Review: Blue-Eyed Devil

One nice thing about book blogging is reading other book blogs and learning about authors and books to explore. One name that comes up frequently on blogs whose writers like romance novels is Lisa Kleypas. Today I took my little one to the library to play (it is a cold windy day and the children's room at the library has toys and usually, other kids). That meant I had about five minutes to find a book before she lost patience with waiting to go to the children's room. The new aquistions shelf had this book so I grabbed it. It was a winner.

Blue-Eyed Devil is the story of a rich man's daughter who has spent her whole life being told that who she wants to be isn't who she should be. In her last year of college she marries a man her father told her not to marry and two years later, after much abuse, she is back in her hometown. The hero is a self-made man who has gotten on the wrong side of her family, for a couple of reasons. Since it is a romance, we pretty much know the ending, right?

Yes, this is a romance, and yes, it does have the expected happy ending, but it is more than that. It is the story of domestic abuse and abusers in general. Through Haven's therapist we learn what type of people abuse, and what type of people are often abused. We walk with Haven as she learns to set limits on people and as she has to deal with her ex. We see her learn to trust again.

No, this isn't Christian fiction. It is mass-market romance with steamy sex scenes. Haven regrets NOT having sex before she met her ex. Of course sex with Hardy is part of her healing process and yes, it happens before they are married, or even considering it. The only reference to faith in the book is when Hardy explains that the way the church treated his abused mother is why he hasn't been in one as an adult.

I enjoyed the book and if you are looking for a well-written romance novel and don't care if the sexual/moral values expressed are not Christian, I think you'll like this one.