Shruti Rao: A Wife for the Devil

A forbidden passion.

The illegitimate daughter of an Indian soldier and an Englishwoman, Elizabeth Lavoisier has never known true happiness or freedom. She survives only at the whims of her scheming cousin and is resigned to her fate until she meets the notorious industrialist Hugh Atwood.

Their attraction is immediate and scorching, their connection deep and visceral. But Hugh is driven by demons neither he nor Elizabeth completely understand, and Elizabeth could lose everything, even her pallid life with a family which does not want her. Soon they are plunged into the perilous world of the English aristocracy where they can trust no one, not even each other.

Is their love strong enough to overcome Elizabeth's low station and the tragic binds that hold Hugh?

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CW: Hunting, death, assault, mental illness, racism

Elizabeth is at her cousin’s beck and call, serving at her whims in order to safeguard her mother’s health care.  Its a fragile situation that places Elizabeth straight in the path of the notorious Hugh Atwood.

Hugh is tortured by his family’s past, and even though he and Elizabeth feel an immediate spark, he tries to push her away to avoid the distraction from his life’s mission: revenge.

Her cousin’s machinations send Elizabeth into Hugh’s orbit again and again.

Elizabeth is widowed, and a dedicated family woman who knows her own value despite many of the challenges with her position in Society.  She is the silent, suffering type that I think offers a look into what the experience may have been for a multi-racial woman in the Victorian world who is accepted by her family but still operates on the edges of the ton. She also has ambitions to become a nurse and her experience will play a part at the end of the book.

Hugh is similarly on the edges, through a fearsome reputation.  He is a bit of an alphahole, although his past trauma I suppose justifies it, but he reveals himself over the course of the book as having a fierce love and protection for those he cares for.  Elizabeth quickly becomes the focus for some this love and attention.

The romance was mostly of the insta-love variety but there is a bit of angst, so its enjoyable for readers who enjoy the course of true love never running smoothly.

I enjoyed the story, with lots of drama and action to keep me engaged as a well as an interesting romance.  Rao has a great sense of the era conventions and plays them to good advantage, setting up a particularly interesting house party at the last quarter of the book that was different from anything I had read before.  There are a few assaults, a death, some personal trauma, and racism (mostly of the micro aggression variety) as well as on the page intimacy, so its best for readers who can embrace a variety of adult themes and content.

I would definitely read another Rao, who I think offers a strong, new voice and recommend it for readers looking for a new take on insta-love in the Victorian era.