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Fraternitas Aureae Crucis #3
Las perlas de la novia
Después de la muerte de su marido, la bella y exótica lady Anisha Stafford decide regresar a Londres con sus dos hijos para reunirse con su hermano, miembro de una sociedad secreta y legendaria. Pero en lugar de él, quien aparece a recibirla es Rance Welham, lord Lazonby, un hombre sobre el que pesa la acusación de haber asesinado a lord Peveril varios años antes. Entre ellos no tarda en surgir un deseo profundo e inesperado, y Anisha, convencida de la inocencia de Rance, decide hacer todo lo que está en sus manos para limpiar su nombre. Lord Lazonby, por su parte, siente que no será libre hasta que encuentre al verdadero homicida de Peveril. En un mundo dominado por la traición y la intriga, y con un asesino siguiéndoles los pasos, tanto Anisha como Rance saben que no pueden confiar en nadie. Sin embargo, decide embarcarse juntos en una aventura en la que arriesgarán la vida por una pasión que podría redimirlos a ambos… o destruir todo lo que los rodea.
445 pages, Paperback
First published July 31, 2012
86 people are currently reading
863 people want to read
About the author
Liz Carlyle
46 books846 followersDear Readers,
The awful truth about novelists is that we are mostly dull, introverted homebodies who only write in order to live our fantasies vicariously. I came to writing rather late in life, and I’m still amazed I can get paid for doing something I love, and that I get to stay home while I do it.
My favorite comedian Steve Martin once said, "I believe entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art. But if you set out to make art, you’re an idiot." I have never tried to create art, but I do try to tell one heck of a good story. Yes, I try to write with a hot iron, while the heat of the story is in me. And I try, always, to entertain my readers.
Regards,
Liz
The awful truth about novelists is that we are mostly dull, introverted homebodies who only write in order to live our fantasies vicariously. I came to writing rather late in life, and I’m still amazed I can get paid for doing something I love, and that I get to stay home while I do it.
My favorite comedian Steve Martin once said, "I believe entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art. But if you set out to make art, you’re an idiot." I have never tried to create art, but I do try to tell one heck of a good story. Yes, I try to write with a hot iron, while the heat of the story is in me. And I try, always, to entertain my readers.
Regards,
Liz
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
February 13, 2017
Me da mucha pena decirlo, pero éste libro ha sido bastante, bastante rollete. No sé si es que iba predispuesta a que no me gustaría y me he dejado influir por ello. Tampoco es que me sintiera "obligada" a leerlo. Empecé la serie hace ya algún tiempo, y quería continuarla porque al cuarto y último libro le tengo muchas ganas. Soy incapaz de leer una serie desordenada, así que en cierto modo sí, me he obligado a leerlo, y no ha sido nada satisfactorio.
No sólo era la pereza de empezar un libro que me atraía poco, lo cual es una lástima, porque en los libros anteriores, el personaje de Rance es bastante atractivo y llama la atención todo lo que concernía en su supuesta autoría por haber matado a un par del reino. Sí, me daban pereza varias cosas, primero, la baja puntuación en Goodreads (ahora entiendo por qué), la longitud del libro, para lo que cuenta es demasiado largo, a éste libro le sobraban 100 páginas mínimo, y por último y quizás lo más importante, lo poco que me atraía la protagonista femenina después de conocerla en los dos libros anteriores.
En los primeros libros de la serie teníamos la historia de Rance y Anisha como secundaria. Desde el primero sabíamos que Rance, Lord Lazonby había sido acusado hacía años de un asesinato a otro noble del reino. Rance siempre defendió su inocencia en el asunto, pero todas las cartas jugaban en su contra. Anisha, será por el amor, o el afecto que le profesaba a Rance, empezó a investigar por su cuenta para ayudar a Rance a probar su inocencia. Bien, pues las 525 páginas (en mi e-reader), que ha tenido éste libro han sido sólo sobre eso, sin apenas grandes cambios, giros o sobresaltos en el argumento. Todo el libro ha sido el "deber" de Anisha en ayudar a Rance. Y se me ha hecho tan, taaaaan pesado y aburrido.
La historia de amor no es que haya sido para tirar cohetes, Liz Carlyle es muy buena escritora, pero no la destacaría por escribir buenas historias románticas. En los anteriores libros veíamos que entre Rance y Anisha había algo, que se profesaban un sincero afecto y que probablemente tendría historia romántica, así ha sido, pero me ha resultado breve, sin chicha ni limoná, y algo fría. No ha sido un romance muy sentimental. Sin duda la historia principal ha sido demostrar la inocencia de Rance y buscar al verdadero culpable, y la historia romántica ha pasado a un plano secundario.
Y ahora es cuando llego al tercer escollo: Anisha. Es un personaje que no me ha caído nada bien, a ratos se me hacía insufrible y muy cargante. En los anteriores libros no me llamaba precisamente la atención, no me caía bien, y en su libro no ha cambiado, sigue igual. Me ha resultado muy altiva, prepotente y soberbia. A ver, hay algo que admiro de ella, es una mujer que pertenece a dos mundos, y a ninguno de ellos, es mestiza, su padre era un noble británico y su madre la hija de un marajá hindú. Ésta mezcolanza de culturas no le hace sentirse inferior, al revés, orgullosa de la sangre que lleva, aunque siente más simpatía por la India (por haberse criado allí), y no cree que llegue nunca a encajar en la estrechez de la sociedad británica. Todo esto es perfectamente entendible (no sé si existe el palabro, pero me encanta utilizarlo), y es lo que he admirado de ella. Pero ése orgullo del que tanto hace gala no me ha gustado, el creerse mejor o superior que los demás por no dejarse caer en la misma afectación que la sociedad británica. Y para terminar el último punto de ella que no me ha gustado, que todos los protagonistas masculinos de ésta serie (menos su propio hermano), están o han estado enamorados de ella. Anisha posee una belleza exótica que nada tiene que ver con el canon de belleza que hay en Inglaterra, y por eso mismo todos los hombres la desean... a ver, a mí éste tipo de protagonistas me atragantan. Geoff, Lord Besset (y protagonista del anterior libro), estuvo a punto de pedirle matrimonio, Rance como es obvio también estuvo enamorado de ella desde que la conoció, y para no perder a todos los admiradores; Royden Napier, el subcomisario de policía (y protagonista del siguiente libro), también está enamorado de ella... uffffff. Pues no, ni me gusta ni se me hace creíble.
Pero no todo es malo, si tan malo me hubiera resultado le habría dado una estrella. No, éste libro tiene dos puntos a favor (y ésta opinión es totalmente subjetiva), primero: Me gusta mucho cómo escribe Liz Carlyle, no son muchos los libros suyos que he leído, pero sinceramente, me gusta cómo escribe. Y segundo: la ambientación de sus novelas. Todas las que he leído sabe ambientarlas muy bien, o darles un toque único y original.
Por desgracia, mis expectativas con éste libro se cumplieron. Lo bueno es que ya sólo me queda el último libro para terminar la serie y a ése sí le tengo ganas, no tardaré en leerlo.
No sólo era la pereza de empezar un libro que me atraía poco, lo cual es una lástima, porque en los libros anteriores, el personaje de Rance es bastante atractivo y llama la atención todo lo que concernía en su supuesta autoría por haber matado a un par del reino. Sí, me daban pereza varias cosas, primero, la baja puntuación en Goodreads (ahora entiendo por qué), la longitud del libro, para lo que cuenta es demasiado largo, a éste libro le sobraban 100 páginas mínimo, y por último y quizás lo más importante, lo poco que me atraía la protagonista femenina después de conocerla en los dos libros anteriores.
En los primeros libros de la serie teníamos la historia de Rance y Anisha como secundaria. Desde el primero sabíamos que Rance, Lord Lazonby había sido acusado hacía años de un asesinato a otro noble del reino. Rance siempre defendió su inocencia en el asunto, pero todas las cartas jugaban en su contra. Anisha, será por el amor, o el afecto que le profesaba a Rance, empezó a investigar por su cuenta para ayudar a Rance a probar su inocencia. Bien, pues las 525 páginas (en mi e-reader), que ha tenido éste libro han sido sólo sobre eso, sin apenas grandes cambios, giros o sobresaltos en el argumento. Todo el libro ha sido el "deber" de Anisha en ayudar a Rance. Y se me ha hecho tan, taaaaan pesado y aburrido.
La historia de amor no es que haya sido para tirar cohetes, Liz Carlyle es muy buena escritora, pero no la destacaría por escribir buenas historias románticas. En los anteriores libros veíamos que entre Rance y Anisha había algo, que se profesaban un sincero afecto y que probablemente tendría historia romántica, así ha sido, pero me ha resultado breve, sin chicha ni limoná, y algo fría. No ha sido un romance muy sentimental. Sin duda la historia principal ha sido demostrar la inocencia de Rance y buscar al verdadero culpable, y la historia romántica ha pasado a un plano secundario.
Y ahora es cuando llego al tercer escollo: Anisha. Es un personaje que no me ha caído nada bien, a ratos se me hacía insufrible y muy cargante. En los anteriores libros no me llamaba precisamente la atención, no me caía bien, y en su libro no ha cambiado, sigue igual. Me ha resultado muy altiva, prepotente y soberbia. A ver, hay algo que admiro de ella, es una mujer que pertenece a dos mundos, y a ninguno de ellos, es mestiza, su padre era un noble británico y su madre la hija de un marajá hindú. Ésta mezcolanza de culturas no le hace sentirse inferior, al revés, orgullosa de la sangre que lleva, aunque siente más simpatía por la India (por haberse criado allí), y no cree que llegue nunca a encajar en la estrechez de la sociedad británica. Todo esto es perfectamente entendible (no sé si existe el palabro, pero me encanta utilizarlo), y es lo que he admirado de ella. Pero ése orgullo del que tanto hace gala no me ha gustado, el creerse mejor o superior que los demás por no dejarse caer en la misma afectación que la sociedad británica. Y para terminar el último punto de ella que no me ha gustado, que todos los protagonistas masculinos de ésta serie (menos su propio hermano), están o han estado enamorados de ella. Anisha posee una belleza exótica que nada tiene que ver con el canon de belleza que hay en Inglaterra, y por eso mismo todos los hombres la desean... a ver, a mí éste tipo de protagonistas me atragantan. Geoff, Lord Besset (y protagonista del anterior libro), estuvo a punto de pedirle matrimonio, Rance como es obvio también estuvo enamorado de ella desde que la conoció, y para no perder a todos los admiradores; Royden Napier, el subcomisario de policía (y protagonista del siguiente libro), también está enamorado de ella... uffffff. Pues no, ni me gusta ni se me hace creíble.
Pero no todo es malo, si tan malo me hubiera resultado le habría dado una estrella. No, éste libro tiene dos puntos a favor (y ésta opinión es totalmente subjetiva), primero: Me gusta mucho cómo escribe Liz Carlyle, no son muchos los libros suyos que he leído, pero sinceramente, me gusta cómo escribe. Y segundo: la ambientación de sus novelas. Todas las que he leído sabe ambientarlas muy bien, o darles un toque único y original.
Por desgracia, mis expectativas con éste libro se cumplieron. Lo bueno es que ya sólo me queda el último libro para terminar la serie y a ése sí le tengo ganas, no tardaré en leerlo.
September 18, 2012
This book was terrible. I gave up about a third through. It seems like the other 2 books in the trilogy take place at the same time and if you haven't read those, this book makes no sense. There's a guy who gets hung, but he doesn't die, but the reader doesn't know why. The main female character is frightened by the thought of a London Season and then the book skips A YEAR in a PARAGRAPH, including, presumably, her London Season and her initial confrontation with her brother that she was also fearing! She's almost engaged to be married by a character we've never met, until he dumps her to marry someone else (who we also haven't met). Characters wander into the plot and everyone seems to know who they are but it's not explained to the reader at all why they are important. Events in the "missing year" are referenced constantly, although the reader has no idea what happened in that year except that her brother married her governess.
The books in a romance series should all stand alone. They aren't part of an elaborately plotted sci-fi or fantasy offering in which each book's plot should stand on the last. Even a good mystery series should have stand-alone books.
I'm not seeking out the other two books or any other books by this author.
The books in a romance series should all stand alone. They aren't part of an elaborately plotted sci-fi or fantasy offering in which each book's plot should stand on the last. Even a good mystery series should have stand-alone books.
I'm not seeking out the other two books or any other books by this author.
June 9, 2012
While this was slow-moving at times, it has a depth, complexity and richness that called to me. I was immersed in the time period, and the sensuality and veracity of the complex emotions the characters felt.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur in the August issue. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur in the August issue. http://affairedecoeur.com.
November 9, 2024
This series is tedious. What an unexpected plot twist though.
December 21, 2024
The story was a little slow but definitely better than the first one. The narrator for this one was really excellent and entertaining. The story was good but slow at times. I understand the title and what it has to do with pearls but the title is still kind of misleading.
February 10, 2016
An awesome read! Kept me totally enthralled until I finished it. The opening chapter is what kinda confused me because I didn't know who the guy was at first and I didn't know he got from the end of that chapter to picking up Nish when she finally makes it to England. But it was finally explained throughout the book. Ok Rance and Nish make a great couple, there was right off the bat a lot of sparks. When the main part of the story takes off a year has passed since they met. Within that time frame Raj has gone off on his honeymoon and Bessett it taken off to Brussels with Anais de Rohan and we all know how that turns out. So our story ARC is happening at the same time. Which I thought was great.
Raj has charged Rance with watching over Nish, her boys and Luc, Nish and Raj's half-English brother while he is away. Kinda like the fox watching the henhouse. But Rance for his part is trying to do the right thing. Nish for her part is no longer trying to do the right thing. She has been alone for along time and has decided it is time to do something about it. The man of her choice had better come up to scratch because sexy working man Royden Napier is waiting in the wings. Rance and Nish clash time and again over his, "I am not good enough for you because of my past speech". Nish for her part refused to accept that from Rance so she set out to help him discover the truth of his past so they could have a future.
There are a lot of great side characters that make this book really shine. Everybody's favorite character George Kimble makes another appearance and has several speaking parts here. The delicious Ned Quartermain and his sexy reading glasses. Please say he gets a book soon. Royden is dying to find somebody to love. Then we have the mysterious Jack Coldwater and I must tell you I figured out who Jack was before I opened the book, but just wanted to tease ya'll with my statuses. That was the only truth that was going to be acceptable to Rance. His dreams were trying to tell him what the truth was, but like a bonehead he figured drugs (absinthe) would help. But where does that leave Jack? Belkadi, the manager over the St. James building and his shy and mysterious sister, Safiyah? Interesting characters all and they make LC's world a fun place to be, because you never know what they are up or what agenda they have.
The paranormal aspects of the past books, IMO, is turned down here and not as prevelant. Rance has talents and so does Nish, but they are not at obvious. Needless to say I loved the book in the end and can't wait for the next one and am dying to know who are the next players. Please be Ned...no make it Royden. :-)
Raj has charged Rance with watching over Nish, her boys and Luc, Nish and Raj's half-English brother while he is away. Kinda like the fox watching the henhouse. But Rance for his part is trying to do the right thing. Nish for her part is no longer trying to do the right thing. She has been alone for along time and has decided it is time to do something about it. The man of her choice had better come up to scratch because sexy working man Royden Napier is waiting in the wings. Rance and Nish clash time and again over his, "I am not good enough for you because of my past speech". Nish for her part refused to accept that from Rance so she set out to help him discover the truth of his past so they could have a future.
There are a lot of great side characters that make this book really shine. Everybody's favorite character George Kimble makes another appearance and has several speaking parts here. The delicious Ned Quartermain and his sexy reading glasses. Please say he gets a book soon. Royden is dying to find somebody to love. Then we have the mysterious Jack Coldwater and I must tell you I figured out who Jack was before I opened the book, but just wanted to tease ya'll with my statuses. That was the only truth that was going to be acceptable to Rance. His dreams were trying to tell him what the truth was, but like a bonehead he figured drugs (absinthe) would help. But where does that leave Jack? Belkadi, the manager over the St. James building and his shy and mysterious sister, Safiyah? Interesting characters all and they make LC's world a fun place to be, because you never know what they are up or what agenda they have.
The paranormal aspects of the past books, IMO, is turned down here and not as prevelant. Rance has talents and so does Nish, but they are not at obvious. Needless to say I loved the book in the end and can't wait for the next one and am dying to know who are the next players. Please be Ned...no make it Royden. :-)
December 20, 2018
2.5 stars
Story: 2 stars
Interesting characters but the pacing and writing was all over the place and just ruined it. This was in serious need of editing. MAJOR editing. A good 150 pages could have been knocked out. This is a 637 page book and a good portion of which added nothing to the story or character development. Mundane repetitive conversations that take up 10 pages with no end just dragged the entire story out for no reason. And why Carlyle thought it was necessary to summarize so much and have the h/hr grow a year long friendship entirely off the page I don't understand. An entire year passes in a few sentences and it was the most jarring thing to come across. The abrupt time jump was so unnecessary and a waste. Because of this LC managed to make a relationship that was sensual, affectionate and passionate come off very contrived and shallow. You can't tell your readers to believe something when we don't see any of it play out on the page. They go from complete strangers to very close trusted friends in a matter of 2 chapters. No rhyme or reason for this. I thought it was a shame and wasted opportunity to not see Rance and Anisha's friendship grow and blossom into something more on the page in real time.
And the bisexual/paraphilia undertones that was teased endlessly in here seemed very random and poorly handled. I didn't understand the point of this? It was just plain confusing and bizarre. The author didn't do a good job of explaining why the hero had this obsession/near lust over his nemesis. It was also alluded to more than once that Anisha's brother and his friends used to have similar tastes. What exactly does that mean? You cannot tease something like that or word it in such a way that implies more and not divulge later on. This was treated as a complete afterthought and when Anisha finally confronts Rance over his obsession with the annoying journalist, his contrived explanation made it no better and made absolutely NO sense. To me at least. If there was a good reasoning for this or build up to it I wouldn't have minded it as much. This just seemed very out of place and strange.
The sensual love scenes and kamasutra experimenting between Rance and Anisha were playful, raw and sexy. Loved it. This was the only thing I enjoyed from the entire book. I gave the extra star solely for that. Everything else was just one long-winded blurry boring mess.
Story: 2 stars
Interesting characters but the pacing and writing was all over the place and just ruined it. This was in serious need of editing. MAJOR editing. A good 150 pages could have been knocked out. This is a 637 page book and a good portion of which added nothing to the story or character development. Mundane repetitive conversations that take up 10 pages with no end just dragged the entire story out for no reason. And why Carlyle thought it was necessary to summarize so much and have the h/hr grow a year long friendship entirely off the page I don't understand. An entire year passes in a few sentences and it was the most jarring thing to come across. The abrupt time jump was so unnecessary and a waste. Because of this LC managed to make a relationship that was sensual, affectionate and passionate come off very contrived and shallow. You can't tell your readers to believe something when we don't see any of it play out on the page. They go from complete strangers to very close trusted friends in a matter of 2 chapters. No rhyme or reason for this. I thought it was a shame and wasted opportunity to not see Rance and Anisha's friendship grow and blossom into something more on the page in real time.
And the bisexual/paraphilia undertones that was teased endlessly in here seemed very random and poorly handled. I didn't understand the point of this? It was just plain confusing and bizarre. The author didn't do a good job of explaining why the hero had this obsession/near lust over his nemesis. It was also alluded to more than once that Anisha's brother and his friends used to have similar tastes. What exactly does that mean? You cannot tease something like that or word it in such a way that implies more and not divulge later on. This was treated as a complete afterthought and when Anisha finally confronts Rance over his obsession with the annoying journalist, his contrived explanation made it no better and made absolutely NO sense. To me at least. If there was a good reasoning for this or build up to it I wouldn't have minded it as much. This just seemed very out of place and strange.
The sensual love scenes and kamasutra experimenting between Rance and Anisha were playful, raw and sexy. Loved it. This was the only thing I enjoyed from the entire book. I gave the extra star solely for that. Everything else was just one long-winded blurry boring mess.
Read
August 16, 2012Liz Carlyle is one of those ready, steady authors that I can always count on for solid read. In recent years, I've neglected a few of these authors, seduced away by vampires and shifters and shiny new faces in the Regency scene.
I've seen some tortured Earls in my time, but Lazonby has really been through it. Years in Newgate, years in the French Foreign Legion, and two dates with the hangman-- this is not your garden variety "Boo hoo, daddy issues," or "boo hoo, some girl was mean to me once" sort of baggage. On top of his own trials, the whole affair ruined the health of both his parents - so he has this functional-family background and a layer of guilt because of that, too. I really liked the way Carlyle made him so irresistibly, superficially charming, with the contrast of his underlying broken and jagged edges.
Anisha is also pretty atypical. Her father is Scots, her mother Indian, and she was raised largely by her mother's family. When her husband passes away, she packs up her sons and teenage brother in order to be under the wing of her eldest brother (who is curiously absent in this book, but it's a reasonable motivation for the move). She understands the value to her sons of co-existing in British society, but she is also independent-minded and conforms only to the point that it makes sense to her.
Other than a few nitpicks, this is a solid, lovely historical romance, with unusual characters, a tight twisty plot, and an emotional connection that resonates.
This is an abbreviated review. For my full review, please head to Alpha Heroes.
I've seen some tortured Earls in my time, but Lazonby has really been through it. Years in Newgate, years in the French Foreign Legion, and two dates with the hangman-- this is not your garden variety "Boo hoo, daddy issues," or "boo hoo, some girl was mean to me once" sort of baggage. On top of his own trials, the whole affair ruined the health of both his parents - so he has this functional-family background and a layer of guilt because of that, too. I really liked the way Carlyle made him so irresistibly, superficially charming, with the contrast of his underlying broken and jagged edges.
Anisha is also pretty atypical. Her father is Scots, her mother Indian, and she was raised largely by her mother's family. When her husband passes away, she packs up her sons and teenage brother in order to be under the wing of her eldest brother (who is curiously absent in this book, but it's a reasonable motivation for the move). She understands the value to her sons of co-existing in British society, but she is also independent-minded and conforms only to the point that it makes sense to her.
Other than a few nitpicks, this is a solid, lovely historical romance, with unusual characters, a tight twisty plot, and an emotional connection that resonates.
This is an abbreviated review. For my full review, please head to Alpha Heroes.
April 12, 2025
4.5 stars. Books I Own. K+. Mad About Series Challenge HRBC. Tropes: Victorian Romance, Romance/Mystery, Family/Friends, Paranormal Romance, Widow, Single Parent-Children, Best Friend's Sibling, Friends to Lovers.
MC's h. L. Anisha Stafford, 28,2 boys Teddy and Tommy, widowed, 2 brothers Raju and Luc, lived in India for 20 years and moved back to England with her brother Raju (belongs to FAC, St. James Society). H. Rance Welham, (Sargeant), Earl of Lazonby, 35, (member of FAC, St. James Society), convicted of murder twice, escaped the hangman's noose thanks to Ruthveyn (Raju), in love with Anisha, but because people think he is a murderer he doesn't think he can ask Anisha to be his.
Comments: This story mainly focus's on Rance and Anisha's admiration for one another and Rance's frustration at still being accused of murder even though he didn't commit the crime. If he could clear his name he would restore his honor and be free to marry Anisha.
What do you think? I have enjoyed the first two books and I am enjoying Rance and Anisha's story. It is written like a mystery with a little romance added half way through the story. It is nice that Anais and Geoffery as well as Mr. Sullivan (Preost of FAC) were part of the story. Other characters: Roland Napier, Police Inspector, Jack Coldwater and his sister, Ned Quartermaine. Even though this story is one of angst and frustration with almost a hopeless romance it is well written reading more like a detective novel. The sensual sex scenes were well written. I will give it 4.5 stars.
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MC's h. L. Anisha Stafford, 28,2 boys Teddy and Tommy, widowed, 2 brothers Raju and Luc, lived in India for 20 years and moved back to England with her brother Raju (belongs to FAC, St. James Society). H. Rance Welham, (Sargeant), Earl of Lazonby, 35, (member of FAC, St. James Society), convicted of murder twice, escaped the hangman's noose thanks to Ruthveyn (Raju), in love with Anisha, but because people think he is a murderer he doesn't think he can ask Anisha to be his.
Comments: This story mainly focus's on Rance and Anisha's admiration for one another and Rance's frustration at still being accused of murder even though he didn't commit the crime. If he could clear his name he would restore his honor and be free to marry Anisha.
What do you think? I have enjoyed the first two books and I am enjoying Rance and Anisha's story. It is written like a mystery with a little romance added half way through the story. It is nice that Anais and Geoffery as well as Mr. Sullivan (Preost of FAC) were part of the story. Other characters: Roland Napier, Police Inspector, Jack Coldwater and his sister, Ned Quartermaine. Even though this story is one of angst and frustration with almost a hopeless romance it is well written reading more like a detective novel. The sensual sex scenes were well written. I will give it 4.5 stars.
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2014
Creo que en esta novela la parte de intrigra le resta todo el protagonismo a la parte romántica, que apenas evoluciona, una lástima porque entre Anisha y Rance la pasión es palpable.
Pero lo dicho, la intriga está muy bien construída, hasta el punto de que me ha sorprendido mucho el desenlace final... la parte romántica muy floja.
Ahora toca esperar la historia de Napier
Pero lo dicho, la intriga está muy bien construída, hasta el punto de que me ha sorprendido mucho el desenlace final... la parte romántica muy floja.
Ahora toca esperar la historia de Napier
November 3, 2019
Couldn't get into this at the beginning. It was o.k. read, but I prefer books 1 and 2.
3☆.
3☆.
May 26, 2021
Fantastically complex nuanced Hero. Loved Anisha's culture ❤♥💖
March 10, 2017
Reviewed for http://www.paper-cup.org
I love Liz Carlyle. She has a wonderful lyrical way of writing prose that makes even the most dense and heavy subjects seem light. From the moment I picked up The Devil to Pay, she’s never disappointed me. That being said, I felt niggling details in this work that kept it from being five stars. The best thing about Carlyle’s work is that it’s a self-contained universe. No book exists in a vacuum. Her first characters, introduced in My False Heart, were featured in one of her most recent works, Wicked All Day. The hero and heroine in The Bride Wore Scarlet were children of former heroes and heroines. Few authors continue this kind of universe the way that Carlyle does with such flawlessness, and manage to weave in new characters. Yet, for the first time here, she stumbles, and it costs this book the last star.
The leads in this book are wonderful, just as I thought they would be in the first two books in the series. Rance and Anisha are complex, damaged and emerge at the end better for the trials. Anisha is a strong heroine, willing to pursue her own future without Rance if he’s not willing to step up, and Rance is willing to give her up because he thinks he’s not good enough. Until it’s time to actually do that. Rance’s tortured past is completely on display here, his obsession with restoring his name and honor ring true as well as his desire to keep his promise to Ruthveyn about protecting Anisha.
I liked seeing characters from past books show up–Benedict and Frederica, particularly as they hold a special place in my heart. I also was glad to see that Anaïs played such a strong supporting role, that her part in Anisha’s past almost betrothal was not forgotten. The actual mystery behind Rance’s framing for murder was interesting and well done, as well.
So, what bothers me about this book? What keeps me from rating it highly? Why did I put it down after devouring it on my vacation with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction? I was bothered the moment Anaïs set foot in George Kemble’s old shop and visited her father’s old friend. Every moment George Kemble is in the story is a wink to Carlyle’s old readers and is completely out of place for the story. The scene between Anaïs and Kemble in the shop is unnecessary fill, just to remind you of his flamboyancy. His role in the story is fluff, and leads you to believe, that along with the notes in Rance’s police file, held the key to the mystery all along. If Anaïs held connections to the Guardians before, why did no one use them on behalf of Rance? Why did no one ask de Vendeheim to look into it? He would have commandeered the file, and Kemble, to be sure. It leaves a niggling feeling in my head that it all could have been solved so much more neatly and sooner when Kemble is the one that holds the cards. You take out George Kemble, and put in someone else who doesn’t have the history with Anaïs’s father, it wouldn’t be an issue.
That won’t bother people who’ve haven’t read every Liz Carlyle cover to cover nine or ten times like I have. Unfortunately, I have. I feel like George Kemble was in this story because Liz Carlyle had queries from fans asking about him, and she gave into temptation. Better to leave it to mystery. Kemble would have approved.
I love Liz Carlyle. She has a wonderful lyrical way of writing prose that makes even the most dense and heavy subjects seem light. From the moment I picked up The Devil to Pay, she’s never disappointed me. That being said, I felt niggling details in this work that kept it from being five stars. The best thing about Carlyle’s work is that it’s a self-contained universe. No book exists in a vacuum. Her first characters, introduced in My False Heart, were featured in one of her most recent works, Wicked All Day. The hero and heroine in The Bride Wore Scarlet were children of former heroes and heroines. Few authors continue this kind of universe the way that Carlyle does with such flawlessness, and manage to weave in new characters. Yet, for the first time here, she stumbles, and it costs this book the last star.
The leads in this book are wonderful, just as I thought they would be in the first two books in the series. Rance and Anisha are complex, damaged and emerge at the end better for the trials. Anisha is a strong heroine, willing to pursue her own future without Rance if he’s not willing to step up, and Rance is willing to give her up because he thinks he’s not good enough. Until it’s time to actually do that. Rance’s tortured past is completely on display here, his obsession with restoring his name and honor ring true as well as his desire to keep his promise to Ruthveyn about protecting Anisha.
I liked seeing characters from past books show up–Benedict and Frederica, particularly as they hold a special place in my heart. I also was glad to see that Anaïs played such a strong supporting role, that her part in Anisha’s past almost betrothal was not forgotten. The actual mystery behind Rance’s framing for murder was interesting and well done, as well.
So, what bothers me about this book? What keeps me from rating it highly? Why did I put it down after devouring it on my vacation with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction? I was bothered the moment Anaïs set foot in George Kemble’s old shop and visited her father’s old friend. Every moment George Kemble is in the story is a wink to Carlyle’s old readers and is completely out of place for the story. The scene between Anaïs and Kemble in the shop is unnecessary fill, just to remind you of his flamboyancy. His role in the story is fluff, and leads you to believe, that along with the notes in Rance’s police file, held the key to the mystery all along. If Anaïs held connections to the Guardians before, why did no one use them on behalf of Rance? Why did no one ask de Vendeheim to look into it? He would have commandeered the file, and Kemble, to be sure. It leaves a niggling feeling in my head that it all could have been solved so much more neatly and sooner when Kemble is the one that holds the cards. You take out George Kemble, and put in someone else who doesn’t have the history with Anaïs’s father, it wouldn’t be an issue.
That won’t bother people who’ve haven’t read every Liz Carlyle cover to cover nine or ten times like I have. Unfortunately, I have. I feel like George Kemble was in this story because Liz Carlyle had queries from fans asking about him, and she gave into temptation. Better to leave it to mystery. Kemble would have approved.
August 13, 2012
While I had a difficult time getting into this book at first, I ended up really enjoying the romance by the middle and end of the book. At the beginning of the book, a lot of the story revolved around the mystery instead of the development of the relationship between the two leads. Once the plot focused on the romance, I really loved their story.
Anisha and Rance had a fiery relationship, mostly based on a friendship. I really liked this angle, they bickered so much but always with a backbone of respecting each other, never those horrible, nasty fights you sometimes see played off as 'romance.' They had some fun bantering, and their favorite nickname for each other was "old thing", not something I'd like to be called by my love interest, but it worked here, and showed how they really were old friends.
This book is part of a series, and I hadn't read the previous books. While this one reads perfectly well as a standalone novel, I did feel like I was missing out on the overall picture. Sometimes all the characters involved in the mystery, as well as the main conflict itself, became a bit overwhelming and confusing.
I would have loved to see more family members and friends being the secondary characters instead of players in an overall mystery scheme. Anisha's brother, the character who ties Anisha to Rance in the first place, is barely seen, as are her children. Anisha's two sons seemed like an afterthought, and at one point near the middle of the story when their names were mentioned, I had no idea who they were. After that point, Anisha actually interacted with them during a few scenes, but they still seemed to be just "there" not really adding anything to the story.
Once I got into the book, I loved the two leads and their romance! I just would have preferred the backdrop to be less mystery-oriented.
book sent by publicist and publisher in exchange for an honest review
reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com
Anisha and Rance had a fiery relationship, mostly based on a friendship. I really liked this angle, they bickered so much but always with a backbone of respecting each other, never those horrible, nasty fights you sometimes see played off as 'romance.' They had some fun bantering, and their favorite nickname for each other was "old thing", not something I'd like to be called by my love interest, but it worked here, and showed how they really were old friends.
This book is part of a series, and I hadn't read the previous books. While this one reads perfectly well as a standalone novel, I did feel like I was missing out on the overall picture. Sometimes all the characters involved in the mystery, as well as the main conflict itself, became a bit overwhelming and confusing.
I would have loved to see more family members and friends being the secondary characters instead of players in an overall mystery scheme. Anisha's brother, the character who ties Anisha to Rance in the first place, is barely seen, as are her children. Anisha's two sons seemed like an afterthought, and at one point near the middle of the story when their names were mentioned, I had no idea who they were. After that point, Anisha actually interacted with them during a few scenes, but they still seemed to be just "there" not really adding anything to the story.
Once I got into the book, I loved the two leads and their romance! I just would have preferred the backdrop to be less mystery-oriented.
book sent by publicist and publisher in exchange for an honest review
reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com
August 9, 2012
I haven't read a romance novel in quite a while so I figured it was time I did. I don't recall having read any by Ms. Carlyle in the past but giving my reading volume and my bad brain I'm sure I have. I went through a stage more years ago than I care to count where I read many a historical romance...
In this tale we meet Lady Anisha Stafford, recently returned to England after the death of her husband. She has come back to family - namely her brother a member of a mysterious group called the St. James Society. He is not available to meet her upon her arrival so he sends his friend, Rance Welham, the Earl of Lazonby, a man with a very nasty past. Of course it's love at first sight for both of them but the rules of society decree that THEY CAN'T BE TOGETHER.
Anisha decides to help Rance clear his name from the murder his purportedly committed even though he has been supposedly exonerated. HE won't feel he is free until he finds the real killer. And so they embark upon a dangerous path to find who did the killing of Percival. (Percival?!)
I will say that while the tale conformed to the boy meets girl, etc., plot line it was not as predictable as it might have been. There was a modicum of change in the manner leading to the requisite happy ending. I had hoped for more from Rance but all he seemed to do was drink, complain and lust after Anisha. She was at least an interesting character; like most of her ilk in these books she had intelligence and spunk but her mystical elements and her bits of life from India made for interesting character development.
It was, overall a satisfactory beach read. I understand that this might be part of an ongoing series and perhaps that might be part of my dissatisfaction - there was a certain feeling of not always understanding what was going on with all of the ancillary characters.
In this tale we meet Lady Anisha Stafford, recently returned to England after the death of her husband. She has come back to family - namely her brother a member of a mysterious group called the St. James Society. He is not available to meet her upon her arrival so he sends his friend, Rance Welham, the Earl of Lazonby, a man with a very nasty past. Of course it's love at first sight for both of them but the rules of society decree that THEY CAN'T BE TOGETHER.
Anisha decides to help Rance clear his name from the murder his purportedly committed even though he has been supposedly exonerated. HE won't feel he is free until he finds the real killer. And so they embark upon a dangerous path to find who did the killing of Percival. (Percival?!)
I will say that while the tale conformed to the boy meets girl, etc., plot line it was not as predictable as it might have been. There was a modicum of change in the manner leading to the requisite happy ending. I had hoped for more from Rance but all he seemed to do was drink, complain and lust after Anisha. She was at least an interesting character; like most of her ilk in these books she had intelligence and spunk but her mystical elements and her bits of life from India made for interesting character development.
It was, overall a satisfactory beach read. I understand that this might be part of an ongoing series and perhaps that might be part of my dissatisfaction - there was a certain feeling of not always understanding what was going on with all of the ancillary characters.
October 25, 2013
3.5/5; 4 stars; B+
I totally read these books out of order but it sparked off a mini-glom of Liz Carlyle books. Years ago I read all of her books and she was then, and is now, one of my favorite historical romance writers. When the character Anais de Rohan was mentioned I scurried down to my library in the basement and found
, the story of Catherine and Max, Anais' parents. So, I re-read that, then this one then Anais and Geoff's story .
They are all great fun. I recommend them to any one who wants a solid historical romance without too much angst but a touch of intrigue and humour.
I totally read these books out of order but it sparked off a mini-glom of Liz Carlyle books. Years ago I read all of her books and she was then, and is now, one of my favorite historical romance writers. When the character Anais de Rohan was mentioned I scurried down to my library in the basement and found
, the story of Catherine and Max, Anais' parents. So, I re-read that, then this one then Anais and Geoff's story .
They are all great fun. I recommend them to any one who wants a solid historical romance without too much angst but a touch of intrigue and humour.
August 22, 2015
i've always really enjoyed liz carlyle's books, but this is definitely one of her best!
i'm so glad we finally got rance and anisha's story. they were my favorite secondary characters in the first 2 books. their story was at times- sweet, funny, sad, steamy. the writing was exquisite, and there were quite a few twists and mysteries solved. i also liked how she brought back a ton of characters from her earlier books.
it wasn't quite the paranormal story that the other 2 books in the series were. it was more of a mystery.
i can't wait to see which characters will be in book 4 in february 2013!
i'm so glad we finally got rance and anisha's story. they were my favorite secondary characters in the first 2 books. their story was at times- sweet, funny, sad, steamy. the writing was exquisite, and there were quite a few twists and mysteries solved. i also liked how she brought back a ton of characters from her earlier books.
it wasn't quite the paranormal story that the other 2 books in the series were. it was more of a mystery.
i can't wait to see which characters will be in book 4 in february 2013!
November 25, 2018
Very sexy and exotic as the part Indian part British noblewoman Anisha Stafford is trying to live a quiet life as a widow with two children. But her gift for palm reading and seeing other psychic events pulls her into a dangerous game and crime.
Rance Welham is almost as dangerous. He's an old friend of her brothers who shares his do-gooder tendencies despite a shocking reputation. From their first meeting Anisha has fascinated and attracted him. They are both on the fringes of the ton for different reasons and when they do finally come together it's explosive.
Steamy and seductive, both of these people have buried their hearts after being deeply hurt. A nice addition to this series.
Rance Welham is almost as dangerous. He's an old friend of her brothers who shares his do-gooder tendencies despite a shocking reputation. From their first meeting Anisha has fascinated and attracted him. They are both on the fringes of the ton for different reasons and when they do finally come together it's explosive.
Steamy and seductive, both of these people have buried their hearts after being deeply hurt. A nice addition to this series.
August 14, 2012
Liz Carlyle's newest book was ok, but I really didn't get into the story. Rance and Anisha made a cute couple but they ho hummed around about how he or she wasn't good enough. It seems the story didn't flow in accord with the author earlier books. Maybe she needs to try something different and give readers a new set of characters instead of using the same family circle.
August 8, 2012
I have been an avid fan of Liz Carlyle's but, I hate to say it, this series does not interest me.
December 14, 2020
Not great - a little ESP - slow read
June 2, 2017
So, the one huge, overarching problem with my reading experience with this book is that it is third in a series, and I did not read the first two.
Typically, in other genres, I am a stickler for reading books in order, BUT in this case, there was no series branding that I noticed when I picked it up at my local library booksale, and I am accustomed to series being mostly incidental in romance. When I read a romance series out of order, I expect spoilers on who the previous couples are, and maybe the broad outlines of their plots, but I don't expect to not be able to follow huge swaths of the plot because I didn't read scenes in completely different books!
(I almost wrote that last in all-caps, but that was just too far, no matter how worked up I am)
I understand laying a foundation for coming couples in earlier books, but this was ridiculous. I couldn't go three pages without running into into mentions of previous events. The maddening thing was the vague way they were handled, with the story making it very clear that all the characters know what happened and that what happened is of high practical and emotional significance to the characters...but, no, the reader doesn't actually get to know what happened. The whole Jack Coldwater episode was a massive example of this, but there were others as well.
Partly (I'm assuming) because of this, Rance and Anisha don't actually fall in love in this book. Yes, they start apart and get together over the course of the story, but their relationship is clearly pre-existing, and it's only exterior circumstances changing that lets them have a shot. Lip service is made to them confronting the issues between them, but they are essentially the same characters with no changes all the way through, so that didn't feel legit.
Anisha annoyed the crap out of me. My "Mary Sue" threshold for romance is pretty high, but she managed to meet it. I also hated her double standard where she didn't think Rance should have any say over what she did with her life or who she was with unless he was willing to be her lover, but she had absolutely no trouble trying to insert herself in his "quest" at every junction over his express wishes and telling him exactly how he needed to change his life to measure up to her standards. If it had been the hero treating the heroine like that, I would have tossed the book across the room, fuming about chauvinist alpha-holes. I don't see why the heroine should get a pass for it either.
Maybe if I had read the first book and gotten a better explanation of the Fraternitas (I am assuming that the first book has one...), I would have liked the concept better, but I just found it ridiculous and vague. In general, I really hate when authors try to stir "paranormal"/fantasy into historical romance. I love fantasy (and historically-based fantasy worlds) and I even like paranormal romance on occasion, but trying to do all three at once usually feels stuffed, cheap, and destroys my suspension of disbelief.
I wish the book had been labeled/branded better, because I would never have picked it up. Maybe someone, who likes this type of romance and read the previous books, would have liked this one, but it definitely wasn't me.
Typically, in other genres, I am a stickler for reading books in order, BUT in this case, there was no series branding that I noticed when I picked it up at my local library booksale, and I am accustomed to series being mostly incidental in romance. When I read a romance series out of order, I expect spoilers on who the previous couples are, and maybe the broad outlines of their plots, but I don't expect to not be able to follow huge swaths of the plot because I didn't read scenes in completely different books!
(I almost wrote that last in all-caps, but that was just too far, no matter how worked up I am)
I understand laying a foundation for coming couples in earlier books, but this was ridiculous. I couldn't go three pages without running into into mentions of previous events. The maddening thing was the vague way they were handled, with the story making it very clear that all the characters know what happened and that what happened is of high practical and emotional significance to the characters...but, no, the reader doesn't actually get to know what happened. The whole Jack Coldwater episode was a massive example of this, but there were others as well.
Partly (I'm assuming) because of this, Rance and Anisha don't actually fall in love in this book. Yes, they start apart and get together over the course of the story, but their relationship is clearly pre-existing, and it's only exterior circumstances changing that lets them have a shot. Lip service is made to them confronting the issues between them, but they are essentially the same characters with no changes all the way through, so that didn't feel legit.
Anisha annoyed the crap out of me. My "Mary Sue" threshold for romance is pretty high, but she managed to meet it. I also hated her double standard where she didn't think Rance should have any say over what she did with her life or who she was with unless he was willing to be her lover, but she had absolutely no trouble trying to insert herself in his "quest" at every junction over his express wishes and telling him exactly how he needed to change his life to measure up to her standards. If it had been the hero treating the heroine like that, I would have tossed the book across the room, fuming about chauvinist alpha-holes. I don't see why the heroine should get a pass for it either.
Maybe if I had read the first book and gotten a better explanation of the Fraternitas (I am assuming that the first book has one...), I would have liked the concept better, but I just found it ridiculous and vague. In general, I really hate when authors try to stir "paranormal"/fantasy into historical romance. I love fantasy (and historically-based fantasy worlds) and I even like paranormal romance on occasion, but trying to do all three at once usually feels stuffed, cheap, and destroys my suspension of disbelief.
I wish the book had been labeled/branded better, because I would never have picked it up. Maybe someone, who likes this type of romance and read the previous books, would have liked this one, but it definitely wasn't me.
December 6, 2017
This book was forgettable. I really liked the plot line on the back cover but this book was about 200 pages too long. Carlyle drew everything out to the point of confusion for me. She was repetitive too much in some areas but skimmed through the important times. I had no idea who any of the characters were (and it’s because it’s a series and didn’t read the first two) but the two main ones, Rance & Anisha, were bleh. Anisha as a whole I liked. She was kickass in some aspects and didn’t wait for no man but really she did. She waited forever for Rance and the arguments they would have about not being together were skim over worthy. Lame. Rance is accused of murder but was pardoned in the end. So, he is free but he has a stain to his name. So he tries to uncover the truth of who killed the man he was accused of killing. Anisha apparently takes it upon herself to help and gets involved without really asking Rance or even knowing the story. That was interesting. And the passion these guys share is whatever. I get that they like or even love each other but their love story doesn’t really ring true and lets be honest it takes forever for one of them to make a move. We know why we are reading these books. This book was a murder mystery with a sprinkle of a romance.
June 22, 2021
Somehow I did not know there was a supernatural side to this book when I tagged it "want to read". I don't think it affected the story much. Ok yes Rance hung and didn't die, but if you overlook that it hardly matters to the story.
Rance and Anisha have Chemistry. They set the world on fire. I think it was funny how bad Rance was at keeping Anisha at arm's length.
I think the story became completly engrossing after the first time they have sex. That's when Anisha decides she will do whatever it takes to clear Rance's name of murder so that he will feel free to be with her.
I am confused about Jack Coldwater. I mean like head shaking confused. I read this on my kindle so I couldn't just thumb back through the pages and figure out how I became so confused. I guess I'll just let it go.
.
The big show down came out of no where for me. Maybe I wasn't following the signs. It was high energy excitement though.
The whole story makes me wonder what the rest of the series is like. Maybe I should check them out.
Rance and Anisha have Chemistry. They set the world on fire. I think it was funny how bad Rance was at keeping Anisha at arm's length.
I think the story became completly engrossing after the first time they have sex. That's when Anisha decides she will do whatever it takes to clear Rance's name of murder so that he will feel free to be with her.
I am confused about Jack Coldwater. I mean like head shaking confused. I read this on my kindle so I couldn't just thumb back through the pages and figure out how I became so confused. I guess I'll just let it go.
.
The big show down came out of no where for me. Maybe I wasn't following the signs. It was high energy excitement though.
The whole story makes me wonder what the rest of the series is like. Maybe I should check them out.
October 22, 2024
This had a great premise; I loved the premise of an Indian protagonist traveling to 19th century Britain. This book had a the potential to revision the regency romance novel. Unfortunately, this plot was not developed to its full potential. I loved the main character, but there were odd time jumps in the narrative and did little to develop her entry into British society. The sex scenes which mentioned tantric sex (I've never seen this in a romance novel before and its a great idea--romance novel writers take note!) ultimately shied away from any details. The heroine also 'praises' the hero's very mediocre skills in bed when he literally does nothing, unfortunately. Interesting stuff in this book, but fell flat at times. The cover is very beautiful and I liked the pearls motif. Carlyle is a good writer and I'd be interested in reading her other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2019
Una historia en la que encontrar momentos de todo tipo desde divertidos y románticos hasta misteriosos, la he leído en menos tiempo del esperado ya que he quedado irremediablemente atrapada por la historia, el único punto negativo que he quedado con ganas de más.
La portada de este libro me encanta.
Reseña completa: https://atrapadaenunashojasdepapel.bl...
La portada de este libro me encanta.
Reseña completa: https://atrapadaenunashojasdepapel.bl...
June 12, 2020
This is another great entry in the MacLachlan Family and Friends and Fraternita Aurea Crucis series. I had not heard of Liz Carlyle till I started reading these overlapping series and I am so impressed with her writing. Her plots are very complex and well conceived and her characters are totally believable. I can't wait to start the next one.
May 17, 2024
Kept me fascinated
This is the third book in the series, and they have all kept me entertained. Rance Welham, Lord Lazonby narrowly escaped being hanged, but even though a witness recanted on his deathbed, no one believes that he is innocent. He wants to prove his innocence, and with the help of Lacy Anisha Stafford, he sets out to do so.
This is the third book in the series, and they have all kept me entertained. Rance Welham, Lord Lazonby narrowly escaped being hanged, but even though a witness recanted on his deathbed, no one believes that he is innocent. He wants to prove his innocence, and with the help of Lacy Anisha Stafford, he sets out to do so.
September 25, 2012
The Bride Wore Pearl ของลิซ คาร์ไลล์
เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มที่สามในชุด Fraternitas Aurea Crucis (FAC) ซึ่งเป็นสมาคมลับอันเก่าแก่ของคนกลุ่มที่มีความสามารถพิเศษบางอย่างเหนือธรรมชาติ แต่เล่มนี้ถือว่ามีเรื่องเหนือธรรมชาติออกมาน้อยมากนะคะ เพราะพระเอกแม้จะเป็นสมาชิกของสมาคมนี้ แต่ก็ไม่ได้มีพลังอะไรพิเศษชัดเจน
แรนซ์ เวลแฮม เอิร์ลแห่งลาซอนบี้ต้องใช้ชีวิตสิบกว่าปีอย่างมัวหมอง ตอนที่วัยเพียงสิบเก้าปีเขาถูกกล่าวหาในคดีฆาตกรรม และถูกลงโทษด้วยการแขวนคอ ��ต่เพราะความช่วยเหลือของบิดาและเพื่อน ๆ เขาโกงความตายได้สำเร็จ แต่ชีวิตหลังจากนั้น แรนซ์ต้องเร่รอนอยู่ในยุโรปและแอฟริกา ใช้ชีวิตเป็นทหารรับจ้าง จนกระทั่งถูกตามจับตัวมาดำเนินคดีอีกครั้ง ก่อนที่จะถูกตัดสินว่าไม่มีความผิด เพราะพยานเพียงคนเดียวที่ยืนยันว่าเขาคือคนร้ายกลับคำให้การก่อนตาย
แต่แม้ในทางกฎหมาย แรนซ์จะไม่ผิด แต่ในวงสังคมเขาคือคนร้าย คือฆาตกรใจโหดที่ฆ่าคนเพราะผิดใจกันในวงพนัน การมีชีวิตอยู่ภายใต้ความเสื่อมเสียทำให้แรนซ์ตัดสินใจที่จะใช้ชีวิตอยู่โดดเดี่ยว ดังนั้นแม้เขาจะได้พบกับเลดี้อนิสชา สแตฟฟอร์ด น้องสาวของเพื่อนสนิท แรนซ์ก็ไม่กล้าจะคิด หรือทำอะไรเพื่อสานต่อความสัมพันธ์ ทั้งที่ก็ถูกใจในตัวเธอมาตั้งแต่แรกพบ
อนิสชาอาจจะเป็นลูกสาวของขุนนาง แต่ด้วยสายเลือดอินเดียนทางฝั่งมารดา ก็ท���ให้เธอเองก็ไม่ค่อยได้รับการยอมรับจากสังคมเช่นกัน กระนั้นในสายตาของแรนซ์ เธอก็ยังอยู่เกินเอื้อม ทำให้เธอต้องยอมรับว่า สิ่งที่มากสุดที่ทั้งคู่เป็นได้ต่อกันก็คือ ความเป็นเพื่อน และนั่นก็มากพอที่จะทำให้อนิสชาช่วยแรนซ์ในการสืบหาความจริงเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์ฆาตกรรมเมื่อเกือบยี่สิบปีก่อน ความตายที่แรนซ์ถูกสังคมลงความเห็นว่า เขาคือผู้กระทำ
แต่การสืบหาความจริงของเรื่องที่เกิดขึ้นนานขนาดนั้นไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย โดยเฉพาะเมื่อผู้สืบสวนก็คือ ลูกชายของคนที่กล่าวหา และเป็นตัวตั้งตัวตีในการเอาผิดเขามาแต่แรก ทว่าอนิสชาสามารถช่วยให้นักสืบผู้นั้นเปิดแฟ้มคดีให้เธออ่านได้ ในขณะเดียวกันแรนซ์ก็ตกเป็นเป้าหมายของนักหนังสือพิมพ์ผู้ที่ดูเหมือนจะจับตามองเขายิ่งกว่าการทำข่าวธรรมดา
เรื่องตามสไตล์ของลิซ คาร์ไลล์ค่ะที่พล็อตไม่ค่อยมีอะไมาก เป็นเรื่องราวของตัวละครมากกว่า ยิ่งเล่มนี้ยิ่งเล่าย้อนไปเยอะค่ะ ส่วนหนึ่งคงเพราะคาแร็คเตอร์ทั้งพระเอกและนางเอกมีบทบาทในสองเล่มแรกไม่น้อย เรื่องราวของพวกเขาก็ถูกกล่าวถึงไปในสองเล่มแรกก็เยอะพอควร ที่สำคัญเล่มนี้เปลี่ยนมุมมองของคนอ่าน (อย่างเรา) ไปเลย
นั่นก็คือ (เราไม่รู้ว่าสำหรับคนอื่นคิดยังไงนะคะ แต่เราคิดแบบนี้) ในสองเล่มแรก เราอ่านไปยังไงก็ไม่มีทางที่แรนซ์จะคู่กับอนิสชา เราอ่านแล้วตีความไม่ได้ค่ะ เรามองเห็นแต่งความเป็นเพื่อน อันที่จริงเราจับคู่แรนซ์กับ (สปอยล์) นักหนังสือพิมพ์ที่ตามติดเขา ซึ่งในเล่มแรกมีฉากเข้าด้ายเข้าเข็มกันในระดับนึง ซึ่งอนิสชาบังเอิญมาเห็นเข้าอีกต่างหาก เราเดาเอาเองว่า ตัวละครนี้แท้จริงแล้วเป็นผู้หญิงปลอมตัวมา แล้วเชื่อว่าจะต้องคู่กับแรนซ์ ซึ่งเราเดาถูกหมดค่ะ เป็นผู้หญิงจริง ๆ แต่ดันไม่ได้คู่กัน ส่วนอนิสชานั้นเราคิดว่าจะคู่กับรอยเดน เนเพียร์ นักสืบที่ทำคดีของแรนซ์
ปรากฎว่าผิดหมด ซึ่งนั่นไม่ใช่เรื่องใหญ่ถึงขนาดทำใจไม่ได้ค่ะ แต่เพราะเรื่องในสองเล่มแรกเขียนนำมาให้คิดแบบนี้ ทำให้เล่มนี้ต้องทำงานหนัก เล่าเรื่องย้อนกลับไปตั้งแต่เหตุการณ์ในเล่มแรก ต่อมายังเล่มสอง เล่าซ้ำเรื่องเดิมที่เกิดขึ้น แต่คราวนี้ให้คำอธิบายมากขึ้น พยายามทำให้คนอ่านมองเห็นความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างแรนซ์ และอนิสชาว่าลึกซึ้งมากกว่าที่ได้พบเห็นในสองเล่มแรก
ซึ่งสำหรับคนที่ไม่ได้อ่านสองเล่มแรก เราคิดว่า น่าจะพอโอเค และยอมรับได้ถึงความนิ่งเฉยของแรนซ์ที่ไม่สานต่อความสัมพันธ์ ถ้าเขาโหยหาอนิสชามากขนาดนั้น แต่เพราะฐานะทางสังคม เขาเชื่อว่าตัวเองไม่คู่ควร แต่สำหรับเราที่อ่านสองเล่มแรก คงต้องบอกว่า แม้กระทั่งจะเล่าย้อนกลับไป และเราได้เข้าใจเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นในสองเล่มแรกที่ทำให้เราเชื่อว่า แรนซ์ และอนิสชาไม่ได้มีใจให้กัน ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการจูบที่เมื่อจูบเสร็จ สองคนก็ตกลงกันว่าเป็นเพื่อนกันดีกว่า หรือการที่แรนซ์ทุ่มเทความสนใจให้กับนักหนังสือพิมพ์นามว่าแจ๊ค โคลวอลเตอร์จนเข้าขั้นคลั่งไคล้ เล่มนี้พยายามอธิบายนะคะว่า เหตุการณ์ทั้งหมดนี่ (ที่เกิดในสองเล่มแรก) แท้จริงแล้ว แรนซ์มีใจให้อนิสชา และพยายามหาคำอธิบายให้กับการกระทำของเขา
แต่เราไม่เชื่อเท่าไหร มันยากนะคะ เรื่องราวที่พระเอกนอนฝันถึงผู้ชายอีกคนนึง (แจ๊ค โคลวอลเตอร์) แม้จะไม่ถึงกับเป็นเรื่องเซ็กส์ชัดเจน แต่ก็ส่อไปในความทางเพศไม่น้อย จะบอกว่าเมาแอ๊บซินธ์ก็ใช่ที
ที่สำคัญที่เราไม่เชื่อเพราะไม่มีปฏิกริยาเคมีระหว่างแรนซ์ และอนิสชาเลยสักนิดเดียว ความเป็นเพื่อนมีอยู่เต็มที่ค่ะ เราอ่านหนังสือแนว Friends to Lovers มาก็ไม่น้อยนะคะ แต่นี่มัน Friends อย่างเดียวจริง ๆ
นอกจากประเด็นเรื่องความสัมพันธ์ของพระเอกนางเอกแล้ว ที่เหลือเราก็ชอบไปตามที่เราชอบงานของลิซ คาร์ไลล์ค่ะ นั่นคือเราชอบโลกที่เธอสร้าง เราชอบการเล่าเรื่อง แม้กระทั่งเรื่องที่ไม่มีอะไรเลยก็ตาม ก็ยังชอบ ที่สำคัญเล่มนี้ ยังเอาคาแร็คเตอร์เก่า ๆ มาเดินพาเหรดกันเต็มไปหมด ซึ่งอาจจะไม่ดีสำหรับคนที่ยังไม่ได้อ่านงานของเธอนะคะ เพราะคาดว่าคงจะงงในชีวิตไม่น้อย เพราะไม่ได้ออกมากันเฉย ๆ แต่เล่าเรื่องย้อนอดีตอีกต่างหาก แทบจะเรียกได้ว่า เล่มนี้เป็นแบบฝึกหัดสำหรับทดสอบคนที่เป็นแฟนพันธุ์แท้งานเขียนของลิซ คาร์ไลล์เลยก็ว่าได้
ถ้าไม่นับเรื่องเราไม่เชื่อความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างพระเอกและนางเอก (ซึ่งนี่ก็เป็นเรื่องใหญ่แล้ว) แม็กซ์รู้สึกว่า เล่มนี้ให้ความรู้สึกว่าเป็นงานเขียนของลิซ คาร์ไลล์มากกว่าสองเล่มแรกในชุด ไม่แน่ใจว่าเคยบ่นไปรึยัง แต่เรารู้สึกว่า ตั้งแต่ลิซย้ายมาเขียนให้สนพ.เอว่อน ดูเธอไม่เป็นสไตล์ของเธอเองเลย แต่เล่มนี้กลับมาค่อนข้างครบค่ะ ยกเว้นว่า เราไม่ค่อยเชื่อเรื่องการจับคู่พระนางคู่นี้เท่าไหร
ให้คะแนนยากนะคะ เพราะในแง่ของการเขียน การเล่าเรื่อง เราชอบนะคะ แต่เราไม่เชื่อว่าพระเอกและนางเอกเป็นอะไรมากกว่าแค่เพื่อนระหว่างกันได้ ยึดหลักให้ที่ 70 ค่ะ (ถ้าจับคู่แยกกันกะคนอื่น แล้วเขียนเล่าเรื่องแบบนี้ น่าจะได้เยอะกว่านี้เยอะค่ะ)
เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มที่สามในชุด Fraternitas Aurea Crucis (FAC) ซึ่งเป็นสมาคมลับอันเก่าแก่ของคนกลุ่มที่มีความสามารถพิเศษบางอย่างเหนือธรรมชาติ แต่เล่มนี้ถือว่ามีเรื่องเหนือธรรมชาติออกมาน้อยมากนะคะ เพราะพระเอกแม้จะเป็นสมาชิกของสมาคมนี้ แต่ก็ไม่ได้มีพลังอะไรพิเศษชัดเจน
แรนซ์ เวลแฮม เอิร์ลแห่งลาซอนบี้ต้องใช้ชีวิตสิบกว่าปีอย่างมัวหมอง ตอนที่วัยเพียงสิบเก้าปีเขาถูกกล่าวหาในคดีฆาตกรรม และถูกลงโทษด้วยการแขวนคอ ��ต่เพราะความช่วยเหลือของบิดาและเพื่อน ๆ เขาโกงความตายได้สำเร็จ แต่ชีวิตหลังจากนั้น แรนซ์ต้องเร่รอนอยู่ในยุโรปและแอฟริกา ใช้ชีวิตเป็นทหารรับจ้าง จนกระทั่งถูกตามจับตัวมาดำเนินคดีอีกครั้ง ก่อนที่จะถูกตัดสินว่าไม่มีความผิด เพราะพยานเพียงคนเดียวที่ยืนยันว่าเขาคือคนร้ายกลับคำให้การก่อนตาย
แต่แม้ในทางกฎหมาย แรนซ์จะไม่ผิด แต่ในวงสังคมเขาคือคนร้าย คือฆาตกรใจโหดที่ฆ่าคนเพราะผิดใจกันในวงพนัน การมีชีวิตอยู่ภายใต้ความเสื่อมเสียทำให้แรนซ์ตัดสินใจที่จะใช้ชีวิตอยู่โดดเดี่ยว ดังนั้นแม้เขาจะได้พบกับเลดี้อนิสชา สแตฟฟอร์ด น้องสาวของเพื่อนสนิท แรนซ์ก็ไม่กล้าจะคิด หรือทำอะไรเพื่อสานต่อความสัมพันธ์ ทั้งที่ก็ถูกใจในตัวเธอมาตั้งแต่แรกพบ
อนิสชาอาจจะเป็นลูกสาวของขุนนาง แต่ด้วยสายเลือดอินเดียนทางฝั่งมารดา ก็ท���ให้เธอเองก็ไม่ค่อยได้รับการยอมรับจากสังคมเช่นกัน กระนั้นในสายตาของแรนซ์ เธอก็ยังอยู่เกินเอื้อม ทำให้เธอต้องยอมรับว่า สิ่งที่มากสุดที่ทั้งคู่เป็นได้ต่อกันก็คือ ความเป็นเพื่อน และนั่นก็มากพอที่จะทำให้อนิสชาช่วยแรนซ์ในการสืบหาความจริงเกี่ยวกับเหตุการณ์ฆาตกรรมเมื่อเกือบยี่สิบปีก่อน ความตายที่แรนซ์ถูกสังคมลงความเห็นว่า เขาคือผู้กระทำ
แต่การสืบหาความจริงของเรื่องที่เกิดขึ้นนานขนาดนั้นไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย โดยเฉพาะเมื่อผู้สืบสวนก็คือ ลูกชายของคนที่กล่าวหา และเป็นตัวตั้งตัวตีในการเอาผิดเขามาแต่แรก ทว่าอนิสชาสามารถช่วยให้นักสืบผู้นั้นเปิดแฟ้มคดีให้เธออ่านได้ ในขณะเดียวกันแรนซ์ก็ตกเป็นเป้าหมายของนักหนังสือพิมพ์ผู้ที่ดูเหมือนจะจับตามองเขายิ่งกว่าการทำข่าวธรรมดา
เรื่องตามสไตล์ของลิซ คาร์ไลล์ค่ะที่พล็อตไม่ค่อยมีอะไมาก เป็นเรื่องราวของตัวละครมากกว่า ยิ่งเล่มนี้ยิ่งเล่าย้อนไปเยอะค่ะ ส่วนหนึ่งคงเพราะคาแร็คเตอร์ทั้งพระเอกและนางเอกมีบทบาทในสองเล่มแรกไม่น้อย เรื่องราวของพวกเขาก็ถูกกล่าวถึงไปในสองเล่มแรกก็เยอะพอควร ที่สำคัญเล่มนี้เปลี่ยนมุมมองของคนอ่าน (อย่างเรา) ไปเลย
นั่นก็คือ (เราไม่รู้ว่าสำหรับคนอื่นคิดยังไงนะคะ แต่เราคิดแบบนี้) ในสองเล่มแรก เราอ่านไปยังไงก็ไม่มีทางที่แรนซ์จะคู่กับอนิสชา เราอ่านแล้วตีความไม่ได้ค่ะ เรามองเห็นแต่งความเป็นเพื่อน อันที่จริงเราจับคู่แรนซ์กับ (สปอยล์) นักหนังสือพิมพ์ที่ตามติดเขา ซึ่งในเล่มแรกมีฉากเข้าด้ายเข้าเข็มกันในระดับนึง ซึ่งอนิสชาบังเอิญมาเห็นเข้าอีกต่างหาก เราเดาเอาเองว่า ตัวละครนี้แท้จริงแล้วเป็นผู้หญิงปลอมตัวมา แล้วเชื่อว่าจะต้องคู่กับแรนซ์ ซึ่งเราเดาถูกหมดค่ะ เป็นผู้หญิงจริง ๆ แต่ดันไม่ได้คู่กัน ส่วนอนิสชานั้นเราคิดว่าจะคู่กับรอยเดน เนเพียร์ นักสืบที่ทำคดีของแรนซ์
ปรากฎว่าผิดหมด ซึ่งนั่นไม่ใช่เรื่องใหญ่ถึงขนาดทำใจไม่ได้ค่ะ แต่เพราะเรื่องในสองเล่มแรกเขียนนำมาให้คิดแบบนี้ ทำให้เล่มนี้ต้องทำงานหนัก เล่าเรื่องย้อนกลับไปตั้งแต่เหตุการณ์ในเล่มแรก ต่อมายังเล่มสอง เล่าซ้ำเรื่องเดิมที่เกิดขึ้น แต่คราวนี้ให้คำอธิบายมากขึ้น พยายามทำให้คนอ่านมองเห็นความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างแรนซ์ และอนิสชาว่าลึกซึ้งมากกว่าที่ได้พบเห็นในสองเล่มแรก
ซึ่งสำหรับคนที่ไม่ได้อ่านสองเล่มแรก เราคิดว่า น่าจะพอโอเค และยอมรับได้ถึงความนิ่งเฉยของแรนซ์ที่ไม่สานต่อความสัมพันธ์ ถ้าเขาโหยหาอนิสชามากขนาดนั้น แต่เพราะฐานะทางสังคม เขาเชื่อว่าตัวเองไม่คู่ควร แต่สำหรับเราที่อ่านสองเล่มแรก คงต้องบอกว่า แม้กระทั่งจะเล่าย้อนกลับไป และเราได้เข้าใจเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นในสองเล่มแรกที่ทำให้เราเชื่อว่า แรนซ์ และอนิสชาไม่ได้มีใจให้กัน ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการจูบที่เมื่อจูบเสร็จ สองคนก็ตกลงกันว่าเป็นเพื่อนกันดีกว่า หรือการที่แรนซ์ทุ่มเทความสนใจให้กับนักหนังสือพิมพ์นามว่าแจ๊ค โคลวอลเตอร์จนเข้าขั้นคลั่งไคล้ เล่มนี้พยายามอธิบายนะคะว่า เหตุการณ์ทั้งหมดนี่ (ที่เกิดในสองเล่มแรก) แท้จริงแล้ว แรนซ์มีใจให้อนิสชา และพยายามหาคำอธิบายให้กับการกระทำของเขา
แต่เราไม่เชื่อเท่าไหร มันยากนะคะ เรื่องราวที่พระเอกนอนฝันถึงผู้ชายอีกคนนึง (แจ๊ค โคลวอลเตอร์) แม้จะไม่ถึงกับเป็นเรื่องเซ็กส์ชัดเจน แต่ก็ส่อไปในความทางเพศไม่น้อย จะบอกว่าเมาแอ๊บซินธ์ก็ใช่ที
ที่สำคัญที่เราไม่เชื่อเพราะไม่มีปฏิกริยาเคมีระหว่างแรนซ์ และอนิสชาเลยสักนิดเดียว ความเป็นเพื่อนมีอยู่เต็มที่ค่ะ เราอ่านหนังสือแนว Friends to Lovers มาก็ไม่น้อยนะคะ แต่นี่มัน Friends อย่างเดียวจริง ๆ
นอกจากประเด็นเรื่องความสัมพันธ์ของพระเอกนางเอกแล้ว ที่เหลือเราก็ชอบไปตามที่เราชอบงานของลิซ คาร์ไลล์ค่ะ นั่นคือเราชอบโลกที่เธอสร้าง เราชอบการเล่าเรื่อง แม้กระทั่งเรื่องที่ไม่มีอะไรเลยก็ตาม ก็ยังชอบ ที่สำคัญเล่มนี้ ยังเอาคาแร็คเตอร์เก่า ๆ มาเดินพาเหรดกันเต็มไปหมด ซึ่งอาจจะไม่ดีสำหรับคนที่ยังไม่ได้อ่านงานของเธอนะคะ เพราะคาดว่าคงจะงงในชีวิตไม่น้อย เพราะไม่ได้ออกมากันเฉย ๆ แต่เล่าเรื่องย้อนอดีตอีกต่างหาก แทบจะเรียกได้ว่า เล่มนี้เป็นแบบฝึกหัดสำหรับทดสอบคนที่เป็นแฟนพันธุ์แท้งานเขียนของลิซ คาร์ไลล์เลยก็ว่าได้
ถ้าไม่นับเรื่องเราไม่เชื่อความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างพระเอกและนางเอก (ซึ่งนี่ก็เป็นเรื่องใหญ่แล้ว) แม็กซ์รู้สึกว่า เล่มนี้ให้ความรู้สึกว่าเป็นงานเขียนของลิซ คาร์ไลล์มากกว่าสองเล่มแรกในชุด ไม่แน่ใจว่าเคยบ่นไปรึยัง แต่เรารู้สึกว่า ตั้งแต่ลิซย้ายมาเขียนให้สนพ.เอว่อน ดูเธอไม่เป็นสไตล์ของเธอเองเลย แต่เล่มนี้กลับมาค่อนข้างครบค่ะ ยกเว้นว่า เราไม่ค่อยเชื่อเรื่องการจับคู่พระนางคู่นี้เท่าไหร
ให้คะแนนยากนะคะ เพราะในแง่ของการเขียน การเล่าเรื่อง เราชอบนะคะ แต่เราไม่เชื่อว่าพระเอกและนางเอกเป็นอะไรมากกว่าแค่เพื่อนระหว่างกันได้ ยึดหลักให้ที่ 70 ค่ะ (ถ้าจับคู่แยกกันกะคนอื่น แล้วเขียนเล่าเรื่องแบบนี้ น่าจะได้เยอะกว่านี้เยอะค่ะ)
January 10, 2018
2 1/2 stars. It was sort of boring.
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