Sandy M’s review of Scandalous By Night (Carlisle Family, Book 4) by Barbara Pierce
Historical Romance published by St. Martin’s 29 July 08
If you’re looking for an excellent historical author, you need to read Barbara Pierce. I have to admit the first thing that drew me to her books were the titles. Browsing at the bookstore, the first book in the series, Wicked Under the Covers, jumped out at me from the shelf. Right next to it sat Sinful Between the Sheets. I couldn’t resist, especially after I’d also glanced at the covers. But what made me a huge fan of Ms. Pierce’s is, of course, her writing, her characters, her storylines. All terrific and all worth the time if you’ve not yet read her.
And this book is her best work yet. The three previous books in this series all have their own mystery to be solved, issues to resolve, and love to be conquered, but Everod, the hero, has a dark side to him that we don’t see in Soletia or Ramscar, his lifelong friends. We find out early on that something terrible happened when Everod was a teenager and his father remarried a young, lusty woman. When all hell breaks loose, Everod is recovering from a near-fatal dagger wound and is banished from his home and family.
Twelve years later after no contact whatsoever with any of those involved, including young Maura, niece to the new duchess, his family has invaded London, his city, his domain. Chancing upon the now-grown-up Maura in town, his plan of revenge becomes clear to him and his seduction of the woman who helped ruin his life has begun.
Seeing Everod again after so many years brings home to Maura how she’d been used by her aunt in her duplicity against the young heir, but she loves her aunt and the past can’t be changed. A chance meeting with the man in London only spurs him on to interfere in her life, sending her gifts that deepens her guilt, seducing her with a charm and wit that is not so much a part of Everod’s life anymore.
She finds no matter how much she protests or tries to run, she’s not immune to Everod, especially his dark side, his adventurous side, and she gets caught up in his sensual whirlwind. All the while she must deal with her aunt who wants a marriage between Maura and Everod’s younger brother, something Maura can’t fathom now that she’s tasted what Everod as to offer. As things heat up in the battle of wills between her aunt and her lover, Maura is caught in the middle and then her heart is broken when the man she’s come to love reveals his revenge in a most public way.
The times we’ve met Everod in the previous books, he is a rake and a cad, but he’s also fun-loving. This new Everod is dark and exciting, and as the reasons for that darkness is slowly revealed, we begin to understand why he vacillates between revenge and desire. You feel for him and then you curse him for his actions. You also feel for Maura once the whole truth is revealed, along with her aunt’s duplicity, the extent of which takes a devil of a turn. I enjoyed having the entire family of characters from the first three books so involved in this one, nice to catch up and see where they are in their lives.
The writing by Ms. Pierce is as rich as ever, and I’m glad to see this slight evil side of her. That added a whole new depth to Everod and Maura’s story and made them the star of the Carlisle series. The only thing I wanted more of was a little extra time with Everod and Maura at the end of the book. There was such tension and distrust between them, even despite the wonderful love scenes, that I wanted to see a little more tenderness and love, more than a page or two, once everything came together for them. Of course, it’s not totally necessary once happily ever after comes along, but that’s just a personal thing of mine.
Pick these books up at the first opportunity if you’re an historical fan. You will not be disappointed at all. You will fall in love with each character Ms. Pierce introduces you to and you will remember their stories for some time to come.
Grade: A+
Summary:
A SINFUL SCHEME…
Even among that band of rakes known as les sauvages nobles, Lord Everod’s reputation is truly wicked. Countless willing partners have enjoyed his sensual prowess, but now one lovely innocent has his undivided attention. The alluring Miss Maura Keighly once lost Everod his family’s regard, and almost cost him his life. And no vengeance could be sweeter than the delicious seduction he has planned…
BECOMES A SCANDALOUS PURSUIT
Maura is on the verge of marrying another. Yet no sooner has she set foot among the ton than Everod makes himself known, tempting and taunting her by word and deed, filling her days and nights with illicit longing. His wanton invitation is plain, yet Maura’s passionate response blindsides them both. For the first time, Everod feels something more potent than lust. Simple surrender will never be enough; Everod must possess Maura completely. But the past cannot be so easily forgotten—and some desires are even more dangerous than revenge…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
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I’ve heard good things about this book, but the excerpt turned me off – like how the the hero blames the heroine for something she did when she was ten years old. Add to the fact that he plans to have sexual revenge upon her for something she did when she was ten, and the squick factor went all the way up to eleven. In your opinion, how did the novel deal with this issue?
AnimeJune, he does blame her for her actions when they were both young — he was 15 when she was 10 — but the circumstances were horrible, the punishing resolution just as horrible, and he carries that guilt/loss/revenge with him for the next 12 years while everyone else goes on about their lives. Just keep in mind his age also at the time, and when you read what he lost, how he lost it, it all comes together and makes sense. And I believe I did state in my review that you feel for him one minute because of his losses, but you also rail at him for his actions. He does want his revenge, he may get a little of it, but as in all romances, it doesn’t go that far so that you end up hating the hero. Have you read the other books in the series? If you have, I think you’ll like this one just as much. Barbara tries her hand at a little darkness, the circumstances of the story, and she does it well. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. (But do read the others first if you haven’t! Not that you really need to for this book, but just to get the feel for the storylines and the characters, I think it would be a better experience for you!)
I finally read the book – and I still wasn’t impressed. The revenge plot didn’t turn me off anymore, but I found Everod threatening and a bully. A lot of what he pulled with Maura smacked a little too much of “forceful seduction” for my tastes. And, I’m sorry but the strawberry jam scene had me cringing. Ah well.