books:

	Never Romance a Rake Liz Carlyle Pocket, 2008 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 18 reviews view larger image
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If he wins this hand...

Shunning the glittering elite of high society Kieran, Baron Rothewell, prefers the dangerous pursuits of London's demimonde. Hardened by a tormented past, he cares little for anyone or anything. So how can he resist the wager proposed by the dissolute Comte de Valigny? A hand of cards for the possession of the comte's exquisite daughter.

Will he win her heart?

Abandoned by her highborn father -- until he decides to use her -- Mademoiselle Camille Marchand puts no trust in an aristocrat's honor, especially that of the notorious baron. She too is gambling -- for her life -- and Rothwell is just one more card to be used. But whatever dark desires run through his veins call to her own, and the heart plays its own game -- winner take all!

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Liz, you had me at line one.

As someone who also writes romances, I am always looking for a super read. I read for style more than plot or characterization.

I was in the grocery store a few weeks ago thumbing through books. I picked up this book.

I read the first line:

"October was a vile month."

That is the first line of Chapter 1.

Liz, you had me at line 1.

The hook is the single-most important aspect of whether or not a reader will pick up a book and open it.

That hook is in the title of this terrific Regency: Never Romance a Rake.

After the hook, comes the opener.

That opener is in the first line. A terrific first line.

Why?

"October was a vile month." Carlyle could have described October as pretty, as warm, as cool, as Autumn, as any one of an infinite number of bland adjectives, as do so many authors.

But no. Carlyle used the word "vile." Ooooooh...I salivated and read on.

More from this terrific author who was new to me.

Carlyle weaves a fantastic story, well-researched, fast-paced, with terrific characters and a style that leaves me breathless.

That is a lot to ask. But Carlyle delivered each and every page.

I will be looking to read more from this author, including the earlier parts of the Trilogy.

Coming late to this Trilogy was not a hindrance to me, as I read almost exclusively for style.

A terrific read.

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Wonderfully complex characters

Liz Carlyle creates two lovers with complex dark histories. Kieran suffered horrendous physical abuse as a child at the hands of his uncle. Now carrying a guilty secret, he is killing himself with liquor and fast living in London. Camille was abandoned by her father and betrayed by her mother. She wants to ensure that she will never be at the mercy of anyone again. In what they believe is a marriage of convenience, they inch toward trusting and loving each other and toward having hope for the future, taking two steps forward and one back. Their story is complex and believable and utterly captivating.

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My favorite in the series

I actually gave a pretty bad review to 'Never Decieve a Duke' because of Gareth's highly disturbing past but I did like Liz Caryle's writing, so I picked this one up.

This was a great reforming the rake story. These severly flawed characters are thrown together and you watch them develop. I loved that Camille was not an imature wimp and that Kiernan could finally show his softer side with her.

I recommend.


An enjoyable read

Kieran, the hero, has basically grown up outside of England cares little for his title. He battles with guilt and shame at having had an affair with his brother's wife, both of whom are dead. He smokes and drinks and basically does little to care for himself. His lifestyle has gotten so bad that it is affecting his health and he suffers from severe pains. He figures there's no point in changing anything...

Then he meets Camille. Kieran is at a card came when Camille's father, addicted to the game and broke, offers the winner Camille in marriage. Kieran, feeling bad for the girl, cheats and wins her.

Overall, I enjoyed Never Romance a Rake. At the beginning of the Relationship there was little feeling between the two but it slowly into more. Kieran's illness plays an important part in the book and Camille's struggle between keeping her heart and giving it up was believable (unlike overdone in most books). I also liked how Kieran, after FINALLY seeing a doctor, actually followed the doctor's advice. He actually did get over his stubbornness.

The reason why I didn't give the book a 5 is because I felt the love scenes were stale and lacking. I skipped over nearly all of them. Also, for a reader not familiar with the books it was difficult to keep track of all the other characters. Another minor complaint was that I sometimes got annoyed at Camille's constant usage of French. I'm sure most readers were as lost as I was when she spoke. I was also slightly disappointed in the epilogue, I felt as if it could have been better.

Despite all of that, I do recommend Never Romance a Rake. This and The Devil You Know has made me want to read more books by this author.

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Great Trilogy

I agree with another review in that I was surprised that I ended up liking this book since the main characters do start out pretty unlikeable. Typically, I do not enjoy the story line where the hero "thaws" the "icy" heroine. Kieran really seems like a self-centered scumbag in the first several chapters, but he definitely comes around. By the end of the book, I loved these two together and I really enjoyed catching up with the characters from the first two books. Xanthia's book is still my favorite, but this book is a close second.
PS-I also agree with the reviewer than disliked Gareth's book. His book was bizarre and creepy and the conclusion was pretty unrealistic.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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