Customer Reviews

No True Gentleman (Sonnet Books)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Finally, I hit the jackpot with a GREAT story! This is the third book by LC that I read recently. I also read "The Devil You Know" and "One Little Sin". I unfortunately couldn't give better than 3 stars to either book and that was being kind. I would consider both average as they had lots of potential but, got lost in the details and the characters just never came together well. Neither book was loaded from beginning to middle to end with everything that a good love story should contain - things like passion, intensity, attraction, appeal, intrigue, mystery, friendship and finally...a warm and burning love that is heartbreakingly memorable. "No True Gentleman" finally offered all these things - and done well I might add!

I so enjoyed both of our characters this time. In many books recently, I either like the hero or the heroine but, often not both. Authors just seem to find a way to make one or both of them have some serious flaws/issues that work against them and even if they redeem themselves by the books end, it's still a struggle to enjoy them along the way and keep them in good reference. I didn't find that at all with Catherine and Max in this book. They were likeable from beginning to end and every quality they exuded ended up being believable, warm, real and affectionate. I especially liked that they each had deep and meaningful lives before they ever met up - Catherine being married for many years and living in the country with family/friends and going about life in a comfortable and serene manner. She left for the city to find more and did she ever! Max who left his home country of Italy in turmoil along with grandmother Nonna and starting a new life in England as a police detective. He was wordly but, not a womanizer, drinker, gambler or scoundrel(for once!) - rather a man of wits which was very appealing. Together they brought experience, events and actions from their past lives when they meet up anew and it's a wonderful merging of two interesting people from the start.

The book had a great plot line that brought the two together. It was realistic that Max would meet up with Catherine in the park as she was often out riding her horse in the morning and he was out doing some detective work incognito. They end up meeting after seeing each other a few mornings and he has to kiss her when some bad guys he is watching think the two of them might be eavesdropping. So...Max wisely kisses Catherine to mask his identity and make them look like they are on a lovers trist. Max of course is kissing her more out of attraction than purely police requirements. Catherine kisses back as she has been him and finds him equally appealing. But...she is no dummy and realizes that he is avoiding the men in the park who he was clearly spying upon. And from there...the story and their love blooms.

The backdrop of who killed a certain lady in the city takes many twists and turns as Max has to try and find out if the killer is a friend of his, or perhaps Catherine's brother or someone altogether different. He is dedicated to his work as it gives him something to keep his mind and body involved and exhausted (sometimes so he won't face the real world) and won't give up until he solves the crime. A few readers felt the murder mystery took up too much of the book and sometimes made other issues get lost. I agree in some ways this could have been reduced down a bit and the editing a little stronger to keep all the pieces and suspects and people together but, that's really such a minor detail to the rest of this story line. The small negative barely registers really.

Catherine winds her way into Max's heart by being helpful and intelligent and inquisitive in the case. Max finds he has to keep her at a distance as he was hurt before in a police/civilian relationship that went too far and he doesn't want that to happen again. Fortunately...Max's grandmother Nonna knows better than him that the heart does as it chooses - regardless of how long it takes the head to catch up! So...Max works the case, he allows Catherine to get involved and from there...it's a wild ride.

The secondary characters in this story were great - Max's Grandmother Nonna (quite the little firecracker herself), Catherine's many brothers, Max's friends the doctor, inspector and antiques dealer Kem, Max's monstrous dog Lucifer and even little Nate...a street urchin who takes a liking to Max and vice versa. They were all interesting additions rather than detractions to the story and pleasing ones at that.

On a final note...who could close a review without mentioning the wonderful love scenes of attraction, emotion and intensity found between Max and Catherine. Their smoldering passion and burning desires drove them together over and over and over. This author has the correct talent of ANTICIPATION. She allowed them to kiss and move on, then kiss later and touch and move on and then eventually...viola - completion! I think a few readers wanted more complete intimacy. Like me, I feel the vast majority agreed there was good foreplay long before they ever came together and when it finally did happen, what came before made the coupling all the better once it did. Fortunately, the author placed the love scenes in appropriate places, with sizzling dialogue and descriptions and never went over-board with too much of a good thing. She added enough spice to keep a reader wanting more and always leaving you happy with what you got. She never made the intimacy so frequent that it became boring or porn like. She made it intense and emotional and so appealing it drew the reader in time and time again. Very sexy...Very good.

Catherine was always an admirable heroine in that she recognized her feelings for Max early, worked toward creating a real bonding between the two, never gave up on him and never had any regrets with what she did. She had the appealing confidence, courage and strength that all woman should have. She was at peace with herself and the addition of Max simply completed an already amazing woman. Max in turn had some doubts off and on but, more about himself than with Catherine. He did try to fight past demons now and then and pulled back sometimes but, couldn't help himself and often came back as he knew he was fighting the inevitable when it came to her. Their love and relationship was simply meant to be and it was a beautiful thing. Especially Max's revelations at the end after Catherine gets shot and hurt. His emotional outpouring was really heart felt and very lovely to see. You knew once he caved, he was hers for life. Sigh....smile.

If you haven't selected this author yet...I would start with this book for sure. I will search and see if I can find some other books by this author I found as interesting as this one. I was getting ready to give up on her after two so-so attempts (including The Devil You Know which is Catherine's brother Bentleys story but, NOT nearly as good as this one). I'm glad I hung in there and found a real gem in the rough with this one she did in 2002. LC is talented, detailed and interesting as an author and I'm so PLEASED she finally let her craft come full circle in this story. I pray it's not her only work this good.
You can't help but, fall in love with "No True Gentleman". This is a reader's choice for sure! Happy reading!

This book can definitely stand alone, but if you have read some of her previous novels - and shame on you if you haven't - you are reintroduced to Maximillian de Rohan, bow street runner, who has now been promoted to the home office, along with some of the other very colorful characters from previous stories.

While shadowing some nefarious people in the act of questionable activities, Max keeps running into this very beautiful early morning rider, whose habit of riding seems always to be intefering with his job. He would rather not run into her every morning but is intrigued.

The widow Lady Catherine Wodeway, has decided that her mourning period is over and has been consdering a lover but definitely, she is not going to fall in love.

Both of these arrogant, independent people just keep running into one another, (literally) and the sparks they do fly! Again, in this Carlyle novel - you have the very humourous and witty dialog, between Catherine and Max and some very HOT sexual encounters! - Oh, and did I neglect to add that sandwiched in between - you are going to meet an interfering - not to be trifled with Italian grandmama looking for some grandbabies? Funny as well as an exciting mystery! Great reading - a real keeper!

while Mrs. Carlyle's writing abilities are flawless this book was just an average read for me and I will explain why.
This is the story of police inspector Max de Rohan (from A Woman of Virtue) and Catherine Wodeway. Max meets Catherine when she rides into the middle of an investigation he is conducting. To throw the suspects off he grabs Catherine and proceeds to give her one of those toe curling kisses that she will never forget. Afterwards, of course Max must act like a heel and insult Catherine for which he earns a well deserved slap. After this promising beginning, the story becomes predictable and dare I say it? a bit dull. Maybe it is just that I am so burned out on these murder/suspense regencies. It seems that nowadays someone must always die and our hero/heroine must go chasing the baddie that did the killing all over jolly ol' London.

Whatever happened to those character-driven stories, where we got to know the hero and heroine and got to watch them get to know one another and fall in love? This is precisely my problem with this book. Not enough time is devoted to the relationship between Max and Catherine before they jump into bed. I am sure if you have read this kind of regency before you know that the baddie eventually gets killed (in this case by the hero) after he commits some nefarious act agaisnt one of the main characters (here it would be Catherine). Then quite suddenly the lovers realize that they are head over heels in love and voila.. they live happily ever after.

So we are supposed to believe that in between making hot sweaty love and chasing after a bad guy they have found the time to get to know one another well enough to fall in love. Right. Well, I quite enjoyed Carlyle's My False Heart so it is with great regret that I give this book three stars. If you enjoy the suspense murder plot then I highly recommend this book. If you don't then avoid it. :)

This was my first Liz Carlyle novel and I was a little disappointed. The book was a slow start for people who were not familiar with her characters from previous novels. I felt like I needed some kind of program to remind me who everyone was and their relationship to each other. Perhaps I would have been more enthralled if I read her books sequentially. If you are a Liz Carlyle fan this would be a nice treat, for new readers of this author I suggest perhaps reading her other books first.

I just did not expect to love this book so much. Having read about Max in other Carlyle books, I expected him to be too much into his work and he did not seem to have that much appeal - at least to the ladies. Well, was I ever wrong. The dark, smoldering,deep and mysterious policeman - magistrate who is now working in the home office - fighting crime on all levels. Max is so protective of his heart, after being played false many years before by some lady of the ton. So, Max thinks wrongly that all ton ladies have potential to be dangerous and he wants nothing from any of them. Of course when he meets Lady Catherine he is immediately struck right in the heart. He fights all of these feelings and at first insulsts her so badly one would think that would be the end before these two even begin. However, fortunately they seem to have mutual friends, and of course the powers of Nonna and her tarot cards helping things along. Catherine pursues Max just enough to keep the posibility of something real. And of course there is the dangerous case Max is working on to have both Max and Catherine in peril just enough to make the other realize how life would be without the other! The passion between this couple is intense and absolutely one of the best parts of the book. Carlyle seems to be able to write scenes that sizzle and she gets high marks for this book. I am also pleased that this series of Carlyle seems to have so many varying people of so many different types that none of the love stories have any resemblance to the others. I loved Max and Catherine - if you like Carlyle you will not be disappointed in No True Gentleman!!

Maybe I was expecting too much, but since her first four novels bowled me over, I was absolutely delighted to see another Carlyle novel in the bookstore...
Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found the heroine a bit of a twit, the plot a little light...and I did not like Max's manipulative grandmother.
However, as always, Carlyle's heroes are strong without without being overbearing and she definately knows how to write very steamy love scenes.
I also was delighted by the use of Italian phrases (including the helpful and non-intrusive translations). It made Max more "real".
I especially like the feeling of continuity from one novel to another, especially with the usage of the very amusing Kemble...however, I do hope that instead of focusing on Bentley for the next novel...how about the very intriguing Major Matt Winthrop from My False Heart? (that is the novel where Kemble was 1st introduced...) Carlyle definately left a huge question mark concerning the Major...
Basically, No True Gentleman is a good book and it's worth the read...but right now, I can't see it as a great one. But it's also worth keeping to try again later.

I have read many of this author's works, and this is my favorite by far. Max is such a wonderful man, and such a unique character for romance novels set in this time period. Imagine, a hero who has a job! But while society may look down on him, Catherine *admires* that he works to help others. Not that all is smooth sailing - Max stubbornly fights his attraction to a woman he thinks could never truly love him. But theirs is an irresistable connection, and I love that Cat fights for her man. And, surprisingly for me, I liked the murder mystery aspect of the storyline. Normally, I find such to be a distraction in a romance, but this one helps Max and Catherine (and the reader) get to know one anothers' characters better, so it actually helps the love story along. As in all of Carlyle's books the love scenes are deliciously steamy, and in this case very tender. They definitely make *love*, right from the start, even when they haven't even admitted it to themselves yet. It almost made me sad to finish this book, so I know I will be re-reading it often.