Rating: 
Summary: A fine romance
Review: In 1829 the Earl of Walrafen learns that someone shot and killed his crusty Uncle, retired Major Elias Lorimer at the remote Castle Cardow. Though he never goes up there he decides to pay a visit and also meet the housekeeper Catriona Montford who has humorously tortured him through correspondence.Walrafen arrives and quickly wonders if Catriona may have killed his uncle as hints fly from the staff that she must have done so. Still he finds her efficient, beautiful, and a liar, but cannot fathom what she is really hiding besides the fact that she is obviously quality and so is her young son. As they battle one another, they fall in love, but what will occur to them if he learns the truth of her criminal past and what really happened to his uncle. This is an exhilarating historical romance starring two wonderful protagonists. The key to the tale is the relationship between the lead couple, who must confront two major issues if they are to share a loving trusting relationship. Readers will take immense pleasure with this delightful late Regency romance though the clean-up performed by his best friend Max seems too abrupt and easy. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and entertaining read
Review: Not knowing what to expect, I bought this book solely based on positive reviews from another website. I thoroughly enjoyed this author's ability to combine light comedy with a slightly gothic-flare, including at least 2 mysterious deaths that are not resolved until the end of the book. I was reminded of Jane Austin in the style and banter between the characters. Since other reviewers have already described the plot in detail, I will simply say that I was entertained enough to purchase another copy for a friend and recommend it to another. The story never became dull (as some do) and it was a fun page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and entertaining read
Review: Not knowing what to expect, I bought this book solely based on positive reviews from another website. I thoroughly enjoyed this author's ability to combine light comedy with a slightly gothic-flare, including at least 2 mysterious deaths that are not resolved until the end of the book. I was reminded of Jane Austin in the style and banter between the characters. Since other reviewers have already described the plot in detail, I will simply say that I was entertained enough to purchase another copy for a friend and recommend it to another. The story never became dull (as some do) and it was a fun page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: Love this Author and Her Awesome books!
Review: Setting - Cadrow Castle, England, 1829 --- Carlyle's latest book in her `Devil' series features a young woman who has come to the musty rundown Castle Cadrow in answer to an advertisement for a housekeeper. Calling herself Mrs. Aubrey Montford, she brings along forged documents along with her young son, Iain. Major Lorimer, the cantankerous and ailing uncle of the Earl of Walrafen is ready to toss her and her son out until she reveals to him her real identity and he reluctantly allows her to stay where over time she endears herself to the Major. Several years pass and the very isolation of the castle gives her a feeling of safety as she busies herself in returning the castle and grounds back to a semblance of it's former glory.
Giles, the Earl of Walrafen, whose unhappy childhood memories of Castle Cardow have kept him away from his childhood home for years has been apprised of the castles status by weekly missives, as well as scoldings he's been receiving from the seemingly irritable Mrs. Montford. He's dealt with these letters by regulating them to an almost non-existent priority in lieu of more important matters dealing with his Parlimentary work. Notified of his uncle's murder, he drops everything and travels to the castle where he is astonished when he finally meets the housekeeper. The woman he'd once thought of as a close proximity to Atila the the Hun turned out to be quite lovely, AND she was also the prime suspect in his uncle's murder. Their relationship starts out on the wrong foot from the very first moments, with Aubrey barely disguising her disdain for neglecting both his home and uncle, and of course he's not too pleased with a housekeeper that is treating him with such impertinence. In spite of Aubrey's secrets, their mutual attraction simply sizzles and they embark on a surreptitious affair. When Giles wants to make the relationship a more permanent arrangement, he's distraught when Aubrey refuses to even consider it. Calling in some favors from friends, Giles asks them to conduct an investigation that just might destroy what gains he'd made in getting Aubrey to trust him.
This was such an awesome and thrilling romance from an author whose writing style, I confess, I simply adore. I totally enjoyed her two protagonists and their interaction, especially as Giles, whether he admitted it or not, had so enjoyed the letters he'd been receiving over the years from a woman who he thought of as a `thorn in his side'. While this is part of a `series' it certainly does stand-alone and I particularly love the way, Carlyle manages to bring back friends from all of her previous novels to pop in, here and there, to visit - one big happy family! Kemble, who has appeared in a couple of books that I can recall, is a remarkable secondary character that I find always adds a humorous touch to the usual drama in her stories. Bottom Line - This is just another of the superb stories I've come to expect when buying this authors works and I am so glad I discovered her right from the get go! All her books have found a permanent place on my `keeper shelf'! ---- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 stars really
Review: Something about this story that left me unsatisfied and a little irritated. Like there was something lacking in our heroine and hero's relationship that I can't put my finger on it. I found the relationship between Aubrey and the Major more endearing. I do love Liz Carlyle's style of writing, I just don't feel like this one was up to the others.
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars really
Review: Something about this story that left me unsatisfied and a little irritated. Like there was something lacking in our heroine and hero's relationship that I can't put my finger on it. I found the relationship between Aubrey and the Major more endearing. I do love Liz Carlyle's style of writing, I just don't feel like this one was up to the others.
Rating:
Summary: Devilish charm
Review: The devilish charm of Liz Carlyle works again in her latest addition to the Devil series. Molding a locked-room mystery and some good old chemistry and romance, A Deal with the Devil tells of the harrowing escape of Lady Aubrey Farquharson with nephew Iain from the clutches of her scheming uncle Fergus. She poses as housekeeper Mrs. Montford in Lord Walfaeren's estate and gets embroiled in a murder of the Walfaeren's grouchy alcoholic grandfather Major Lorimer. Though the mystery lacks the finesse and atmosphere of her previous works like No True Gentleman, the romance between Aubrey and Giles touches genuine emotions. Ms. Carlyle astutely unites the brooding hero and the sassy heroine deftly with unspoken emotions in her descriptions and deep seated passion, sparing us from an overload of melodrama. The old plot devices work out beautifully with Carlyle's maturity in crafting her characters and sensible pacing. With a stable of memorable secondary characters like Delacourt, the witty Pemble and the roguish detective Max, A Deal with the Devil exudes full-fledged debonair charm.
Rating:
Summary: Very good story!
Review: This is the third Liz Caryle book I have read and I am liking her writing more and more. A Deal With the Devil is a very good story with strong character development and interesting story line.
Rating:
Summary: When I thought they couldn't get any better......
Review: What a delicious read! L. C. has always been a favorite writer, but this one really kept the pages flying. I loved how Aubrey, the calm, capable servant kept putting Lord Giles in his place. The sparks flew, which is what I look for in a romance. Aubrey was mature and courageous, not one of the clueless heroines who gets herself in some dumb predicament. Loved the description of the spooky castle that added a great gothic feel. This also had trademark L.C. humor, especially with Iain and the old uncle. I don't usually like mysteries, but this one did not interfere with the romance at all. I was moved to tears by Aubrey's secret, and how she finally was able to place her trust in Giles. If this book had a shortcoming, it was . . . well, too short. I would have liked to read a lot more about Giles and Aubrey.
Rating:
Summary: an intense read
Review: While I enjoyed "A Deal with the Devil" quite a bit, I feel as if I should add a warning: the initial sexual encounters between the heroine (Aubrey Montford) and the hero (Lord Walrafen) do make for rather uncomfortable reading. Aubrey Montford is on the run and desperate, and she needs to find a place where she and her son, Iain, can lie low and be left in peace. And so Aubrey answers an advertisement for a housekeeper at Castle Cardow in Somerset. Cardow actually belongs to Lord Walrafen, however because he hates the estate he rarely goes there, and he has installed his uncle, Major Lorimer (a veteran of the Peninsula Wars), there to oversee things. Using the Major's past relationship with her father, Aubrey secures the job for herself, and so safety for Iain and herself. But things at Cardow are truly desperate. The Major is a drunk and suffers from bouts of depression, and has allowed the castle and estate to fall into ruin. Aubrey has her work cut out for her. And slowly, over the course of three years, Aubrey is able to transform the estate into a successful income earning one. And then one day everything changes: the Major is found dead from a gunshot wound in his study, and the local JP suspects Aubrey of the crime. Even worse, Lord Walrafen turns up intent on discovering who killed his uncle, and looks to Aubrey for answers. For a young lady with a great many secrets to hide, all this attention is almost too much to bear... Because of his miserable childhood, Lord Walrafen has always hated Cardow and has done his best to ignore its very existence. Of course he never dreamed that he would have to contend with an efficient, intelligent and sarcastic housekeeper who seems bent on peppering him with letters about his estate. And now said housekeeper is suspected of having had a hand in his uncle's murder. But Walrafen cannot believe that Aubrey is a murderess. Definitely she's hiding something, but a guilty conscience at having shot the Major is not one of them. Walrafen is determined to uncover all of Aubrey's secrets. But is his detetermination because he is intent on discovering what happened to his uncle or because of the almost obsessive attraction he feels for Aubrey... In spite of the fact that it almost seems as if Lord Walrafen forces himself upon Aubrey initially, I rather enjoyed "A Deal with the Devil." And this completely due to the authour's obvious talent. Just when you're bracing yourself for the disappointment in realizing that the hero is another one of those "I-must-have-what-I-want-when-I-want-it" types, Liz Carlyle completely turns things around by making him realize (early on in the book, mind you) the error of his ways. So that in spite of the fact that "A Deal with the Devil" does indeed revolve round many well known plot devices, everything still seems fresh and vital. I cannot remember the last time a hero trusted a heroine implicitly enough to wait for her to confide in him. All in all, I'd vote "A Deal with the Devil" as a stellar 4 star read because of its memorable heroine (brave, strong and honest), likable hero and poignant love story. The attraction that Aubrey and Walrafen feel for each other is quite apparent and electric; but more striking still is the authour's stark accounting of the conflicting emotions, fear and confusion that Aubrey feels about the attraction she feels for Walrafen and what she should do about it. A good read.
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