To Desire a Devil (Legend of the Four Soldiers Series #4)

Legend of the Four Soldiers Series, #4

The final book in an amazing series opens with high drama and suspense as the soldier long thought dead is in fact very much alive and has just collapsed as Beatrice Corning's tea party. Reynaud's other friends and soldiers left the battlegrounds in the Colonies knowing they had been betrayed and believing that Reynaud St. Aubyn was dead. Reynaud is the Viscount of Hope, Earl of Blanchard and his return to his childhood home reveals to him that a distant relative has taken his title, monies and lands as his own. Reynaud has survived battles, capture and enslavement in the Colonies by Indians for seven years only to be told nothing is as it is supposed to be. But Reynaud is not going to let that happen - he is the true Earl and he will have his title and all that goes with it returned to him and nothing can stop that, not even Beatrice Corning the beautiful woman living in his home

Reynaud maybe half-starved from his travels to get home but even he can see that there is something so special and unique within Beatrice that she glows. Beatrice nurses him back to health and is the voice of reason and calm when all else is chaos in his life. One by one all of his former friends come back into his life and the entire time Beatrice is pulling him toward living again instead of staying a wounded and emotionally troubled soul.

Since the day Beatrice came to live with her aunt and uncle she has longed to meet the man in the painting over the mantle. Even as unrealistic as it should be she had fallen in love with the face of the man who now is in the flesh and more handsome than she tough possible. He tells her the tales of his time as a prisoner with the Indians and as each story unfolds into another she finds herself more in love with him every day.

But Beatrice has been cared for by her uncle who assumed the title and now she feels a battle of wills is about to put her in a position of choosing one man over another and she is not sure what will happen. But Beatrice is in the way for whoever wants Reynaud to truly be dead and one too many attempts on his life cause her physical and emotional damage. But is Beatrice strong enough to heal Reynaud, bring him back from the shell of a man that he is and show him that love can warm your heart even without a title. Reynaud is fighting his demons but even he knows that with the love of Beatrice he can win over any battle and they can both have justice for their causes.

This last book in the series takes a very dramatic turn that the reader does not see coming. You never expected the final book to be about the soldier long discussed as dead nor find that his scars run so deep. Though the revelation of the traitor at Spinner's Fall is important to the story it is not as critical and as understanding how Reynaud fought for his life and found salvation in the last place he would have looked his own home. While the other stories are a wonderful precursor to this book you do not have to have read them to follow the plot or fill in the missing pieces. Ms. Holt is an expert at storytelling and each book can stand alone but they are so wonderful together.

Reviewed by Mary Gramlich ("The Reading Reviewer") www.marygramlich.com

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Ms. Hoyt continues to captivate the reader with her storytelling skill on multiple levels: the main story that fills in the missing clues as to who betrayed the British regiment at Spinners Falls,

and the parallel story about soldier #4, Longsword, his princess bride, and sacrifice. To Desire a Devil has a dramatic opening: A man - bearded, tattooed, ill with fever - staggers into Beatrice Corning's drawing room and faints. But she recognizes him as the murdered Lord Hope with whose portrait she has fallen in love. For the past 7 years the very much alive Lord Hope, Reynaud St. Aubyn had been enslaved by Indians and after much hardship finally was able to escape and return to England. Dilemma: Beatrice's uncle is now Lord Blanchard, and when Reynaud recovers, he's determined to get his cousin out and his title, lands, etc., back. Soon several life-threatening attempts are made on him and Beatrice. They become increasingly drawn to each other. Characters from the series arrive on the scene to help. Lord Vale (Melisande) comes to watch Reynaud's back and ease him into society. Sister Emmaline and Samuel Hartley return to London as do Alistair Munro with wife Helen. The shady characters are also present, now powerful political Lords: Lord Lister who had kept Helen Fitzwilliam in thrall and Lord Hasselthorpe; they back Beatrice's uncle's claim to the title and try to show the ton that Reynaud is mad and thus not entitled. The clues are sorted and the puzzle is solved, but not before Reynaud, now the rightful Lord Blanchard, is willing to put himself in captivity to the traitor in exchange for Beatrice's life. But the villain is caught and will be hanged. Each of the ladies receives a bound copy of the book of beloved tales that Emmaline had asked Melisande to translate, that Helen copied and that Beatrice bound. And so we come full circle in these engrossing tales of betrayal, redemption and love.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a super ending to the exciting late eighteenth century Legend of the Four Soldiers saga

A prisoner of war for seven years following the French and Indian War, Reynaud St. Aubyn finally escapes and returns home to London in 1765. He makes it home only to collapse crashing Beatrice Corning's boring in her mind political tea party until the arrival of the uninvited Reynaud, previously declared dead and her uncle named the earl.

Beatrice has loved Reynaud since she moved in to live with her aunt and uncle and saw his portrait hanging on the wall. She helps him heal physically from a fever and mentally from his incarceration. As she begins to fall in love with the real person beyond just the image, he rhinks of her as his muse, but he needs to know who betrayed their unit at Spinner's Fall and she needs to help him.

This is a super ending to the exciting late eighteenth century Legend of the Four Soldiers saga (see To Taste Temptation, and To Beguile a Beast). The story line is fast-paced as the disheveled ailing hero returns from the "dead" to fall in love but to also identify the traitor who cost them so much. Although the overarching theme is resolved in an intelligent way that remains consistent to the series, TO DESIRE A DEVIL primarily focuses on the relationship between Reynaud and Beatrice

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Hoyt is always a great read!

I always love Elizabeth Hoyt's books. I would recommend them to anyone who likes historical romances.

A Good Read

To be honest, it took me a long time to finish this book. I started it soon after it was released. I had gotten about half way through and ended up getting busy with school and side tracked by other books. That was the problem! I loved To Beguile a Beast, which I read first out of the four books. I haven't yet read the first two (I tend to find myself in that position a lot). Anyways, like I was saying, the book was hard to get into.

Reynaud St. Aubyn is not dead. Beatrice Corning has stared at a portrait of the long-thought-dead man. Something about the portrait has captivated Beatrice, and she has fallen in love with Reynaud. When Reynaud arrives home after seven years of captivity, he falls under Beatrice's care. However, complications arise when Reynaud proclaims his desire to regain his title from Beatrice's beloved uncle. Despite her loyalty to her uncle, Beatrice loves Reynaud and eventually marries him. This acts as a sign of stability on Reynaud's way to regaining his title (as he is thought to be mad). He also goes about the process of being acceptable in society's eyes. Beatrice also has a strong wish to have a bill passed on behalf of the soldiers who returned home wounded from war. Reynaud, in his pursuit of his title, refuses to care about the bill or Beatrice. All this time, Reynaud and the three soldiers from the previous books work to find the man who betrayed them years ago.

The story itself was interesting, though it seemed to drag at times. Beatrice was extremely curious about Reynaud's past (understandable, but his recollections seemed so lengthy at times that I lost interest. Reynaud is very hard around the edges (due to some signs of PTSD). This is also understandable, but it seems hard to connect Beatrice's love for the young man in the portrait and the man who returns home. The end of the book and the fairy tale really redeemed the book for me, although it was a bit unbelievable in part (the ending, not the fairy tale). So... they discover the traitor. A happy ending is had.

All in all, it was a fine book. It was hard to get into and then hard to get back into it after a break. I enjoyed it, but I am not sure how driven I would have been to buy it had I already not.

Last in the series.

It was nice to finally find out who the traitor was. I liked both characters and there wasn't any unnecessary storyline to bore me. Good end to the series.

You'll love it!

All of Elizabeth Hoyt's books are great. This is the 4th of a series, and it ties the 4 books together with a very happy ending. Read all 4!

To Desire A Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt

This novel was just ok for me. I love reading this author but was a little disappointed in the last book of this series.

Bridget's Review

Reynaud was thought to be dead many years ago at the hands of Indians. In reality, he was held captive. When he shows up at the family home, they are unsure if this man is who he claims to be.

Beatrice is hiding something. She is most turned on by a picture that hangs on her uncle's wall. When this man invites her to share his bed, she is more than willing.

Beatrice is able to look into Reynaud's soul and see him for who he really is. He has feelings for her but he's unable to trust her completely. What will he find is most important? The love of a woman or a title of nobility?

This is a hot, hot read that sizzles until the very end.

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