I initially wanted to give this book 5 stars, but halfway through it, I reduced my rating to 4, and now I'm giving it 3. 
 To be honest, I just really wanted a light read; I wasn't in the mood for heavy drama. That's why, when I read about the heroine's real reason for visiting the hero, I thought twice about continuing. I was really tempted to stop reading. But I didn't. This was just so hard to put down, and before I knew it, I was nearing the end of the book. 
 In Bed with the Devil is a surprisingly deep and complex novel. It touches on sensitive topics such as rape, violence, morality and the nature of love. You would think that combining all these elements together in a single book would prove to be too much--that maybe the writer bit off more than she could chew--but to Ms. Lorraine Heath's credit, she managed to pull it off. Not flawlessly, because the book was definitely not perfect, but satisfactorily. Yes, this book treads on dangerous and risky grounds, but it's a success in the end.It managed to hold my interest up to the last chapter, and entertained me with well developed characters. 
 Catherine is actually the saviour of this novel, for me. The quiet dignity with which she carried herself, her strength despite everything that happened--these all made the journey worth it for me, even though at times I felt hurt by the hero's indecision. And that strength was consistent throughout the novel; she wasn't strong in one moment and meek or weak-willed in another, a common fault in other historical romance novels. She actually reminded me of Alexandra from Johanna Lindsey's You Belong to Me. Both were willing to fight for what they believed in, and didn't bend for anyone. Their motto seemed to be, "I am my own woman, and if you can't handle that, then I can't be with you." 
 Luke wasn't bad, too. Actually, he was quite lovable. As in the case of the usual bad boys or devils in HR novels, he hides a gentle and caring side beneath the pile of rumours and scandals that society has dumped on him. He fancied himself in love with Frannie, but he couldn't resist his budding feelings for Catherine. He later on realized that he had a different type of love for the two women. But that was later on in the novel, nearing the end. His indecision about his feelings really proved to be a test for me, especially when I'm particularly put off with stories where the guy loves a different girl. It was more difficult because I really loved Catherine; this fondness for her just made the hurt more painful. I cried when she cried; I was equally devastated when she got her heart broken. 
 This book was a nice and beautiful read, but it left me wishing that somehow things were different. I wish that this novel didn't have to question my stand about what warrants murder or death. I wish that Luke didn't have to mention Frannie every damn chapter. I wish that the ending wasn't so rushed so that Luke had time to redeem himself for his indecision. 
 And I wish that he realized his true feelings earlier and didn't take the last few chapters to do so. 
 Despite all these, I really enjoyed the book. If you like strong heroines, then you should definitely read this! 
 *** 
 By the way, here are my favourite quotes from the story: 
 "He was striving to intimidate. I'm not one to be intimidated. It seemed the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that part of my character," Catherine said. 
 "What you demonstrated was that you are willful. No man wants a willful wife." 
 "Then no man shall have me, for I'll not change to please him." 
 "I'm well aware that I'm not. But I'll not spend my life cowering. That would be no life at all."