Devil in Disguise by Kimberly Nee
Series: Montgomery Series (#2)
Page Count: 310 
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Release Date: June 16, 2011
Source: ebook provided by the publisher

Broken-hearted, Andie Sinclair escapes to England and a new life, leaving her ex-fiancé in Philadelphia. Crossing paths with the notorious rake Gerald Montgomery was never part of her plans. When another man asks for her hand she must choose between the man she wants and the one who professes his love.

Gerald Montgomery, Viscount Bridgeton, has also risked his heart and lost, but Andie stirs something in him much stronger than lust. However, proving he can be trusted without hurting her will be difficult, especially when a desperate man sets his sights on Andie. Can he prove his love before the only woman he’s ever loved makes the most dangerous mistake of her life?

Review: Kimberly Nee’s Devil in Disguise is book 2 in her Montgomery Series. While this book totally works as a stand-alone, I can’t wait to get my hands on the other books in this series. Nee has penned a terrific story, filled with drama, wit and characters you can’t help but root for!

Lord and Lady Elizabeth Barclay had lived an estranged marriage; she in Philadelphia, he in England. But when Lord Barclay dies, Lady Barclay and her companion, Andie Sinclair, travel to England to take care of matters. The first task is to get settled in the Barclay manor and dismiss the caretaker who embezzled the funds sent to maintain the house. Next, Andie is tasked with hiring the help needed to run the house, but at the moment the house is cold and they need firewood…

Gerard Montgomery, Viscount Bridgeton stumbles upon Andie in the middle of a colorful outburst, venting frustration over an ax stuck in the chopping block. Curious about the American attempting to chop wood in the freezing cold, Gerard steps in to do the dirty work. Splinters are removed and firewood is chopped as Andie learns a bit about the Barclays, and the Montgomery family residing on the property next door at Thorpeton Hall. When Lady Barclay hears of Andie meeting Gerard, she immediately warns her to stay away from the Montgomery men because they are all dangerous rakes. But when Gerard hears that Lady Barclay is trying to toss Andie into the matrimonial path of Stephen Pemberton, Marquis of Saintsbury, Gerard warns Andie to stay away from him as well.

A forbidden viscount, an attentive marquis, a scandalous past and an inheritance turn Andie’s world upside down. But as Andie begins to learn more about Lady Barclay’s mysterious past, a plot of deceit starts to unfold. Will Gerard and Stephen show the true colors Andie was warned against all along?

I really enjoyed this story and while the plot itself is not overly complex, the author definitely created some good suspense with twists and turns. I had to get in the groove picturing Sarah and Elizabeth as the older ladies in the story since their names are typically better suited to the younger ladies in this genre. Stereotypical, yes, but there it is. Also there are about two weeks where Saintsbury is courting Andie and apparently Gerard knows nothing of it. Actually, he just kind of disappears. Since Gerard had warned Andie about Saintsbury (after he had already warned Saintsbury to stay away from Andie) it just seemed out of character that he didn’t check in on Andie to make sure both had heeded his warnings. The only thing that really became a distraction for me was the use of the word “tick” for bedding. Typically, the term is very rarely (and cautiously used) in period romance novels and rightly so because each of the eleven times it was mentioned in this book I had visions of bugs in the bed. Romantical, no?

All in all, I did really enjoy this book and I highly recommend it if you enjoy Regency romance! Kimberly Nee is a hidden treasure worth exploring!

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