The Devil to Pay by Liz Carlyle
Spicy Romance With A Dash Of Danger
Liz Carlyle, bestselling author of The Devil You Know and A Deal With the
Devil, continues her devilish streak with this sensual regency romance. By
day, Sidonie Saint-Godard is a quietly elegant young widow who teaches
deportment to the unpolished daughters of Londons nouveau riche. By
night, she is someone altogether different.... The notorious Black Angel --
so called for her lusciously located angel tattoo -- ruthlessly takes from
powerful men who exploit, and gives to those who suffer at their hands.
Always in disguise, she has eluded capture and her identity remains a
mystery.... The Marquess of Devellyn, one of the least noble noblemen in
town, uses and discards women as he pleases. But when the Black Angel
entices him into her bed, ties him up, and pilfers his most valued
possession, she may have gone too far. This time, Devellyn tells her, shell
have the devil to pay. And he definitely means to collect.
Personal Review: The Devil to Pay by Liz Carlyle

Sidonie Saint-Godard by day, the Black Angel by night, the heroine of The
Devil to Pay is caught in a thrilling game of intrigue and revenge - a game
that almost catches up with her when she targets Aleric, the Marquess of
Devellyn.
Carlyle offers a rare blend of humor and the darker tinge of poignancy with
her two original and engaging characters. Sidonie is great - a woman who
takes risks and can take care of herself, who walks the fine line of her
double life with flair. Part of her reason for dressing up as the Black Angel
has to do with an admittedly misguided desire to save the fallen women of
the world. But thankfully the book addresses the misguided nature of her
philanthropy so that her bleeding heart didn't get on my nerves. And even
if she wants to be an avenging angel on behalf of wronged women
everywhere, her reasons for doing so are genuine and understandable -
and the way she goes about it is such fun after all : ) Though the book
doesn't try and convince the reader that Sidonie's double life is a complete
lark either - it's dangerous and Sidonie knows it, and keeps at it anyway -
as much for the danger as for her Robin Hood mission.
Devellyn isn't your typical rake either - he's gone through a slew of
mistresses, but they're the ones who have left him - one scorned mistress
is absolutely hilarious, as is Devellyn in enduring her assaults with
beleaguered good humor and resignation that he's a lost cause. He's
more large and rough around the edges, at times clumsy with his words,
always self-deprecating, than he is charming and refined, as one might
expect. Because of a terrible event in his past, he goes through life dulled
by alcohol and exiled from his family and polite society. Despite and/or
because of his flaws, Devellyn is strong, compelling and entirely
sympathetic. Fortunately, he doesn't have to bend over backwards to
atone for his disreputable past, so the book is about his falling in love,
rather than his sob story.
He and Sidonie are both damaged characters who are such perfect fits for
each other - I know it sounds cheesy, but there it is. I'm happy to succumb
to the cheese if it's the price to pay for gushing about true love. Sindonie
and Devellyn's interactions as he's tormented by the two seemingly
irreconcilable women, sexy, unscrupulous Ruby Black, who stole from and
humiliated him, and pristine, pedestal-appointed Sidonie, who lives next
door, were particularly well handled. Another blow to the whore/Madonna
complex! Devellyn might have reacted strongly (some would say
overreacted) upon discovering Sidonie's deceit, and sure he was dramatic,
but what's romance without a little drama? And he comes around soon
after Sidonie justly and awesomely defends herself. I only wish that the
Black Angel could have gone out with a bang instead of a whimper - she's
curtailed a bit too much for my liking in the end. Apart from that, and the
last few chapters, which I was bemused to find dragged interminably, the
romance is wonderfully developed. Every encounter between the hero and
heroine was searing in its intensity, sexual and emotional. A very hot book
that also works through the complexities of its characters' interiorities as

they brave deceit and dangers, reconciliations and heartbreak. In short, I
highly recommend The Devil To Pay. A very satisfying, well written book
that won me over from the first page.
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