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Notorious Gentlemen #2
Before the Scandal
It Was a Scandal Waiting to Happen . . .
Colonel Phineas Bromley is a legend—on the battlefield and in the bedroom. Though he's won many wars, and even more hearts, nothing could prepare him for his new life. When Phin discovers that someone has been pushing his family toward ruin, he assumes the role of a legendary highwayman. Riding out in the middle of the night, hidden behind a mask, Phin heads straight into trouble . . . and into the arms of the ravishing girl next door.
Coming face-to-face with a masked man did not frighten Alyse Donnelly as it should have. Instead, she finds him rather dashing. But her foolish heart has led her into trouble before, and helping a fugitive may mean jeopardizing her own plans, no matter how enticing his kisses. Now, as the danger grows, Alyse must make a choice between freedom . . . and the chance for true love.
Colonel Phineas Bromley is a legend—on the battlefield and in the bedroom. Though he's won many wars, and even more hearts, nothing could prepare him for his new life. When Phin discovers that someone has been pushing his family toward ruin, he assumes the role of a legendary highwayman. Riding out in the middle of the night, hidden behind a mask, Phin heads straight into trouble . . . and into the arms of the ravishing girl next door.
Coming face-to-face with a masked man did not frighten Alyse Donnelly as it should have. Instead, she finds him rather dashing. But her foolish heart has led her into trouble before, and helping a fugitive may mean jeopardizing her own plans, no matter how enticing his kisses. Now, as the danger grows, Alyse must make a choice between freedom . . . and the chance for true love.
378 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 29, 2008
70 people are currently reading
959 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Enoch
102 books2,631 followersSuzanne was born in Southern California sometime in the latter half of the 20th century. In the way that some people are born knowing they want to be astronauts or cellists, Suzanne always knew she wanted to be a writer. Early dreams of becoming a zoologist and writing true stories about her adventures in Africa were crushed, however, after she viewed a television special about the world’s most poisonous snakes; she did NOT want to write about how she’d been bitten and lost a limb to a cobra. Thankfully at the same time the movie “Star Wars” premiered, and she realized that she could make up adventures and write about them, and not be eaten by deadly predators while doing research.
She dabbled in romantic fantasy writing for a year or two after graduating with a degree in English from the University of California, Irvine, until her affection for traditional Regency romances led her to write one for fun. After several encouraging rejections from publishers, she snared the interest of the world’s best and most patient literary agent, who advised her to revise the manuscript. This ultimately led to the publication of her first book, The Black Duke’s Prize, from Avon Books in the Spring of 1995. A second Regency, Angel’s Devil, followed that Fall.
When Avon folded its traditional Regency line, Suzanne was encouraged to try her hand at historical romance. As she remained keenly interested in England’s Regency period, she decided to attempt another manuscript set in that time. Lady Rogue hit the shelves in March of 1997. She wrote a total of 29 books for Avon, including two anthologies and a five-part contemporary series which received a pair of starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. One of those books, Twice the Temptation, was named one of the five best romances of the year by PW in 2007.
In 2002 her well-known love of all things “Star Wars” led to an invitation to appear on the E! channel in the television special “Star Wars: The Force Is Back”, where she discussed the romance in the movie series and ended up with more air time than George Lucas.
In 2010 Suzanne left Avon Books for St. Martin’s Press, where she continues to pen historical romance novels. Her 31st book, Taming an Impossible Rogue, is set to arrive in March 2012.
Suzanne is known for her humorous characters, sexy bad boys, and whip-sharp, witty dialogue. She currently resides in Placentia, California with several hundred guppies and various other tropical fish, and handful of very loud, spinach-loving finches. And her collection of action figures and statues from “Star Wars”, “Lord of the Rings”, “X-Men”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Everybody needs some inspiration, after all.
www.facebook.com/SuzanneEnoch
She dabbled in romantic fantasy writing for a year or two after graduating with a degree in English from the University of California, Irvine, until her affection for traditional Regency romances led her to write one for fun. After several encouraging rejections from publishers, she snared the interest of the world’s best and most patient literary agent, who advised her to revise the manuscript. This ultimately led to the publication of her first book, The Black Duke’s Prize, from Avon Books in the Spring of 1995. A second Regency, Angel’s Devil, followed that Fall.
When Avon folded its traditional Regency line, Suzanne was encouraged to try her hand at historical romance. As she remained keenly interested in England’s Regency period, she decided to attempt another manuscript set in that time. Lady Rogue hit the shelves in March of 1997. She wrote a total of 29 books for Avon, including two anthologies and a five-part contemporary series which received a pair of starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. One of those books, Twice the Temptation, was named one of the five best romances of the year by PW in 2007.
In 2002 her well-known love of all things “Star Wars” led to an invitation to appear on the E! channel in the television special “Star Wars: The Force Is Back”, where she discussed the romance in the movie series and ended up with more air time than George Lucas.
In 2010 Suzanne left Avon Books for St. Martin’s Press, where she continues to pen historical romance novels. Her 31st book, Taming an Impossible Rogue, is set to arrive in March 2012.
Suzanne is known for her humorous characters, sexy bad boys, and whip-sharp, witty dialogue. She currently resides in Placentia, California with several hundred guppies and various other tropical fish, and handful of very loud, spinach-loving finches. And her collection of action figures and statues from “Star Wars”, “Lord of the Rings”, “X-Men”, and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Everybody needs some inspiration, after all.
www.facebook.com/SuzanneEnoch
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
December 9, 2020
Keşke sonlarda biraz daha kan dökülseydi, beni deli eden karakterler vardı 😄 onun dışında bir öncekinden daha çok sevdim ve nihayet seri eksiğimi tamamlamış oldum.
August 12, 2008
Well, this one is really more like 3.5 stars. I read "After the Kiss" yesterday, so I thought I'd go ahead and get "Before the Scandal" done today while the characters were still fresh in my mind. I was a little disappointed that I still have to wait for Bram's story, but Phineas' wasn't too bad at all.
Phineas is estranged from his family. He left home 10 years ago after a horrible accident and his only link has been his sister's letters to him while he's fighting on the peninsula. So he's pretty worried when her latest letter leads him to believe his older brother is on his death bed. He's just plain worried when he quickly returns home only to find out his brother is fine, but the estate is on the brink of bankruptcy. After only two days he's pretty sure of two things: the estates troubles are being orchestrated by somebody; and the 'girl he left behind' has become the woman he can't live without.
Alyse is shocked when Phineas arrives home while she and her remaining relatives are dining with his brother and sister. He's just as handsome as always, if not more so in his dashing uniform. But Phineas has always been a troublemaker since they played together as children and she's already been burned before. That's why she's living as a companion to her crotchety aunt, little more than an unpaid servant. She can't deny her growing feelings for Phineas, but will she risk her heart and a roof over her head when she knows it's just a matter of time before he leaves her again?
I didn't like "Before the Scandal" as much as I liked "After the Kiss". All the delightful regency trimmings that Enoch excels at were there, but the mystery wasn't very mysterious and the lack of communication among most of the characters including Phineas, Alyse, Phineas' brother, etc. just irritated the crap out of me. I also didn't buy into Phineas' reasons for becoming a highwayman...that seemed like it came from left field somewhere. It was neat to revisit some of the characters from the last book, and I'm still excited about Bram's upcoming book, but this one just didn't hit the right notes for me and isn't headed for my keeper shelf.
Phineas is estranged from his family. He left home 10 years ago after a horrible accident and his only link has been his sister's letters to him while he's fighting on the peninsula. So he's pretty worried when her latest letter leads him to believe his older brother is on his death bed. He's just plain worried when he quickly returns home only to find out his brother is fine, but the estate is on the brink of bankruptcy. After only two days he's pretty sure of two things: the estates troubles are being orchestrated by somebody; and the 'girl he left behind' has become the woman he can't live without.
Alyse is shocked when Phineas arrives home while she and her remaining relatives are dining with his brother and sister. He's just as handsome as always, if not more so in his dashing uniform. But Phineas has always been a troublemaker since they played together as children and she's already been burned before. That's why she's living as a companion to her crotchety aunt, little more than an unpaid servant. She can't deny her growing feelings for Phineas, but will she risk her heart and a roof over her head when she knows it's just a matter of time before he leaves her again?
I didn't like "Before the Scandal" as much as I liked "After the Kiss". All the delightful regency trimmings that Enoch excels at were there, but the mystery wasn't very mysterious and the lack of communication among most of the characters including Phineas, Alyse, Phineas' brother, etc. just irritated the crap out of me. I also didn't buy into Phineas' reasons for becoming a highwayman...that seemed like it came from left field somewhere. It was neat to revisit some of the characters from the last book, and I'm still excited about Bram's upcoming book, but this one just didn't hit the right notes for me and isn't headed for my keeper shelf.
December 2, 2021
allah peygamber aşkına benim gibi bi’ pdf-epub-bükücü bu seriyi nasıl bulamaz hiçbir yerde ya, kafayı yiyeceğim! tekrar okunacaklara atıyorum bunu da...
November 21, 2019
Did not finish -- wallpaper all the way.
August 29, 2010
I really enjoyed this one. Probably more than the first in the series. The story felt stronger to me, both the hero and heroine's characters were well-defined and the HEA was excellent. The hero and heroine both suffered for mistakes made in their adolescence, and they are both survivors, used to taking their circumstances with a level head, and using the skills at their disposal to make something for themselves. The heroine has been badly treated by her past, but still works for a better future for herself, and one thing I absolutely LOVED about this story, the hero didn't turn around and imply that everything would be made just fine if she married him and had a brood of babies. Yes, they did have their HEA, but it wasn't just a case of the heroine capitulating in the face of the hero's overwhelming sexual charisma. Of course it doesn't hurt if the hero is a bona fide war hero, rides a horse that could eat small children, and was a naughty rake by the age of 17. They worked together for the right outcome, putting themselves at danger, and the villain got what he deserved. Very enjoyable.
July 8, 2012
Gosh, I wish Goodreads did half stars cause this is a 3.5 for me.
I had a bit of trouble getting into this one and I'm not too sure why cause I loved Phin, and Alyse was a character who had been through so much. Each of them had their own "scandal" in the past that they were still trying to deal with.
I really didn't care for the ending. It seemed a bit too easy after what had all happened. But, having Lord Bram and Sully come to help Phin made up for it ;) I'm still looking forward to Bram's book.
I had a bit of trouble getting into this one and I'm not too sure why cause I loved Phin, and Alyse was a character who had been through so much. Each of them had their own "scandal" in the past that they were still trying to deal with.
I really didn't care for the ending. It seemed a bit too easy after what had all happened. But, having Lord Bram and Sully come to help Phin made up for it ;) I'm still looking forward to Bram's book.
May 28, 2023
Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Mijn struikrover - Candlelight Historische roman 824
Phineas Bromley keert na een alarmerende brief van zijn zus aangaande de gezondheid van hun gehandicapte broer na 10 jaar naar huis . Thuis aangekomen blijkt het met de gezondheid van zijn broer wel mee te vallen maar er zijn de laatste tijd nogal wat vreemde voorvallen geweest en Phin heeft zich voorgenomen om uit te zoeken wie daar achter zitten . Daarbij kan hij de hulp van zijn buurmeisje/-vrouw Alyse goed gebruiken .
Phineas Bromley keert na een alarmerende brief van zijn zus aangaande de gezondheid van hun gehandicapte broer na 10 jaar naar huis . Thuis aangekomen blijkt het met de gezondheid van zijn broer wel mee te vallen maar er zijn de laatste tijd nogal wat vreemde voorvallen geweest en Phin heeft zich voorgenomen om uit te zoeken wie daar achter zitten . Daarbij kan hij de hulp van zijn buurmeisje/-vrouw Alyse goed gebruiken .
November 18, 2008
Books like this one are the reason that Suzanne Enoch is a must read for me. I found Before the Scandal to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. The main characters were very appealing, and I hope to see more of some of the secondary characters in subsequent novels. I enjoyed the storyline, and found the book to be engrossing and easy to read. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.
Phineas Bromley left home at age seventeen after a tragic accident that was caused by his irresponsible behavior. He has been estranged from his family for the intervening ten years, although he exchanges letters with his younger sister. Phineas is unable to forgive himself for his actions that changed his brother's life, and he doesn't think it possible that his brother, William, could ever feel anything towards him except contempt. For the ten years he has been away from home, Phineas has been a dutiful, reliable soldier. When he receives a letter from his sister appealing to him to come home because of the ill health of his elder brother, Phineas leaves his regiment and rushes home. He is shocked to find that his brother is not at death's door, but is facing financial difficulty due to a series of unfortunate incidents. Phineas immediately suspects that the misfortune which has befallen his family is not accidental, and he begins to use unonventional means to investigate to find out who is behind the mishaps. Phineas is dismayed to find that in order to investigate without putting his family at risk, he has to appear to be shallow and uncaring of others. It hurts him to disappoint his brother and sister with his behavior, but he believes that they will be safer if they do not ally themselves with him. The one bright light in Phineas' situation is his becoming reacquainted with his childhood friend, Alyse Donnelly. After a privileged childhood, life has become more difficult for Alyse as she has been placed at the mercy of an uncaring cousin. As Phineas tries to unravel the incidents plaguing his family, he and Alyse grow close to one another. Alyse trusts Phineas as no one else ever has, and she becomes his confidante. Phineas and Alyse must rely on one another and decide if they have a future together.
I thoroughly enjoyed both of the books of the Notorious Gentlemen series, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next. Suzanne Enoch's books are always interesting with characters that I normally find very appealing. Before the Scandal has taken its place among my other favorites by this author.
Phineas Bromley left home at age seventeen after a tragic accident that was caused by his irresponsible behavior. He has been estranged from his family for the intervening ten years, although he exchanges letters with his younger sister. Phineas is unable to forgive himself for his actions that changed his brother's life, and he doesn't think it possible that his brother, William, could ever feel anything towards him except contempt. For the ten years he has been away from home, Phineas has been a dutiful, reliable soldier. When he receives a letter from his sister appealing to him to come home because of the ill health of his elder brother, Phineas leaves his regiment and rushes home. He is shocked to find that his brother is not at death's door, but is facing financial difficulty due to a series of unfortunate incidents. Phineas immediately suspects that the misfortune which has befallen his family is not accidental, and he begins to use unonventional means to investigate to find out who is behind the mishaps. Phineas is dismayed to find that in order to investigate without putting his family at risk, he has to appear to be shallow and uncaring of others. It hurts him to disappoint his brother and sister with his behavior, but he believes that they will be safer if they do not ally themselves with him. The one bright light in Phineas' situation is his becoming reacquainted with his childhood friend, Alyse Donnelly. After a privileged childhood, life has become more difficult for Alyse as she has been placed at the mercy of an uncaring cousin. As Phineas tries to unravel the incidents plaguing his family, he and Alyse grow close to one another. Alyse trusts Phineas as no one else ever has, and she becomes his confidante. Phineas and Alyse must rely on one another and decide if they have a future together.
I thoroughly enjoyed both of the books of the Notorious Gentlemen series, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next. Suzanne Enoch's books are always interesting with characters that I normally find very appealing. Before the Scandal has taken its place among my other favorites by this author.
August 14, 2008
This was a pleasant surprise. I did not like the first book in the series at all, but my mother saw this at Target and bought it for me anyway. It was much better. I found the heroine in the first one to be ungodly whiny, but Alyse was funny, charming and easy to relate to and root for. It gives me hope for the next one in the series.
January 20, 2019
Hep Seni Bekledim (Notorious Gentlemen Serisi 2)
Suzanne Enoch,
Başlarda çok sıkıldım. Ama sonradan birazcık merak ettim kısaca Konusuna yazmam gerekirse direk kopya yapıyorum hatırlamak isteyenler için😁
Phineas Bromley, ömrünün on yılına mal olan gönüllü sürgününün ardından eve döndüğünde tepetaklak oluverir. Balo salonlarının tozunu yutacağı yaşlarda savaş meydanında at koşturmuş bir asker olarak sivil hayata uyum sağlaması hiç de kolay olmaz. Ne var ki, küçücük bir sır, zamanlaması son derece münasebetsiz görünen bu buluşmayı hayat memat meselesine çevirecektir. Birilerinin baba yadigârı topraklarına göz diktiğini keşfeden Phineas, düşmanlarını ortaya çıkarmak için bir çare bulmak zorundadır.
Yukarıda bahsettiği gibi Phin hikayesi birazcık bana acıklı geldi özelikle abisinin durumu. Ama Beth çok iyiydi böyle küçükluk aşklarına bayılıyorum. Onu gördüğü an ki heyecanı ve ilerleyişini. Ve yazar Phin karekterine bence duyguyu biraz daha vermeliydi yeterli gelmedi o yüzden hikayeyi basit heyecansız buldum. Şimdi sıra en merak ettiğim arkadasa geldi. kadınlar tarafından hayran olunan o gizemli adama 😄
Suzanne Enoch,
Başlarda çok sıkıldım. Ama sonradan birazcık merak ettim kısaca Konusuna yazmam gerekirse direk kopya yapıyorum hatırlamak isteyenler için😁
Phineas Bromley, ömrünün on yılına mal olan gönüllü sürgününün ardından eve döndüğünde tepetaklak oluverir. Balo salonlarının tozunu yutacağı yaşlarda savaş meydanında at koşturmuş bir asker olarak sivil hayata uyum sağlaması hiç de kolay olmaz. Ne var ki, küçücük bir sır, zamanlaması son derece münasebetsiz görünen bu buluşmayı hayat memat meselesine çevirecektir. Birilerinin baba yadigârı topraklarına göz diktiğini keşfeden Phineas, düşmanlarını ortaya çıkarmak için bir çare bulmak zorundadır.
Yukarıda bahsettiği gibi Phin hikayesi birazcık bana acıklı geldi özelikle abisinin durumu. Ama Beth çok iyiydi böyle küçükluk aşklarına bayılıyorum. Onu gördüğü an ki heyecanı ve ilerleyişini. Ve yazar Phin karekterine bence duyguyu biraz daha vermeliydi yeterli gelmedi o yüzden hikayeyi basit heyecansız buldum. Şimdi sıra en merak ettiğim arkadasa geldi. kadınlar tarafından hayran olunan o gizemli adama 😄
May 6, 2009
This book gets the fourth star mostly because I just enjoyed reading it. We're back in Regency Romancelandia, this time for the story of Lieutenant Colonel Phineas Bromley, who resorts to robbing coaches in order to find clues as to who is harassing his family. He's helped along the way by his "ruined" childhood friend, Alyse.
The book fails as a whodunnit, because the culprit behind all the trouble at the Bromley estate is obvious from almost the first page. I also wish the scandal involving Alyse, which was important enough for the book to be titled after it, were juicier. It's one of those peculiarities of the genre, I suppose; it doesn't take much to ruin Alyse's reputation, and now she's a 25-year-old spinster playing Cinderella to her cousin and wicked-stepmother-type aunt.
Otherwise, there's some good mayhem in this one, and Phin is a great character. (I liked Alyse, also, and I like that not much is made of the fact that she and Phin start sleeping together out of wedlock; the point is moot since she's already "ruined" I guess.) But one of the best scenes in the book is towards the end, when Phin has to confront his brother William, and William makes Phin confront himself. It's a little bit easy, but it's a good redemption arc, not that Phin ever necessarily needs to be redeemed.
The last book in the series, aside from having a really awful cover, is not yet available for the Kindle. *shakes fist*
The book fails as a whodunnit, because the culprit behind all the trouble at the Bromley estate is obvious from almost the first page. I also wish the scandal involving Alyse, which was important enough for the book to be titled after it, were juicier. It's one of those peculiarities of the genre, I suppose; it doesn't take much to ruin Alyse's reputation, and now she's a 25-year-old spinster playing Cinderella to her cousin and wicked-stepmother-type aunt.
Otherwise, there's some good mayhem in this one, and Phin is a great character. (I liked Alyse, also, and I like that not much is made of the fact that she and Phin start sleeping together out of wedlock; the point is moot since she's already "ruined" I guess.) But one of the best scenes in the book is towards the end, when Phin has to confront his brother William, and William makes Phin confront himself. It's a little bit easy, but it's a good redemption arc, not that Phin ever necessarily needs to be redeemed.
The last book in the series, aside from having a really awful cover, is not yet available for the Kindle. *shakes fist*
February 5, 2017
In Suzanne Enoch's Before the Scandal, the second installment in the Notorious Gentlemen series, get ready to be hooked into a wild ride of romance and danger. When Colonel Phineas Bromley received a mysterious missive from his sister Elizabeth, he took a leave from fighting the war and returned home to London. Little did he know and later find, someone tries to push his family into ruin. First the fire, then the wells, and the loose bloodhound. Phin needed his ally Thad Gordon, and someone close to help him discover the truth. Ten years ago, before the scandal when he accidentally handicapped his brother, Phin and Alyse were friends. Now he had returned from the war, he gets to know her more intimately and becomes her friend. For Alyse, she's been forced to be her aunt's companion and her live with his cousin, both people she couldn't stand to be with, ever since her parents died. As Phin learns more shocking revelations, he believed it was his neighbor Richard Donnelly, who wants the land for himself and insinuates himself into his family by courting Beth. Both Phin and Alyse create a secret alliance of intimate proportions as she spies for her cousin and vice versa. Undercover, Phin poses as the French Highwayman to make some noise. Now her cousin Richard needs her to point the finger to Phin with a handsome bribe. When push comes to shove, Phin has the right evidence to make Richard confess and makes Alyse his own.
April 12, 2025
Books I Own. Mad About Series Challenge 2025 HRBC. Tropes: Regency Romance, Romance/Mystery, Friends to Lovers, Law Enforcement/Spy (Soldiers), Family/Friends, Scandal.
MC's h. Alyse Donnelly, 25, spinster ruined by Scandal, unpaid companion to her Aunt Eleanor, cousin Richard the new Earl's mother, childhood friend of Phineas Bromley. H. Lt. Col. Phineus Bromley, 2 of 3 siblings: William, Parapalegic, 34, Viscount Bromley, L.Elizabeth Bromley 17, army soldier for 10 years, home after Elizabeth (Beth) wrote him that his brother was dying. Phin's bestfriend's Sullivan Waring (illigitimate son of Marquess) and L. Bramwell (Bram) Johns (Duke's spare), friend Gordon Sergeant at Arms.
Comment: Connection to the other 3 books in the series; Sullivan Waring and Bram Johns came in to help at the end.
*****************************************************************************
MC's h. Alyse Donnelly, 25, spinster ruined by Scandal, unpaid companion to her Aunt Eleanor, cousin Richard the new Earl's mother, childhood friend of Phineas Bromley. H. Lt. Col. Phineus Bromley, 2 of 3 siblings: William, Parapalegic, 34, Viscount Bromley, L.Elizabeth Bromley 17, army soldier for 10 years, home after Elizabeth (Beth) wrote him that his brother was dying. Phin's bestfriend's Sullivan Waring (illigitimate son of Marquess) and L. Bramwell (Bram) Johns (Duke's spare), friend Gordon Sergeant at Arms.
Comment: Connection to the other 3 books in the series; Sullivan Waring and Bram Johns came in to help at the end.
*****************************************************************************
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2013
I'm not sure why I don't read more Suzanne Enoch because I've enjoyed everything I've read by her. I gobbled this one up in a day and really liked Phin & Alyse's story. Looking forward to Bram's story next.
August 12, 2017
Phineas dikabari bhw kakaknya sakit keras sehingga dia tergopoh-gopoh pulang ke rumah. Setibanya di rmh ternyata masalah utama bukan kakaknya melainkan tanah yg di Quench yg diterpa masalah terus-menerus. Phineas juga bertemu kembali dgn Alyse Donnelly pacar semasa remajanya, menimbulkan kembali percikan asmara diantara mereka.
Sayangnya Phineas menyelidiki masalah gangguan tanah di Quench dgn cara menyamar ala Zorro yg merampok kereta berkuda milik org kaya. Hal ini menyulitkan posisi Alyse menjadi dilema, haruskah dia mengkhianati Phineas demi segepok pound dan mendapatkan kebebasan yg diimpikannya atau malah memilih memihak Phineas dan kehilangan segalanya?
Saya masih belum memperoleh "feel" di novel kedua seri Notorious Gentlemen ini. Walaupun alur ceritanya enak dibaca, tapi chemistry antara Phineas dan Alyse sangat hambar terutama di awal kisah. Pergolakan batin Alyse juga terasa biasa saja padahal sbg pihak yg bermain ganda, Alyse seharusnya dieksplorasi kecemasan ataupun kegalauannya, bukamnya digambarkan terlalu tenang dan seperti sudah tahu hasil akhirnya.
Poin yg membantu novel ini hanya kegigihan dan semangat Phineas utk membongkar kejahatan di Quench. Sosok Phineas sbg kakak yg protektif bagi Beth dan yg jauh lebih bugar drpd William (sang kakak sulung) terasa pas dan cocok utk karakternya. Tetapi sosok sang pencinta wanita sama sekali tidak cocok alias jauh banget dgn pembawaannya.
Harapan saya tinggal di buku terakhir, #3. Semoga Bram berhasil memesona saya.
Sayangnya Phineas menyelidiki masalah gangguan tanah di Quench dgn cara menyamar ala Zorro yg merampok kereta berkuda milik org kaya. Hal ini menyulitkan posisi Alyse menjadi dilema, haruskah dia mengkhianati Phineas demi segepok pound dan mendapatkan kebebasan yg diimpikannya atau malah memilih memihak Phineas dan kehilangan segalanya?
Saya masih belum memperoleh "feel" di novel kedua seri Notorious Gentlemen ini. Walaupun alur ceritanya enak dibaca, tapi chemistry antara Phineas dan Alyse sangat hambar terutama di awal kisah. Pergolakan batin Alyse juga terasa biasa saja padahal sbg pihak yg bermain ganda, Alyse seharusnya dieksplorasi kecemasan ataupun kegalauannya, bukamnya digambarkan terlalu tenang dan seperti sudah tahu hasil akhirnya.
Poin yg membantu novel ini hanya kegigihan dan semangat Phineas utk membongkar kejahatan di Quench. Sosok Phineas sbg kakak yg protektif bagi Beth dan yg jauh lebih bugar drpd William (sang kakak sulung) terasa pas dan cocok utk karakternya. Tetapi sosok sang pencinta wanita sama sekali tidak cocok alias jauh banget dgn pembawaannya.
Harapan saya tinggal di buku terakhir, #3. Semoga Bram berhasil memesona saya.
June 30, 2020
I love a HEA. Phineas is a lovely hero. Loved the characters and the storyline was fab. 4.5☆
January 19, 2022
3.5 stars - rating closer to 3.
Phin and Alyse used to be best friends growing up, and a huge accident occurred when Phin was 17 which made him leave for 10 years. His sister Beth writes him saying that Phin’s older brothers is in bad health, but when he comes he’s actually fine. Then the trouble starts happening.
Okay, I liked this book but it took me way way to long for me to actually get into it. Like the first 100 pages were a bore to me. It got exciting at 2/3 of the book, which is great, but I almost DNF’ed it. I’m happy I kept reading. If the beginning of the book was a bit faster, than I would have most definitely given this book a 4-4.5.
Anyways, I loved Phin— I loved that he put all his effort into Alyse. Alyse was great too, she had this weird “I want you, but I don’t want you because you left me 10 years ago” kind of thing going on. I thought they were well matched because they both had past incidents that they could reflect on and change.
Steam level was like 3/5. I loved the part where he came into her room in the middle of the night.
Phin and Alyse used to be best friends growing up, and a huge accident occurred when Phin was 17 which made him leave for 10 years. His sister Beth writes him saying that Phin’s older brothers is in bad health, but when he comes he’s actually fine. Then the trouble starts happening.
Okay, I liked this book but it took me way way to long for me to actually get into it. Like the first 100 pages were a bore to me. It got exciting at 2/3 of the book, which is great, but I almost DNF’ed it. I’m happy I kept reading. If the beginning of the book was a bit faster, than I would have most definitely given this book a 4-4.5.
Anyways, I loved Phin— I loved that he put all his effort into Alyse. Alyse was great too, she had this weird “I want you, but I don’t want you because you left me 10 years ago” kind of thing going on. I thought they were well matched because they both had past incidents that they could reflect on and change.
Steam level was like 3/5. I loved the part where he came into her room in the middle of the night.
August 30, 2022
3.5 stars. Enjoyable read, nice characters and character development, but Suzanne Enoch's French is execrable. (Phin the hero pretends he's a French highwayman - his French is supposed to be excellent after all the years he spent fighting in France, but he would have been laughed right onto the gallows if he really spoke French like Suzanne Enoch made him speak it.)
August 17, 2014
I just had a really, really hard time getting into this book. It wasn't bad... but I just kept not picking it back up to finish it. I think it was because I read them out of order, with this one being last. Or maybe it was because I was in the mood for a fluffy romance, no mystery or angst involved.... Either way, I love the author and look forward to more of her books!
March 5, 2015
This book was okay. Nothing spectacular. Very predictable. Safe read. One I knew I wouldn't hate, but also nothing to write home about. All it did was make me want to read Bram's story that much more.
February 9, 2013
Phin's story was good, but I still love Bram more than the other "notorious gentlemen."
April 22, 2022
In 2013, I rated this 5 stars; in 2022, I give it 4 stars.
May 28, 2016
3.5 stars!
April 2, 2022
Kalau menurutku endingnya terlalu terburu-buru dan juga tanpa epilog,jadinya kurang aja sih. Padahal dari awal udah bagus ceritanya. Ada latar belakang yang lumayan kompleks dan logis, jadi si Phinneas ini gak ujug-ujug mutusin jadi The Highwayman (rampok kereta). Dari yang awalnya dia kabur 10 tahun karena memilih berperang (dapat pangkat kolonel), trus pas balik ternyata keadaan keluarga dan estate mereka ditimpa kemalangan bertubi-tubi. Apalagi mereka punya tetangga yang mencurigakan banget (tetangganya ini sepupunya Alyse yang ngeselin banget). Akhirnya Phin ingin menyeledikinya dengan menyamar menjadi The Highwayman--seorang perampok kereta dari Prancis yang legend banget di daerah itu.
Karakter Alyse di sini menarik--tipe cewek kuat yang berusaha bangkit dari keadaan yang tidak menguntungkan. Padahal dia putri seorang Viscount, tapi gara2 ortunya meninggal dia malah dijadiin pendamping bibinya (lebih tepatnya pembantu gitu sih) dan dapat perlakuan yang semena-mena. Dianggap rendahan juga gara2 dia udah ruined. Ruined bukan karena dinodai sih, cuma karena dia ditipu sama cowok gold digger dan reputasinya jadi tercemar.
Overall agak kecewa soalnya buku pertama di series ini bagus loh. Tapi yang ini menjelang akhir cerita jadi bosenin dan kurang actionnya. Klimaksnya juga kaya aneh aja gitu, kurang nendang. Pengennya si sepupu resek dapat instant karma tapi sayangnya cuma gitu doang penyelesaiannya.
Karakter Alyse di sini menarik--tipe cewek kuat yang berusaha bangkit dari keadaan yang tidak menguntungkan. Padahal dia putri seorang Viscount, tapi gara2 ortunya meninggal dia malah dijadiin pendamping bibinya (lebih tepatnya pembantu gitu sih) dan dapat perlakuan yang semena-mena. Dianggap rendahan juga gara2 dia udah ruined. Ruined bukan karena dinodai sih, cuma karena dia ditipu sama cowok gold digger dan reputasinya jadi tercemar.
Overall agak kecewa soalnya buku pertama di series ini bagus loh. Tapi yang ini menjelang akhir cerita jadi bosenin dan kurang actionnya. Klimaksnya juga kaya aneh aja gitu, kurang nendang. Pengennya si sepupu resek dapat instant karma tapi sayangnya cuma gitu doang penyelesaiannya.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2016
It's been... a while since I read After the Kiss. Several months, in fact. I had to really think about who some people were, and I never could place Phineas in a remembered context. Once I got over that nagging feeling, Before the Scandal reminded me of nothing more than Arrow. Seriously.
Phineas Bromley returns to the family home after a ten-year absence, expecting to find his older brother William on his deathbed. When he arrives, he finds that rather than just having a devious sister who pulled out all the stops to get a visit from her errant brother, Beth wrote the lie in a desperate attempt to bring him to the knowledge that things at home are not going well. She can't tell him, so Phineas conducts his own investigation, and starts lining up a lot of destructive "ill luck."
Alyse Donnelly was Phineas's childhood friend, whose life descended into tedious Cinderella-hood after a scandal that happened after the death of her parents. Sharp and interested in Phineas and his sudden reappearance, she becomes his confidant after he concocts a secret identity as a highwayman in order to find out who has it in for his family.
It's a pretty good story and it reminded me of superhero fiction. Not simply Hometown Boy Returns to Make Good, but rather Black Sheep Comes Home to Become Green Arrow. It's all there. The broken family harmony, the youth of vice, the long absence filled with harsh conditions and death, his remorse and desire to show what a better person he is but he can't because REASONS, the girl he's known all his life who is lethally allergic to trusting him, the masked alter ego, and he even has an Alfred-type character to help him.
There were just a lot of things that kind of bothered me. It's hard to go at them in order, so I'll have to tackle them as they come to mind.
First of all, Obvious Villain is Obvious. I knew was behind whatever was going on almost before I even knew what was going on. I honestly almost forgot to put a spoiler tag there. The fact that he was able to fool anyone at all speaks very very poorly for their intelligence. The drudgery and unhappiness that he keeps Alyse stuffed in is not hidden from anyone, and since Beth and William clearly do not look down on her because of her scandal, it really doesn't make any sense that they wouldn't have already cottoned to this guy's total asshat-ness almost immediately. He's oily, twirls his metaphorical moustache in public, and no decent thing he says sounds sincere.
And yet. The guy ingratiated himself into the family. He's courting the sister, which looks almost silly in its falseness. And while I do appreciate the importance of proof, half of the reason that Phineas even needs it so badly is because his family is too stupid to see the Obvious Villain and tell him to piss off themselves. It drags on longer than it should, and the things that keep it dragging are ridiculous. No one wants to believe that this douchebag who practically posts his evil plans and nasty personality all over Twitter is involved in the deaths, destruction, and plotting that have been plaguing Quence.
INCLUDING ALYSE, WHOM HE ABUSES. He doesn't hit her and thankfully she is never raped (although it is threatened when the crap is about to hit the fan), but he and his mother both take open, obvious (there's that word again) glee at causing Alyse emotional distress and they enjoy berating her for having a ruined reputation. While I didn't exactly dislike Alyse (seriously, that spelling got on my nerves though, is it Alice or Elyse?), she fell a little flat for me. I did sympathise with her home situation, but because I did, I had no clue why she didn't immediately believe Phineas when he pointed out that....screw spoiler tags, you can tell it's him in Chapter Two. Phineas suspects Richard, and Alyse is all, "NAAAWWW IT CAN'T BE!"
But then, everyone does that. It's like Phineas really does have a superpower, and that superpower is not being an idiot.
He could have really done more as the highwayman though. He only gets costumed up about three times, and only one of them was all that exciting. The second was mostly, "Well, I better target someone else so that I'm not as obvious as Richard," and the third he didn't actually do anything but
He also acts like he's in heat or something. I know the romance is part of the draw, but there came a point when he was panting after Alyse that I was gripping my Kindle in both hands, practically shouting, "Keep it in your pants, Phin! This is not the time!" He was so helpless in his lust for her that I almost have to make a kryptonite reference. But I won't, because that's kind of dumb.
A point in the book's favour is that I stayed up late reading it. But I had to stop about the time that I was yelling at Phin and his stupid lust, because 1:00am, and I had a dream about zombies. This has to be related somehow.
Most of their relationship felt like it was based on lust, and maybe a bit on loneliness, for Alyse's part. This is one of the examples of why I don't like Old Flame romances. They're lazy. Almost all of the deeper sense of their relationship was predicated on their old friendship (which had been put on hold for ten years) and lust. Some of it was that Alyse believed in him while everyone else was burning effigies. And that she But it was mostly Old Flame Power and Lust. So it wasn't all that compelling. When she had trouble trusting him, it wasn't suspenseful, "Oh will they get together and work this out?" it was just frustrating and contrived.
I mostly liked the resolution, though. Richard really crosses the line with his stupidly obvious villainy and Phineas Gets Stuff Done. I just felt like it should have happened sooner. As far as I'm concerned, although he wasn't ultimately successful, Richard did have plenty of victory in that he greatly and in some ways permanently, hurt the good guys.
And that bugs me.
Phineas Bromley returns to the family home after a ten-year absence, expecting to find his older brother William on his deathbed. When he arrives, he finds that rather than just having a devious sister who pulled out all the stops to get a visit from her errant brother, Beth wrote the lie in a desperate attempt to bring him to the knowledge that things at home are not going well. She can't tell him, so Phineas conducts his own investigation, and starts lining up a lot of destructive "ill luck."
Alyse Donnelly was Phineas's childhood friend, whose life descended into tedious Cinderella-hood after a scandal that happened after the death of her parents. Sharp and interested in Phineas and his sudden reappearance, she becomes his confidant after he concocts a secret identity as a highwayman in order to find out who has it in for his family.
It's a pretty good story and it reminded me of superhero fiction. Not simply Hometown Boy Returns to Make Good, but rather Black Sheep Comes Home to Become Green Arrow. It's all there. The broken family harmony, the youth of vice, the long absence filled with harsh conditions and death, his remorse and desire to show what a better person he is but he can't because REASONS, the girl he's known all his life who is lethally allergic to trusting him, the masked alter ego, and he even has an Alfred-type character to help him.
There were just a lot of things that kind of bothered me. It's hard to go at them in order, so I'll have to tackle them as they come to mind.
First of all, Obvious Villain is Obvious. I knew was behind whatever was going on almost before I even knew what was going on. I honestly almost forgot to put a spoiler tag there. The fact that he was able to fool anyone at all speaks very very poorly for their intelligence. The drudgery and unhappiness that he keeps Alyse stuffed in is not hidden from anyone, and since Beth and William clearly do not look down on her because of her scandal, it really doesn't make any sense that they wouldn't have already cottoned to this guy's total asshat-ness almost immediately. He's oily, twirls his metaphorical moustache in public, and no decent thing he says sounds sincere.
And yet. The guy ingratiated himself into the family. He's courting the sister, which looks almost silly in its falseness. And while I do appreciate the importance of proof, half of the reason that Phineas even needs it so badly is because his family is too stupid to see the Obvious Villain and tell him to piss off themselves. It drags on longer than it should, and the things that keep it dragging are ridiculous. No one wants to believe that this douchebag who practically posts his evil plans and nasty personality all over Twitter is involved in the deaths, destruction, and plotting that have been plaguing Quence.
INCLUDING ALYSE, WHOM HE ABUSES. He doesn't hit her and thankfully she is never raped (although it is threatened when the crap is about to hit the fan), but he and his mother both take open, obvious (there's that word again) glee at causing Alyse emotional distress and they enjoy berating her for having a ruined reputation. While I didn't exactly dislike Alyse (seriously, that spelling got on my nerves though, is it Alice or Elyse?), she fell a little flat for me. I did sympathise with her home situation, but because I did, I had no clue why she didn't immediately believe Phineas when he pointed out that....screw spoiler tags, you can tell it's him in Chapter Two. Phineas suspects Richard, and Alyse is all, "NAAAWWW IT CAN'T BE!"
But then, everyone does that. It's like Phineas really does have a superpower, and that superpower is not being an idiot.
He could have really done more as the highwayman though. He only gets costumed up about three times, and only one of them was all that exciting. The second was mostly, "Well, I better target someone else so that I'm not as obvious as Richard," and the third he didn't actually do anything but
He also acts like he's in heat or something. I know the romance is part of the draw, but there came a point when he was panting after Alyse that I was gripping my Kindle in both hands, practically shouting, "Keep it in your pants, Phin! This is not the time!" He was so helpless in his lust for her that I almost have to make a kryptonite reference. But I won't, because that's kind of dumb.
A point in the book's favour is that I stayed up late reading it. But I had to stop about the time that I was yelling at Phin and his stupid lust, because 1:00am, and I had a dream about zombies. This has to be related somehow.
Most of their relationship felt like it was based on lust, and maybe a bit on loneliness, for Alyse's part. This is one of the examples of why I don't like Old Flame romances. They're lazy. Almost all of the deeper sense of their relationship was predicated on their old friendship (which had been put on hold for ten years) and lust. Some of it was that Alyse believed in him while everyone else was burning effigies. And that she But it was mostly Old Flame Power and Lust. So it wasn't all that compelling. When she had trouble trusting him, it wasn't suspenseful, "Oh will they get together and work this out?" it was just frustrating and contrived.
I mostly liked the resolution, though. Richard really crosses the line with his stupidly obvious villainy and Phineas Gets Stuff Done. I just felt like it should have happened sooner. As far as I'm concerned, although he wasn't ultimately successful, Richard did have plenty of victory in that he greatly and in some ways permanently, hurt the good guys.
And that bugs me.
May 14, 2019
This turned out to be a reread for me. It was still an enjoyable read. The characters are appealing. Phin Bromley has been called home by his younger sister but she and the viscount (who is confined to a wheelchair due to an accident caused by Phin) will not tell him what the danger is. They want to protect him but that part is not logical to me. Phin has been gone ten years leaving after the accident to join the war against Napoleon. The family is under siege. Also back home is the lovely Alyse, Phin's childhood friend. Her parents have died and she is at the mercy of the new heir Richard and his mother who she must serve as a companion. The danger escalates and the other two gentlemen of this series ride in to the rescue. I am always surprised and entertained at the appearance of Francis Henning. He is an incidental character who has some very minor appearance in each of Enoch's books from this time period. I will likely reread the other two books as it's been some time and I like the three characters who are the Notorious Gentlemen.
June 21, 2021
3.5 stars!
this was a pleasant surprise. i was absorbed for the first 3/4 of the book mainly because the plot was interesting and i wanted to see how Alysse and Phin developed their relationship. i did think the mystery was slightly long-winded, which got me feeling bored to the point that i skimmed for the last 5 chapters of the book. despite the not-amazing chemistry between Alysse and Phin, they did have their moments where the do tease one another and have banter - which was too little in my opinion. they did have sexual chemistry.
it could have been a better book if we saw more interactions between Alysse and Phin when they were children, and an actual scene of it, instead of just 'telling'. it was hard for me to believe their romance as they started off already somewhat liking one another without the childhood scenes to support it.
this was a pleasant surprise. i was absorbed for the first 3/4 of the book mainly because the plot was interesting and i wanted to see how Alysse and Phin developed their relationship. i did think the mystery was slightly long-winded, which got me feeling bored to the point that i skimmed for the last 5 chapters of the book. despite the not-amazing chemistry between Alysse and Phin, they did have their moments where the do tease one another and have banter - which was too little in my opinion. they did have sexual chemistry.
it could have been a better book if we saw more interactions between Alysse and Phin when they were children, and an actual scene of it, instead of just 'telling'. it was hard for me to believe their romance as they started off already somewhat liking one another without the childhood scenes to support it.
August 5, 2023
Phineas has been away at war for the last 10 years when he receives a letter from his sister claiming his brother is on his death bed he rushes home but when he arrives he finds his brother is fine and his sister isn't allowed to tell him why she lured him home.
Phin is also surprised to see his childhood friend Alyse as well but Alyse has fallen on hard times her parents died and she suffered a scandal and now lives as a companion to her nasty aunt Ernesta and her cousin Richard.
Phi slowly uncovers a series of bad luck that he's sure is assisted by someone and he sets out to solve the mystery and save his family home, he has a feeling Alyse's cousin Richard is involved.
I had more fun with this than I had with book 1, the characters are interesting with just the right touch of angst.
Phin is also surprised to see his childhood friend Alyse as well but Alyse has fallen on hard times her parents died and she suffered a scandal and now lives as a companion to her nasty aunt Ernesta and her cousin Richard.
Phi slowly uncovers a series of bad luck that he's sure is assisted by someone and he sets out to solve the mystery and save his family home, he has a feeling Alyse's cousin Richard is involved.
I had more fun with this than I had with book 1, the characters are interesting with just the right touch of angst.
January 2, 2020
I really loved this read - Enoch's writing style is so easy to read and never fails to be witty. I will say, though, that the romance did feel a little...perhaps off the page? Sudden? I know that Enoch was trying to convey that the nature of their relationship was that it simply existed and always had (or along those lines), but the result was that I was left wanting...more. Also, I loved the couple - Phin was great. However, I felt that I didn't get to know Alyse quite as well as I did him.
All in all, I would say this was a fun, funny read, to start the New Year off with a smile on my face.
All in all, I would say this was a fun, funny read, to start the New Year off with a smile on my face.
January 30, 2023
This one was better than the first installment in the series, but the last one is still my favorite. There were higher stakes in this one where, while I disagreed with the heroes choices for how to solve the problem, I did agree, there was risk involved that he needed to deal with.
The heroine was very likable and strong and clever and I liked her, especially with the tough hand she was dealt.
Overall, I felt there was chemistry between the leads, but the highwayman thing did keep secrets going for a long time and there wasn't as much humor in this one as in many of Enoch's others. Not my favorite of Enoch's but still an engrossing lead and mystery.
The heroine was very likable and strong and clever and I liked her, especially with the tough hand she was dealt.
Overall, I felt there was chemistry between the leads, but the highwayman thing did keep secrets going for a long time and there wasn't as much humor in this one as in many of Enoch's others. Not my favorite of Enoch's but still an engrossing lead and mystery.
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