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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's not Godiva...., September 25, 2009
Liz Carlyle has written some fine - dark and rich, original and intriguing - romances. "Wicked All Day" isn't one of them. And that's too bad, because if, like me, you've read her oeuvre, you were probably waiting for Zoë's story too.
Poor Zoë deserved better. After all, as the illegitimate daughter of the infamous Rannoch, she lived a lonely life till his marriage to an unconventional artist and the introduction of her large and friendly family changed Zoë's life. But now poor Zoë is lonely again. Her `cousins' have moved on with their lives, but despite her fortune, Zoë's illegitimacy limits her marriage choices. So to prove that she doesn't give a flip, Zoë....ten to one you can finish this plot outline without me.
Carlyle's novels are seldom plot driven, her characterization and originality are her strong points. But there's almost nothing here to work with. We know that Zoë's hastily acquired fiancée doesn't love her, and we know who does. We also know whom Zoë loves. And nothing much really stands in the way of their happiness.
I'm not saying this is a Bad Book. I'm saying that reading Carlyle can sometimes be Godiva chocolate and this is closer to a Snickers bar. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But it's not to die for.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a romance for those of us who get it wrong sometimes, September 22, 2009
Zoe Armstrong and her cousin Robin Rowland are good friends--but things get out of hand when they start canoodling in his brother's study during a party and they are seen. Social pressure brought to bear, they become engaged. This makes them dreadfully unhappy because they are really wrong for each other in personality and other ways. Robin loves another, and his brother Stuart is in love with Zoe. Carlyle could have gone for the funny in this mismatch of partners, but instead she brings out the depth in the characters: Robin's immaturity and acting-out, his careless treatment of both his cousin and the woman he loves, and the semi-tragic consequences; Zoe's hard choices and eventual willingness to self-sacrifice; and Stuart himself in his role as protector of both Robin and Zoe, also attempting a redemption of his own past mistakes. No one is heroic in this romance; this is problem-solving done by flawed and very human characters, which I think makes it a more interesting book.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult, but worth it (I think)., September 24, 2009
I adore Liz Carlyle's books and was greatly looking forward to hearing the story about these particular characters from previous novels. While Ms. Carlyle is not above the occasional misfire, I have to admit that Wicked All Day was not exactly what I was expecting. The primary relationship is well-developed and convincing, even moving, but painted with much bolder strokes of reality than one usually finds in the genre. Beloved characters from previous books make pretty extensive appearances here, not only adding to the story, but also remaining true to their original characterizations -- no mean feat, considering it's been close to two decades on the author's timeline since their stories were told (My False Heart, A Woman Scorned). There's enough intrigue in a few of the subplots (particularly that of Mercer's former mistress) to keep things interesting. At the book's close, I found myself not only liking both Mercer and Zoe Armstrong more than I had before (from previous appearances), but also really rooting for a HEA for them.
That said, I think this book is about a 100 pages too long. The intense melodrama imposed by the love triangle (or quad as it were) between Zoe and both Rowland brothers goes on and on (and on), becoming overwhelming about mid-book. And all the main characterizations suffer for it. This is particularly true of Robert, whom I found to be completely unsympathetic (even hateful) at points. Frankly, the secondary romance surrounding him ended up being difficult to credit with any real feeling or empathy because of his behavior throughout the novel. While Carlyle uses the tragedy that ensues toward the end of Mercer/Zoe/Robert's journey together to force a resolution, the resulting pathos turns into an emotional sinkhole for the novel as a whole.
Still, this is worth reading for Mercer and Zoe alone. Both characters are developed marvelously from start to finish, with a depth and richness that is distinctive to Carlyle's work. I adored both of them in the end when I didn't expect to at the beginning. Robert and his issues I could readily have done without, or in much smaller doses, but this was worth putting up with for the reward of the main payoff between Zoe and Mercer. A flawed book, but probably one of Carlyle's better ones.
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