How did I forget to review this??? This is one of my favorite Heyer books (and a high contender for favorite of all time), with multiple rereads under its belt.Devil's Cub is the story of the wild and reckless Vidal, an unromantic figure of romance who has absolutely no sense of restraint whatsoever and is widely regarded as thoroughly dissolute and one likely to die young. It's also the story of Mary Challoner, who is plain, pragmatic, and perfectly practical in every way, not at all prone to giving into hysterics -- highly unfashionable at the time.
I'll allow that this was not a perfect book: Vidal is perfectly beastly to her at the start and that Mary's scheme to rid her sister of Vidal's attentions was kind of stupid and out of character for someone of her intelligence. Still, their better natures come to the surface and really do shine during the course of the book. Once again, Heyer's side characters are magnificent, starting with the spoiled Juliana's romance with the hilariously long-winded and staid Comyn, and the return of much-missed characters from These Old Shades.
I absolutely loved the ending of this book. It's typical Heyer, with a ramshackle convergence of characters in some out of the way location, with misunderstandings aplenty, hilarious exchanges, and some high drama. Feelings are finally given the freedom to reach their objects, and good bottles of wine are broached. And I go to sleep happy and full of silly dreams.