Comments on: REVIEW: Never Romance a Rake by Liz Carlyle

By: Dear Author Recommends for August | Dear Author: Romance Novel Reviews, Industry News, and Commentary

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:09:42 +0000

[...] repute. What he did and what he, rightly or wrongly, blames himself for are hard sins to live with. Read more here. Recommended by Jayne and [...]

By: Review, Never Romance a Rake, Liz Carlyle « Racy Romance Reviews

Review, Never Romance a Rake, Liz Carlyle « Racy Romance Reviews — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:38:27 +0000

[...] on the Web: Jayne, Dear Author, Grade: [...]

By: Janine

Janine — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:00:26 +0000

I had great fun reading The Devil to Pay. I don’t think that series was reviewed here — I think it may have come out before the inception of Dear Author.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:55:36 +0000

Jayne,

I actually think there might have been a post at romancing the blog last year regarding all the free books given away at rwa national. The main point of it was how many books were actually thrown away at the end of the conference and was there a way to stop that.

By: Jill Sorenson

Jill Sorenson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:48:13 +0000

This description of Kiernan reminded me of Carlyle’s Devil series. The Devil to Pay features a hero who is a womanizer and a drunk, sympathetic but not “romanticized” if that makes sense. The heroine ties him to a bed and robs him blind. It’s one of my favorite scenes of all time.

Also, in The Devil You Know, the hero is promiscuous for a very realistic, very heartbreaking reason. Not just a male rite of passage, as this behavior is often portrayed.

Not sure if DA has reviewed either of these, but IMO they are Carlyle’s best. If you like Kiernan, you might like…etc.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:10:28 +0000

Kristie I remember Jane goggling about all the swag at RWA. I wonder if anyone’s ever tried to calculate roughly how many books will be at a RWA conference?

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:08:09 +0000

You and me both, Annie Marie. I had decided I would not be reading this book even though the hero snagged my interest from book one. My grades went from C+ (Never Lie to a Lady) to D (Never Deceive a Duke) and I thought, why put myself through this? Maybe it worked for me because I went into it thinking I’d nothing to lose and had no high hopes. Or perhaps it’s because I finally got to read Kieran’s book. I’m still leery about plunking down money for whatever comes next from Carlyle but at least she’s not on my auto-no list.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:59:15 +0000

ONYA Raine. Thanks for stopping by. Are you going to the Romance conference in August? I know Angela James will be there as well as a wonderful slate of authors.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:46:51 +0000

LOL, KZ. Maybe it’s a Southern thing. I’ll try and eliminate that phrase from now on. And no, I don’t guess that anyone out there has a lukewarm water heater. At least, not on purpose.

By: Annie Marie

Annie Marie — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:55:36 +0000

Thanks for reviewing this one. I surprised myself by buying it and enjoying it, as I had previously crossed Liz Carlyle off my list of authors to buy from this genre. Likewise, I was surprised and pleased that Jayne reviewed it favorably. I was so very disappointed in this series up until now, and while my elevated opinion of this book does not round out my overall negative feelings toward this series, it definitely renews my hope in this author. I thought that both hero and heroine were strong, yet not overbearing. Each had tragic personal histories which were honored by how the author chose to resolve them, not only “together” as a couple, but individually as well. It is refreshing to read a romance in which conflicts are not simply resolved once the hero and heroine are married or because great sex fixes all (and there is no lack of great sex in this book).

By: Kristie(J)

Kristie(J) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:28:38 +0000

Oh Goody!! Another book I can pick up at the literacy signing!!

By: raine

raine — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:24:20 +0000

Oh and yeah, a shout out from Melbourne to all the Ja(y)nes. I stumbled across this site by accident last April when I was looking for book reviews on a book that I was hesitant to buy. Needless to say, I’ve been visiting this site eversince. More often that not, I agree with the reviews you have posted. Keep up the good work. :)

By: K. Z. Snow

K. Z. Snow — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:38:53 +0000

made me think to myself

Jayne, just one little thing: You needn’t tell people you thought something to yourself. Unless you’re a powerful psychic to whose thoughts many people are receptive, there’s nobody you can “think to” except yourself. “Made me think” would suffice.

(Please forgive me! This expression has been a thorn in my butt for years — like “hot-water heater”. Maybe I’m channeling George Carlin.)

By: raine

raine — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:08:58 +0000

I read this book the other night and was hooked. I literally did not sleep until I finished it (paid the price at work the next day) This book is easily the best in the series.
I loved the way the author didn’t shy away from the reason behind Kieran’s “darkness” and didn’t try to sugarcoat it as most romance novels do. I also liked the way the lead characters are fleshed out, making them solid instead of mere cardboard cutouts.
This book is a definite improvement from the previous book in the series.
In my opinion (though I’m not a professional, just someone who devours romance novels) this latest effort from Ms Carlyle deserves a B+.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:39:42 +0000

Jayne reads more unusual historical settings. I’m definitely less adventurous. And I think she reads, in contemporary, more women’s fiction/and what is formerly known as chick lit. I think we definitely have a different “funny” meter.

But we both love those traditional regencies and alot of similar historicals. But, I know that Jayne doesn’t like Laurens and Laurens is like a guilty pleasure of mine.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:56:38 +0000

Oh Jane definitely reads more urban fantasy/paranormals than I do. And more Harlequin Presents! But historicals are where we do tend to agree.

By: Janine

Janine — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:53:28 +0000

Oops, cross posted. Thanks Jayne!

By: Janine

Janine — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:52:38 +0000

That’s interesting. Jane also seems to me to be more drawn to fantasy and urban fantasy, while I tend to think of you as being more drawn to unusual settings.

Does Never Romance a Rake stand on its own or is it important to read the series in order?

By: Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:51:09 +0000

Janine, I think you could easily start with this book as long as you know that Kieran is eating himself alive with angst and guilt. Or at least you could skip book two as that heroine only has a walk on mention and the hero, Gareth, is only in a few scenes. Neither of them or their story figures into this book in any way.

Carlyle explains who people are, what their relationships to each other are and most of the book deals with Kieran and Camille.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:46:57 +0000

I think Jane and I usually tend to agree on historicals more than contemporaries. Though we have had some more dualing opinions on a few. Like for instance the second book in this trilogy!