Gwen’s review of Never Romance a Rake (Neville Family Trilogy, Book 3) by Liz Carlyle
Historical romance released by Pocket 22 Jul 08

I enjoy breaking up my urban fantasy and contemporary reading with a nice, refreshing historical.  I tend to the “heavier” historicals and try to avoid “teh funny” as much as possible.  This book delivered on all levels – it cleared my palate mid-pile o’ UF, and is a weighty tale that distracted and entertained me. 

I realize I’m late to this series – the last book was released a year ago last July – but at least I came along for the ride.  I’m glad I read this book before the other two.  Though it would be entertaining to read them all in order, I don’t believe it’s necessary – this book stands alone fine.

The hero is Kieran, Lord Rothewell, and the heroine a young French woman named Camille.  Through some rather tried but true authorial maneuvers, the hero “wins” the heroine in a card game (he cheats, by the way). The two are thrust together mostly by choice and somewhat by circumstance.

Kieran is a rake of the worst sort – dissolute and depressed.  He is convinced that he’s an awful person and punishes himself suitably by totally abusing his body.  Camille has been raised by two of what must be the most selfish people on the planet.  As a result her self-image is not the best.  Nevertheless, Camille is determined to have a child so that she can have someone in her life she can truly love.

What I found surprising about both of these damaged people was how much I liked them.  I’m not a fan of the “oh woe is me” type of character.  You know the kind – Kenyon’s heroes are almost all a bunch of whiney babies.  Camille and Kieran doubt themselves, and Kieran wallows a bit, but neither of them whines.  They eventually talk to each other about what has damaged them and then overcome it together.  They act like, gasp, adults!

There’s a few other things that happen in the book that made me think for a few pages that I was reading a Dynasty script.  Regardless, the book remained entertaining and didn’t fall into the “no way!” realm.  Near as I can gather, this is the only book of the trilogy that doesn’t rely on a political suspense element to carry the story.  It’s all about the couple – another thing I really liked.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a meatier romance that is truly centered on the couple.  If you’re a fan of historicals, you’ll also like it though there’s actually not much about the period in this entry.

Grade: B+

Read more reviews and information by following the series tag here.

Summary:

Baron Rothewell lives a dark, shuttered existence by day, and a life of reckless abandon by night. Scarred by a childhood filled with torment and deprivation, Rothewell cares very little anyone or anything. His life on the edge of ruin suits him—until he meets a man who just might be his nemesis. The Comte de Valigny likes to play deeply and dangerously, but Rothewell’s recklessness is undeterred. Until one night when de Valigny wagers something just a little more valuable than gold.

Mademoiselle Marchand is a desperate woman in a strange land, and her pleading eyes seem to swallow Lord Rothewell body and soul—assuming he still has one. Now the baron must play his hand with the utmost care, for at last something meaningful is at stake…

Read an excerpt here.

Other books in the series (I adore these covers – such pretty colors):

Liviania’s review of Never Romance a Rake (Neville Family Trilogy, Book 3) by Liz Carlyle
Historical romance release by Pocket Star 22 July 08

I doubt anyone who read the other entries in the Neville Family Series can resist Baron Rothwell’s story. But even those unfamiliar with the other two can enjoy this novel.  The plot relies on several cliches, but Liz Carlyle uses them well.  This book uses the gambling set up, when the slimy Comte de Valigny offers his daughter for a wager.  Kieran doesn’t have much of a conscience, but he knows he’s her best option between the two men at the table.  Camille’s willing to take any option if it means marriage and a child.  What really makes this trope work is Carlyle examining why Camille would choose to gambled away.  She’s a survivor, caught between the legacy of her neglectful and selfish parents ever and a better life – if she marries and bears a child soon.  She has no desire to fall for a rake like Kieran, but she finds herself doing so anyways as she manages to observe pieces of his better side.  She’s determined and fierce and the perfect match for the self-destructive Kieran.

Carlyle makes Kieran’s character work by not holding back.  Like any real person, he’s not all bad.  He obviously cares for his remaining family and his servants.  They, in return, see his better side and wish he would stop his destructive behavior.  However, he is not simply misunderstood.  He gladly drinks, gambles, and whores about because he believes he deserves to be punished.  His abusive childhood and damaging first love guaranteed his terrible self-image.

Never Romance a Rake retains Kieran’s black humor.  While all three of the books involve dark subjects, this concluding volume contains the most darkness.  (As such, it contains the least Kemble, as he would be out of place.  He still shows up enough to make Camille and I happy.)  He’s terribly prickly and unwilling to let Camille into his heart since his lifestyle is finally destroying his health.

In Never Romance a Rake, I wondered often while reading how Carlyle could possibly deliver a happily ever after, when Rothwell’s destiny seemed to be the grave.  She did make him suffer for it, although events do conspire to grant Kieran and Camille an extremely happy ending.  Some parts seem almost too lucky, but it’s hard to begrudge the character’s their good fortune when they survived some of the world’s worst parenting.  It’s a pleasure to watch these two damaged, self-reliant characters learn to trust and love each other.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Baron Rothewell lives a dark, shuttered existence by day, and a life of reckless abandon by night. Scarred by a childhood filled with torment and deprivation, Rothewell cares very little anyone or anything. His life on the edge of ruin suits him—until he meets a man who just might be his nemesis. The Comte de Valigny likes to play deeply and dangerously, but Rothewell’s recklessness is undeterred. Until one night when de Valigny wagers something just a little more valuable than gold.

Mademoiselle Marchand is a desperate woman in a strange land, and her pleading eyes seem to swallow Lord Rothewell body and soul—assuming he still has one. Now the baron must play his hand with the utmost care, for at last something meaningful is at stake . . .

Read an excerpt here.

Liviania’s review of Never Deceive a Duke (Neville Family Trilogy, Book Two) by Liz Carlyle
Historical romance released by Pocket Star 24 Jul 07

In Never Lie to a Lady, Gareth acted the runner-up.  He loved the heroine and offered her a good marriage, but Xanthia just didn’t feel for him like she did Lord Nash.  Liz Carlyle guides him from being second best to the hero quite well.  She starts by making him a Duke, through an inconvenient death of a man who lacked children.  Of course, he didn’t lack a young and beautiful wife.  Carlyle endears herself to me by not making Antonia a twice-married virgin. 

For Antonia was married before the Duke of Warenham.  Her first marriage traumatized her, leaving her with the urge to sleepwalk and a few mental problems.  Instead of therapy her father married her to a tyrant.  She’s got every right to be depressed and scarred by her past, and her emotions feel very real when she discusses her pain.  Unfortunately, she’s a bit boring.  I can tell you she’s beautiful and needy due to her awful past, but very little else.  It stands out compared to the fullness of Gareth’s characterization.

Gareth was Gabriel, a half-Jewish bastard and despised by his English family.  He was first raised in the Jewish community to know the traditions but still be an outsider.  Then he came to live with his father’s family were he was treated horribly, then thrown out after a terrible accident.  At this point he ended up on a pirate ship.  We all know what happens to pretty boys at sea, even if Antonia doesn’t.  Still, he manages to reinvent himself as Gareth with the help of the Nevilles.  Inheriting the dukedom forces him to reconcile the two identities.

Meanwhile, someone wants to kill Antonia and it’s looking like the former Duke’s death was no mistake.  My favorite character, George Kemble, comes to the rescue.  While he and Baron Rothwell entertain me, they take over the story.  In a series of humorous scenes, Kemble questions the servants who all realize what he’s up too.  Humorous, entertaining . . . completely unlike Antonia and Gareth’s angst fest.  They save the book by pulling the focus of the bland romance.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel.  The mystery managed some surprising twists, and the characters never acted too dumb in their search for the culprit.  (They did make some silly mistakes, but not enough to be bothersome.)  My favorite minor characters made lengthy appearances and the hero got a nice character arc.  But while the tragedy was there for Antonia and Gareth, their romantic happiness was hard to buy.

Never Decieve a Duke is the weakest in the trilogy, but still worth reading.  If you’re looking for a romance that remains light while dealing with some darker issues, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Grade: C

Summary:

They call her the porcelain princess…

With her fragile beauty and regal bearing, the Duchess of Warneham knows how to keep her admirers at a distance. Twice wed and twice widowed, Antonia has vowed never again to marry; never again to surrender her freedom. But when her husband’s death is deemed suspicious, and his long-lost heir returns to seize control of the dukedom, she finds that fate has placed her future in yet another man’s hands—but not just any man.

They call him a cold-hearted bastard . . .

Deep in London’s docklands, Gareth Lloyd runs Neville Shipping with an iron fist. Unrecognizable as the starving orphan who was abandoned by his family and sent an ocean away from home, Gareth has put his troubled past behind him. That is, until the Duke of Warneham is found dead, and Gareth turns out to be the dynasty’s last living heir. Wrenched from his solitude, Gareth neither wants nor needs the honors and obligations of nobility—especially the Duke’s all-too-tempting widow… Or does he?

Read an excerpt here.

Liviania’s review of Never Lie to a Lady (Neville Family Trilogy, Book 1) by Liz Carlyle
Historical romance released by Pocket Star 19 Jun 07

Before reading the Neville Family Trilogy, I had no experience with Liz Carlyle. I recognized the name and knew Sybil was head-over-heels for the latest book, but I didn’t know what to expect. The opening of Never Lie to a Lady disappointed me. Xanthia Neville meets Lord Nash on a terrace and they proceed to snog, an action both of them consider ill-considered and out of character. Xanthia thinks about how she drank a little, but neither of them had the excuse of drunkenness. A bit scared that I’d agreed to review the entire trilogy, Carlyle spent the rest of the book wowing me so much that I can happily ignore the first chapter.

Carlyle makes me believe in Xanthia’s independence. She does not desire marriage because that would mean her property, one-fourth of Neville Shipping, would become her husband’s property. She enjoys trade and would never give up her business for a man. Of course, she doesn’t give up men completely. She lost her virginity long before the story begins with no regrets. She knows the ton would find her lifestyle scandalous, but only worries about it for the sake of her niece, whom she’s chaperoning for the Season. Xanthia’s smart, sensible, and aware of her wants.

Lord Nash is mildly scandalous himself. He’s of mixed blood – part Russian – and made a large portion of his wealth through gambling. His brother, the politician, is the respectable one. He wants to court Xanthia, but she tries to stay away from him until two men from the government ask her to investigate whether he’s a smuggler. This introduces my favorite character, George Kemble.

He’s snarky, insouciant, and almost every line of his dialogue makes me laugh. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but this barb might be it:

Kemble looked at her incredulously. “This afternoon?” he echoed. “But we are talking about the Government here, Miss Neville. There will be forms. Procedures. Perhaps even a committee or two.”

In fact, I quickly looked at the other two books in the trilogy to see if either of them where Kemble’s. Alas not, although he shows up in all of them. Hopefully Carlyle will one day correct this tragic oversight.

In addition the wonderful characters, Carlyle controls the plot. As in most romances with a plot outside of the relationship, most of the action happens during the climax. Unlike those, it isn’t shunted to the side during the bulk of the story. Xanthia remembers that she’s supposed to be spying on Nash, and does so to prove his innocence. She holds meetings with Kemble and his boss to discuss what she’s discovered. It prevents the ending from being an abrupt, “Oh yeah, there was something about smuggling at the beginning.”

I apologize for doubting Carlyle. Never Lie to a Lady is a solid romance and an excellent start to a satisfying trilogy. Now I need to search for more books by her.

Grade: A-

Summary
The notorious Marquis of Nash is a creature of the night; his wealth and his title provide but a tenuous entrée into polite society. With his Eastern European manners and dark elegance, Nash tempts women even as he tempts the scandalmongers. Rumors abound of the men he has bankrupted and the hearts he has broken. But when Nash leaves his lair for a rare foray into the ton, and enjoys a moment of heated passion with a mysterious lady in the dark, he develops an obsession which will lead him into the hellish world of smugglers, spies, and political intrigue as the Continent edges nearer to war.

Xanthia Neville has arrived in London to expand her family’s most lucrative business holding—Neville Shipping. With her brother Rothewell all too happy to waste his life in debauchery, Xanthia opens up shop in London’s grimy Docklands, and sets about expanding the family fortune, all the while flaunting the ton’s silly strictures about how a lady ought to behave. But London, she soon learns, is not Barbados.

And when the British Government approaches Rothewell to ask the family’s help in exposing a dangerous arms dealer, Xanthia must enter society after all, only to find her loyalties torn. Someone in London is fueling the conflict on the Balkan Peninsula by smuggling illicit weapons into the Aegean—and there is only one likely suspect. The Marquis of Nash has the resources, the contacts and, quite possibly, the deeply divided loyalties. But can Xanthia’s subterfuge prove him a traitor to the Crown before her heart is broken?
Read an excerpt here.

Devon’s review of Never Romance a Rake (Neville Family Trilogy, Book 3) by Liz Carlyle
Historical Romance released by Pocket 22 Jul 08

Liz Carlyle can always be counted upon to deliver. I haven’t read all of her books, but I have read a number of them. She writes great characters and passionate, romantic stories. Her novels are meaty and often a bit dark. Carlyle deals with the darker side of nineteenth century social system-the strictures placed upon people by birth, ethnicity, classes and money. No fake rakes here. The heroes and heroines of her books have troubled pasts, and are in need of love and the redemption it provides. Never Romance a Rake looked to be another compelling read, and Sybil has raved about it. So was it “the historical of the summer?”

To be honest, I don’t read enough historicals these days to feel qualified to make a judgment. But the book was a satisfying read with much to recommend it. The hero, Baron Rothewell (Kieran), lives a dissolute existence. His troubled child- and young adulthood have left him so damaged that he spends all his time drinking, gambling and consorting with shady sorts. At one late night session, he is startled when the slimy Comte de Valigny offers up his daughter as a prize. He is intrigued by the woman’s beauty and fiery demeanor, and wins the hand in order to keep her from going to a total creep. Kieran has now won Camille’s hand in marriage, although he doesn’t think he wants it.

Camille was great. She has had a rough life herself, with two amazingly self-centered parents. Now all she wants is the baby and the financial stability that marriage to Kieran will provide. No stranger to dealing with outsize personalities, she is more than a match for Kieran. She speaks up for herself and stands up to him and others. But she also had a kindness and an empathy that shone through. She and Kieran had great chemistry and I really wanted both them to get their HEA.

But something kept this from being a keeper for me. I think it was Kieran. He was very troubled, and has almost ruined his health. I liked him, but I was a bit put off. He acts like a dick for awhile, and I was just like, eh. The gambling drunk thing doesn’t really sweep me off my feet. There was also a familiarity about the proceedings: the troubled rake, the daughter being gambled away.The book definitely kept my interest. I liked Camille in particular and was intrigued by the larger cast. I’m going to go back and read the other two in the trilogy now. While it’s not among my favorites, I don’t think that fans of the author, or readers looking for an angsty historical, will be disappointed.

Grade: B

The Summary:
Baron Rothewell lives a dark, shuttered existence by day, and a life of reckless abandon by night. Scarred by a childhood filled with torment and deprivation, Rothewell cares very little anyone or anything. His life on the edge of ruin suits him—until he meets a man who just might be his nemesis. The Comte de Valigny likes to play deeply and dangerously, but Rothewell’s recklessness is undeterred. Until one night when de Valigny wagers something just a little more valuable than gold.

Mademoiselle Marchand is a desperate woman in a strange land, and her pleading eyes seem to swallow Lord Rothewell body and soul—assuming he still has one. Now the baron must play his hand with the utmost care, for at last something meaningful is at stake . . .

Read an excerpt here

The other books in the series: