TEST
Kelly Bowen’s first historical romance was published back at the end of 2014, and she very quickly made her way onto my list of must-read authors. I’ve read nearly all of her books, and have been impressed with her storytelling and ability to create strong, determined and unusual heroines while at the same time having them operate largely within the conventions of the time so they don’t just seem like twenty-first century women in period dress. The first Devils of Dover book, A Duke in the Night, introduced readers to the Haverhall School for Young Ladies, an exclusive academy which operates a summer school at which a small number of exceptionally gifted pupils are afforded the chance to pursue studies in fields not usually open to them. This is held at Avondale House in Dover, which Clara Hayward, the school’s headmistress (and now Duchess of Holloway) has rented for a number of years from the Earl of Rivers. Or rather, from his estate; the old earl died six years earlier and his only son is presumed killed at Waterloo, although as no body has been found, the title has been held in abeyance until such time as Eli Dawes can be legally declared dead.
But now, having chosen to remain in hiding on the continent since the battle at Waterloo, the new earl has decided to return home and assume his rightful place and title. He plans to live quietly at Avondale and hide the injuries and disfigurement he sustained during the battle; he’s not exactly a vain man, but he knows how much of his former popularity and social standing was due to his exceptional good-looks, and cannot bear the idea of being pitied, shunned or vilified because his appearance is so changed.
The last person he expects to see on his return to Avondale is the woman he’d fallen in love with six years earlier – Rose Hayward, daughter of the (then) dizzyingly wealthy Baron Strathmore. Rose was known to be a bluestocking who didn’t appear much in society, but Eli was smitten anyway, impressed by her cutting wit and brilliant mind – but was too late to win her. His best friend Anthony Gibson was courting her and Rose was so obviously in love that Eli had to step back, and instead, flung himself into an endless whirl of debauchery in an unsuccessful attempt to forget her. Now, after six long years have passed, he feels wary and ashamed when he meets her again, not just because of his ruined face, but because of the way Gibson treated Rose when he broke things off with her, lampooning her and several other society ladies in a book of cruel caricatures which shattered reputations and destroyed lives.
Believing Eli to have been complicit in the book’s publication, Rose hardened her heart against him as well as Gibson, cursing herself for an idiot for being so trusting. His unexpected reappearance paves the way for a rapprochement between them, especially after Rose admits the reason for her hostility – and also offers the possibility of something more, of something Eli’s wanted ever since first laying eyes upon Rose years earlier. But he’s changed so much – and not necessarily for the better, he thinks; while Rose challenges, encourages – sometimes outright bullies! – him to stop feeling sorry for himself and to realise that he has much to offer, that his name and status give him the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of others.
Last Night With the Earl is a story about acceptance, forgiveness, redemption and most of all, the importance of looking beyond the surface to find the truth, to the heart and soul of another person. Rose is a very forthright young woman and an extremely talented artist whose fierce championship of beauty in all its many forms makes her an original, insightful heroine. For Rose, beauty is something other than what is usually dictated by convention, something that is continually evolving, changing over time and circumstance to become something new and different:
“… we are all perfectly and inevitably flawed, and one’s beauty is because of it, not in spite of it.”
Ms. Bowen skilfully enables the reader to see many things through Rose’s eyes, and makes some very powerful observations through her PoV. I applauded Rose’s refusal to allow Eli to wallow in misery or guilt; she is blunt, sometimes brutally so, but she has to be in order to force Eli to see himself as the man she sees: “A man who is strong. Noble. And imperfectly perfect.”
Rose’s ability to see beyond the external and cut through to what’s most important is refreshing, but it’s also partly what eventually dinged the book, because when Rose then shows herself to be a proponent of ‘do as I say, not do as I do’, I felt terribly – incredibly – let down and disappointed. I can’t say too much without spoilers, but her experiences after the publication of the book of caricatures was worse than she admits to Eli and after all the taunting and nastiness that followed she began to suffer debilitating panic attacks. I’m not saying that panic attacks aren’t serious, horrible things – I’ve suffered them myself so I know they are – but after all Rose’s cajoling of Eli, of the demand she made of him that he needed to stop worrying about all the things he isn’t and show the world the truth of the man he is now, for her to turn around and refuse to do the same felt like a cop-out. Rose and Eli are so obviously in love and right for each other there’s no other bar to their HEA, and this comes across as a last-minute contrivance that is thrown in for the sake of creating some conflict in the romance.
The story is well written, Eli and Rose are likeable and fully-rounded and their relationship is tender and sensual, but that contrived, eleventh-hour conflict really soured my view of Rose and has affected my final grade quite a lot. A less than excellent book by Kelly Bowen is still head-and-shoulders above many of the other current historical romance offerings out there, and I’m still giving it a cautious recommendation; it’s just a shame the final few chapters were such a let-down.
Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo
Grade: B-
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 25/09/18
Publication Date: 09/2018
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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With the exception of the school nothing about this book is very original. I found the idea of Eli owning the art mentioned as laughable. As a longtime reader of the regency genre I was highly disappointed and a little insulted by this ridiculous book. Your review is very generous IMO.
I wonder if the new thing in romance is going to be hideously scared dukes and earls?
Whatever the new thing is, with so many authors now producing at least two books a year, we’re getting more and more of those things and fewer and fewer well-conceived plots. HR needs careful research and world building in a way that CR doesn’t, and that takes time so many authors aren’t being allowed, IMO.
Besides lack of time to plot and world build (or skill to do so), another big problem might be related to the nobility centric plots (or, perhaps, publisher obsession): dukes, marquesses, earls, etc. It is becoming a bit tiring, no? Specially when there are other spectrums of society, in Regency and, specially, during the Victorian period, that can background a great romance. Just focusing Regency/Early Victorian times we have the final years of the Industrial Revolution and all the social/financial aspects of it. Why not plot more within other social strata and their lives?
(On this regard, I must say that Harlequin Historical has been, at least for me, one of the houses with more diversification. Even if many of the chosen titles are, for lack of a better word, ridiculous: e.g. Beauty and the Brooding Lord, His Rags-to-Riches Contessa, Her Convenient Husband’s Return.)
I don’t think we’re even getting the full range of possible stories about people in the nobility, either! Because of the fairly strict rules about which women are deserving of heroine status, there’s only a handful of acceptable heroine profiles to choose from, so we just get story after story about virginal debutantes, prim governesses/bluestockings/ladies’ companions, down-on-their-luck damsels, wrongfully shamed ingenues, sad-and-often-virginal widows, and then the random commoners who marry dukes. Almost all of whom are under thirty and definitely under thirty-five. There are occasional exceptions, totally, and there’s also more variation in secondary romances, but even so, that’s… not really a lot of variety, when you think about it. I always wants to read about those bored society women who exist mostly to give the hero his sexual experience and the heroine a foil to showcase her purity, but they don’t get to be heroines.
(Agreed on Harlequin and its silly titles, although I think I prefer those titles, somehow, to the stupid movie/song title puns all the single-titles seem to be getting.)
…although I think I prefer those titles, somehow, to the stupid movie/song title puns all the single-titles seem to be getting.
I am SO with you on that one! They might be a bit iffy, but at least they’re not so vomit-inducing cutesy.
The worst example I can think of is ‘It’s Hard Out Here For An Earl’. Makes me giggle every time.
Actually, it was It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke, but that doesn’t make it any less crap. And let’s not forget such gems as Lady Bridget’s Diary andLady Claire is All That from the same series. Or Ms. Bowen’s own I’ve Got my Duke to Keep Me Warm and You’re the Earl That I Want, or Sarah Maclean’s A Rogue by Any Other Name, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, and A Scot in the Dark (which was a crappy book as well as a crappy title). When a Marquess Loves a Woman by Vivienne Lorret, and most recently, Lorraine Heath’s When a Duke Loves a Woman. If I look long enough, I’ll probably find “When an Earl Loves a Woman”, “When a Viscount Loves a Woman” and “When a Baron Loves a Woman”.
It’s been going on for years and for way, way too long. I’m so sick of it, I could vomit.
It’s SO BAD, and also somehow very symbolic of the whole wallpaper historical fluff plague infecting the genre. Lady Claire Is All That is the most egregious, imo, just because of how thoroughly anachronistic it is. Also one really remarkable part of the whole phenomenon is that you don’t even have to know what the title is riffing off to know that a book has one of these titles and be annoyed. I’m not particularly pop-culture savvy, so I only really make the connection maybe half to two-thirds of the time, but I can still tell when a book has one of these titles even if I miss the reference.
Was it the Bridgerton series that spawned this? Although it didn’t become an epidemic until a few years later.
And I can’t believe Caz forgot her most favorite: The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo. The title (and the book) were stinkers. I hate this trend as well.
THAT’S RIGHT. And oh my God The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo. No, marketing. Stop that, marketing.
I am in the minority here, but I loved this bowen even more than the previous one. The struggles here for both protagonists are real, their fears are real, and they have a lot to overcome. I feel Bowen did a great job of telling this story.
“… this seems to be the year for mediocre HR.” Sad face indeed.
Not sure I’m gonna jump on this one. I didn’t love “The Duke in the Night” and I was expecting this one to have better reviews. Oh well!
It’s very disappointing!
“… this seems to be the year for mediocre HR.” Ugh, exactly how I feel. I can name maybe four historicals out of the whole field this year I’d give an A to.
Lisa — please do share your 2018’s favourites. I might have skipped some! :)
Balogh, – most of Margurite Kaye’s Match Made in Scandal series has been amazing; both Heaths (Virginia and Lorraine both), Joanna Shupe’s new one and the new Maya Rodale coming out in October are all marvelous. Jo Goodman and Beverly Jenkins always produce amazing work reliably!
Thanks for sharing, Lisa. :)
I think I’ve given ONE A grade to an historical romance published in 2018 (Duran) and a handful of A- (Charles, Linden, V.Heath). My other A grades have been historical mysteries (Harris, Thomas) and romantic suspense (Rachel Grant).
Kass – I haven’t read the new Balogh yet, so I can’t say. Our reviewer enjoyed it, though.
Uff… If that was not the case, I’d be so damn disappointed!
I loathed “The Duke in the Night” so I didn’t pre-order this one, but requested it from the library. Your review is very good and much appreciated.
Thanks, and you’re welcome. I really like Kelly Bowen’s books, and this is the lowest grade I’ve given her. It’s gutting, but this seems to be the year for mediocre HR :(
Mediocre is harsh…but true!
To be clear, I loved the first book in the Devils of Dover series, A Duke in the Night! Doing a quick check of my GR shelves, my shortlist of HR 2018 faves is pretty skimpy. Only 6 books!!!!!!!!!!! But these six run the gamut – queer, PNR, two debuts…I’m hopeful good things are just around the corner.
FWIW, queer contemporary romantic suspense novels dominate my best of 2018 list this year…so far!
I just went through my reviews from this year and made a list. I’ve given DIK or equivalent grades to 8 HRs published in 2018 – Caroline Linden and Virginia Heath supplied two each of those (and there are a couple of others that were published earlier). Other DIKs/A grades went to C.S Harris, K.J. Charles, Rachel Grant, Bec McMaster, Charlie Adhara, Sherry Thomas, Lee Welch… but while most of those have strong romantic elements, they’re not ‘just’ romances or not historicals. Like you, I’m finding the best books right now are m/m romantic suspense – and in fact, I’ve listened to a LOT of really good ones in audio format, although not all of those have been released this year.
But what’s really noticeable is that with the exception of Caroline Linden and Meredith Duran, none of the big names in HR appear on that list, and looking at the offerings that are forthcoming for the rest of 2018, I can’t see that changing.
My list of ‘tops’ HR also includes Charles, McMaster, Thomas and Welch – also the earlier Bowen, Ashe & the Peckham – which I loved and you skipped. I haven’t listened to the Harris yet but I’m currently listening to book 6 & I’ve rated the first five books (all in audio format) a B+ or above, so I’ll just go ahead and assume it would make my list as well. I had a few pretty greats that I wouldn’t call best of’s – Cat Sebastian’s latest comes to mind – but HR just hasn’t had the best year. Still a few months left though!
Caz — Please tell me that the new Balogh, schedule for the end of November, is good. I’ve been counting down the days to that one!
Oh! And to clarify. That six only includes HR – I have lots of contemporary faves on there!
I liked the earlier Bowen and the Ashe, but yeah, just couldn’t read the Peckham. I didn’t put the Harris on my list because it’s not HR, the Welch and McMaster I classify as paranormal romances… and yes, there are some B+s around that were good but might not make a best of list.
I also enjoyed this novel, but I hated the plot contrivance that delays the happily ever after. I didn’t have the same connection to this heroine as I’ve had with Ms. Bowen’s other female leads – especially her sister (Clare?) whom I loved, although I still can’t put my finger on the reason why. This book felt more like a drawn out novella…not enough substance, too much filler…but I agree with you. She’s a brilliant writer and I enjoy her novels even when I don’t ‘love’ love them. Same grade for me!
This book felt more like a drawn out novella
Agreed. It was as though, having given Eli all the insecurities about his appearance, she wasn’t able to come up with any issues for Rose that carried a similar weight. I was incredibly disappointed in her refusal to practice what she was preaching, which in turn soured my view of her character and all the things she’d had to say to Eli throughout the book. And while I’m not at all dismissing her experiences with being so horribly gossiped over, I actually found myself thinking – “is that IT?” Because with all the advice she had to dispense to Eli, it seemed like whatever had sent her running should have been a bigger deal.