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A review by wildwolverine
Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas
3.0
This book is like a fruit that's not ripe yet. There are so many promises, and you're sure it'll get sweeter and better. Unfortunately, it's not there yet. This book holds up an interesting couple of Kathleen and Devon, two people determined not to get into a commitment, whether that's a committed relationship or a full-blown affair. There's an eccentric family isolated from London society very similar to the Hathaways. So, when I opened this book, I expected a sweet but moving romance with some slapstick humor thrown in. I almost got that.
Because this is the first book of a series, Kleypas has to introduce everyone who will someday have their own book. Here, we meet two brothers and three sisters, and you can bet they all have show-stealing personalities. As a result, the story feels busy and muddled with everyone trying to get a word in edgewise, and the leads don't get the page-time they need to fall in love and us with them. The exchanges between Kathleen and Devon were cute, but they were so rarely together that I didn't really buy it when they fell in true love. Truthfully, I feel like Kathleen should've ended up with the younger brother, West. He understood her better and respected her opinion, unlike Devon who was gone too often to really get to know the widow. Neither of them moved beyond the lust stage.
Hopefully the next books focus on just the couple more. Aside from that, the writing was descriptive and immersive. Kleypas's usual tools are here: the sudden danger, the brute of a hero, the short heroine, and some wonky pacing. Overall, I enjoyed this, but it could've been and should've been so much more.
Because this is the first book of a series, Kleypas has to introduce everyone who will someday have their own book. Here, we meet two brothers and three sisters, and you can bet they all have show-stealing personalities. As a result, the story feels busy and muddled with everyone trying to get a word in edgewise, and the leads don't get the page-time they need to fall in love and us with them. The exchanges between Kathleen and Devon were cute, but they were so rarely together that I didn't really buy it when they fell in true love. Truthfully, I feel like Kathleen should've ended up with the younger brother, West. He understood her better and respected her opinion, unlike Devon who was gone too often to really get to know the widow. Neither of them moved beyond the lust stage.
Hopefully the next books focus on just the couple more. Aside from that, the writing was descriptive and immersive. Kleypas's usual tools are here: the sudden danger, the brute of a hero, the short heroine, and some wonky pacing. Overall, I enjoyed this, but it could've been and should've been so much more.