A Woman of Virtue

Lorimer Family & Clan Cameron #3

by Liz Carlyle

Cecilia Lorimer has hidden her loneliness by devoting herself to a charity mission for London's poorest women. But when a dashing Lord Delacourt takes control, she feels an uncharacteristic urge to flee. Just six years earlier, Delacourt had proved himself to be an immoral rake, nearly ruining her reputation in the bargain.

It's whispered that the womanizing Delacourt is vain, vindictive, and merciless.

But he's a man who honors his wagers --- and one lands him in his brother-in-law's godforsaken mission, face-to-face with the woman who has long haunted his dreams. When treachery closes in, only he knows how to guard Cecilia, but can a profligate knave persuade a virtuous woman that is worthy of her trust --- and their love?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Dear 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

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable reread. A well-written book that stands the test of time. It was written a while ago but still feels fresh. It follows on a few years after A Woman Scorned, and we do get a couple of nice little revisits with Cole and Jonet living their HEA. This book could be read as a standalone, but I think it would make more sense if you have read A Woman Scorned first.

This book focusses on David, Lord Delacourt and Cecelia, now the widowed Lady Walrafen. These two have a history together, but they have been avoiding each other for the last few years.

I'm aware some readers don't particularly like David as the MMC. On the surface he seems arrogant and at times immature, a kind of boy-man. But when he was a young man just starting to find himself, some devastating family revelations took away all of his self-confidence about his place in the world. There are secrets that David cannot reveal, and they affect his life and behaviour. For me, the author explains things well enough that I can accept David's attitude and behaviour. It makes it all the sweeter when he is finally able to believe that he and Cecelia really do belong together.

Cecelia is a likeable character - she is the titular 'woman of virtue' who, now that she has a little more life experience, is able to see through David's 'armour' to the vulnerable and honourable man he really is.

There is also a set of enjoyable secondary characters: Cecelia's Cockney maid Henrietta, the reformed prostitute with her saucy insights into men and life; Max de Rohan, the enigmatic River Policeman (who has his own book in No True Gentleman); the supposedly wicked Bentham Rutledge, some of whose secrets are later revealed (he also gets his own book); and of course the ever resourceful Kemble, the gentleman's gentleman who has an interesting set of knowledge and skills that teeters on the edge of the law.

There is an interesting mystery to be solved in the book, related to smuggling. We see the seedy underbelly of life in grimy inner London with its thieves, bawdy houses, and lowlifes. Carlyle has an excellent grasp of historical detail, and her book is clearly well-researched. This side of the book adds an interesting aspect that lifts it above your run-of-the-mill Regency.

And of course, through it all runs the love story of David and Cecelia, who are clearly meant to be together. A worthwhile and entertaining read.

[Ursula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 stars.
I have liked many books by this author, and I certainly enjoyed this one too.
The start was a bit disturbing the drunken hero almost rapes the heroine when she is just 18 but it did get better. I just found the angst so OTT it kind of got too much for me at times.

The hero, Delacourt, was very hung up- loaded with issues pertaining to his birth as well as guilt over his treatment of the heroine the first time he met her. Frankly, he was a massive pig who just did not know how to be with a woman other than to have sex with her.
The couple are apart for 6 or so years, and there's a lot of water under the bridge (and a shitload of OW screwed by the hero. Not nice, Delacourt, not nice) and lots of fences to mend. Sorry, and lots of metaphors:)


I struggled to like the hero for the first part of the book, but he really did come good and made up for a lot of the shit he dished out in the beginning. Was a bit meh about the virgin widow- when he was such a skank- but whatevs. If that's your schtick, go for it

Liz Carlyle can certainly write well and the story was great, with its sub-plot of smuggling and murder, while her treatment of the serious social issues prevailing in London at that time, coupled with the wilful ignorance of the aristocracy, really added depth, especially to the characterisation. This is where Delacourt became a much more sympathetic character for me. There was plenty of personal growth.
It was also great to revisit the characters, Jonet and Cole, from the previous book. (I always found Cole a truly wonderful hero.)

[Missy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this book. The prologue was fast-paced and sucked me in, but after that, everything was slow and just really boring. I would have DNF the book if I hadn't wanted to learn the mystery behind the deaths of the former prostitutes. Thus, I skimmed the last 30%.

The hero's desire for the heroine tends to make him take her roughly and she has no complaints.

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carlyle just doesn't write a bad book. Some are better than others, but they all guarantee a great read. I loved this one! In this book David, Lord Delacourt, has been secretly obsessed with Cecilia for over six years, and thanks to a bad bet with his brother-in-law Cole (from A Woman Scorned), he finds himself working side-by-side with her at a woman's shelter for 3-months. Cecilia had once rejected his suit years ago, but she gets to see a new side of him that she deeply desires. There is a murder mystery that sets the background to this story, but the real story is the heat and passion that erupts between these two. I loved it!! Even when they are fighting you can feel the heat. This is a steamy, sensual book that kept me glued to the pages.

A Woman of Virtue is one of Liz Carlyle earlier books, and it introduces us to several characters we will see in her later books (including the yummy Hell-Bent Bentley from "The Devil You Know", Maximillian de Rohan from "No True Gentleman" and Giles, Lord Walrafen, from "A Deal with The Devil".) Plus another entertaining experience with the valet-turned-antique-dealer Kemble. If you have read her more recent books this is a great one to catch up with.

Most LC books can be read in any order, but I will note that there appears to be a great deal of overlap in this book from the book A Woman Scorned. Since I have not yet read that book, it made it a bit hard to follow some of the background story of David's past and his connection with Jonet (Cole's wife and heroine of A Woman Scorned). There appears to be spoilers in this book, so I find myself wishing that I read A Woman Scorned first. Oh well, I will read it anyway and am sure to enjoy it none-the-less.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well wrtten and complex love story with a mystery to unravel. The H is Viscount David Delecourt 32,and the h Cecelia Lady Walgrafen 24, who had been previously engaged when Davic was 26 and Cecelia 18. She turned him down and ever since they had avoided each other at social events.

David found out he was a bastard and that his mother had been raped by Lord Kildermere. Viscount Delecourt was not his natural father but he was raised as his son and heir. He has a youger sister Charlotte and an older sister Jonot Kildermere married once to a Rowland bearing him two sons and three daughters to Cole Amherst a reverend and Director of a Mission to help former prostitutes to a better life. This is his secret as well as his mother's and his sister Jonot's. No one else knows his and his mother's shame.

Lady Cecelia Markham- Sands comes from a very old aristocratic familes. When she was 18 she filled in for her families jockey and raced a horse at a derby winning the race. She was undressing in a stall and David in his cups saw her undressing and thought her a trollop. He seized her kissing her and called her peaches. Her brother Harry came upon them and called him out. David not realizing who she was was mortified and offererd for her. He dragged her to his brother in laws Reverand Cole Amherst's to persaude him to talk sense into Cecelia who said no she would not marry him. Cole suggested an engagement and after six weeks she could reject him calling off the wedding. Her uncle wrote to David with her refusal of marriage. Cecelia had her come out that year and married an older man Lord Walgrafen. He died 4 years later. Cecelia thought of how kind Reverend Amherst had been and volunteered to work at his mission 3 days a week and helped procure funds for his mission from the ton.

Jonot was expecting their 4th child in 6 years and David was concerned for his sister's health. Cole told David that he was taking her to their country estate for the rest of her confinement. David's mother and sister Charlotte also went with them to help out with the three younger children. Cole asked David to keep his eye on the two older boys, the Rowland brothers. The brothers both called Cole papa and were fond of him. Cole and Jonot were worried about David as he seemed so sad and was drifting. They knew he needed something to awaken his soul again. Cole and his two boys played a game of whist with him. The stakes were if David lost he would do Cold a favour. David lost and the favour was to step in for him for three months as the Director of the Mission for former Prostitutes. Cole knew that David and Cecelia maybe had some unfinished business and hoped that by bringing them together they could work it out.

Well once the two former engaged couple saw one another sparks flew. They circled each other like sparring partners in the boxing ring without gloves. Things were tense for awhile with lots of barbs and insults. She tried to avoid him but they ended up being involved in a murder mystery when two girls from the mission were murdered and thrown into the Thames. They started to work with Inspector Max de Rohan (Italian mother) with the Thames River Police.

David and Cecelia end up making love after onc of their rows. As he was a Rakehell and not one to want marriage she offered to be his mistress. He knew he loved her and would not allow her name to be muddied. She loved him and hoped she would marry her even though she turned him down 6 years before. But before any ot that could occur they had a murder mystery to solve.

There are many clever arguments with quick wit and repartee between Cecelia and David. There are many hot and heavy love scenes. Lots of drama with violence and action involving the mystery.
I gave this a five star rating. I purchased this book at a used book sale and I am keeping it.

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for www.thcreviews.com

A Woman of Virtue did not seem to have quite the emotional depth of Liz Carlyle's other books that I have read to date, but it was still a fun and enjoyable read. As with her other books, Ms. Carlyle has combined romance with a mystery. The romance part was generally light and breezy, beginning with the hero and heroine bickering like cats and dogs. Sometimes I can find this type of relationship irritating, but here it was handled well, in my opinion, and it didn't take long before these two realized that they had always loved each other. The mystery was pretty well-done too. I wasn't pulled into it quite as much as I have been with other mysteries I have read, which I think was a result of the author not dropping quite enough clues along the way. The thing I really liked about it though, was a surprise villain, as I didn't even guess who it was until shortly before it was revealed in the story. There are a couple of things that I missed in this book that were present in some of Ms. Carlyle's other works, one of which was her masterful use of children and pets to set the tone and create a family atmosphere. Unfortunately, the only children who made an appearance were Cole and Jonet's, but it was very brief and they didn't add much to the story. The only pet was Max's dog, Lucifer, and since Max was a secondary character, Lucifer didn't get a great deal of attention or add much to the story either. The other thing was that although A Woman of Virtue had plenty of beautiful sensuality, I thought it was a bit lacking in the gorgeous romantic interactions and the building of a deep friendship between the hero and heroine that Ms. Carlyle has previously been so talented at creating.

I found the main characters to be very likable. David may have been a rake, but underneath it all he was a kind and gentle man, who had really only ever loved one woman. He had a rather dark secret that he had kept hidden for years that caused him some emotional angst. I found his vulnerability over this and his fear of being rejected to be very human and endearing qualities. I also appreciated his understanding that the only way to have a real and lasting relationship with Cecilia was to be completely honest. I loved his protective nature toward all women. When he rescued a prostitute who was being assaulted, I just knew he was a great guy. Cecilia was free-spirited and head-strong, rarely listening to David, but she was also an intelligent and capable woman who was able to do bookkeeping at the mission and to be very helpful and fearless during the murder investigation. I also admired her for her willingness to do hands-on work at the mission, something that women of her station rarely did. She also had a mischievous and manipulative streak in her, but she only used it for the greater good, never on David. I love how she schemed to get a huge donation for the mission out of one of the more distasteful characters. She also had a wonderful intuition about many thing, but especially about David, regularly sensing his needs and emotions. I also loved how these two characters exhibited a great deal of trust and honesty with each other, and were never pushy or needy.

Some of the best and most intriguing characters came in the form of the supporting cast. In A Woman of Virtue, Ms. Carlyle has continued her intricate web of characters from previous and future books. I just can't seem to help but love Bentley Rutledge who was first seen in Beauty Like the Night. He projects the aura of an inveterate blackguard, but is really a character who is full of intriguing complexities which this book continued to build on. I don't think I've read such a wonderfully rendered secondary character as Bentley. He simply steals nearly every scene he is in, leaving the reader longing for more. Bentley appears again in No True Gentleman and finally gets his own story in The Devil You Know, which I am greatly looking forward to reading. Also visiting, as David's temporary employee, was George Kemble, the enigmatic, multi-talented valet who was first seen in My False Heart. In A Woman of Virtue, readers discover a few more of Kem's talents, leaving one wondering if perhaps he might be more that what he seems. Kem currently appears in four other novels: No True Gentleman, The Devil You Know, A Deal with the Devil, and The Devil to Pay.

Other characters who put in an appearance were Cole and Jonet Amherst, the hero and heroine of A Woman Scorned, giving readers a look at where they are a few years later. While I have not yet read A Woman Scorned, I am fairly certain that David made his first appearance in that book as well. A Woman of Virtue also introduces readers to Maximilian de Rohan, the police inspector who becomes the hero of No True Gentleman, and Giles Lorimer, Cecilia's stepson, who becomes the hero of A Deal with the Devil. There are also brief introductions to the more minor characters of Harry Markham-Sands and Isabel, Lady Kirton, who also have roles in No True Gentleman, as do Cecilia and David. Even though A Woman of Virtue was not quite as good as some of Ms. Carlyle's other books for me, the entire cast of characters and a fun, passionate story made it a very enjoyable read. I have read enough of Ms. Carlyle's books now that I can certainly say she has earned a place on my favorite authors list, and I would read any of her works in the future.

Note: While none of Ms. Carlyle's earlier books seem to be officially considered a series and each seems to stand well on it's own story-wise, I would caution that reading her later books first may give away spoilers to her earlier books. Such is the case with A Woman of Virtue which left me wishing that I had read A Woman Scorned first. My suggestion for readers like myself who don't like any spoilers would be to begin with Ms. Carlyle's first book, My False Heart, and continue reading them in the chronological order in which she wrote them. It is also my opinion that the reading experience would be greatly enhanced by doing this, because Ms. Carlyle's character web is so complex. The entire backlist, in order, can be found on her website.

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like any of the characters in this long long book. She is one of those feisty, opinionated, gotta have her own way chits whom you just as soon fell off a cliff. He was spiritually crushed [and therefore the rake of rakes] when he found out he is really illegitimate at a time when every second person of the ton is reputed to have been born anywhere but on the right side of the blanket. There is also some murder subplot of little interest. All and all I'm surprised I got thru this.

[Ana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read July 15, 2018

A woman of virtue. I'm sorry but the story didn't catch fire with me. I peeked to see the ending, I must admit.

[_inbetween_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, they sent me the other cover, and sadly, Carlyle does belong into the does-never-reach-her-potential group. I read A Woman Scorned first and didn't review it, not quite sure about her, but it really is the better book. Her flaws were the same here - ie. the issues between h/h were not perfectly handled, rambled indecisively - like I'm going to do now, too.

I enjoy the amount of time h/h spend with each other, but just as Cole in AWS never seemed to be a priest to me, David drew the short straw in this book - he is completely outshun by not one, not two, no, FOUR OTHER MALE CHARACTERS that author plans to use. It's so obvious, and it made my opinion plummet so much. De Rohan is fascinating and taciturn, Hell-Bent is vulnerable and appealing, Kemble is intriguing and irresistible, and I'm sure she'll use Giles again - so what chance does the nominal hero of this book have, when most of it is taken up with four other males?

Carlyle had raised a good point about Cecilia being unable to handle the attraction to the man who nearly raped her. David, being the result of a rape, suffers from what he nearly might have done - it really wasn't, he's not the type, but I THINK Carlyle might have meant to undo the sickening tropes in many romances here - but she doesn't. She leaves the facts in, but flees into the murder mystery and the other four men instead of sticking with the h/h.

There is still one good observation during sex, always important for me, that these scenes are not rote, but the later ones are, unlike AWS where the two were different, but then again in AWS the deep hurt and emotions were also sort of vaporised, more obvious since Jonet and Cole had deeper differences - but it's not better if in AWoV there are less differences simply because the book is not really about them.


In summary: blame the fucking industry. It hurts more than with that horrid Quinn when Carlyle keeps introducing her heroes as fascinating, complex and compelling characters - in the books BEFORE they are the heroes. Only to have them all be completely identical in their own stories. It's worse than cheap marketing, because David was an insolent, beautiful creature in AWS and in his own AWoW he was just zis guy - and that hurts. It's common to have rakes and rogues and other meaningless words as heroes, but they are never shown as actually being anything bad - and while I don't relish that anyway, I wonder if it's cowardice or inability and I'll stop rambling now.

The women, btw, at least have the reverse fate. While they also all are indentically most-beautiful, hair, breasts, blabla, they are always the firm center of their stories, appearing as cold or plain in previous ones. Again, why can't these writers copy Heyer in the ways that matter? Why dare nobody make h/h truly different in their own stories?

I need to read the three books on de Rohan, Hell-Bent and Kemble now *sigh*

[Fiordiligii · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my least favourite Liz Carlyle re-read so far, hence the loss of favourite status and downgrading to C+. My main problem was the "romantic suspense" subplot which was just plain boring and, I have to confess, I am not that fond of charity dedicated Miss Goody-Two-Shoes heroines. I had a difficult time warming up to the heroine in the beginning, however, she turns out lovely like all of this author's characters. The love scenes are truly lovely, I just love reading them because this author does such a good job of making them interesting in a PG-13-kind of way, but I skipped most of the surrounding plot. C+

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry my Ms. Carlyle. I just wish that I would have read these books in order. I liked David and Cecilia together. Just wish that they would have had more communication over the incident that had occurred between them 6 years ago. They both recognized each others fears from that time, but they never really vocalized those thoughts to each other.

[Lucie "a heart so wild" · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*, in the name of romance this book has a bit weight, but for the mystery it create seems too light and not making me wondering...

If I say that I get get lost in a book, well...not in this book...

but the love-scene quite enjoying and has tension...

okay...just usual historical which is not memorable...

[penelopewanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rereading this before trading.
So, I know why I only gave it three stars before... it's a good story on the whole, and Delecourt is quite the hero - dissolute drunk etc, but somehow it doesn't quite work. The tumble from hatred and haughtiness is just too quick to believe.

[Foggygirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good read with an albeit traditionally arrogant hero who falls in love/lust with a do-gooder heroine and cue the mellow drama!

[May Mostly Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

แล้วลิซก็เขียนถึงแบดบอยอีกคนที่แม็กซ์ติดใจมากตั้งแต่เรื่อง A Woman Scorned นั่นก็คือเดวิด เดลาคอร์ต กับเรื่อง A Woman of Virtue (87) ในเดือน มีนาคม 2001 เดวิดมีภูมิหลังอันลึกลับ ที่ไม่ค่อยลับนักหรอกถ้าคุณอ่าน AWS แล้ว เขาเป็นน้องชายต่างแม่ของโจเน็ต และไม่ใช่ลูกชายของคนที่เขาสืบทอดบรรดาศักดิ์ นั่นเป็นปมในใจของเขา เดวิดคิดมาตลอดชีวิตว่าตนเองอาจจะเหมือนกับพ่อผู้ให้ดีเอ็นเอแก่เขา (แต่สมัยนั้นเขาไม่รู้จักดีเอ็นเอหรอกนะ แม็กซ์เรียกเองน่ะ) ซึ่งเป็นผู้ชายที่เห็นแก่ตัว และไร้ความรับผิดชอบ ดังนั้นเขาจึงไม่เคยคิดว่าตัวเองดีพอสำหรับเซซิเลีย ทั้งที่มีโอกาสได้หมั้นหมายกับเธอแม้จะจากความเข้าใจผิดและเพื่อรักษาชื่อเสียงของเธอเอาไว้ ทั้งคู่ก็ถอนหมั้น และเธอแต่งงานกับคนอื่น (แต่แฟนสาวเวอร์จิ้นไม่ต้องเสียใจ สามีเก่านางเอกไร้สมรรถภาพจ้า) เธอเป็นผู้หญิงเพียงคนเดียวที่เขาไม่เคยคว้ามาครอบครองได้ ส่วนที่ทำให้เรื่องนี้งดงามและอยู่ในความทรงจ��ของแม็กซ์ก็คือการบรรยายความรู้สึกของตัวละคร ที่อ่านไปแล้วต้องถอนหายใจออกมาลึก ๆ หลายรอบ ตัวละครของลิซซับซ้อนและไม่ได้คิดอะไรง่าย ๆ จำพวก "ฉันรักเธอ ฉันรักเธอ ฉันรักเธอ" วิธีการบอกรักของพวกเขาลึกล้ำ และมีความหมาย การกระทำเพียงเล็กน้อยก็สื่อให้เรารู้แล้วว่า เดวิดรักเซซิเลียมากเพียงใด ถ้ามีโอกาสและเป็นไปได้ แม็กซ์อยากจะแนะนำคนที่อยากอ่านเรื่องนี้ให้อ่านต้นฉบับภาษาอังกฤษนะคะ เพราะการถ่ายทอดออกเป็นภาษาไทยกับความลึกล้ำเช่นนี้ไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย และโอกาสที่จะ Lost in Translation ก็มีมากเหลือเกิน

[Ahgase · Rating 4 out of 5]

เสียดายที่ไม่ได้อ่านก่อนเรื่อง สุภาพบุรุษที่รัก
เพราะว่ามันมีเนื้อเรื่องเล็กๆ น้อยๆ ที่เกี่ยวข้องกัน
แบบตัวละครโผล่ไปงี้ เซ็งเลย เพราะกุเข้าใจนางเอก
ผิดในเรื่องนั้นแบบมากๆ ที่แท้อีแม็กมันก็เพ้อไปเอง!!!
โอ้ย ขอโทษษษษษษ
ชื่อไทยของเรื่องนี้ คือเพชรในเรือนใจ
สนุกมากๆ NC ดีมาก อัดอั้นกันมาสุดๆ 555
เนื้อเรื่องเป็นแนวคู่แค้นสู่คู่รัก จากนั้นก็กลัวว่าจะไม่รักกัน
กลัวๆ แต่นางเอกใจมั่นคง ไม่เข้าใจผิดอะไรเลย
พยายามมองโลกในแง่ดี แต่ถึงอย่างนั้นกุก็ง่วงการสืบคดี
อยากจะหลับ หลับด้วยแหละ
ปล. เสียดายที่สนพแปลไม่เรียงชุดกัน (เท่าที่หาข้อมูล ไม่เห็นเล่มอื่นๆอะ)
เหมือนมีแค่สามเล่ม ซึ่งไม่อยู่ในชุดเเดียวกันอีก งง

[2Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought the book well written. Held my attention the whole 466 pages which is unusual. I usually like shorter books. Didn't really care for h in the beginning but once she admitted to herself her attraction to H she was more likeable.

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of good works of Liz Carlyle. Too many cliches...

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read but I felt some things were vaguely touched on. Overall I'd recommend reading.

[Mary Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

The hero's passion seemed a bit over the top and domineering.

At least it had Mr Kemble in it and Max Da Rohan had plenty of potential.

[moneek · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.
An enjoyable read.

[Marika · Rating 1 out of 5]

⛔️(in notes)

[Marya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Olena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid characters,an imaginative narration, a gripping plot.

[Letschat1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars 3/4 (Kate Pearce, Maureen Driscoll, Elisa Braden)

Hey fellow readers I don’t summarize the books (as there are always great full summaries written that I read myself).

I only give it my personal, general, summary of 5 stars to 1 star.

3 stars: This book is worth a read but didn’t really have me excited about interacting with the book where I could not put it down. It lacks the excitement and well roundness of my personal markers for a great read throughout the book.

Development and interest in main characters, secondary characters, humorous, movement of the book, writing/conversation and romantic/sexual content (1-2 scenes or too much unnecessary).

Read it once and that is enough for me.

However, if this book is part of a series, I would read the next book (pervious book) in the series as it would still peek my reading interest.

I’ll continue reading from this author. I wouldn’t cross the author out of my potential reads in the future.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally get Lord Delacourt's story. I was very excited to read this story since “A Woman Scorned” ended with Delacourt needing a parson. The story to this problem is a both amusing a horrifying. David Branthwaite, Viscount Delacourt, has just almost compromise a young lady and he is determined to make an honest woman of her. The whole prologue is amusing and sad. Sad because David’s salvation must wait until later in the book and funny because David is drunk, Cole is trying to calm things down and Jonet is right in the center of the whole mess. The prologue should snare any fan of historical romance and give new readers a fair idea of Ms. Carlyle’s writing style. David is that tortured hero we all know and love. He has a dark secret that he is afraid will get out and ruin his family, especially his mother. For all David’s reputation he is at his core an honorable, compassionate man that just needs to find someone that will love him for himself. Unfortunately, that person is Cecilia Lorimer and she won’t have anything to do with him.

Cecilia Lorimer is a little bit of a bitch in the first part of this book. Yes, she is young and inexperienced but she has little compassion or wisdom. I liked her much better after her and David are thrown together again at the mission. I was delighted to see Cole Amherst maneuver these two into the mission on a daily basis. Cole proves again that he has a clever mind and is acutely aware of those around him. Cecilia does give David a run for his money this second time around but she soon comes to realize that David isn't the man that she thought he was. As David takes charge at the mission and starts to investigate the murder of several of the woman living there Cecilia finds that he is a man that she could love. One of the problems with Cecilia is the she is just a tad impatient and she is impulsive. This is shown to full advantage when she confronts Bentham Rutledge.

When these two finally come together they burn up the pages. Ms. Carlyle doesn't put a lot of love scenes in her stories but the ones that come up well leave you looking for a fan. It was gratifying to see that Cecilia was just a wanton as David once they got together.

There are several returning characters from previous books in this story and one new character that will get his story in the very near future. I have already mentioned Bentham Rutledge, I can only hope that he will find someone to save him before it is too late. Both Jonet's sons are mentioned although Lord Robert is the one that is mentioned the most and he is the one in the most trouble. There is also mention of one of the Weyden boys, probably the oldest.

This is another finely crafted story but a very talented storyteller. Her characters are flawed, funny and courageous. This goes for the secondary characters as well as the main. The plot line is tight and move along without a lot of fluff and filler. Ms. Carlyle is a much buy author for me even after all these years.

[Netha · Rating 4 out of 5]

novel terjemahan oak tree yg sempat ku telantarkan berminggu2 karna baru baca 5 halaman awal aja aq dah ilfill duluan.
tp begitu dibaca & dipaksa baca sampe kelar baru terasa eh nih novel lumayan juga ternyata

Lady Cecilia Markham-Sands 6 tahun yg lalu menolak David, Lord Delacourt, a womanizing lord walaupun nama baiknya tergantung oleh pernikahan tersebut.
david, tampan kaya bertitle & a rake tidak bisa mempercayai ada seorang wanita yg menolak pinangannya mentah2.
cecilia lalu menikah & menjadi countess of Walrafen. seluruh masyarakat tinggi london tau dimana ada cecilia maka disitu tidak akan ada david.
mereka saling menghindari kalaupun mereka terpaksa bertemu mereka saling menghindar sejauh2nya.

sekarang cecilia sudah menjadi widowed. cecilia menyibukkan dirinya dengan kegiatan2 sosialnya terutama ttg wanita2 terbuang & teraniaya.
semua wanita itu diajari segala macam ketrampilan termasuk bahasa perancis (xixixixixi aksen france mereka lucu) & mereka akan dicarikan pekerjaan terhormat yg lebih baik daripada menjadi wanita tuna susila.

david, kalah bermain kartu & taruhan dengan kakak iparnya, harus menggantikan sang kakak ipar selama 3 bulan di kegiatan misinya.
lha david kaget karna ternyata cecilia juga bekerja disitu. tp janji adl janji mau tidak mau david& cecilia harus mengesampingkan perbedaan mereka & bekerja bersama selama 3 bulan.

david walo terlihat kejam & tidak perdulian dengan cecilia tp dia sebenarnya masih memendam rasa pada cecilia.
buktinya cecilia jatuh tergelincir pensil dia kalang kabutnya minta ampun (ga elit banget tergelincir pensil :D)
cecilia sendiri sebenarnya cinta pd david tp cara david melamarnya yg membuat dia mundur teratur.

jadilah mereka bekerja bersama2 berusaha menyingkirkan persoalan pribadi mereka. tp semakin lama mereka menghabiskan waktu bersama perasaan lama mereka semakin muncul & menguat.
apalagi setelah pristiwa pembunuhan 2 wanita di woman of virtue, itu berarti bahaya sedang mengintai wanita2 yg lain termasuk cecilia.
jadilah david muncul sbg ksatria ber armor.

1 yg ku suka dari novel2 liz carlyle, dia ga ada segala missunderstanding segala hal2 ga penting yg bikin pala pusing.
karakter2nya pun kuat2.
"adegan" nya pun ehm ehm ga kalah lah dengan LV :p

secara keseluruhan novel ini bagus lah terlepas dari terjemahan oak tree yg bikin orang sakit hati.....

[Felita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perjumpaan pertama Cecilia dan David diwarnai salah paham. David yang mengira Cecilia wanita penghibur, langsung mencoba "bermain". sementara cecilia ga mengira ada pria tampan yg mencoba merayunya di istal kuda, tentu saja menolak david.

bagi david, penampilan cecilia yg menawan sudah memerangkap sisi pria penggodanya, namun ada apa dg nuraninya ? yg langsung bertindak akan melamar gadis tersebut. padahal kenal saja kagak...apalagi david baru ngeh, cecilia sangat berlidah tajam. ditambah lagi, cecilia menolak mentah2 lamaran david. kalau david pengen bermain tegas, bisa saja dia memaksa. tapi tidak...dibiarkannya cecilia lepas darinya..bahkan saat gadis tersebut menikah dg pria ujur.

bertahun-tahun kemudian.....

david dan cecilia dipertemukan kembali dg "sengaja". Cole, suami Jonet, adik tiri david sudah melihat banyak interaksi david dan cecilia sejak mereka bertemu. Cole melihat hidup David tidak ada warnanya sejak cecilia nikah, bahkan ngeri ngeliat kebiasaan david memilih mistrees yg punya karakter fisik persis dg cecilia. maka begitu tau, status cecilia yg sudah janda dan membantu pekerjaan cole dlm misi gerejanya, cole memutuskan diam2 utk mengirim david sbg pengganti dirinya ^-^

dari awal yg sebenarnya banyak menolak interaksi mereka si cecilia ini. tiap kali ketemu david, selalu aja mancing kemarahannya. bukan apa2, cecilia sebenarnya takut dg david yg memancing perasaan mendamba yg menurutnya salah sasaran. jadi, pas setelah dia menolak lamaran david, ketika ada pria uzur yg mendekatinya, cecilia langsung menerima. dg harapan perasaannya terhadap david hilang. tapi hal itu tidak terjadi, bahkan setelah suaminya meninggal. jadi, begitu dia berhadapan lagi dg david, cecilia harus memutuskan apa yg tertunda diantara mereka..

ceritanya sudah bisa ditebak. tapi aku suka interaksi cecilia dan david. puas rasanya melihat david yg playboy kepincut ama satu wanita bahkan bertahun-tahun lamanya. sedangkan cecilia, so-so...pertamanya dia beranggapan david ini bangsawan seperti pada umumnya, tapi lewat serangkaian pembunuhan yg terjadi disekitar mereka, membuka karakter david yg sebenarnya...dari yg awal mereka selalu perang mulut, ke sini-sini mereka rukun bahkan bekerja sama mencari pelaku pembunuhan.

LOVE IT !!!

#baru ngeh, cerita Cole dan Jonet sudah diterbitkan.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolutely favorite romance novels.

Young rake, Lord David Delacourt and Lady Cecilia Markham-Sands got off to a bad start years earlier with the fault landing squarely at David's feet. He tried to make it right but she would have none of it.

A few years later, he is still a bachelor who is jaded and weary of his life and she is a young widow - now Lady Cecilia Lorimer, who is more lovely than ever. They refuse to have anything to do with one another but thankfully, the good-hearted and conscientious minister, Cole Amherst, takes it upon himself to interfere with their lives and the story takes off!

Lady Cecilia has been volunteering in Rev. Amherst's shelter for rehabilitated prostitutes in London's slums. David loses a card game to Amherst (Cole cheats) which means David has to manage the shelter for three months while Cole and his lovely wife remove to his country estate to await the birth of a baby.

Oh boy, oh boy - once David and Cecilia realize they have to work together for three months, the sparks fly but the attraction and love between the two manifests very quickly and oh wow - the story gets sweet and then sweeter. I loved it that there was no big misunderstanding to contend with despite their past. There was a lot of love and more love and and genuine respect and ultra-protectiveness from David to Cecilia. Pretty much everything we want in our Main Guy who is so willing to be reformed and get on the right track.

David realizes he has always loved Cecilia and apparently there was more in her heart for David than she actually knew. Their romance is set against the goings-on of the shelter and the fact that someone or a group of someone(s) are killing prostitutes at the shelter. David and Cecilia attempt to uncover villians responsible, with the help of Max De Rohan and George Kemble. We also get to spend some time with our friend, "Hell Bent" Rutledge - I love that guy.

Liz Carlyle is a super talented writer and her connected books in the "Rutledge" series are some of my faves. I have read and re-read "A Woman of Virtue" simply to bask in the romantic scenes between Delacourt and Cecily.