Title: The Devil’s CharmAuthor: Megan Frampton
Series: Heirs & Spares #1
Pages: 368
Publication Date: Feb. 25, 2025
Publisher: AVON BOOKS
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical
Synopsis:
One Night He Cannot Forget…
Lord Lucian Blackwood, second son of the Duke of Waxford, has assumed all the responsibilities of a spare, meaning it is his duty to seduce all the women, win vast sums at gaming, and appear gorgeously clothed for any occasion. He doesn’t expect his friend’s wedding to be any different—but then he meets, and kisses, her. Even more delicious is that she is the daughter of his rigid father’s longtime enemy…and now Lucian and Lady Diantha are tasked with working together on a project that will heal the rift.
One Night She Can’t Help but Remember…
Lady Diantha Courtenay always does the right thing. She wears the proper clothes, she speaks to the right people, she smiles exactly the right amount. When she attends her friend’s wedding, however, she sees a gentleman who makes her want to do all the wrong things. With him. The next morning, she is appalled, and sets herself back on course to being the most proper young lady, relieved she now has a family project to focus on. She thought she was safe from that other Diantha until she realizes she’ll be working with him.
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Megan Frampton’s The Devil’s Charm was a fun read with some great banter and a unique setup, but it didn’t quite pull me in the way I’d hoped. I liked the idea of Lucian and Diantha being caught between their feuding families and forced to work together, and their first meeting had a spark that made me excited to see where things would go, but it didn’t quite have the Romeo and Juliet vibes I was hoping for.
Lucian was constantly described as a carefree rake, but I never really saw that side of him. Instead, he was sweet, responsible, thoughtful, and attentive, and while he’s supposed to be a rake, I actually liked his softer side. Diantha was just ok for me. I feel like her personality was kind of inconsistant. Sometimes she was so confident and others she was incredibly insecure. I didn’t always understand the change in her, and I definitely enjoyed her moments of confidence more, especially when she took charge of the business side of things.
As far as the romance, there were some really lovely moments between Diantha and Lucian, especially when they let their guards down and just enjoyed each other’s company, but it never felt like the stakes were very high. Considering they came from feuding families and there is a forbidden nature to their relationship, I expected a little more conflict and tension.
That said, Frampton’s wit shines through in the dialogue, and there are some genuinely comical moments throughout the story. There was more than one scene that had me chuckling. I like the side characters, too, and while they’re not as layered, they add a lot of humor and warmth to the story, especially Diantha’s unconventional family.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
- the humor
- the romance
- the fun secondary characters
- forbidden romance
- feuding families
- rake MMC
Megan Frampton’s love affair with books began when her parents moved her to a remote town in New Hampshire where there was only one television station. And then the TV broke. She devoured every book of fiction in her well-read parents’ library, finding special joy in Georgette Heyer and the fairy tales collected and translated by Andrew Lang. Megan majored in English literature at Barnard College and worked in the music industry for fifteen years. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband (her former intern) and her kid.
