A Hero Named Ravenscar?

With a hero named "Ravenscar", you can't take anything too seriously...

The Devil Earl by Deborah Simmons
(1996, Regency Historical) 9/5/06
Grade: 3.5

Although she’s always been fascinated by Wolfinger Abbey, Prudence never thought to meet the Earl of Ravenscar, who has a dark reputation. She’s happy to use him as inspiration for her gothic novels. But when she meets the mysterious Earl, she finds more fascinating than frightening - and she’ll take any risk to get to know him better.

An amusing send-up of gothic novels, but somewhat lacking in emotion. The author has a lot of fun with the stereotypes and cliches of gothic castles and brooding heroes, but although she tries to create well-rounded characters for Prudence and Ravenscar, I never quite bought it. (At one point, Prudence comments “she knows him so well” although she’s only met him twice at that point. How does she know him?) I enjoyed the story, but I never felt emotionally connected to the characters, especially when the plot goes over-the-top at the end with pirates and smugglers.

Amanda Quick also poked fun at gothic conventions in a couple of her early books, but her heroes and heroines always felt more real to me. Despite the author's efforts, I always felt I was reading "a book" when I was reading The Devil Earl.