Customer Reviews

Scandalous by Night (Carlisle Family, Book 4)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Townsend Elliot Lidsaw, Viscount Everod, has spent twelve years nurturing his anger and hurt over the circumstances that resulted in his being rejected by his entire family. He was lucky to survive his father's rage, and he blames his step mother's niece for the fiasco. Everod's successfully cemented his membership into a group of rakes known as the les sauvages nobles. He's definitely perfected his power of seduction and now that Maura is amongst the ton, it's time for him to enact his vengeance - only staying detached from the situation could be impossible.

Maura Keighly had played a key role in Everod's downfall but she'd only been ten-years-old at the time and hadn't fully understood the scene she'd had the misfortune to witness. She's all grown up now and her aunt has plans for her to marry Everod's brother Rowan. Maura doesn't have any interest in marrying Rowan; he's more like a brother. Everod, on the other hand, has been the man who's occupied a special place in her heart for many years - even if he has been absent from her life.

When Everod was only sixteen-years-old he gave into hormones and succumbed to his father's twenty-four year old fourth wife, Georgette's seduction. Their liaison ultimately ripped the family apart and almost cost him his life. He still bears the scar across his throat as a constant reminder of his own father's disdain. When he learns that Maura has accompanied his father and his wife, Georgette, to London for the season, he sees his opportunity to have his revenge.

Seduction has been the downfall of many young ladies and Everod's certainly not above using his manly charms against her. It seems simple enough; seducing Maura would go a long way toward paying back Georgette through her niece's humiliation. The situation goes a little awry when his friends and their women become involved. While Everod's taking great pains to annoy Georgette and get close to Maura, his friends' women are taking Maura into their circle and doing their best to protect her from Everod's lusty intentions. Somewhere along the line revenge takes a backseat to his ever increasing love for Maura, but their courtship is going to be far from `socially acceptable.' After all, he is one of the les sauvages nobles and following the dictates of their peers is simply not done. Can Maura and Everod let go of the past to ensure a loving future?

Barbara Pierce continues her enchanting CARLISLE SERIES with SCANDALOUS BY NIGHT. With characters you can't help but laugh with, love, and hate - all at the same time - this is one book that kept me reading long past bedtime. Everod is absolutely lovable and I couldn't help but feel his heartache over his family's rejection. Maura is a lovely young woman with a spunky personality and determination to do what she believes is right - even when it costs her. I absolutely love how Everod's friends and their women take him to task for his boorish attitude and take Maura into their folds. They're simply a fun group of people who seem to enjoy thumbing their noses at propriety. Georgette is the perfect villain. She's such a self-centered leech that I just couldn't see any redeeming qualities about her... which makes you keep reading just waiting for her to finally pay for her wickedness. Ms. Pierce makes Regency England storylines delightfully sexy and fun especially if you enjoy stories where the characters live by their own code of ethics and thumb their noses at etiquette.

SCANDALOUS BY NIGHT is the fourth book in the CARLISLE SERIES. The other books in the series are:
WICKED UNDER THE COVERS
SINFUL BETWEEN THE SHEETS
NAUGHTY BY NATURE

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Scandalous by Night by Barbara Pierce
" To love him would only lead to a broken heart."

Everod, the banished son of his father, Lord Worrington still held the pain and brandished the scar on his neck given by his father when he discovered the tryst between his newest wife and his eldest son; the heir. While Everod healed from the near fatal attack, he planned his revenge.

Maura believed her Aunt, the Countess whole heartedly when she was told that Everod had attacked her in the field, forcing himself upon the unwilling Countess. Maura confessed this tale to her Uncle, only coming to realize some years later that what her Aunt had said was a farce. 12 years later she would come face to face with the man that she helped to seal his fate, he was no longer even mentioned in the Worrington household, but that is soon to change.

Vengeance would be sweet. He planned on seducing Maura and ruining her for any man. Little did he know, his younger brother was also vying for the young lady's attention, possibly even marriage. Everod attacks his own brother at the ball, publicly humiliating Maura, now that the ton knows of such scandal... will she run off with a man that she does not love? Or will the brother that has been named "Everhard", one of les sauvages nobles, claim what is his; her heart?

A tale of seduction, scandal, betrayal, and love, Ms. Pierce has captured my heart with her novel, Scandalous by Night. I have been lucky enough to follow the Carlisle series. The author does a spectacular job in penning these historical erotic romances... they are tasteful and full of sassy characters that have just enough bite to keep you enthralled with each turn of the page. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading Scandalous by Night, I just hope that it is not too long before the next book in the series is out on the shelves!
5 Hearts

The concept of this novel was very good, man is shunned from his family due to a lecherous stepmother and her innocent niece, man tries to exact revenge twelve years later. The problem with the story was in the execution, the characters were interesting, the hero well developed, less so for the heroine, and the plot moved along nicely but the romance between the main characters was problematic. They seemed in lust but not really in love.

When he was only fifteen, Viscount Everod's young step mother, Georgette, seduced him in the garden but they were discovered thanks to his stepmother's young niece Maura. Everod's father viciously stabbed Everod's throat believing that he was raping his wife, something the stepmother claimed. Everod was then banished from his home.

Fast forward twelve years and Maura is all grown up and spending the season in London. Everod sees her in Town and decides to seduce Maura, thereby getting back at his family who adore her. He plans his seduction through gifts and conversations. Maura feels guilty for the part she played in Everod's banishment so she is almost a willing participant in keeping secrets from her aunt and uncle. Their romantic interludes are very steamy.

As stated earlier, Everod is a well developed character with a full range of emotions. He is bent on his course to ruin Maura and when he discovers his younger brother is interested in marrying her, well, that just makes it all the better. Everod does have a temper but this is directed more at his friends and their wives' interference than at Maura. He is a known seducer and his practiced attempts have their effect on Maura but I never felt he really loved her until the very last chapters. His actions were more of a man who wanted a woman in his bed solely.

Maura was both likeable and frustrating. Since her aunt, Georgette was the one who raised her, Maura refused to judge any of her actions even when they were obviously deplorable. Maura seemed almost a different person around her Aunt, acting rather cowardly and Georgette recognized how incredibly naïve Maura was and easy to manipulate too. I understood Maura's devotion to her Aunt, Maura's parent's ignored her, but allowing a horrible lie to exist for twelve years denotes a character flaw.

There were a few loose ends to this novel, mainly the rebuilding of family relationships. I had not read any of the previous novels in this series so the secondary characters, although good, were many and I kept forgetting who was married to whom and who was brother to whom etc. Still this novel does have an interesting hero.

This author's characters are always well developed so you feel like you really know them and care for their outcome. Her characters and plots are memorable and this book is no exception. The ending was quite abrupt as another reviewer mentioned...too abrupt. Their should have been more clarity as to the outcome of the characters, even without an epilogue. I found myself going "huh? well what happened to them?" Still, it was a fun read with a less than perfect hero who you still root for.

The story had depth, the characters are strong and leap of the pages. This is the story of Everod and rake who many years ago slept with his step-mother (when he was 15 year old) and his father almost killed him. It is now 12 years later and he wants revenge and decides that Muara Keighly his step-mother neice who told his father about his affair should be his victim. As in all good romances - nothing works out as planned. Don't planned to get anything done - Enjoy!

I would also suggest; All of the The Carlisle Series (starting with Wicked Under the Covers (Carlisle Family, Book 1)) , A Rake's Guide to Seduction (Zebra Historical Romance),In Bed With the Devil (Avon Romantic Treasure), Under Your Spell (Witches of Mayfair, Book 1), After the Kiss: The Notorious Gentlemen, Lessons From a Courtesan and At the Bride Hunt Ball (Avon Romance) ~ It's been a great summer of reading, Enjoy!

I adore Barbara Pierce, but "Scandalous by Night" was disappointing, and my least favorite in the Carlisle series (my favorite being Fayre and Maccus' story).

I liked the set-up, and the back cover syponosis sums it up well enough: "Even among that band of rakes known as les sauvages nobles, Lord Everod's reputation is truly wicked. Countless willing partners have enjoyed his sensual prowess, but now one lovely innocent has his undivided attention. The alluring Miss Maura Keighly once lost Everod his family's regard, and almost cost him his life. And no vengeance could be sweeter than the delicious seduction he has planned! Maura is on the verge of marrying another. Yet no sooner has she set foot among the ton than Everod makes himself known, tempting and taunting her by word and deed, filling her days and nights with illicit longing."

The problem with this story was the development, or lack there of. Upon seeing Maura for the first time in over a decade, Everod is fiercly aroused by her. With a plan of revenge in the back of his mind, Lord Everod teases and turns on the charm, fumes at the idea of Maura with another man... Eventually, they make love. A few pages later, they do it again. Then, in a fit of jealous rage, Everod announces to the ton (via, a toast to her betrothal to another) that he'd claimed her innocence. Thus, Maura is heartbroken. Everod is guilty. However, the two do not actually speak to one another until the last few pages of the novel, when Everod stops the wedding, professes his love, and asks for Maura's hand in marriage. And all is then well and good. So, like I said, the story was under-developed and quite rushed.

The same can be said for the secondary storyline, involving the grand scheme of Maura's aunt (and Everod's stepmother), and Everod's estranged relationship with his father. Not to mention, it wasn't interesting.

I've read all the books in this series and I was not let down by this new addition. The ending reminded me of the first book. It had me laughing and sighing. The strawberry jam scene was great!!

In 1799 his stepmother Lady Worrington arranged his betrayal abetted by her ten year old niece Maura Keighly that left Viscount Everod near dead with a wound to his throat given to him by his dad who wishes he was dead. His younger brother Rowan sides with his father. Over the next decade he lived for vengeance though his reputation for wickedness as a les sauvages nobles comes with his seemingly zillion different women. Now in 1811; he believes he finally has the opportunity. He will seduce and ruin Maura to get back at those who betrayed him. .

Maura is considering strongly accepting the marriage proposal from Rowan. When she meets Everod she hesitates saying yes to Rowan as she feels both guilt for her part in the duplicity and is also attracted to him even before he begins his seduction. However, Everod finds himself caught in his own trap as he begins to fall in love with the expendable chip. He soon realizes his nefarious scheme worked too well as someone, whom he suspects is in the bosom of the Worrington family, apparently is willing to finish the job of a dozen years ago and kill Maura too.

Readers will enjoy this entertaining Regency romantic suspense as the near death experience turns Everod into a rake, but a taste of strawberry jam and other fruits change him into a hero. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this tasty treat as Maura is pulled by her love for the rogue she knows is trying to destroy her, her duty to the aunt who took her out of poverty, and to her beloved's brother who has been her best friend. Few writers combine romance and suspense inside a historical as well as Barbara Pierce consistently does.

Harriet Klausner

Lord Everod was tossed out of his family home as a young man thanks to the machinations of his selfish stepmother. Becoming one of les sauvages nobles, a group of rakish young men hellbent on pleasure in all its forms, was a natural evolution. However, he has not forgotten the role a young Maura Keighly played in his banishment, and when he discovers she is in London, a plan of seduction begins to form.

Maura has always felt horrible about her part in the scandal that cost Everod his home and family. When she sees the adult he has become she is both intrigued and confused. He makes no secret of the contempt he holds for her, but the passion that rises between them is both unexpected and wonderful. Everod is intrigued by Maura and for the first time, he wants more than revenge - he wants her.

Scandalous by Night was an emotional rollercoaster, with lots of surprises and intrigue. The truly heinous machinations of the people in this book are almost painful to read, which of course, makes for a fascinating book! The emotions rising between Maura and Everod are complicated by their history, but watching them work through past and current problems is by turns heartbreaking and uplifting.

Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Won't rehash the plot as others have, but I will comment on it. Found it very hard to believe that he would blame all this on a 10 year old. My gosh she was a child. Even if he didn't think about it at the time he had to have realized later on, how easy it was to manipulate and control a child especially if the manipulator is the person raising them! Nope he doesn't even let that bother him. Other than that big glaring fact, the book was decent. There was some chemistry going on there, it's just I couldn't get past this whole vendetta thing and the fact that Maura had seen Everod sleeping with her aunt, rape or otherwise. Maura knew what she saw! Why wasn't that ever resolved either? Why didn't Everod and Maura discuss why she said what she did to her uncle? It was as though the issue wasn't really resolved but they just went past it hoping it would go away.

Also have to agree that the end left several dangling pieces there, almost as though there should be another book. Yet we don't know if there will be. My guess is that there will be one with Cadd, but will it tie up these loose ends? That remains to be seen.