Review: A Deal with the Devil

Last year I read Alyxandra Harvey's The Scandalous Spinster, the first book in The Spinster Society series about a group of women in Regency London who use their smarts, cunning, and spinsterhood to protect women from predatory men - of which there are more than a few. Despite some plot busyness, it was an enjoyable historical romance by a new-to-me author and I was captivated enough to preorder the second book in the series, A Deal with the Devil. Once I realized who the hero and heroine were going to be I was all in.

I think this book can still be enjoyed if you read out of order, but I also think it helps to start with Book 1 - mainly because the opening chapter starts during that timeline and some of the backstory might be a little less confusing.  Kitty Caldecott owns the most scandalous bookshop in all of London, a purveyor of filth sure to bring ruin to the women who dare darken her doorstep - because of course Kitty sells "naughty books." Outraged vicars and people throwing rotten vegetables at her front door are nothing new. It's a living, and it would probably be an OK one if not for the fact that her father is a degenerate gambler. To add insult to injury, he's not very good at it. Kitty is barely keeping the family, which consists of Daddy, a vile aunt and her younger sister afloat when Daddy and Auntie make a match for sister Evie with Lord Portsmouth, a man who has buried three wives already. Kitty is so desperate to protect her sister she does the one thing a girl should never, ever do - she steals from the Devil himself.

Lord Birmingham (Rhys) is the aforementioned Devil. He has money but what he really wants is power, and he's been gathering that currency by collecting debt vowels and building a fabulous gaming hell. He runs into Kitty, literally, at a Devil's Night extravaganza hosted by the villain of the first book. It's only after that run-in he realizes the captivating redhead picked his pocket, stealing a debt vowel.  Honestly now, this will not do. He has a reputation to uphold and honestly, a woman who sells naughty books got the jump on him? Totally unacceptable. 

Kitty is desperate but not stupid, and figures making a deal with the Devil is the only way to keep her sister safe and out of the clutches of Lord Portsmouth.  After stashing Evie in a safehouse (with The Spinster Society, but of course!) she strikes a deal with Rhys.  Help me save my sister from a fate that will surely mean death and you get back your debt vowel. Rhys agrees mainly because our guy is gobsmacked from the jump and Kitty kicks up all his dormant protective instincts. 

There's a fair amount of set-up in this story and it does take a minute for our couple to spend quality time on the page together, but getting there is all good stuff.  If you're a heroine-centric romance reader, Kitty is the gal for you. I just adored her. She's smart, resourceful and won't back down from a fight. The interactions she has with her bookstore clientele are priceless, as is her run-ins with outraged vicars and society matrons. She's a badass spinster with a soft vulnerable center and y'all - these are my favorite types of heroines. More than half the books in my keeper stash are littered with them.

Rhys is also an interesting hero - accepting a commission during the war and surrounding himself with a motley, yet loveable, crew as he builds the finest gambling hell in all of London.  He also is completely smitten with Kitty and is ready to slay dragons for her.

"...I just want you to have everything you need. Let me take care of you.” 

“Why?” 

“Because no one else does,” he said severely. “And because it would be my fucking privilege.”

I mean, swoon.  Also, and this cannot be overstated, the banter these two share, the chemistry, it's truly delicious.

That being said, this is a book you can't think about too much otherwise it takes on unsavory overtones. Rhys is in the gambling business and collects debt vowels. The author doesn't spend any time in these weeds but it stands to reason that while some of these vowels belong to villains just as many belong to gambling addicts and desperate people.  All this in a bid to collect power and influence. And the motley band surrounding Rhys at his gambling hell?  Oh sure, men he served with on the Continent, but some of them are essentially hired muscle. There's definitely mob-like implications going on here. Look, I was intrigued by Rhys - I even liked him and Kitty together - the chemistry sizzles and I wanted them to live happily ever after. None of that changes the fact that Rhys can easily be a villain in someone else's story.

But, look - Romancelandia is riddled with morally gray heroes and a lot of readers don't bother to pat an eyelash. I liked Rhys as a hero but I'm also well aware that he's Problematic AF - his devotion to the heroine notwithstanding.

There's the plot of saving Kitty's sister and what happened to Lord Portsmouth's last wife (who is actually only presumed dead...) but this story is definitely more romance than romantic suspense. This bit of the plot serves the purpose of moving things along and throwing our couple together but it's not terribly complex.  The meat and potatoes here is Kitty being generally fabulous and the chemistry between her and Rhys. Have I mentioned the sizzle? 

I had a good time reading this, problematic elements I'm trying not to dwell on aside. I'll be ready to pre-order Book 3 once it's announced.

Final Grade = B