Today I am delighted to share my review of Shame The Devil by Donna Scott, take a look!
England, 1643. The Civil War has created a great divide between those who support King Charles and those who would rather see his head on the block. Young Scot Colin Blackburne finds himself caught in the middle when he witnesses Parliamentarians murder his mother because of his father’s allegiance to the king. As further punishment, the family is sent to Yorkshire as indentured servants.
Mistreated by his master and tormented by a Parliamentarian soldier, Colin vows to take up arms for the king and seek vengeance against the men who killed his mother. The only bright spot in his life is his unexpected, and forbidden, friendship with his master’s daughter, Emma Hardcastle.
With her father constantly away on campaign and her mother plagued by madness, Emma is drawn to Colin and his brother, Roddy. She introduces them to her troubled neighbour Alston Egerton, who has a clandestine relationship with Stephen Kitts, the soldier out for Colin’s blood.
As they all become entangled in a twisted web of love, jealousy, desire, and betrayal, the war rages on around them. Resentful at being forced into servitude and forbidden from being with the woman he loves, Colin puts his plan for vengeance into motion, though it will have disastrous consequences for all of them.
Secrets are revealed and relationships are torn apart. With the country teetering on the brink of ruin, Emma fights to survive, Alston is forced to confront his demons, and Colin must decide whether his burning desire to fight for justice is worth sacrificing a future with the woman he loves.
Review
Rating 💖💖💖💖
This was another of my bedtime reads, and it’s easy to say I didn’t get much sleep that week as I was fully engaged and gripped by every page!
I have loved each book of Donna Scott’s I’ve read and this was no different, it’s a real doozy! Though, saying that now I have read all three of her books, I do lean more towards The London Monster (which is a sensation!!) if you get the chance to read it please do it’s fabulous!
Set during the English Civil War, Shame the Devil tells the forbidden love story between Colin and Emma. After witnessing the brutal murder of his mother by parliamentarian soldiers young Colin is uprooted from his native Scotland and sent to be a stablehand at Appleton Hall in Yorkshire where he meets his master’s daughter; Emma. Colin is determined to seek his own vengeance on those who have wronged him, and his family and murdered his mother in the only way he can, by taking up arms for the King.
The only problem with that, is his complex feelings for Emma, here she is the woman he has fallen in love with and yet it’s her father who is his cruel, tormenting master, Colin wants revenge, he wants retribution and justice for his mother but at what cost?
Emma and Colin are a very likeable couple, their relationship evolves and grows naturally it’s tender and a little saucy, I also liked the friendship between Colin’s brother Roddy, Emma and their neighbour Alston who has a deadly secret of his own, the multiple branches of the relationships between the characters keeps the plot fresh and intriguing.
It’s been way too long since I read a book set during the English Civil War, I’d actually forgotten just how great and darkly riveting these stories are. I do think Shame the Devil leans more towards the romance between Emma and Colin than focusing too heavily on the politics of the time, something which I personally prefer as much as I enjoy the historical facts and figures I have now come to the stage in my reading when I don’t want to be pinned down with the complex backstabbing political endeavours of it’s more colourful characters (I think it’s easy to say we all have enough of that in real life) and this is where Donna Scott comes into her own. I have always really liked Donna Scott’s ability to toe the line between heavy and entertaining historical fiction and this time with a bit of added spice.
Shame the Devil has a large cast of characters which some readers may not like that aspect, I do as long as the main plot isn’t bogged down by too many personalities chattering at once, this is the perfect balance of intriguing and fascinating secondary and leading characters.
Donna Scott is a master narrator, her clever way with words instantly draws you in and transports you to another era, it’s like magic how easily you fall under the spell of her eloquent writing (it’s easy to say I’m a fan!) Shame the Devil is gritty and saucy, full of passion, drama historical intrigue and atmosphere it’s a full-on romp in the 17th century which will leave you gasping and wanting more.
This is such a great book, it has a bit of everything from love and revenge to betrayal and secrets, the constant undercurrent of war and never knowing who is friend or foe. I can’t recommend Shame the Devil enough and urge all those who love their historical fiction to add this one to their bookshelves!
Chicks,Rogues and Scandals 