one unattainable thing for any woman to grasp, but as you read this, you can easily see Angelica is just the woman to do that.

Angelica is of course the complete opposite of Renold. She is all that is pure and honest in the world. She is the angel matched to Renold's devilish ways. While this elaborate web is being spun around her, she is far too intelligent to simply become lost in its midst. I was frankly amazed at the way her mind worked, constantly figuring out each mystery she faced. Perhaps what I loved best about her character is that no matter what Renold threw her way, she always took it in stride. While outwardly it appeared like defeat, she always gave her actions a purpose which exposed her extreme amount of courage. She was not timid and mild, but rather a formidable opponent to the man who sought to claim her.

If you read this novel for no other reason, let it be for the thrilling dialogue between the hero and heroine, Renold and Angelica. Oh, it is absolutely delightful! They are the perfect match of intelligence and strength and it is revealed through their playful verbal quarrels. Jennifer Blake can write dialogue that will make your head spin with its complexity, yet delight you with its authenticity and splendor. Renold and Angelica led the most interesting game of `cat and mouse' throughout this book. Each sentence is carefully constructed and their words seeking to give nothing away, yet subtly revealing everything. It was the ultimate power struggle yet underneath it all you could catch glimpses of longing and desire.

"Stop you, but why?" The words were so soft she was afraid he would not hear. She need not have worried.

"To prevent accusations of strength using unfair advantage over weakness. To preserve the status quo. To guarantee whatever vestige of freedom you might once have claimed, since I hold what I take, keep what is mine."

"Take me then," she whispered. "Keep me."

I will be the first to admit I've re-read the ending more than a few times now, which is something I don't normally do. Mainly because I became so fascinated with the plot and how the entire drama was concluded I felt compelled to experience it again and again. It was just fascinating and beautiful. The ending though is what leads me to my one and only complaint...that it wrapped up too soon. I was not entirely satisfied with where the novel ended and felt it deserved at least another chapter or two to fully conclude all the issues between Renold and Angelica. There were just so many issues between then, I would not have minded knowing just a little more about their future.

SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL by Jennifer Blake is a fabulous one-of-a-kind historical romance that is touching and compelling. This novel will pull you into its diabolical grasp and never let go. At its heart are two characters that will enthrall you with their intriguing and passionate romance. You will be hard pressed to find a novel with more authenticity, more emotion or more heart. Historical romance readers should delight in the fact that there are still talented authors like Jennifer Blake out there that know how romance should be done and execute it perfectly in novels like this.

Reviewed by Lisa Jo
for The Romance Reviews

Lies and the tangles they engender abound in SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL by Jennifer Blake, a tale of revenge in antebellum Louisiana.

Injured in a steamboat explosion, Angelica awakens in an unfamiliar bedroom to find herself married to Renold, a man she barely knows. With her father and betrothed dead in the same disaster, she must depend on this stranger. But questions abound. She can't remember a wedding, and is her silver-tongued "husband" as kind-hearted as he appears?

With her trademark use of accurate historical detail, Ms. Blake evokes the Louisiana of the past in such breath-taking fashion as to make a fan of someone like me who doesn't care for romances set in America. Like all her other romances, they are fast-paced, gripping, and keep you reading right until the end as we wonder if our hero and heroine will find their happily-ever-after.

That said, I don't care for bad boy heroes. SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL also contains one of the motifs I like the least in romance--the hero who takes his revenge on one person by harming an innocent.

While I dislike Renold, I like Angelica. She is the pawn in Renold's scheme, but while she may start out as a puppet, adversary rapidly changes her into a woman more than capable of withstanding anyone's machinations. And the results of his plan surprise and also transform Renold.

The best romances not only knock you off your feet with the story, but also subtly intertwine deeper themes within the main tale. In SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL, the deeper theme is revenge. The novel explores its wrongness, its unintended effects, and how revenge changes both the perpetrator and the victim.

Now, as when it was first published in 1995, SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL remains an engrossing read.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks

Along the Mississippi, in Louisiana and New Orleans in the late nineteenth century, life was not for the faint hearted. The thin veneer of society's niceties cracks easily in the damp, steamy climate and the rough, cruel, greedy traits of humanity show through. Every one of the seven cardinal sins seems to thrive in the elite of society and in the most base of humanity.

Angelica Carew becomes a pawn in a revenge plot--a plot of which she has no knowledge.

Revenge by using an innocent person to get to his target sets Renold Harden's life on a new course that challenges his alpha male determination as he pits his wits against the naïve but complex Angelica.

From past experiences, Renold does not trust the word or feelings of women--not even his mother's. His intention is to degrade and make Angelica miserable to get back at her father. However, as the days go by, Angelica's innate intelligence, her stern upbringing, common sense, intuition, and her ability to see more than what appears on the surface makes her an enigma to Renold. He finds himself wanting to make love to her and bring her to know all the passions and pleasures of man and woman together. He wants to consummate their marriage, Most of all he wants her love. Yet, he forges on toward his goal knowing that it is inevitable that she will come to hate him.

Angelica, reared by her spinster Aunt Harriet who believes in male authority and prerogative, has never been allowed to make decisions. When she regains consciousness after the steamboat explosion and believes her father and fiancé have been killed, she is at variance with what she should do. She is in the care of Renold who says they are married because that was the only way he could see to her care after the accident. She doesn't trust him, but she admits to herself that he sends "her emotions swooping like a backyard swing". Even though she knows he is arrogant and manipulative, Angelica cannot dismiss his gentle care, his introducing her protectively to the wonders of New Orleans and its French Quarter, his installation of a garden to please her and so many other things.

The secondary characters keep the undercurrents treacherous for the two main characters. Renold's best friend, Michael Farness, stirs a jealousy when he champions Angelica's cause. Clotilde, Renold's former mistress, stirs up as much animosity as she can, while Renold's enemies along with robbers and assassins make life perilous. Of course, his mother and half-sister add to the unease.

Jennifer Blake's special way of bringing characters to life emotionally and physically makes the reader feel as if she is sharing the upheavals, dangers, and euphoric experiences with the hero and heroine. The vivid images she creates assail the senses. The steamboat is pregnant with sights, scents, smells, tastes, feel, and sounds as are the varied parts of New Orleans, and the hundred-year-old, well-tended, and beloved Bonheur plantation is replete with the best of them all.

Ms. Blake does a masterful job of weaving in conditions, mores, and perils of the late nineteenth century Louisiana; for example, the barrel houses, lawlessness, Mardi gras, social issues, and much more. But above all she weaves the characters' lives together to create a memorable love story that sprouts from an alienating event to grow and bloom to a thing of beauty. The love scenes, like love on a hot afternoon, are breathtaking.

Silver-Tongued Devil, like other Jennifer Blake novels, is a keeper to enjoy reading more than once.

Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

A man determined to get what he's after. A woman just as determined to keep him at bay. When his plan is thawrted from the beginning, it takes a lot of back-peddling to change tactics. Jennifer Blake really plays these two to the hilt in a battle of will and wits. Nice twist at the end. Needless to say, the author weaves a wonderful love story mixed with exitement, romance, and humor.

This is the first book that I read of Jennifer Blake, the hero and the heroine are very well matched. I liked the physical and mental tension between them. The scenes were action packed. The descriptions were detailed obviously a great deal of research went into the writting. The only one espect of the noval that bathered me was the dark mood of the noval. I wish there were more scenes filled with joy and contempt. Overoll not a bad read, although I am not sure if I will read any of Jennifer Blake's books in the near future. I almost feel like I need a break...something funny.. perhaps Maggie Osborne.

Not a big fan of her contemporaries, I was thrilled to see another historical novel. Not quite as great as some of her earlier novels, but still enjoyable.