The Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas Series Guide

The Ravenel family is known for their hot tempers and this generation is no different. When a fit of the Ravenel temper leads Theo Ravenel to his death he leaves the title of Earl of Trenear vacant and with no children it gets handed down to a distant and entirely unsuitable cousin, Devon Ravenel. However, Theo also leaves behind his wife of three days and his three sisters and the rakish and irresponsible Devon is now responsible for not only an ailing money pit of an estate, but also their welfare.

Note: The Ravenels series can be considered a spin off of the Wallflowers series.  You can check out our Series Guide and Fantasy Cast for that series here

Lisa Kleypas is one of UTC’s favourite authors, in our minds she reigns supreme over Historical Romance. And now, after a successful sojourn into contemporary romance she is back working her magic on historical romance bringing us the hot tempered and passionate Ravenel family. We love it. Not only does she manage to write some fantastic romances with a range of different and quirky characters, we also get to experience the warm embrace of familial love as all the families connections intertwine.

Book 1: Cold-Hearted Rake
Main couple: Devon Ravenel & Lady Kathleen Ravenel
UTC Review

Book 2: Marrying Winterborne
Main couple: Mr Rhys Winterborne & Lady Helen Ravenel
UTC Review

Book 2: Devil in Spring
Main couple: Miss Pandora Ravenel & Gabriel, Lord St Vincent
UTC Review

Book 4: Hello Stranger
Main couple: Dr Garrett Gibson & Ethan Ransom
UTC Review

• Devon Ravenel, the new Earl of Trenear
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. Romance in Cold-Hearted Rake
• His younger brother in Weston Ravenel and he is cousin to Pandora Ravenel, Cassandra Ravenel and Helen Ravenel
• Married to Kathleen Ravenel
• Until unexpectedly inheriting the Earldom he was a hedonistic rake who avoided all responsibility
• Possess the (in)famous Ravenel temper, which he controls by taking regular exercise
• Tall and muscular with dark hair and blue eyes ringed in black (the Ravenel eyes).
• Fantasy Cast: Clément Becq

• Kathleen Ravenel, daughter of an Irish Peer
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. Romance in Cold-Hearted Rake
• Is the sister-in-law and very close friends with Pandora Ravenel, Cassandra Ravenel and Helen Ravenel
• Married to Devon Ravenel
• Is a widow who married Theo Ravenel, however, he died three days after their wedding leading Devon Ravenel to inherit the title
• Her parents sent her away when she was 5 years old to live with friends and she never saw her mother again
• Loves horses, especially her finely bred Arabian horse Asad
• Slim and petite and very striking with a triangular shaped face with cat like amber eyes, full lips and auburn hair
• Fantasy Cast: Angharad Jones Buxton

• Rhys Winterborne, son of a Welsh grocer
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. Romance in Marrying Winterborne
• Friends with Devon Ravenel, West Ravenel and Tom Severin
• Married to Helen Ravenel
• He is a self-made man who started off as a son of a grocer and is now an extremely wealthy man and owns the department store Winterborne’s
• He is Welsh and retains his accent and often slips into the Welsh language when he is impassioned
• He is driven to succeed and doesn’t like to be inactive and is deeply involved in the running of Winterborne’s department store
• Swarthy skinned, big boned and tall with black hair, dark eyes and sharp features.
• Fantasy Cast: Luke Evans

• Lady Helen Ravenel the eldest of the Ravenel sisters
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. Romance in Marrying Winterborne
• Sister of Pandora Ravenel and Cassandra Ravenel. Cousin of West Ravenel and Devon Ravenel. Close friends with Kathleen Ravenel
• Married to Rhys Winterborne
• She is quiet and shy, which can be taken as aloofness when in fact she is very compassionate and maternal.
• Until Devon Ravenel inherited the title she had lived an extremely sheltered life in Eversby Priory, the Trenear estate, with little contact with the outside world
• She enjoys taking care of the often tricky and difficult orchids and has a collection of over 200 of them
• Willowy figure, beautiful with pale skin, ice blonde hair, with dark brows and eyelashes and light blue eyes
• Fantasy Cast: Saoirse Ronan

• Lady Pandora Ravenel, one of the Ravenel twins
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. Romance in Devil in Spring
• Twin sister to Cassandra Ravenel. Younger sister of Helen Ravenel. Cousin to Devon Ravenel and West Ravenel. Close and sisterly/maternal bond to Kathleen Ravenel
• Married to Gabriel St. Vincent
• Until Devon Ravenel inherited the title she had lived an extremely sheltered life in Eversby Priory, the Trenear estate, with little contact with the outside world
• She is partially deaf in her left ear which means he has poor balance and cannot move around very well in the dark
• She is unconventional with boundless energy whose clever mind often skips from one subject to another
• Is determined not to marry and instead be a business woman with a board game company. She already has a game designed and near production called Shopping Spree. Rhys Winterborne predicts it will be a huge success
• She is slim but strong with pale skin with thick, straight dark brown hair and blue eyes ringed in black.
• Fantasy Cast: Alexis Bledel

• Gabriel Challon, Lord St Vincent
• First appears in Devil in Spring. Romance in Devil in Spring
• He is the eldest son of Evie Jenner and Sebastian St Vincent from Devil in Winter (Wallflowers #3). (See our Wallflower series guide to learn more!)
• Married to Pandora Ravenel
• As the son of a Duke he has huge expectations on him and is under constant scrutiny from those around, as such he ensures that he strives and succeeds at being perfect at everything he tried his hand at.
• Much like his father he is considered to be a beautiful man, with hair like antique gold and cool blue eyes and golden skin. He has a strong and leanly muscled physique
• Fantasy Cast: Christopher Mason

• Dr Garrett Gibson
• First appears in Marrying Winterborne. Romance in Hello Stranger  
• Works for Rhys Winterborne as a staff doctor for all of Winterborne’s employees. Becomes close friends with Helen Ravenel
• Married to Ethan Ransom
• Went to medical school in Sorbonne, France because no medical school back home would admit a female, she is now the only female doctor in England
• She is adapt at fencing and takes a cane around with her so she can defend herself when called for
• Slim build, with green eyes, chestnut hair and full lips
• Fantasy Cast: Lyndsy Fonseca

• Mr Ethan Ransom, born of Irish parents
• Worked from Rhys Winterborne in Marrying Winterborne to follow and protect Helen Ravenel
• First appears in Marrying Winterborne. Romance in Hello Stranger
• Married to Garrett Gibson
• He has a hint of an Irish brogue
• He is sharp mind with an eye for odd details
• Striking good looks with a lean face and dark hair, piercing midnight blue eyes under dark heavy brows and a nose that once had been broken
• Fantasy Cast: Giulio Berruti

• Lady Cassandra Ravenel, one of the Ravenel twins
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. She has not had a romance yet
• Twin sister to Pandora Ravenel. Younger sister of Helen Ravenel. Cousin to Devon Ravenel and West Ravenel. Close and sisterly/maternal bond to Kathleen Ravenel
• Until Devon Ravenel inherited the title she had lived an extremely sheltered life in Eversby Priory, the Trenear estate, with little contact with the outside world
• Is very different from her twin Pandora Ravenel and wishes to marry and have children
• Beautiful with blonde hair and blue eyes
• Fantasy Cast: Taylor Swift

• Weston Ravenel, known as West
• First appears in Cold-Hearted Rake. He has not had a romance yet
• The younger brother of Devon Ravenel and he is cousin to Pandora Ravenel, Cassandra Ravenel and Helen Ravenel
• When he first appears he is a drunkard whose life of excess has led to his body being bloated and his face showing the signs of excessive drinking.
• Sharp witted and intelligent
• Fit and lean with brown-black hair, blue eyes ringed in black and an easy smile
• Fantasy Cast: David Giuntoli

• Tom Severin
• First appear in Marrying Winterborne. He has not had a romance yet
• Friends with Devon Ravenel and Rhys Winterborne
• Ruthless business man, even with his friends and his interests lie in the railway
• Has one eye that looks more green and one eye that looks more blue

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