Reviewer Comments: I'm in total agreement with many other readers that this is probably my favourite Cynsters book so far after reading more than half of this series. The story starts off with the heroine stumbling upon a dying man. No, he isn't the hero himself, rather, the hero's cousin. There's where the mystery of the story begins - why is this cousin shot ? By whom ?
While we have the mystery at the beginning of the story, the story soon focuses on the romance of the leading characters. They are caught in a compromise position, however innocent it actually is. He offers marriage, she refuses. He presses on making her his wife ; she continues to reject him. Sounds like her other Bar Cynster works ? In a way, yes but Devil is far more manipulative than the other men in his family, rather than showing his helplessness in dealing with the woman he desires (which is quite a common trait in her later books). And Honoria is a more mature character, with better common sense, making her more likeable. The story is of a fast pacing with more development instead of filling the pages with one intimate moment after another.
Unfortunately (you know this is coming, don't you ?) I'm more disturbed with the discovery of Devil's younger half-brother. With my previous assumption that Scandal is the elder (but illegimate) son of the previous Duke before he marries, you can say I'm shocked and disappointed to realize Devil, not Scandal, is older. Has the author disclosed the reason of the late Duke's infidelity in any of her later books (after all, I've yet to complete the entire series) ? Their romance in "The Promise in a Kiss" seems so strong, they seem so in love with each other. So HOW and WHY is he unfaithful ? The whole discovery affects the credibilty of the other Cynsters' devotion to their wives. Will they sire a child or two with women other than their wives in the later years of their marriage, just like what Sebastian has done ? To be honest, I'm no longer surprised.
Perhaps this is a lesson learnt for me for not reading the series in its order because if I have done so, I may not even pick up the rest of the series, not when I doubt how true and committed those Cynster men are to their marriage vows.
