Scan barcode
missvanillanilla's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
webbsusa's review
3.0
Meh
I couldn’t get into this book; I finished it out of a sense of obligation. I hated the main characters; I found them extremely annoying. The supporting characters were fun, and I enjoyed the battle scenes. But it’s a problem in a romance novel when I am skimming the sex scenes and enjoying the battle scenes .
I couldn’t get into this book; I finished it out of a sense of obligation. I hated the main characters; I found them extremely annoying. The supporting characters were fun, and I enjoyed the battle scenes. But it’s a problem in a romance novel when I am skimming the sex scenes and enjoying the battle scenes .
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 ⭐
J'ai dévoré ce roman en quelques heures car, une fois mis le nez dedans, il m'était impossible de le lâcher. Le contexte historique de la Renaissance italienne est passionnant, bien qu'un peu sous développé à mon goût. En lisant ce roman, je me suis remémorée mes voyages en Italie, et j'avais tantôt l'impression d'être en Toscane, notamment à Sienne, Vince et Florence, mais aussi devant certains tableaux exposés à la Galerie des Offices, à Florence, justement. Un super cadre donc, qui change vraiment de nos habitudes, et rien que pour ça, ce roman de K.C Bateman vaut largement le détour.
Cela dit, ce n'est pas son seul atout, loin de là. Les personnages et leurs (sales) caractères respectifs, leurs joutes tant verbales, que morales et physiques font tout le sel de ce roman. Cara et Alessandro vont s'affronter du début à la fin, sans jamais baisser leur garde, ou presque. Ils s'envoient de sacrées vacheries à la figure et se parlent (et se comportent) d'égal à égal. Entre eux, c'est une bataille (littéralement) constante où tous les coups sont permis et où la moindre manifestation de vulnérabilité est interdite.
Alessandro est un vrai guerrier, un homme froid, calculateur, dur et inflexible, et en même temps, il a un certain sens de l'honneur, et garde une certaine tendresse pour la fille de son amie. Cara, elle, est la version masculine d'Alessandro, elle est au moins aussi pugnace et déterminée que lui, et elle n'est jamais à court d'imagination pour arriver à ses fins. Leurs affrontements sont incessants, aucun ne veut demander la trêve, du coup, ils sont assez épuisants à lire. ^^ Et en même temps, quelques moments d'une rare sensualité viennent apporter un peu d'apaisement dans ces joutes constantes.
Sur tous les plans, Cara et Alessandro forment un couple flamboyant et nous offrent des moments de lecture tout à fait palpitants, à travers un roman riche en rebondissements et scènes qui décoiffent. Bref, ce roman est un must-have !
J'ai dévoré ce roman en quelques heures car, une fois mis le nez dedans, il m'était impossible de le lâcher. Le contexte historique de la Renaissance italienne est passionnant, bien qu'un peu sous développé à mon goût. En lisant ce roman, je me suis remémorée mes voyages en Italie, et j'avais tantôt l'impression d'être en Toscane, notamment à Sienne, Vince et Florence, mais aussi devant certains tableaux exposés à la Galerie des Offices, à Florence, justement. Un super cadre donc, qui change vraiment de nos habitudes, et rien que pour ça, ce roman de K.C Bateman vaut largement le détour.
Cela dit, ce n'est pas son seul atout, loin de là. Les personnages et leurs (sales) caractères respectifs, leurs joutes tant verbales, que morales et physiques font tout le sel de ce roman. Cara et Alessandro vont s'affronter du début à la fin, sans jamais baisser leur garde, ou presque. Ils s'envoient de sacrées vacheries à la figure et se parlent (et se comportent) d'égal à égal. Entre eux, c'est une bataille (littéralement) constante où tous les coups sont permis et où la moindre manifestation de vulnérabilité est interdite.
Alessandro est un vrai guerrier, un homme froid, calculateur, dur et inflexible, et en même temps, il a un certain sens de l'honneur, et garde une certaine tendresse pour la fille de son amie. Cara, elle, est la version masculine d'Alessandro, elle est au moins aussi pugnace et déterminée que lui, et elle n'est jamais à court d'imagination pour arriver à ses fins. Leurs affrontements sont incessants, aucun ne veut demander la trêve, du coup, ils sont assez épuisants à lire. ^^ Et en même temps, quelques moments d'une rare sensualité viennent apporter un peu d'apaisement dans ces joutes constantes.
Sur tous les plans, Cara et Alessandro forment un couple flamboyant et nous offrent des moments de lecture tout à fait palpitants, à travers un roman riche en rebondissements et scènes qui décoiffent. Bref, ce roman est un must-have !
hollyxbear's review
3.0
This book was good, not the cheesiest romance novel but the writing was very good. I struggled a little bit to get invested in it. The characters were not as relatable as I would have wanted them to be. That being said, I am really glad i won this novel on Goodreads. I do not think that I would have not read it otherwise.
pbluebirddd's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aliasaurora's review
5.0
The BANTER, y'all! This book SENT me. I never get tired of two MCs who drive each other crazy and yet cannot stop orbiting around one another. The way the MMC is always chasing after the FMC, feeling like she has completely thrown him for a loop at every turn, while she's thinking he's always one step ahead of her... they're just inevitable! Not in some supernatural fated mates kind of way, but in the way that two real people sometimes are, where everyone can see it but them.
The plot: FMC is in a pickle. Her half-uncle has murdered her father, claimed her keep for his own, and she barely escaped with her life. Her father sends her to the mercenary Il Diavolo, aka Alessandro del Sarto, aka our MMC, whom he knows well. Here's the catch: Del Sarto has had a thing for FMC for six years, after a chance run-in that left both of them reeling, and he's sure that if he just spends a couple weeks with FMC, he can get her out of his system. (Yeah, right!) He negotiates with her for two weeks of her time, playing chatelaine at his keep and warming his bed.
In a lesser novel, with a more compliant FMC, this would result in some dubcon, some body betrayal, and some groveling. Not so! FMC outright refuses, tries to escape several times, and tells him what a nasty git he is for thinking he could keep someone hostage and she'd be grateful for the privilege. Privately, MMC relents. He realizes he wants her willingly or not at all, which becomes the novel's refrain. Publicly, MMC comes up with the most ingenious way of forcing her to surrender: so both parties walk away feeling like they kinda won, and kinda lost. The whole book is like that. Push and pull. That's what I loved about it.
The plot: FMC is in a pickle. Her half-uncle has murdered her father, claimed her keep for his own, and she barely escaped with her life. Her father sends her to the mercenary Il Diavolo, aka Alessandro del Sarto, aka our MMC, whom he knows well. Here's the catch: Del Sarto has had a thing for FMC for six years, after a chance run-in that left both of them reeling, and he's sure that if he just spends a couple weeks with FMC, he can get her out of his system. (Yeah, right!) He negotiates with her for two weeks of her time, playing chatelaine at his keep and warming his bed.
In a lesser novel, with a more compliant FMC, this would result in some dubcon, some body betrayal, and some groveling. Not so! FMC outright refuses, tries to escape several times, and tells him what a nasty git he is for thinking he could keep someone hostage and she'd be grateful for the privilege. Privately, MMC relents. He realizes he wants her willingly or not at all, which becomes the novel's refrain. Publicly, MMC comes up with the most ingenious way of forcing her to surrender:
Spoiler
by treating her exactly the same way he treats all captured soldiers under his command. He tells them all that they can go home if they can best him in single combat, and if not, they must swear fealty. FMC turns out to be more of a bruiser than the MMC bargained for, but eventually she is forced to yield. Even then, FMC manages to surprise him, turning a quick, supposed-to-be-humiliating kiss into a power move of her own,nyquist214's review
adventurous
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
duncantread's review
2.0
Not my favorite K.C. Bateman
I’ve been on a regency kick recently and Kate has gotten so much better at her trade. Her character development, plot, and verbiage are noticeably better in her more recent works. My favorite part was the maid, but I also adored his horse :)
I’ve been on a regency kick recently and Kate has gotten so much better at her trade. Her character development, plot, and verbiage are noticeably better in her more recent works. My favorite part was the maid, but I also adored his horse :)
megatron_'s review
4.0
Renaissance set romance?
Mercenary Hero?
Snarky Heroine?
YES PLEASE!!!
Need anymore be said? Probably not. By this point you’ve already bought the book, and surely you’re already halfway into devouring what is not your typical renaissance romance.
But if you haven’t and you’re not I will expand on why I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK.
What the blurb doesn’t tell you about is K.C Bateman’s writing style. The dialogue is witty, the banter snarky, the history and background well researched and the action scenes thrilling! This alone with a smattering of typical romance would have made this book fine. Ok... Nice... A 3 Star book.
But Bateman’s style of romance makes this book fantastic. No cut away scenes when things are just getting juicy.
Bateman delivers STEAM.
Although there are a few of the classic romantic tropes to be found in The Devil to Pay Bateman handles them humour and thrills. The nipple pastry scene is a particular favourite. If I callus I’d give this a 4.5 stars.
Needless to say Bateman more than won her $1 bet with her husband.
I can’t wait to see if Bateman’s next book will also be set in 15th century Italy or if she will go back to her regency roots. Either way I will devour it eagerly.
Mercenary Hero?
Snarky Heroine?
YES PLEASE!!!
Need anymore be said? Probably not. By this point you’ve already bought the book, and surely you’re already halfway into devouring what is not your typical renaissance romance.
But if you haven’t and you’re not I will expand on why I REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK.
What the blurb doesn’t tell you about is K.C Bateman’s writing style. The dialogue is witty, the banter snarky, the history and background well researched and the action scenes thrilling! This alone with a smattering of typical romance would have made this book fine. Ok... Nice... A 3 Star book.
But Bateman’s style of romance makes this book fantastic. No cut away scenes when things are just getting juicy.
Bateman delivers STEAM.
Although there are a few of the classic romantic tropes to be found in The Devil to Pay Bateman handles them humour and thrills. The nipple pastry scene is a particular favourite. If I callus I’d give this a 4.5 stars.
Needless to say Bateman more than won her $1 bet with her husband.
I can’t wait to see if Bateman’s next book will also be set in 15th century Italy or if she will go back to her regency roots. Either way I will devour it eagerly.