One Little Sin [Import] [Hardcover]

Liz Carlyle (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749907614
• ISBN-13: 978-0749907617
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,025,869 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

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really 3 1/2 -- Great Premise but the story takes forever to get going, September 25, 2005

By 

ellejir "ellejir" (Virginia, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Little Sin (Mass Market Paperback)

I unabashedly adore Liz Carlyle's books so I pounced on this book when I found it in the bookstore. "One Little Sin" is the first book in Liz Carlyle's new trilogy featuring Sir Alasdair MacLachlan and Quin Hewitt, Lord Wynwood (hero Devellyn's drinking buddies from "The Devil to Pay"), along with Alasdair's brilliant but morose brother Merrick as heroes. The set-up is wonderful with the three men being told by a mysterious gypsy fortune-teller that the sins of their pasts will be catching up with them soon. The three laugh it off but later that evening Alasdair is awakened by a thunderstorm and a knock on his door. Into his life arrives penniless Scottish-born Miss Esmee Hamilton and a toddler that she tells him is her half-sister and his daughter, Sorcha. Alasdair has no memory at all of the girls's recently deceased mother, Lady Archanalt, and only the vaguest drunken recollection of doing something behind the velvet curtains at the party in question, but Sorcha resembles his brother so he accepts Esmee's story. He panics when he realizes that Esmee intends to leave Sorcha with him and ends up bribing her to stay in the position of the child's governess.

Then begins a very long (and surprisingly uninteresting) section of the book in which Esmee and Alasdair are living in the same house and trying to deny their burgeoning attraction to one another. Alasdair is 36 years old and believes that he is too old and too jaded for the innocent 22 year old Esmee (besides the slight detail that he is apparently the father of her half-sister.) Esmee realizes that Alasdair is a shameless rogue and womanizer and worries that her attraction to him may be a sign of her mother's wild blood in her. This is a set-up that historical romance readers frankly have seen at least a hundred times before and there is nothing really all that new going on in this part of the book. Eventually the couple must part (a scene with overtones of Georgette Heyer's "Venetia") and with 100 pages to go the book finally catches fire (during a scene with an actual fire in a theater.)

Alasdair is such a charming, shameless ne'er-do-well that I found it impossible not to like him. He is a handsome, hopeless womanizer as established from the first scene in which he is caught with his pants down with the wife of a very large and angry blacksmith. He has a good head for numbers which enables him to make his living at the card tables but basically he lives for his own pleasure. Despite his charm and good looks, he has always felt like a misfit among his dour, brilliant Scottish family. Refreshingly, he admits that he has no dark secret in his past or broken heart in his youth to justify his bad behavior--he is a self-indulgent scoundrel and wastrel because that is what he chooses to be.

Esmee is a less compelling heroine, to my mind. She is your typical tart-tongued Scottish virginal heroine (why do all Scottish heroines have to be "tart-tongued", I wonder?) Her speech is liberally peppered with things like "Och!", "the wee bairn", "wee trootie", "dinna kin" to the point where I start feeling as though she is verbally interchangeable with Alasdair's Granny MacGregor. Of course, because this is a romance novel, Alasdair is enchanted by her shrewish plain speaking and his heart is softened by her love for her baby sister. Frankly, she never seems interesting enough to me to attract the long-term attention of a gorgeous, hardened rogue like Alasdair. She keeps inviting his kisses then berating him after he complies, never my favorite behavior pattern in a romance heroine.

Liz Carlyle's writing is top-notch as usual, and her sex scenes are wonderfully sensual. The plot twists can be seen coming a mile away, but the book is still very enjoyable. Despite the pacing problems with the first half of the story and a rather lack-luster heroine, the story is worth reading for the "comeuppance" of the charming, unrepentant rogue who is Alasdair.
Recommended.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I just love Liz's books! Great start to a new trilogy, September 24, 2005

By 

baltimore0502 "Hon!" (BALTIMORE, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Little Sin (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a huge fan of Liz Carlyle's books and this latest is no exception. It's the first in a trilogy of stories about three friends - two rakes (Alasdair MacLachlan & Quin Hewett first seen in THE DEVIL TO PAY) and one semi-recluse Alasdair's brother Merrick. Our story opens with the three in the tent of a gypsy fortune teller who makes dire predictions for all three about "making things right" and "redeeming past misdeeds". Though momentarily uneasy, our three friends quickly shake off their unease and make for home.

Sir Alasdair MacLachlan, at thirty-six is a known scoundrel who spends most of his time drinking, skirt-chasing and gaming. He's got a very good head for numbers and so usually wins big at cards. He's perfectly happy with his live-in-the-moment lifestyle - what else could a fellow want? And that gypsy and her "atoning for sins" rot. Which sin - there are so many to choose from? After passing out on the sofa after returning home he is awakened by banging on his door. Good Lord, it's midnight in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, who could it possibly be? My, my has one of his sins come home to roost?

The person at his door turns out to be Miss Esmee Hamilton, newly arrived from Scotland. She looks like a drowned wren, very young and vulnerable. But when she tells him that the little bundle in her basket is his daughter and that she is leaving the child with him to be raised in his home Alasdair is shocked and in denial. His little wren turns out to have a fiery side as she tells him in very tart language that little Sorcha is the product of a tryst with her mother two years past. When her mother died two months ago, her stepfather kicked both Esmee and Sorcha out of his home and now they have nowhere else to go. Alasdair has no memory of her mother, only the vaguest feeling that it could really be true. When he learns that Esmee has accepted a post as a governess and intends to leave the child in his most uncapable hands, he panics and tries to convince her to stay and act as Sorcha's governess instead. Though she knows it is wrong and that her reputation will likely be ruined, she agrees as leaving Sorcha would break her heart. And so, the MacLachlan household is in for some major changes.

Of course Alasdair and Esmee fall for one another but there are many twists and obstacles in the way. Both are appealing characters. Alasdair is charming and sexy with a suprisingly strong sense of responsibility. His growing relationship, not to mention patience with "terrible twos" Sorcha is very sweet to watch. Esmee is naive yet also smart and doesn't allow him to get away with too much. The only issue I had with the book was that, after the first rousing chapters, the pace seemed to get a bit klunky and uneven midway through. There are some amusing scenes, some surprising twists and the wonderful dialog that is standard in Ms Carlyle's books. I can't wait to read Quin's and Merrick's stories! Highly recommended.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One Little Bore..., February 1, 2006

By 

Bridget "B.A.D.T." (Grand Rapids, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Little Sin (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 2nd book by Liz Carlyle I have read. I finished earlier `The Devil You Know". I was hoping this 2nd story "One Little Sin" would be better and in some parts it was...but, some parts it was not. I saw a similar pattern in both books that the beginning starts off fresh and interesting then drags with problems and irritating issues until the middle to ¾ of the book are done. Then...the last few chapters pick up, things make sense, everyone becomes appealing and the books concludes in a positive manner. But...it's the early to middle parts that drives me crazy -both books lost it for me in those areas so, I wonder if this author is able to write a complete book from beginning, middle and end and keep the reader completely enthralled and entertained??? (Fortunately...I have already been reading another book by LC - "No True Gentleman" and I am ¾ of the way done and FINALLY I found a book by her that has it all - and - I have high hopes I won't be let down in the last parts of the book).

I agree with many of the other readers that only gave this author a 2 or 3 stars that there were characters issues in this book, odd plots lines and unbelievable events that wouldn't have happened in the early 1800's. All these things threw off what could have been a grand story. 1) It was not realistic that an attractive unwed young woman would be living with a scoundrel nearly 1 ½ times here age without society going into shock 2) Alasdair would not have so easily taken on a child as his own and actually been involved in child rearing events 3) A life long scoundrel bent on nothing but, gambling, drinking and sexing it up would suddenly turn over a new leaf in the middle of life for a country lass he knew nothing about, had nothing in common with and were ages apart...4) That Esmee would fall for a man that had slept with her mother, had a child together and now would be hooking up - daughter and step-father practically with no qualms? 5) A man of Aladsairs experience and knowledge wouldn't have caved in to the demands of Esmee and the child Sorcha for housing, food and hundreds of pounds without the blink of an eye - he would have done homework and research first - instead he did nothing but, say no problem to a couple off the street who could have been anyone.

On top of these things...there were times I didn't really care for the heroine Esmee or the hero Aladsair. Esmee was feisty, strong willed and confident in the beginning but, there were times when it came to Aladsair that she caved in and became more weak willed than would be right for her character. Sometimes her Scottish brogue and ways seemed off for the city landscape but, no one seemed to notice (in a city where everyone judges everybody for everything no less!). Although, I found her character strengths and weakness more appealing, sometimes I still didn't take to her. As for Aladsair...until the middle of the book there was NOTHING redeeming about this hero. All he did was get drunk with his friends, gamble away late into the night, meet women and have constant sex and he hadn't a care in the world. There was nothing respectful, admirable, interesting or appealing about this character until way too late.

Then...once he realized his feelings for Esmee and didn't want her marrying his friend Quin...well, it was almost like he became a different character than the beginning of the book. And...not just in redeeming his bad qualities...he was so totally different -perhaps the person he should have been from the first. His transformation was positive but, too late again for me.

As for the daughter/child Sorcha...I agree with many that there was nothing appealing about this kid. She was rotten, spoiled, aggravating and irritating. I can't imagine what would make Aladsair bond with her? Parental feelings must have been it because she certainly wasn't cute, adorable or lovable. This child did not add warmth to this story.

I found the very late explanation of who Esmees' mothers long term love was a bit unbelievable. The man who ended up being Sorcha's real father. Her mother was this supposed great beauty of her time who could have anyone and instead...we are to believe that Captain Gregory (who from the description sounded like a genetically altered troll/elf/munchin like sea creature) was someone she would sleep with, love, create a child and have a life long bond? Hmmm...I'm not buying this one. Based upon her lover list....she would never had fallen for a guy that we are told she did. Plus...it appeared her mother never mentioned this Captain to hardly anyone. Plus...he gave up his child without a blink of an eye because he felt it was the best. This was all too convenient at the end to make Aladsair look better and wrap things up nice and tidy. This part needs to be re-done to be believable.

I didn't find any of the intimacy scenes remarkable or memorable. The secondary characters in this book at times seemed more interesting than the main leads (such as Quin and Evie, Lord Devellyn & Sodonie, etc.). That's always a problem for me when secondary characters become more appealing than our hero and heroine. That never bodes well. Makes me sometimes ask, "hmmm...who am I reading about again????"

I still haven't given up on this author after two rather so-so books. I still think she has talent and lots of potential - it just seems to get away from her at times. Perhaps I've hit the jackpot with "No True Gentleman"? It certainly didn't happen in "One Little Sin". Oh well....I'll keep hoping.