Surrender to the Devil

I loved this book and the wonderful continuing characters. The several things I really love about a good book is great secondary characters and the hero and heroine being people you would love to know. Getting your attention especially at the very beginning of the story. Another thing is Ms Heath writes the best epilogues which is the finishing touch for a story especially when the author ties up all the loose ends. After reading some of the other reviews I can't do better than what they have said so eloquently said. You will not be disappointed in this story.

Katherine's brother Sterling Mabry has finally come home, to their father's death, his sister married to one of the more notorious Earl's in London's society, and he is slowly losing his sight. But one thing he sees that he likes is Frannie Darling, a little mother to the boys of Feagan's band, his daughter, Jack Dodger's book keeper, and one of the most beautiful, kindest, and amazing woman he has ever met. Frannie after being raped by Luke's uncle, the heir to the earldom of Claybourne has no wish or desire for a man. She focuses on instead starting a children's home, and rescuing children from the rookeries. All making Sterling fall more in love with her, all as he battles losing his sight. As time goes on Frannie falls in love with Sterling and he starts seeing her as more then just a prize for his bed chamber, but as his duchess, wife, and the love of his life.

I have a tendency to alway give Lorraine Heath's books 5 stars. While a couple of her earlier books are exceptions that I gave 3 and 1/2 to most of the time I simply must give her books 5 stars for how they make me feel and how much I enjoy them. There is no other author right now that draws me into her world and characters of the story in quite the way Ms. Heath does. This book was no exception. It is in fact exquisite! Some books I read are just simply a great story to me, but, some books are like I have entered into a whole new world and almost become part of that world. I truly feel a passion for the characters and I want to BE one of those characters just so I can participate in the story. Frannie and Sterling are not only two of my favorite characters EVER ,but, Ms. Heath makes me so wish I knew them personally and could call them my friends (as well as know their friends in the books). Her writing is that good. She is very gifted in creating a love story like no other and creating characters that you are so happy reading about. She pulls you in slowly, carefully, and gradually makes you almost believe it's real or could be real or wish so it could be real. But ,boy, you sure wish it was! I simply and absolutely did not want this one to end. I even cried in the last couple of chapters because even though I knew Frannie and Sterling would end up together (it is a romance book) I almost felt like maybe they wouldn't and I just couldn't stand that for them because they truly belonged together. I felt their sadness at not believing they could be together. Something else she is very talented at is weaving together a real plot with her magnificent and necessary secondary characters that are just...icing on the cake! I see no need to actually go into the story here as some others have already done that so why waste the time and effort. That's why I am just heaping praise for it. I will just say that I was sad when the book ended. It left me wanting more. That is what Lorraine Heath does. She always leaves the reader wanting more. There is one more book in this story as I understand it and I can't wait to read it. I believe it comes out in October maybe and it is about Jim Swindler... one of Frannie's friends/protectors that she grew up with in the rookeries and later at the Claybourne mansion that truly really was in love with her. Jack Dodger and Luke already have their own books that came before this one so now Jim Swindler gets his turn at love. Now he gets his own love story and it will be a wonderful way to end the series. But I wish the series could go on for several more books as all of them have just been incredible. I would also like to point out that Sterling is the very best of heroes. I tend to always latch on to heroes that the writer tries to make appear an uncaring, rich, and "just wants to get under the skirts of women" aristocrat ,but, is so much more under the surface. Another wonderful side is revealed to they themselves and th

I totally loved this novel. I am an avid romance reader and I read the entire novel in one day. Definetly a page turner.

Surrender to the Devil is the third book in Lorraine Heath's "The Scoundrels of St. James" series (and overlaps time-wise with the second book, Between the Devil and Desire). I wasn't sure that I was going to like it and IMO the summary written for the book doesn't do it justice: Frannie and Sterling are so much more complicated than the lust-driven characters they are described as! I ended up *LOVING* this book and definitely recommend it to all historical romance readers out there. The hero and heroine's relationship is so sweet and passionate, they have great chemistry and are absolutely perfect for each other and seem to really need one another. The supporting characters are terrific (love Feagan's gang!), the mystery of Sterling's problem was engaging (and unusual in the genre, so a nice addition), and there were *several* laugh-out-loud moments. Although this book is part of the St. James series, I have not read the two previous ones and had no problem following what was going on. Knowing the characters, however, I think the experience is probably richer if you are already familiar with Feagan's gang from the previous books (Luke and Jack's stories). SUMMARY: Miss Frannie Darling (29) grew up an orphan on the streets of London, the one bright light in her life being her street "family": Feagan (their kidsman), and his "lads" Jack, Luke, Jim, and Bill. (The background I'm about to give is explained in the prologue, so I'm not giving any surprises away). When she was 12 years old, Frannie was kidnapped, sold to a brothel that specialized in virgins, and brutally raped. Despite their young age, Luke and Jack searched out the gentleman who raped her and Luke killed him. It turns out that the man was Luke's uncle and Luke's grandfather, who comes to see the boy who killed his second son, recognizes Luke and arranges for the trial to not occur and for his grandson, along with his friends, to come live with him and be educated by tutors. Frannie is now a young woman and she finds satisfaction in the bookkeeping she does for Dodger's gaming club and joy in her real passion: her orphanage to help street children. When she meets the Duke of Greystone (Catherine's brother) at Luke and Catherine's wedding, she is completely fascinated and also extremely surprised; though she doesn't fear intimacy or passion, she has never been attracted to nor felt desire for any man ... until now. (Their first encounter at the wedding is very funny - and then very hot, lol). As Sterling determinedly pursues her, Frannie can't help but want to give in to him; she knows he will never marry her, and frankly she dislikes the aristocracy and has no desire to join its ranks, but would it be so wrong for her to take this opportunity to be with the only man who has ever looked at her like she was a desirable woman and whom she desires as well? Sterling Mabry, Duke of Greystone (28) has been traveling extensively for many years following a terrible fight with his father.

She and her two friends Earl Lucien "Luke" Langdon (see IN BED WITH THE DEVIL) and club owner Jack Dodger (see BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND DESIRE) escaped London's mean streets and Feagan's den of child thieves and urchin con artists. Whereas the guys have become accustomed to Polite Society, Frannie Darling (as she calls herself because of her earliest memory of Feagan calling her that) hates the Ton; she prefers the slums of the rookeries rescuing orphans. She earns a living as Jack's bookkeeper. Earl Sterling Mabry meets and falls in love with Frannie. She is attracted to him too, but prefers to pick his pocket instead. Haughty especially when he wants something and he WANTS her, he pursues her with due diligence, but has no idea she reciprocates though she loathes the idea of loving an arrogant aristocrat. As they fall in love, they get in trouble with vile criminal elements that leave them fighting to survive, but Frannie assumes she caused the assaults somehow when Sterling conceals from his beloved he is the prime source of their danger. The latest Oliver Twist twist is a fantastic entry in a clever well written saga that stars the latest adult version of one of Feagan's child thieves and the Earl who loves his Frannie Darling. The cast once again makes this fast paced tale super fun to read as Loraine Heath provides another excellent Victorian romantic suspense that hooks audience from the moment Frannie out-arrogance the super conceited Earl.