So Wild a Heart

SO WILD A HEART is a wonderful beginning to a terrific series! I recommend you follow up with THE HIDDEN HEART and then SECRETS OF THE HEART. All three books are easy to read regency romances with a flare of mystery. The stories are closely connected that it's best to start with the first in the series.

Devin starts out very unlikeable, but gradually improves as Miranda's influence waxes and the-mistress-from-hell's influence wanes. Eveutally, the reader sees Devin as a lost, hurt boy who grew to hide his pain, loneliness, and feelings of worthlessness behind outrageous and debauched behavior. Miranda doesn't like him much either until she catches a glimpse of the gentle, idealistic soul he's tried to hide. Miranda is a near-perfect heroine: strong, determined, capable, kind, generous. Once she decides she wants Devin, she gathers all the information, devises a plan, and sets out to win him (and vanquish his mistress). Miranda will settle for nothing less than a real marriage based on love; in the process, she frees Devin from both his mistress and the ghosts of the past. Having Miranda snare Devin was a delightful twist. Her character is believeable with appropriate background to make her the capable woman that she is. Devin's transformation is slow and thoroughly convincing. The mystery surrounding the "accidents" and the attacks on Devin is generally well done; the rationale for the former is excellent, but not so good for the latter. The twist at the end is necessary for Devin's emotional freedom, but feels somewhat contrived. That and my uncertainty that evil mistress Leona is truly vanquished (seemed too easy) are the reasons for deducting 1/2 a star. The first in a fine series.

I so enjoyed this book! It was so refreshing to see a strong, intelligent, rational heroine who saw what she wanted (the Earl of Ravenscar) and fearlessly went after him! I also loved the fact that the typical romance "tables" were turned--Miranda manipulated Devin so masterfully. So often in historical romances the heroines, while described as strong, still spend an inordinate amount of time with helpless handwringing while the hero stays calm and collected, and controls the pace of the relationship. It was nice to see the female take charge, with the male dancing a merry tune!! But Miranda wasn't mean-spirited about it--she just understood what it would take to bring Devin "up to scratch." The writing was crisp, the plot was enjoyable and believable. I thought the plot twist at the end was very nicely done. I also liked the fact that the hero and heroine didn't waste their time hating each other--which is the normal romance novel plot device. Although Miranda and Devin got off to a rocky start, they quickly decided to behave like adults. That made it much more believable to see their relationship blossom into a genuine friendship, and then love. Devin's character development was paced well, so that his conversion to a decent, responsible human being was believable. Kudos to Candace!!

Candace Camp just gets better and better. Miranda is one of the best heroines I've met in ages. Smart, self-confident, knows what she wants and how to get it. It's lovely to watch Devin go from the dark hell of debauchery and enthalldom to a truly vicious mistress to the love and life that Miranda offers him. And how she gets him to that point is wonderful to watch. I really appreciated the fact that Miranda is not of the Too Stupid To Live variety. Or the fact that h/h didn't fight from page 1 till the next to the last page before they called it "love". Their fights were believeable and fun to watch. They progressed the story. All in all, a very satisfying read. I highly recommend.