3.7-4.2 Stars. Public Library 7/29/14. Good end to the series. Each book offered a different perspective of the massacre of the 28th while at the same time offering different personalities. Each man came away from that fateful day with his own demons and own motivations. In the other books we were given the savior, the witness, and the victim but in this book we were given survivor. It was nice to finally get St. Aubyn's story. The other survivors stories wove in and out of each others lives but St. Aubyn kept popping up. Now with this last book we see a conclusion to the story and the mystery behind the traitor. We see all the other characters and how they have been after their HEA. Fans of the series should be pleased with how it's wrapped up. Oh no. Not another one. That was my last reaction as I closed To Desire A Devil. Problems, I had plenty, with this one. From the start to the finish. One of the reasons a series is not my favorite thing is that so many times the last book seems to be a "Let's have a reunion!" book. All of the previous characters show up,happily married, expecting children etc. etc. and descend on the couple in the last book to guide them to true love. That was, unfortunately, here in spades. In addition the overarching mystery of who the traitor was at Spinner's Falls which waxed and waned throughout the previous three books was a big letdown. I knew going into this series that the villain wouldn't be revealed until the last book, but I think I expected something more after all the build-up. This author has written some really good books, particularly the "Prince" series; however, the Legend of the Four Soldiers fell short except for the first and second in the series.My biggest issue has to do with Beatrice Corning, our heroine. She has fallen in love with a portrait, you see. The portrait of Reynaud St. Aubyn, Viscount Hope and potentially Earl of Blanchard. I say "potentially" because Reynaud was thought to be dead, killed by crucifixion and fire at Spinner's Falls seven years ago. His uncle has ascended to the title as there were no other male heirs after Reynaud's "death." Sorry, I digress. Beatrice has been living with Uncle Reggie in the Earl of Blanchard's home for years, serving as his hostess and apparently making lots and lots of tea. She isn't really related to him, but she calls him uncle because he and his wife took her in when her parents died. Or maybe she's distantly related. I really don't care at this point. Other than that, she doesn't seem to do very much at all except lust after a portrait of Reynaud. Occasionally, she visits her childhood friend, Jeremy Oates, who lost his legs in the war and isn't expected to live much longer due to complications, and Lottie, her good friend whose marriage is on the rocks. But that's about it for Bea. She never was fully realized except in the scenes with Jeremy.Actually, the scenes with Jeremy were excellent. There was a genuine affection between them, a knowledge of each other's foibles and strengths, and her little skirmishes with Putley the butler were funny. He would always pretend not to know her in an attempt to stop her from visiting Jeremy in his bedroom. Unfortunately, these scenes were sparse, and Jeremy dies (dies!!) early on. As for Reynaud, I suspected he would probably make an appearance before the series wrapped up so I wasn't all that surprised when he barges in to the present Earl's residence, half out of his mind with fever, asking for his father in French and sporting bird tattoos around his eye and a cross earring in his ear. Okay, the bird tattoos and the earring were a little surprising. Reynaud was a disagreeable man from the start. If he wasn't constantly manhandling Bea then he was coercing her into marriage with manipulative sex. For grins and giggles he seemed to love calling his Uncle Reggie the "Usurper" (with the perquisite sneer as he says it) because Uncle Reggie was fighting Reynaud for the title. And don't get me started on his dangerous behavior like pulling a knife on someone who bumps into him on the dance floor. Granted, Reynaud has some issues after being held captive for years by the Wyandot Indians, but you'd think a man who's trying to convince people he isn't insane could show a little restraint at a ball. And It might be a good idea to leave your pigsticker at home as well.The traitor's identity is finally revealed, and, unfortunately, that plot thread could have been resolved way back in the second book if someone had thought to add two plus two. I think I see now why the traitor thing was dropped in the third book as it seemed that the villain's identity needed to be dragged out just to allow all the other soldiers at Spinner's Falls - Samuel Hartley, Jasper Renshaw, and Alistair Monroe - along with their very fertile wives to appear together in the final installment. To Desire A Devil is my least favorite of this series. I found Bea to be rather insipid and I had difficulty believing she fell in love with Reynaud just because of his portrait. What is she? The Georgian version of a Belieber? Most of the time Reynaud was reduced to grunting like a caveman instead speaking like an educated, titled gentleman. He seemed awfully fond of two words: "Mine!" (referring to Bea) and "Home" (also referring to Bea after having phenomenal sex but also occasionally an oblique reference to England and the restoration of his title). I have another four-letter word in mind when I think about this book: "Fail."
What do You think about Yabani Aşık (2013)?
This book had so much potential but then it flopped so hard.
—turtlesrus
Interesting twist on the end of the combined storylines.
—Tessue
This series was great, I only wish there were more.
—Desi0523
