The Devil You Know

Baroness Diana Pamerston-Wriothesley and her husband, Lord Reginald, have accepted an invitation to Lord DeVere's estate, along with her cousin Annalee and her husband Ned. Diana, married to the much older Reggie for ten years, is a faithful yet unhappy wife. Reggie's drinking, gambling, and disdain have seen to that.
Ludovic, Lord DeVere, is known for his dissipation. A notorious profligate and seducer, he is challenged by the cool, disinterested and beautiful Diana. Her being married is not an impediment to DeVere. He was tiring anyway of his former lover, the recently widowed Caroline, Duchess of Beauclerc, who had spurned him eleven years earlier for the richer prize of a duke.
Set in 1779, four years prior to the first books in The Devil DeVere series, we see the first meeting of DeVere and Diana. Ned, the hero of book 1 “A Wild Night's Bride”, is still married to his first wife, the pregnant Annalee. And Hew, DeVere's brother and hero of book 2 “The Virgin Huntress”, has yet to join the military.
This is the story a lot of readers of this series have been waiting for, the pairing of DeVere and Diana. It doesn't disappoint! This novella has a completely different tone to the first two installments. Much more sober, darker, befitting the character of DeVere. Ms Vane’s attention to detail in the Georgian era setting is evident in the descriptions,  from DeVere’s  house to horseracing and gambling, customs to clothing.
This book concludes with unresolved issues between DeVere and Diana. Their story continues in book 4,  “The Devil's Match”.  Heavy on eroticism yet sensual, written in Victoria Vane’s signature prose, “The Devil You Know” is no wallpaper historical. The only downside is its novella length. Filled with vivid portrayal of life in Georgian England, this story is pure indulgence!
Jill MacKenzie