No True Gentleman (Sonnet Books) [Mass Market Paperback]

Liz Carlyle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sonnet Books | Publication Date: June 25, 2002

In this powerful and passionate novel from Liz Carlyle, one of romance fiction's brightest new stars, a high-society murder brings scandal to the lords and ladies of the ton -- and unexpected desire to a pair of unlikely lovers.

No True Gentleman

Lady Catherine Wodeway knows that no true gentleman would presume to kiss a lady senseless without a proper introduction -- not even to save her life. yet somehow, Maximilian de Rohan's dark good looks, brooding manner, and mysterious past make it all too easy for Catherine to forget that she's a lady.

Although Max is stunned by Catherine's beauty, honesty, and charm, he knows that getting mixed up with a noblewoman can end badly, especially when her brother is a murder suspect. But when Catherine stumbles onto the key to Max's murder investigation and unwittingly places herself in the killer's hands he will risk everything to pull her out of danger and into the arms of love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The trend in romance novels has been to throw the bedroom door open as wide as possible, and Carlyle (A Woman of Virtue) succeeds in doing so in this steamy romantic intrigue. Set in Regency-era London, this book chronicles the adventures of Catherine Wodeway, a vivacious country widow who has recently come to town, and Maximillian de Rohan, an enigmatic Westminster magistrate. Despite their disparate social backgrounds he hails from a family of Italian vintners and she's a lady Max and Catherine share a scandalous kiss in Hyde park. A few days later, the two meet again when a murder among the aristocracy takes Max to the home of a mutual acquaintance. Caught up in her desire for Max and her curiosity about him, Catherine seeks to seduce him, but Max's inability to trust may keep him from giving up his heart. When Max isn't puzzling over his emotions, he's fending off his meddlesome grandmother and working to solve a murder. Although Max is no gentleman according to the standards of the time which were defined by Lord Chesterfield's The Fine Gentleman's Etiquette, a book Max tries and fails to read he is an extraordinarily well-developed and believable romantic hero. Catherine is also a strong heroine, and together, they make this one of the year's best historical romances.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When Maximilan de Rohan passionately embraces Lady Catherine Wodeway in Hyde Park early one morning in order to keep both of them from being recognized by a pair of unsavory characters he is investigating, the attraction is both instantaneous and unwelcome. Getting involved with the "quality" is not for him even though the lady is beautiful, intelligent, outspoken, and downright appealing. But fate has other plans, and when the pair join forces to solve a society murder, they realize that their relationship might just have a future. Although there are romance elements here (a lively pairing of two intelligent, independent protagonists who make the sparks fly in a most delightful way), this well-plotted historical definitely leans in the mystery direction and will appeal to readers who like their mysteries with a little romance rather than the other way around. Carlyle (A Woman of Virtue) is an up-and-coming writer, and fans of Amanda Quick's recent Lavinia Lake/Tobias Martin books might find her books of interest.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (June 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743437845
• ISBN-13: 978-0743437844
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #556,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

During her frequent travels to London, Liz always packs her pearls, her dancing slippers, and her whalebone corset, confident in the belief that eventually she will receive an invitation to a ball or a rout. Alas, none has been forthcoming. While waiting, however, she has managed to learn where all the damp, dark alleys and low public houses can be found.



When Liz isn't living in the 19th century, she resides in Cary, North Carolina with her husband, a corporate attorney, and their four very fine felines.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, romance, and discovery, July 17, 2002

By 

Bookivore "The Bookivore" (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: No True Gentleman (Sonnet Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

This delightful historical romance looks at the clash between social expectation, family expectation, and individual goals. It plays with the separation between a recognized lady and a gentleman who is fighting for his ideals in the disreputable realm of the policeman. And it also takes a look at the life of a second-generation foreigner, working for a spot among people and traditions that are not his own.

It is 1826 in London. Maximilian de Rohan is the expatriate, working to stop corruption for the Home Office, both feared and respected by the police and a man who avoids society like the plague. He is plagued by a society lady who rides and walks too early and alone in the park he is staking out; and he is drawn unwillingly into society affairs in his efforts to solve the murder of a friend's wife.

Lady Catherine Wodeway is the widow who keeps passing Max in the park and a friend of the family who have suffered the murder. Catherine has come to town to decide what to do with her life; her husband has been dead for long enough that she is not sure she remembers what he looked like. She does not want to be alone for the rest of her life, but on the other hand she fears that she is barren.

Catherine and Max continue their turbulent courtship through encounters with Max's imperious Tarot-reading Italian grandmother, with criminals, various riff and raff, members of society, Catherine's dissolute brother, and the actual murderer. You will come to love many of the characters, especially Max and Catherine, as they struggle with tangible and intangible problems between them.

No True Gentleman makes its way to its conclusion at a quick and even pace (and in more than four hundred pages, it's good to read a book that doesn't lag), and it maintains a realistic historical feel throughout. Add in the wonderful characters, the reasonable murder plot, and the timeless emotional problem of self-discovery, and this is a gem.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a historical romance about real adults!!!, May 2, 2003

By 

"vt1752" (Sacramento, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No True Gentleman (Sonnet Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first novel by Ms. Carlyle, and I will definitely read more of her works. I had grown oh so tired with historical romances, because they inevitably involve immature, hand-wringing (yet supposedly admirable) heroines, and chest-thumping, ridiculously macho heros. Therefore, reading No True Gentleman was such a breath of fresh air. I loved the fact that both Catherine and Max had some life experience, and therefore approached each other from a more mature perspective. Even though the main characters were grappling with the expected insecurities that come with new-found physical attraction, the author didn't resort to the typical stupid misunderstandings, or incomprehensibly meanspirited behavior that is too-often used to keep the plot moving. I also loved that Catherine was mature and so very honest with Max and herself about her growing attraction to him. Now that's a real woman!! Although I suppose some may have thought that too much time was given to the mystery, and not enough to the romance, I actually liked the fact that the mystery was interesting, and progressed in a believable, logical fashion. Too often in romance/mysteries, the mystery seems thrown in as an afterthought. Perhaps a little more time could have been devoted to Catherine's and Max's romantic relationship, but I thought it progressed in a believable fashion. This one was definitely worth the money.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rich Tapestry. A Delightful Love Story., May 18, 2007

By 

A On Wheels "ahtx1" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: No True Gentleman (Sonnet Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's a very unlikely love story, but completely spellbinding. Maximilian de Rohan is a dark mysterious man with a mysterious, complex past. He is "not a pleasant fellow" and sometimes has the "temperament of a snarling dog". He has spurned his highborn past and immersed himself in the lowly, dangerous life of a policeman determined to remain single in order to dedicate his life to honorably serving his fellow man. But then the lovely, intelligent and self-possessed Lady Catherine comes into his life and turns everything upside down.

The strongly intuitive Catherine recognizes quickly that there is far more to Max than the grim policeman he seems on the surface, and that, despite Max's forbidding and curt demeanor, the connection between them is something very special, something she is compelled to pursue as she carves out a new life for herself.

Max, however, fights hard against their connection, believing that he is in no way worthy of Catherine, and also unwilling to give up the selfless loner life he has carved out for himself. Poor Max, he doesn't know what has hit him. Between his scheming, manipulative, fortune-telling Tuscan grandmother, and Catherine's forthright, patient, and all too understanding kindness towards him, he doesn't stand a chance.

Wonderfully warm, passionate, intimate love scenes. Fascinating dialogs between Catherine and Max, and sometimes hilariously absurd such as Max's agonizingly confused and halting proposal where Catherine has to point out that Max is making it sound like he is claiming her as some sort of hunting trophy. The character development is so rich and intriguing. We are drawn into Max's complex psyche and tragic history as he struggles with his feelings for Catherine and how she threatens to change his life. The quirky supporting characters are so much fun and all mixed up in a complex murder investigation. As unlikely a romantic pair as Max and Catherine seem to be at the outset, the story of their strong sexual attraction, and the love as it grows between them is very convincing and so tenderly sweet. I enjoyed the book so much, I had to reread most it.