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To Desire A Devil
The Legend of the Four Soldiers, Book 4 in the Series

by Elizabeth Hoyt

     

In this fourth and final installment of The Legend of the Four Soldiers Series, which includes To Taste Temptation, To Seduce a Sinner, and To Beguile a Beast (also reviewed on Myshelf), best-selling author Elizabeth Hoyt concludes her series of wounded military men assimilating back into society and finding true love. This time, Reynaud St. Aubyn, wild with fever and post-traumatic stress disorder, stumbles into a lavish party in his family home after being held captive by Indians for seven years and presumed dead by his comrades.

Beatrice Corning, the orphaned niece of the present earl, who has assumed the position in Reynaud’s absence, immediately recognizes the tattooed savage with bushy beard and unruly hair. She has spent the past few years living in his home staring at his portrait from when he was an innocent young man with sparkling black eyes. Despite his ghastly appearance and startling return from the dead, Beatrice feels an instant tenderness for the man and nurses him back to health, while simultaneously prying stories from him about his captivity.

When his fever subsides, Reynaud again focuses on the one thought that helped him survive his tortured existence enslaved by the Indians for seven years: he wants to reclaim his title. With the title come his vast inheritance, beautiful home, and loving sister (who has since moved away with her new husband). Beatrice becomes caught in the middle between her growing love for Reynaud and her loyalty to the uncle who raised her.  Both men cannot hold the title.

As with others in this series, the hero has been damaged physically and emotionally by the war, and in order to find love must overcome his personal demons. Beatrice is presented as a proper young miss with secret desires and a strong need to help others. Readers can rally behind both characters and their causes. To Desire A Devil contains humor, suspense, drama, and explicit sexuality, though ugly remnants of the war emerge throughout the story making this romance far from sweet. While Beatrice and Reynaud have a convenient coupling rather than the sizzling chemistry that many romance readers enjoy, the book satisfactorily concludes the series by tying up loose ends and revealing the military traitor who ruined so many lives.

The Book

Grand Central Publishing / Hachette
November 1, 2009
Mass Market Paperback
978-0-446-40694-9 / 0446406945
Historical Romance / England, 1765
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE: Sexuality, Violence, Descriptions of Torture
Holiday: Christmas

The Reviewer

Leslie Halpern
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Leslie Halpern is the author of Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies, Dreams on Film, A Writer's Guide to Fearless Interviews, and the co-author of Connections: A Collection of Poems. Coming Soon: Passionate About Their Work: Celebrities, Artists, and Experts Discuss Creativity.
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