What do you think?
Rate this book
Fraternitas Aureae Crucis #1
One Touch of Scandal
Grace Gauthier had taken a position as governess hoping to find security and peace in a life that had very little of either. She’s always yearned for a good marriage, a family, and a home, but it was not to be. And when the brutal murder of her employer leaves her unprotected and alone—as Scotland Yard’s prime suspect—she has no one to turn to except the mysterious and reclusive Lord Ruthveyn.
A dark-eyed Lucifer, Ruthveyn guards his secrets carefully. His shadowed past as the Queen’s most trusted agent in India is the stuff of whispered rumor, as is his mixed ancestry. Deeply moved by her plight—and haunted by her beauty—Ruthveyn is determined to save Grace by unmasking a killer. But his growing passion for her soon places his own heart at risk and threatens to expose his dark gifts—and his dark society—to the world...
A dark-eyed Lucifer, Ruthveyn guards his secrets carefully. His shadowed past as the Queen’s most trusted agent in India is the stuff of whispered rumor, as is his mixed ancestry. Deeply moved by her plight—and haunted by her beauty—Ruthveyn is determined to save Grace by unmasking a killer. But his growing passion for her soon places his own heart at risk and threatens to expose his dark gifts—and his dark society—to the world...
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2010
55 people are currently reading
911 people want to read
About the author
Liz Carlyle
46 books848 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
May 31, 2025
2.5 stars
This fell about dead center between good and bad, so my biggest quandary is whether to round up or down. Maybe I’ll figure it out by the time this review is completed.
Grace is the governess in the house of a wealthy merchant and, as soon as his mourning period for his first wife is over, will become his wife. She doesn’t love him but she does love his children, and desperately wants a home and family of her own. The book opens when the police arrive after she has discovered him in his study with his throat slit and she becomes the primary suspect. She seeks help from an old friend at his St. James club, which lands her in the orbit of Adrian, Lord Ruthveyn.
So what we have here is a mishmash of a romance, a murder mystery, and whatever-the-hell the St. James club is doing.
The romance mostly worked, in spite of being buried under the mountain of gobbledygook surrounding Ruthveyn and his mystical powers and his mystical background and his mystical rules and his mystical friends and his mystical organization. Ruthveyn held himself aloof from the world because of his powers: he was a seer, a mystic, a prophet, a foreteller, a visionary, and all that power was an unbearable burden to him and the author told us so about a million times. In great detail. I fully expected Darth Vader to appear and say “The force is strong with this one.” It was overblown, too complicated, and the pile of rules governing Ruthveyn’s powers kept growing until it reached Who Cares proportions.
The murder mystery worked fairly well, spearheaded by a fun secondary character named Royden Napier, who had a stick up his butt and a grudge against Ruthveyn. It did end in OTT histrionics, but at least it ended.
Unfortunately it looks like the mysticism will continue to taint the rest of the books in the series. The fraternitas aureae crucis series would be so much better without the fraternitas aureae crucis.
Decision made: rounded down to 2 stars.
This fell about dead center between good and bad, so my biggest quandary is whether to round up or down. Maybe I’ll figure it out by the time this review is completed.
Grace is the governess in the house of a wealthy merchant and, as soon as his mourning period for his first wife is over, will become his wife. She doesn’t love him but she does love his children, and desperately wants a home and family of her own. The book opens when the police arrive after she has discovered him in his study with his throat slit and she becomes the primary suspect. She seeks help from an old friend at his St. James club, which lands her in the orbit of Adrian, Lord Ruthveyn.
So what we have here is a mishmash of a romance, a murder mystery, and whatever-the-hell the St. James club is doing.
The romance mostly worked, in spite of being buried under the mountain of gobbledygook surrounding Ruthveyn and his mystical powers and his mystical background and his mystical rules and his mystical friends and his mystical organization. Ruthveyn held himself aloof from the world because of his powers: he was a seer, a mystic, a prophet, a foreteller, a visionary, and all that power was an unbearable burden to him and the author told us so about a million times. In great detail. I fully expected Darth Vader to appear and say “The force is strong with this one.” It was overblown, too complicated, and the pile of rules governing Ruthveyn’s powers kept growing until it reached Who Cares proportions.
The murder mystery worked fairly well, spearheaded by a fun secondary character named Royden Napier, who had a stick up his butt and a grudge against Ruthveyn. It did end in OTT histrionics, but at least it ended.
Unfortunately it looks like the mysticism will continue to taint the rest of the books in the series. The fraternitas aureae crucis series would be so much better without the fraternitas aureae crucis.
Decision made: rounded down to 2 stars.
June 21, 2020
Bad. Hate it!!
April 28, 2011
I feel like I should cut this book some slack, because I started it wanting a nice ordinary historical and was really not in the mood for the mystery/paranormal plot I got. On the other hand, I'm not sure I could ever be in the right mood again for the tired paranormal cliches here. Secret mystical society -- yawn. The one woman whose secrets he can't read -- double yawn. Things improved some when the romance warmed up, though I never did get a feeling for why these two fell for each other. Convenience or fate seemed to be the only answer. The hero is half-Indian, by the way, though we don't see a whole lot about how that affects him; his sister is a little more interesting, though perhaps too much a stereotype? Overall: not worth seeking out, but not terrible if you happen to have it lying around and like this author.
(By the way, the son from Three Little Secrets makes a brief appearance here and is the hero of the next book; the heroine is the daughter from No True Gentleman.)
(By the way, the son from Three Little Secrets makes a brief appearance here and is the hero of the next book; the heroine is the daughter from No True Gentleman.)
April 21, 2018
Me pareció bien, tampoco para tirar cohetes. Digamos que correcta para las que les gusta el género: romance y un misterio.
El personaje de Grace estuvo muy bien, medio francesa y criada por su padre militar, lúcida y apasionada. Adrian es el típico protagonista tortuoso y atormentado por el pasado, fumador de hatchis y quién sabe qué más. Pero…
No me terminó de enganchar. Quizá demasiada mezcla de exotismo.
Adrian pertenece a una sociedad de personajes con el “Don”, que es algo diverso pero fundamentalmente relacionado con la premonición, y otros que son “guardianes” de dichas personas. Parece que la leyenda proviene de los Druidas aunque medio se meten los masones, templarios, rosacruces, etc. Eso no es todo. Adrian y su hermana Anisha son hijos de una hindú, así que todo está plagado de filosofía hindú. Que el “prana”, “rajputa”, etc. Y eso no es todo. A Lady Anisha también se le da por la quiromancia, las cartas astrales, es horoscopera y lee los cielos. ¿Será una hindú medio gitana?.
Me pareció demasiadas cosas juntas.
¿El sexo?. Bastante. Pero también con esa onda mística, “experiencia religiosa” con una sesión de sexo tántrico.
Bien pero no me da para seguir con la serie. Ya fue.
nota: esto lo escribí hace mucho. No recordaba esta novela en absoluto. Si no fuera por mis notas nunca hubiera creído que ya la había leído.
El personaje de Grace estuvo muy bien, medio francesa y criada por su padre militar, lúcida y apasionada. Adrian es el típico protagonista tortuoso y atormentado por el pasado, fumador de hatchis y quién sabe qué más. Pero…
No me terminó de enganchar. Quizá demasiada mezcla de exotismo.
Adrian pertenece a una sociedad de personajes con el “Don”, que es algo diverso pero fundamentalmente relacionado con la premonición, y otros que son “guardianes” de dichas personas. Parece que la leyenda proviene de los Druidas aunque medio se meten los masones, templarios, rosacruces, etc. Eso no es todo. Adrian y su hermana Anisha son hijos de una hindú, así que todo está plagado de filosofía hindú. Que el “prana”, “rajputa”, etc. Y eso no es todo. A Lady Anisha también se le da por la quiromancia, las cartas astrales, es horoscopera y lee los cielos. ¿Será una hindú medio gitana?.
Me pareció demasiadas cosas juntas.
¿El sexo?. Bastante. Pero también con esa onda mística, “experiencia religiosa” con una sesión de sexo tántrico.
Bien pero no me da para seguir con la serie. Ya fue.
nota: esto lo escribí hace mucho. No recordaba esta novela en absoluto. Si no fuera por mis notas nunca hubiera creído que ya la había leído.
May 3, 2016
Más bien 3 estrellas y media. Estoy algo reacia a darle las 4. A favor suyo debo decir que ha sido una lectura muy entretenida. Los personajes han tenido bastante carisma y ambos protagonistas me han gustado mucho, en especial Grace, es encomiable que a veces aparezcan heroínas regenciles o victorianas que tengan una gran fuerza, valor e independencia, en general que no sea idiotas, y Grace no lo es.
La trama de suspense ha estado bastante bien llevada, la lastima es que como no estamos ante una novela negra, ha sido realmente fácil y simplucio adivinar quién era el asesino y sus motivos. Por lo menos llevaba sospechándolo desde la mitad de la novela.
Y por último la historia de amor, sí, ha sido bonita, ha habido mucha química entre los protas, pero le ha faltado algo, y es más desarrollo personal por parte de los protas. Igualmente se ha echado de menos algo más de desarrollo respecto a la FAC.
Sin duda seguiré leyendo ésta serie, el primer libro ha estado bien para introducirse en ella.
La trama de suspense ha estado bastante bien llevada, la lastima es que como no estamos ante una novela negra, ha sido realmente fácil y simplucio adivinar quién era el asesino y sus motivos. Por lo menos llevaba sospechándolo desde la mitad de la novela.
Y por último la historia de amor, sí, ha sido bonita, ha habido mucha química entre los protas, pero le ha faltado algo, y es más desarrollo personal por parte de los protas. Igualmente se ha echado de menos algo más de desarrollo respecto a la FAC.
Sin duda seguiré leyendo ésta serie, el primer libro ha estado bien para introducirse en ella.
January 17, 2025
Reading Series 2025. Mad About Series Challenge HRBC.
Book I own. Romance Mystery (Paranormal) MC's H Lord Adrian Ruthveyn (a special paranormal “psychic “gift) h Grace Gauthier (english/french governess) set up for murdering her employer.
Things I liked: I liked how the love story, the mystery H Adrian was loathe to share with Grace, the murder mystery of Grace’s employer and soon to be fiancé synchronized beautifully together. I liked the epilogue at the end as it wrapped everything up neatly. The last line with the Parakeet was cute.
Review I Liked: So after reading this author's other book, THE DEVIL TO PAY, and absolutely loving it, I waltzed right over to her backlist on Amazon and bought every single book that was under $3.99. As one does. Liz Carlyle had quite a few titles fitting this description, and among these were the first three books in the Fraternitas Aureae Crucis series. ONE TOUCH OF SCANDAL is the first book and the premise is a little confusing at first and it takes a while for the story to really get rolling.
First, there's a prologue that takes place two hundred years before the main story and doesn't really come into play until the end. Then we cut to the "present" day, in Victorian times, where the heroine, Grace Gauthier, has just found out that her employer/fiance has been murdered. As if that's not bad enough, the circumstances make her look guilty.
Before her father's death, he told her the name of a man she could seek out if she ever needed help. And seek him out she does, except instead of encountering Lazonby, she finds herself nose to nose with the dark and inscrutable Adrian Ruthveyn, instead. A dark and tortured and, yes, dangerous man, he is nonetheless moved to assist Grace and keep her out of the clutches of the police. But such help can only come at a high cost.
So let's talk about why this book was great!
🌙 The spicy sex scenes! As with THE DEVIL TO PAY, this book had incredibly written sex scenes that were the perfect blend of emotional and intense. An added bonus for some readers is that while DEVIL TO PAY had a scene of forced seduction, this book did not. The heroine actually initiates a lot of their interactions, which I think many readers are going to find incredibly refreshing. YAY.
🌙 Supernatural secret societies! I actually wasn't expecting a paranormal romance when I got this book but it ended up working for me. The hero is part of a group called Fraternitas Aurae Crucis, and their missions statement sort of confuses me, but basically they are guardians who protect women and children with Gifts that descend from this woman who had magic powers-- I GUESS. The only downside is that men with the Gift have to protect themselves. SORRY SUCKER. Our hero is one of these and his powers seem to be empathy (the ESP kind) and clairvoyance.
🌙 Biracial hero! The hero is half-Indian. And yes, the cultural ramifications of this are actually mentioned and discussed in some detail.
🌙 The hero's relationship with his sister and nephews! I mean, we all know why they're there. To show that the stoic and tortured hero has real emotional depth. But Anisha, the sister, was so cool. Single mom who's mega into astrology and not in the "oh my God, I spilled my coffee and told my boyfriend I hate him, I am SUCH a Gemini!" sort of way, but in the mystical, mysterious way, because she has the same psychic gifts as her brother maybe. Whatever. IDK. The friendship she ends up forming with the heroine, Grace, is really nice and made me think of the one in DEVIL TO PAY.
🌙 Murder mystery! I am a sucker for a good romantic suspense and this has some great ~fall vibes~. I actually think swaths of it take place in fall because I think the book ends in winter. The suspense kept me turning pages during the slow points and the Gothic, looming feel of the whodunnit combined with the yellow and orange covers of the cover really made me feel those pumpkin spice fuzzies.
So what about this story DIDN'T work? It was slow. Slow to get into, slow in the middle, slow to wrap up. Just slow. I don't mind slow if it fits the pacing of the story but it didn't really feel that great here. I also actually wished that some of the side characters had gotten more air time, like Bekeldi, one of Ruthveyn's associates, and Lazonby, who has a secret that makes him really interesting.
I also felt like Grace was pretty passive. She was just kind of there, whereas Sidonie from THE DEVIL TO PAY stole every scene she was in. I liked that she had agency in the sex scenes but everywhere that wasn't the bedroom she kind of came across as a dolt. Adrian was hot, but he got a little too angsty to really make him a favorite, and the fact that she was the only person he couldn't read really gave this book some TWILIGHT vibes-- especially with his "stay away from me, I'm bad for you/but also, I love you more than life itself" angstlord diatribes, which had me rolling my eyes despite his hotness.
ALSO-- the writing... kind of felt lazy. We're told that the hero has a raspy voice so many times that I actually did a search in my Kindle for "rasped" and it showed up over twenty times. There were other repetitions too but that was the one that stuck out the most. I guess you might say... they rasped.
I liked this book a lot and do plan to continue but it could have been so much better than it was with a little more editing. Why yes, I do hold my faves to higher standards. #sorrynotsorry #istillloveyou
Book I own. Romance Mystery (Paranormal) MC's H Lord Adrian Ruthveyn (a special paranormal “psychic “gift) h Grace Gauthier (english/french governess) set up for murdering her employer.
Things I liked: I liked how the love story, the mystery H Adrian was loathe to share with Grace, the murder mystery of Grace’s employer and soon to be fiancé synchronized beautifully together. I liked the epilogue at the end as it wrapped everything up neatly. The last line with the Parakeet was cute.
Review I Liked: So after reading this author's other book, THE DEVIL TO PAY, and absolutely loving it, I waltzed right over to her backlist on Amazon and bought every single book that was under $3.99. As one does. Liz Carlyle had quite a few titles fitting this description, and among these were the first three books in the Fraternitas Aureae Crucis series. ONE TOUCH OF SCANDAL is the first book and the premise is a little confusing at first and it takes a while for the story to really get rolling.
First, there's a prologue that takes place two hundred years before the main story and doesn't really come into play until the end. Then we cut to the "present" day, in Victorian times, where the heroine, Grace Gauthier, has just found out that her employer/fiance has been murdered. As if that's not bad enough, the circumstances make her look guilty.
Before her father's death, he told her the name of a man she could seek out if she ever needed help. And seek him out she does, except instead of encountering Lazonby, she finds herself nose to nose with the dark and inscrutable Adrian Ruthveyn, instead. A dark and tortured and, yes, dangerous man, he is nonetheless moved to assist Grace and keep her out of the clutches of the police. But such help can only come at a high cost.
So let's talk about why this book was great!
🌙 The spicy sex scenes! As with THE DEVIL TO PAY, this book had incredibly written sex scenes that were the perfect blend of emotional and intense. An added bonus for some readers is that while DEVIL TO PAY had a scene of forced seduction, this book did not. The heroine actually initiates a lot of their interactions, which I think many readers are going to find incredibly refreshing. YAY.
🌙 Supernatural secret societies! I actually wasn't expecting a paranormal romance when I got this book but it ended up working for me. The hero is part of a group called Fraternitas Aurae Crucis, and their missions statement sort of confuses me, but basically they are guardians who protect women and children with Gifts that descend from this woman who had magic powers-- I GUESS. The only downside is that men with the Gift have to protect themselves. SORRY SUCKER. Our hero is one of these and his powers seem to be empathy (the ESP kind) and clairvoyance.
🌙 Biracial hero! The hero is half-Indian. And yes, the cultural ramifications of this are actually mentioned and discussed in some detail.
🌙 The hero's relationship with his sister and nephews! I mean, we all know why they're there. To show that the stoic and tortured hero has real emotional depth. But Anisha, the sister, was so cool. Single mom who's mega into astrology and not in the "oh my God, I spilled my coffee and told my boyfriend I hate him, I am SUCH a Gemini!" sort of way, but in the mystical, mysterious way, because she has the same psychic gifts as her brother maybe. Whatever. IDK. The friendship she ends up forming with the heroine, Grace, is really nice and made me think of the one in DEVIL TO PAY.
🌙 Murder mystery! I am a sucker for a good romantic suspense and this has some great ~fall vibes~. I actually think swaths of it take place in fall because I think the book ends in winter. The suspense kept me turning pages during the slow points and the Gothic, looming feel of the whodunnit combined with the yellow and orange covers of the cover really made me feel those pumpkin spice fuzzies.
So what about this story DIDN'T work? It was slow. Slow to get into, slow in the middle, slow to wrap up. Just slow. I don't mind slow if it fits the pacing of the story but it didn't really feel that great here. I also actually wished that some of the side characters had gotten more air time, like Bekeldi, one of Ruthveyn's associates, and Lazonby, who has a secret that makes him really interesting.
I also felt like Grace was pretty passive. She was just kind of there, whereas Sidonie from THE DEVIL TO PAY stole every scene she was in. I liked that she had agency in the sex scenes but everywhere that wasn't the bedroom she kind of came across as a dolt. Adrian was hot, but he got a little too angsty to really make him a favorite, and the fact that she was the only person he couldn't read really gave this book some TWILIGHT vibes-- especially with his "stay away from me, I'm bad for you/but also, I love you more than life itself" angstlord diatribes, which had me rolling my eyes despite his hotness.
ALSO-- the writing... kind of felt lazy. We're told that the hero has a raspy voice so many times that I actually did a search in my Kindle for "rasped" and it showed up over twenty times. There were other repetitions too but that was the one that stuck out the most. I guess you might say... they rasped.
I liked this book a lot and do plan to continue but it could have been so much better than it was with a little more editing. Why yes, I do hold my faves to higher standards. #sorrynotsorry #istillloveyou
November 17, 2010
I thought that this was a refreshing change of pace for LC. I liked the paranormal element to the story and will tell you right up front that I am looking forward to the next one in the series.
The backbone of the story is this. Grace stands to be accused of murder of her fiancee. She has come to find an old family friend and instead makes the acquaintance of Adrian Ruthveyn. She immediately senses that he is not a man to be trifled with, but seems fated not to be able to resist.
Once Adrian catches site of Grace, he instantly becomes fascinated with her and will do everything in his power to find the truth about the murder. He also does all he can to fight the attraction to her. For he has a curse as old as time and he will deny his heart before one more women becomes its victim.
What made this a bit of a unique book to me is the character were so colorfully drawn. We have Adrian's sister Anisha with her palm reading and star charting. Their wastrel younger brother Lucan with his angelic looks and devilish attitude.
What was that delicious scene between Rance Lazonby and Jack Coldwater all about? Inquiring minds are dying to know. We have Mr. Quartermaine (the owner of a local, if not famous, gambling establishment and Mr. Pinkie Ringgold (the protector of the front door.) Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Roydon Napier, is he a future love interest? Even the mysterious Belkaldi I wanted to find out more about and was not ready to leave their world behind.
While the mystery did take up quite a bit of the book, I still felt satisfied with the romance aspects of the book. There were some interesting love scenes that you normally don't come across in an English love story. But since Adrian is half Scottish and half Indian, you might get some idea of what he might know in the bedroom. Men should be required to all have this knowledge. ;-)
The backbone of the story is this. Grace stands to be accused of murder of her fiancee. She has come to find an old family friend and instead makes the acquaintance of Adrian Ruthveyn. She immediately senses that he is not a man to be trifled with, but seems fated not to be able to resist.
Once Adrian catches site of Grace, he instantly becomes fascinated with her and will do everything in his power to find the truth about the murder. He also does all he can to fight the attraction to her. For he has a curse as old as time and he will deny his heart before one more women becomes its victim.
What made this a bit of a unique book to me is the character were so colorfully drawn. We have Adrian's sister Anisha with her palm reading and star charting. Their wastrel younger brother Lucan with his angelic looks and devilish attitude.
What was that delicious scene between Rance Lazonby and Jack Coldwater all about? Inquiring minds are dying to know. We have Mr. Quartermaine (the owner of a local, if not famous, gambling establishment and Mr. Pinkie Ringgold (the protector of the front door.) Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Roydon Napier, is he a future love interest? Even the mysterious Belkaldi I wanted to find out more about and was not ready to leave their world behind.
While the mystery did take up quite a bit of the book, I still felt satisfied with the romance aspects of the book. There were some interesting love scenes that you normally don't come across in an English love story. But since Adrian is half Scottish and half Indian, you might get some idea of what he might know in the bedroom. Men should be required to all have this knowledge. ;-)
January 5, 2021
I started this book in 2020. The dumpster fire of 2020.
It served it's purpose. I wanted escapism fiction and this sufficed. If I keep and re-read this one would I still feel this way??? Idk???
The 3 stars fits this book for me. It wasn't the best book ever but I have read a hell of a lot worse.
2020 (and lbr here 2021 as well) my motto will probably be something like "I'm not here for quality, but I'm here for a good time" or something like that.
The Book Goat and The Trash Panda reader sides of me will probably rule this year as well. I'm honest with myself.
2021: The Year of the Book Goat and the Trash Panda. Lol 🐐 🦝 📚
It served it's purpose. I wanted escapism fiction and this sufficed. If I keep and re-read this one would I still feel this way??? Idk???
The 3 stars fits this book for me. It wasn't the best book ever but I have read a hell of a lot worse.
2020 (and lbr here 2021 as well) my motto will probably be something like "I'm not here for quality, but I'm here for a good time" or something like that.
The Book Goat and The Trash Panda reader sides of me will probably rule this year as well. I'm honest with myself.
2021: The Year of the Book Goat and the Trash Panda. Lol 🐐 🦝 📚
November 17, 2010
Liz Carlyle has been auto buy for me for years now, so this was a huge disappointment. I couldn't believe when I wasn't hooked by page 25 and when I was having to force myself to give it the first 50 then the first 100 pages. I love, love, love her earlier works, particularly One Little Sin, which remains one of my favorite books. I think the big problem with book is actually an unusual one--there's not enough telling. I spent too much of the early part of the book wondering why Adrian was so broody and mysterious--it took far too long to figure out exactly what the club was and what his "power" was. I agree with another reviewer who said that it didn't feel like the first of a trilogy--I hate joining series halfway though, and that's what this felt like. Grace felt like a stock character instead of the usual lush, spirited, independent heroines that I know Carlyle for. There was no banter in the first 100 pages! None! I know Carlyle is capable of so much more, so I'm certain to give her more chances, but this was disappointing.
December 29, 2010
I am always leery of romances that either dabble in the occult/mysticism and "foreign/exotic" (eg: Indian, Chinese, etc) religions or practices. However, Carlyle wove these elements in tastefully and not too "otherizing" (if that makes any sort of sense). The mystery was well done (even if I guessed some of it) and had a satisfying conclusion. A quick and enjoyable read.
July 21, 2015
Not my favorite Liz Carlyle story, but 3* wasn't enough, so it's a weak 4*. Part of the problem may be that I read book #3 first, not realizing it was part of a series. I now have the rest of the series, so hopefully it will grow on me.
September 6, 2016
I found this an interesting story (by one of my favourite authors) enjoyable too!
June 8, 2023
The sex was good but it was a no thank you to the rest of it. I almost DNF
December 11, 2019
I didn’t finish this book. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t get into it. It was kinda all over the place for me.
January 13, 2015
Author: Liz Carlyle
First published: 2004
Length: 375 pages
Setting: London 1848.
Sex: explicit, infrequent
Hero: Marquess ex-diplomat/spy of Indian and British heritage. Sees visions of the future.
Heroine: Governess. Followed the drum with her French father.
Series: Book 1 of 4
Reads like I'm missing something - another book or links to another series? Searching through Carlyle's website I learn it is "connected" to books about the MacLachlan family and friends. But it is not clear if reading the earlier books would add context to this one. *grimace*
I wanted to like it... but it was only okay.
The "paranormal" aspects were stupid paranormal; sights/visions/premonitions that could readily be explained by an observant person piecing together (possibly subconsciously) bits and bobs of information to make a whole (or close to). For example, Anisha's "reading" of Grace's palm. There was nothing particularly extraordinary in her conclusions.
There seemed a lack of chemistry between our MCs, and the story was remarkably unfulfilling with major plot points and background missing.
It missed the mark.
Fraternitas Aurea Crucis:
Book 1 One Touch of Scandal - Grace Gauthier and Adrian, Lord Ruthveyn
Book 2 The Bride Wore Scarlet - Anais de Rohan (from No True Gentleman) and Geoff Archard, Lord Bessett (from Three Little Secrets)
Book 3 The Bride Wore Pearls - Rance Welham, the Earl of Lazonby and Lady Anisha Stafford
Book 4 A Bride by Moonlight - Lisette Colburne and Royden Napier, Baron Saint-Bryce
References:
Author's website: http://www.lizcarlyle.com/books_oneto...
(ISBN 9780061965753)
-CR-
First published: 2004
Length: 375 pages
Setting: London 1848.
Sex: explicit, infrequent
Hero: Marquess ex-diplomat/spy of Indian and British heritage. Sees visions of the future.
Heroine: Governess. Followed the drum with her French father.
Series: Book 1 of 4
Reads like I'm missing something - another book or links to another series? Searching through Carlyle's website I learn it is "connected" to books about the MacLachlan family and friends. But it is not clear if reading the earlier books would add context to this one. *grimace*
I wanted to like it... but it was only okay.
The "paranormal" aspects were stupid paranormal; sights/visions/premonitions that could readily be explained by an observant person piecing together (possibly subconsciously) bits and bobs of information to make a whole (or close to). For example, Anisha's "reading" of Grace's palm. There was nothing particularly extraordinary in her conclusions.
There seemed a lack of chemistry between our MCs, and the story was remarkably unfulfilling with major plot points and background missing.
It missed the mark.
Fraternitas Aurea Crucis:
Book 1 One Touch of Scandal - Grace Gauthier and Adrian, Lord Ruthveyn
Book 2 The Bride Wore Scarlet - Anais de Rohan (from No True Gentleman) and Geoff Archard, Lord Bessett (from Three Little Secrets)
Book 3 The Bride Wore Pearls - Rance Welham, the Earl of Lazonby and Lady Anisha Stafford
Book 4 A Bride by Moonlight - Lisette Colburne and Royden Napier, Baron Saint-Bryce
References:
Author's website: http://www.lizcarlyle.com/books_oneto...
(ISBN 9780061965753)
-CR-
unread
September 30, 2021Paused @ chapter 2. Putting this back on the TBR because I’m not in the mood for paranormal; I’ll come back to it another time.
December 5, 2010
One Touch of Scandal is the first book in a new trilogy by Liz Carlyle. The trilogy revolves around a secret society, Fraternitas Aurea Crucis. Lucifer, Lord Ruthveyn is one such member. He is surprised to find Grace Guathier on the front stoop of the clubhouse in search of help. Grace has been accused of murdering her fiancé. Her father now deceased had told her if she was ever in trouble to find Sergeant Welham. Instead of finding her childhood friend, Grace finds herself ensnared by the dark enigmatic Lord Ruthveyn.
There is a lot going on in One Touch of Scandal. Amongst the romance between Grace and Lucifer there is the mystery surrounding Grace's fiancé. There is also the secret society and its political intrigues and then there is a paranormal/psychic quality to Lucifer's personality. All of these different side-plots were very well thought out. I especially found the murder plot very intriguing. However, with so much going on in the book I thought the romance between Lucifer and Grace suffered some. This could be due to my lack of interest in the political parts of the book, when I would rather to get back to the romance.
I liked Grace's character. She was able to pull Lucifer emotionally out behind the wall he built up around himself. The trust between these two characters was crucial and for both characters. Grace is accused of murder and Lucifer intuitively believes Grace when she says she didn't do it. He never waivers in his belief of her. Similarly, Grace accepts that Lucifer is different and patiently waits for him to trust his secrets to her. I think if the external plot points had been toned down a little I would have enjoyed the story more.
There is a lot going on in One Touch of Scandal. Amongst the romance between Grace and Lucifer there is the mystery surrounding Grace's fiancé. There is also the secret society and its political intrigues and then there is a paranormal/psychic quality to Lucifer's personality. All of these different side-plots were very well thought out. I especially found the murder plot very intriguing. However, with so much going on in the book I thought the romance between Lucifer and Grace suffered some. This could be due to my lack of interest in the political parts of the book, when I would rather to get back to the romance.
I liked Grace's character. She was able to pull Lucifer emotionally out behind the wall he built up around himself. The trust between these two characters was crucial and for both characters. Grace is accused of murder and Lucifer intuitively believes Grace when she says she didn't do it. He never waivers in his belief of her. Similarly, Grace accepts that Lucifer is different and patiently waits for him to trust his secrets to her. I think if the external plot points had been toned down a little I would have enjoyed the story more.
August 28, 2011
This books was a little overstuffed. What with secret societies, a murder mystery, a touch of paranormal (psychic) powers and even some tantric sex there's a lot going on. But I still enjoyed it. I liked both leads and and while there was set up for the series I didn't feel like it took away from the main storyline. I just finished another disappointing historical romance so I was happy to read one where the hero was troubled and tried to distance himself from the heroine without being a complete jerk and where the heroine who wasn't a complete ninny. This is my second Liz Carlyle and I've enjoyed them both so I'm happy to find a new to me author with a rich back list to enjoy.
May 27, 2018
I read the second book in this series first and it didn't impress. This one is a much better advertisement for the franchise. Not as much exposition about the Fraterinas or if so, it's not as dry.
The love story between Grace and Rauthavin starts in the midst of a murder and continues to simmer and then boil over in passion that is erotic and compelling. Dark forces surround them as do extra sensory abilities within themselves and their compatriots.
Sexy, seductive and satisfying.
The love story between Grace and Rauthavin starts in the midst of a murder and continues to simmer and then boil over in passion that is erotic and compelling. Dark forces surround them as do extra sensory abilities within themselves and their compatriots.
Sexy, seductive and satisfying.
February 4, 2011
Historical romance meets mysticism. Yuck.
November 12, 2015
Entertaining and well-woven historical set in England 1840's. with magic and murder. The magical world-building is very good.
May 14, 2018
The author couldn't decide whether she was writing a paranormal or a romance - so she tried to write a mix of both - and created a mess that was at times incoherent and confusing and, ultimately, boring. The first rule of paranormal writing is to define the terms and parameters - but she waited until halfway through this book before she gave explanations of the terms and background of her paranormal aspect. So she created this jumble of Hindu mysticism, Jesuits, The "Sight" and foretelling, and some aspect of the Rosicrucians thrown in for good luck. The romance was almost secondary and both the main characters were blah. The mystery was never really unsolvable and the so-called Police Inspector was useless and almost a caricature. I felt that somehow I must have missed the first book in the series that actually gave some information about the secondary characters since everyone seemed to have knowledge about each other's past activities- but, nope - this is the first book. Overall, it was a waste of time.
September 19, 2023
Silly covers aside, Liz Carlyle has always been my go-to choice when I want romance (happy ending!) and accurate historical detail, written with grace and style -- and if she is not publishing anything new I guess it's time to go back and re-read some. This 2010 effort is the first in a 3-book series written to capitalize on the craze for paranormal romance, and she manages to do even that without going overboard or being ridiculous. Here we meet Adrian, Lord Ruthveyn who feels his "Gift" is a curse, along with Rance, Lord Lazonby and Lord Bessett, the three founders of the Fraternitas Aureae Crucis, dedicated to the protection of people with paranormal powers. He is intrigued by poor Grace, a lowly governess accused of murdering her nouveau-riche employer who may also have been planning to marry her, and he goes to great lengths to investigate her case and protect her. It sure helps that he is unable to "read" Grace, and no surprise that she ultimately turns out to be descended from the same "gifted" ancestors as himself. Well done, as always. Excellent summer reading.
April 8, 2020
This is the fifth book in the MacLachlan Family series and the first in the Fraternita Aurea Crucis series. I read One Little Sin, the second book in the Maclachlan series and enjoyed it very much. Then, I skipped to this book, because I didn't have access to the others and felt somewhat at a loss of knowing what was going on. I prefer to read books in order and with this series, I feel it would have been a real benefit. This book had a paranormal element to it which was different. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but know that I would have enjoyed it more if I could have read the other books leading up to it.
September 30, 2023
Great Plot
The story is captivating, a bit mysterious, sweet and spicy all in one. Love the plot and the main characters. The story are a bit heavy, with story involve around murder crime of heroine fiancé. There were hints of magical power from H side but not so much magic 🪄 with brooms or such thing. It’s more like intuition to see thing like other thought and future.
However, as English isn’t my first language this book is not typical easy read one. In one chapter there would be a couple or more fancy hard words . I don’t usually use dictionary but with Liz books I have use it couple of times throughout the book.
As for spice level I would give it around 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️
The story is captivating, a bit mysterious, sweet and spicy all in one. Love the plot and the main characters. The story are a bit heavy, with story involve around murder crime of heroine fiancé. There were hints of magical power from H side but not so much magic 🪄 with brooms or such thing. It’s more like intuition to see thing like other thought and future.
However, as English isn’t my first language this book is not typical easy read one. In one chapter there would be a couple or more fancy hard words . I don’t usually use dictionary but with Liz books I have use it couple of times throughout the book.
As for spice level I would give it around 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️
February 19, 2021
3,75/5
Mam trochę mieszane uczucia. Z jednej strony podoba mi się wątek "kryminalny" i Bractwa. Nadaje on pikanterii i tajemniczości, nie pozwala się również nudzić. Autorka sprawnie buduje napięcie między bohaterami i aurę mroku dla Adriana (mam niesamowity sentyment do tego imienia w literaturze). Zabrakło mi jednak autentyczności. Akcja dzieje się w II połowie XIX wieku, ale równie dobrze mogłoby dziać się to 100 lub 150 lat później. Trochę jestem tym rozczarowana, ale nie szkodzi. Podobał mi się ogólny wydźwięk historii, nie da się na niej nudzić.
Mam trochę mieszane uczucia. Z jednej strony podoba mi się wątek "kryminalny" i Bractwa. Nadaje on pikanterii i tajemniczości, nie pozwala się również nudzić. Autorka sprawnie buduje napięcie między bohaterami i aurę mroku dla Adriana (mam niesamowity sentyment do tego imienia w literaturze). Zabrakło mi jednak autentyczności. Akcja dzieje się w II połowie XIX wieku, ale równie dobrze mogłoby dziać się to 100 lub 150 lat później. Trochę jestem tym rozczarowana, ale nie szkodzi. Podobał mi się ogólny wydźwięk historii, nie da się na niej nudzić.
March 22, 2018
There is a lot going on in this book and it could technically go into a romantic-paranormal box depending on the reviewer. I personally liked it, but again all the information was a lot to process in addition to following the twists and turns of the romantic plot. Overall, closer to 4 stars than 3 and definitely a yes to reading the next book in the series.
October 7, 2019
Para mí el libro ha sido una gran sorpresa ya que nos ha mezclado un poco la novela negra con el género romántico, obteniendo un resultado bueno, aunque lo reconozco que puesta a elegir me quedo con el género romántico empalagoso, jaja.
Reseña completa: https://atrapadaenunashojasdepapel.bl...
Reseña completa: https://atrapadaenunashojasdepapel.bl...
July 12, 2021
I gave this a 3.5 no special moments between the main characters or anything that would make this a memorable read. The story was okay. There was a mystery to solve concerning the heroine, paranormal elements plus mysterious fraternity/ brotherhood that the hero belong too. If you like a historical suspense with some paranormal elements this story might be for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews