3 generous stars because I felt bad for William.Gosh, I really wanted to like this book. Have you ever felt a sneeze coming on…you know, the first little itch in your sinus so you start doing the Bewitched twitchy thing with your nose to make the itch go away? But that doesn’t work and pretty soon the itch becomes a tickle/itch, but still no sneeze. Before you know it you’ve got the palm of your hand smushing your nose all over your face trying to get rid of the annoying tickle/itch and you want to sneeze so badly but it’s just not happening…it has the potential for a great, satisfying sneeze but it just…doesn’t… happen, and you want to scream!That’s how badly I wanted to like this book, but just like that elusive sneeze, it didn’t happen. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was ok… William Donovan had the makings for a great hero but with a heroine like Viola… well… I’m just sayin’…And truly, I feel bad because the storyline had such great potential! I have Irish ancestors who immigrated to the US in the mid 1800’s and I’ve heard the tales about how hard it was for them, so I know the racism and bigotry William faced, and that should have been the driving force of the story, but the author just missed the mark on this one. I don’t know, I really can’t put my finger on what happened with this book. I feel that the author’s writing lacked much thought or creativity. It seems like 25% of William's dialog was made up of the word sweetheart, and that got really annoying after awhile. I don’t know, maybe I’m being too critical because as I said, I really, really, almost liked William and I’m frustrated with the author because ultimately, I wasn’t able to. Another thing that bothered me was how often they’d be touching, kissing – foreplay – and suddenly she’d realize she was naked. Or suddenly she’d realize he was naked. There was even a point when, before she knew what happened, he managed to insert an anal dildo without her knowing it. Hello? I’d sure as hell notice that. So what, was she like comatose?? So there you have it. My rambling review that has made little – if any – sense and has probably left you with more questions than answers. For that I apologize.Sexual content: anal, (finger and dildo) light bondage, and I read where someone else said there was ménage, but I didn’t see it, though admittedly I did a lot of skipping through this one. Though I do recall the opening scene with 2 prostitutes but there was nothing detailed in that.
2.5 stars, ordinary story, no new ideas, nothing really grabbed me.There were a lot of erotic sex scenes with bondage and current day sex toys. Don’t look for historical accuracy. That is not the purpose of this book. Other than the sex scenes, the plot and events were predictable and similar to a typical romance novel. It was ok, but I wasn’t surprised or delighted.Story brief: Viola came from a wealthy family. Her father disowned her when she married Edward. Edward brought her to a small mining town in Arizona. He was killed and Viola washes clothes to make a living. Paul is the local rich man who owns most of the town. He arranges for someone to take all of her possessions in hopes of forcing her to marry him. Viola goes to William and asks to become his mistress as a way to support herself. William agrees and she moves in with him immediately. Paul is furious and continues to be a threat.Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: seventeen. Setting: 1871 small mining town Rio Piedras, Arizona. Copyright: 2004. Genre: erotic western historical romance.To date, I’ve read the following Diane Whiteside books.2.5 stars. The Irish Devil. Copyrt 2004. Review Date 8/31/08.2 stars. Caught By The Tides (in anthology Beyond The Dark). Copyrt 2007. My 5 star review for the anthology was posted 12/31/07.1 star. Bond of Blood. Copyrt 2006. Review Date 9/03/08.
What do You think about The Irish Devil (2004)?
I love hot love scenes as much as the next girl but when it's all the book is based on, it becomes tedious. I blame myself of course, I knew I was reading an erotica and kept on reading, so there. I got pulled in by the theme since I can't resist the heroine mistress theme but this was not a romantic read to me. I'm not a big fan of erotica's to begin with because the plots are usually just pages and pages of sex filled scenes and you know, I want to read a romance not a sexmance. Okay, even if it's a sexmance show me some chemistry, some love, anything just not one big sex romp. Just to show you that I'm not quite the prude that I'm making myself out to be, Susan Johnson has about 10 books on my favorite shelf and if you know how she gets down you understand my meaning, but that lady can write so that's the difference.Apart from too many sex scenes that were not sexy, the setting was dreary and boring and the hero a little on the weird perverted side. The author's writing could have been a tad bit better (can someone say sweetheart a million times??) and the so called plot with heroine and the villain was a joke. And of course it wouldn't be me writing this review if there wasn't a pet peeve or two floating around. The worst one being that the hero is in love with the heroine from page one and is really willing to marry her but is just afraid of her rejection, hence, she becomes his mistress instead. So what's the use of the mistress thing if the hero already wanted to marry her mmm? If you enjoy erotica's you might like this one, but it's lacking that certain something we romance readers love about a romance novel so beware.
—LuvGirl
#1 Devil - Western Historical romance/eroticaWell written, as far as authenticity, characters, intriguing and interesting main and sub-plots. Set in Arizona in approximately 1870, this small mining town is a rough and dangerous place. Apache Indian attacks are a constant threat, as is the harsh environment.Viola is a launderess, a widow, fighting off the marriage proposals of a the wealthy mine owner. William Donovan is a freight contractor who ends up protecting Viola from the mine owner's increasingly obsessive attentions.The author truly brought the Old West mining town to life. Even the secondary characters and plots were interesting and kept me eagerly turning the pages.Very sensual and erotic scenes. I'd like to read more in this series.
—Ladiibbug
I did not like this book at all. For a man enamored of Viola, Donavan certainly jumped at the chance to have a willing concubine when she was in desperate straits. I found his behavior dishonorable and disgraceful - making a whore of an honorable lady. Yeah yeah, he protected her from her enemies and he married her in the end - big deal - he's still a swine. I don't enjoy books where the heroine falls for the rapist or kidnapper (not that Donovan is either but you get the point.) I just don't find it believable that the heroine would fall in love with this animal.The sex scenes were flat and boring and if he called her sweetheart one more time I think I would have screamed!
—Barbara ★
