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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 1/2 Stars - Another enjoyable Carlyle read, March 15, 2004
Giles Lorimer, Earl of Walrafen, lives for politics and London life. He's avoided his childhood home, Cardow Castle, for years because of the sad memories it holds. His disabled, war hero Uncle Elias lives at Cardow and three years ago hired a housekeeper, Mrs. Montford, who plagues Giles with updates, questions, requests and harangues on the running of the estate. Letters Giles never answers, but that he strangely both dreads and looks forward to. On the one hand, he wants nothing to do with Cardow - it could crumb to the ground for all he cares - so the letters induce a measure of guilt in him for his benign neglect of the estate and his tenants about which she regularly berates him. On the other hand, her letters are also a source of amusement and Giles takes a strange kind of pleasure in her missives. She's obviously competent, efficient, intelligent and witty and he finds himself wondering about her. Well, he will finally meet her when word comes that Uncle Elias has been murdered and Giles must return to Cardow. Aubrey Montford is, of course, not what she seems. But she has gratefully embraced her role as housekeeper in the remote castle. She and little five-year-old Iain have lived happily at Cardow, but Aubrey knows that with Elias' death everything has changed. Her place at Cardow is not so certain now and she frets for her and Iain's futures. Unfortunately, the arrival of the neglectful earl only prompts her temper and sharp tongue, which she can't seem to keep in check. Due to his neglect an unstable tower she had written to Giles about repeatedly collapsed resulting in several injuries - including to Iain. Between this and all the other letters he never bothered to answer or issues he never addressed, she has little respect for the lord of the manor. But that doesn't mean that she hasn't noticed how handsome his is with his dark hair and silver-gray eyes. While Giles reprimands her for her impertinence he cannot fault her for feelings that are, on the whole, justified. He sees all the improvements and positive changes that Aubrey has made at Cardow and he is impressed to say the least. He is also incredibly, surprisingly attracted to the confident, poised, green-eyed, auburn haired beauty hiding behind the plain housekeeper garb. Yes, there is definitely more here than meets the eye! But when the circumstances surrounding Elias' death seem to point to Aubrey, Giles doesn't believe it and calls in his old friends Max DeRohan and George Kemble to investigate - both the crime and Aubrey. Meanwhile an attraction between Giles and Aubrey begins to grow. Aubrey begins to see another side to Giles that contradicts her original opinion of him. He's kind, gentle, sweet and, though she can't afford to become involved with him, Giles finally breaks through Aubrey's defenses. But given his suspicions and questions about the person Aubrey really is and the fact that she is suspected of murder, can there be a future for these two? I really enjoyed this story, but have to agree it's not quite as good as some of Ms Carlyle's other works. The mysteries of Elias' death as well as the truth about Aubrey and Iain's backgrounds are well done and keep one turning the pages. Giles is a bit different from most of the author's other heroes. He's more sensitive, less intense and rogue-ish but he is definitely used to getting what he wants. I also felt, as other reviewers did, that his initial pushing Aubrey to sleep with him when she was obviously reluctant was a tiny bit troubling. But Giles and Aubrey ultimately made a sweet couple, his relationship with little Iain was cute and it was fun to catch up with old friends like David and Cecilia (from A WOMAN OF VIRTUE) as well as Max (AWOV & NO TRUE GENTLEMAN) and Kem (he's seen in almost all of her books!). Highly recommended!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
an intense read, February 25, 2004
While I enjoyed "A Deal with the Devil" quite a bit, I feel as if I should add a warning: the initial sexual encounters between the heroine (Aubrey Montford) and the hero (Lord Walrafen) do make for rather uncomfortable reading. Aubrey Montford is on the run and desperate, and she needs to find a place where she and her son, Iain, can lie low and be left in peace. And so Aubrey answers an advertisement for a housekeeper at Castle Cardow in Somerset. Cardow actually belongs to Lord Walrafen, however because he hates the estate he rarely goes there, and he has installed his uncle, Major Lorimer (a veteran of the Peninsula Wars), there to oversee things. Using the Major's past relationship with her father, Aubrey secures the job for herself, and so safety for Iain and herself. But things at Cardow are truly desperate. The Major is a drunk and suffers from bouts of depression, and has allowed the castle and estate to fall into ruin. Aubrey has her work cut out for her. And slowly, over the course of three years, Aubrey is able to transform the estate into a successful income earning one. And then one day everything changes: the Major is found dead from a gunshot wound in his study, and the local JP suspects Aubrey of the crime. Even worse, Lord Walrafen turns up intent on discovering who killed his uncle, and looks to Aubrey for answers. For a young lady with a great many secrets to hide, all this attention is almost too much to bear... Because of his miserable childhood, Lord Walrafen has always hated Cardow and has done his best to ignore its very existence. Of course he never dreamed that he would have to contend with an efficient, intelligent and sarcastic housekeeper who seems bent on peppering him with letters about his estate. And now said housekeeper is suspected of having had a hand in his uncle's murder. But Walrafen cannot believe that Aubrey is a murderess. Definitely she's hiding something, but a guilty conscience at having shot the Major is not one of them. Walrafen is determined to uncover all of Aubrey's secrets. But is his detetermination because he is intent on discovering what happened to his uncle or because of the almost obsessive attraction he feels for Aubrey... In spite of the fact that it almost seems as if Lord Walrafen forces himself upon Aubrey initially, I rather enjoyed "A Deal with the Devil." And this completely due to the authour's obvious talent. Just when you're bracing yourself for the disappointment in realizing that the hero is another one of those "I-must-have-what-I-want-when-I-want-it" types, Liz Carlyle completely turns things around by making him realize (early on in the book, mind you) the error of his ways. So that in spite of the fact that "A Deal with the Devil" does indeed revolve round many well known plot devices, everything still seems fresh and vital. I cannot remember the last time a hero trusted a heroine implicitly enough to wait for her to confide in him. All in all, I'd vote "A Deal with the Devil" as a stellar 4 star read because of its memorable heroine (brave, strong and honest), likable hero and poignant love story. The attraction that Aubrey and Walrafen feel for each other is quite apparent and electric; but more striking still is the authour's stark accounting of the conflicting emotions, fear and confusion that Aubrey feels about the attraction she feels for Walrafen and what she should do about it. A good read.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable, but Liz You Can Do So Much Better, February 22, 2004
Carlyle has written several books set in early nineteenth century England, using the same set of core characters. I read and like them all, but the first few in the series were edgier, darker, and, for me, much more interesting. Aubrey Montford needs a place to hide, so she becomes a housekeeper for Major Lorimer, who lives in his nephew's family home, Castle Cardow. The major dies mysteriously and Aubrey is of course the first suspect. Enter Giles, Lord Walrafen, who is determined to find his uncle's killer and discover all of Aubrey's secrets. You can take it from here. I like Carlyle's style and her characters. But she seemed to throw away the plot at the end - the old - "I've reached my page requirement, so let's put this puppy to bed" thing? grade: B Because I know that she could have done better.
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