The Devils of Dover Series by Kelly Bowen

Source: I borrowed all of these from the library.

Words cannot express how proud I am of myself for completing a series! Yep, I read all three books and am caught up. I can hardly believe it. Because I'm lazy I am bunching them all together in this one "review". Review is in quotes because two of these aren't reviews at all - oops. Sorry but you know how I am, haha.

A Duke in the Night by Kelly Bowen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not a real review because I am lazy and I read this for myownself. I took a mini-break away from all of the horror and dread and backstabbing I typically read and I am not sorry. This was a delightful historical romance with a smart, independent heroine who had the backbone to stand up for her beliefs. August was a decent hero who was hellbent on protecting his future for himself and his family at the cost of everything else. The conflict bit was a little "meh" and dragged out too long for my impatient self but overall I had a good time listening and will grab the next in the series on audio.

Last Night with the Earl by Kelly Bowen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The world is so dark right now that I had to take a mini break from horror to read some fluffery and this was a good choice. It was sweet and only a little crazy-making and I really, really enjoyed listening to it. The author writes in a way that captures and holds my attention and makes me care about these people even when they do things that drive me up a wall.

I did have the same little issue I had with the previous book in this series, A Duke In The Night, in that I felt the conflict here wasn't strong enough. The hero (an Earl) is badly disfigured from the war and wants to hide away from society but the heroine makes him face his fears but doesn't share hers completely and instead nearly destroys his heart and newly found confidence because she acts the hypocrite. So be warned about that. It made me a little arrrrggg. BUT the writing is so engaging and the chemistry between the characters so well done that it didn't bother me too much.

The narration is excellent too so if you're into audiobooks this is a good one.

A Rogue by Night by Kelly Bowen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is book 3 in the "Devils of Dover" series and features Harland who is the brother of the two sisters whose stories were told in the previous novels. He was the aloof doctor always running here and there with no time for dalliances. This time he finds love and adventure. I guess it’s the adventure bit that threw me off because I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous two. Well, that and the smuggling plot line. That was just not at all for me.

And can we talk about this horrendous cover? What did Harland ever do to deserve this pouty, shaggy haired, bug eyed cover shot? Couldn't they have cleaned him up first? Given him a little trim? Or at least splashed some blood across his messy self? (He's a field doctor, I'm not being too weird, am I?)

Katherine comes from a family of smugglers and has the skills of a surgeon but she is super vague about her training when she meets Harland after her brother is shot. She has reasons. The two have a frisson of sexual tension that blooms into some full blown insta-love without the witty banter and fun I love from a good romance. Kate has her back up and she’s a bit rude and because of a past love she has turned herself into a human ice pop who does not want to be licked - errr melted by love. Neither she nor he want or expect the feelings but the feelings won’t be denied. What can you do? They only intensify once he brings Kate and her brother to his family estate so the brother can recover.

So, I nearly DNF’d this story when Kate’s brother puts her life in danger because they’re all going to starve to death if she doesn’t do as he asks, apparently. Personally that sounded a wee bit dramatic but I wasn't living back in those times. Anyhow, since I was listening on audio I decided to stick it out and it wasn’t awful. It wasn’t my favorite either and it’s not a romance that’ll stick with me. I found it hard to believe that Harlan who is a baron which makes him titled and rich and super important (right?) is also a full time doctor and a helper of the smugglers. Shouldn’t he be off riding horses, tending to his estates and tying the perfect cravat? Hell if I know. What I do know is that you SHOULD NOT START THE SERIES HERE. Read the other two first or you'll really have questions. Anyhow, if you are a completest and/or have nothing better to do when you are scrubbing the house, give it a go. But honestly there are much better romances out there in the world. I’d recommend seeking out one of those instead.

I’m giving it a 2.5. Some of it was okay but some of it was aggravating and sleep-making because I personally find smuggling adventures uninteresting. You might love smuggling and love at first sight and if you do I say go for it!