Rating: 
Summary: Passion to Die For
Review: Anything Liz Carlyle comes out with now is an automatic buy for me. One thing you can always be assured of is fabulous intelligent dialog, subtle and/or outrageous humor and intense sensuality. One thing you will find is that of six books I've read, you most often will re-visit or have mention made of characters from previous novels and this common thread is one I look forward to as I think most book lovers will agree, when the characters are so finely drawn out they remain in your heart and become 'friends' that you like to revisit at times. Bently 'Hell-Bent' Rutledge, first mentioned in 'Beauty Like the Night' is and was a rogue ' handsome, devilish, but even then you saw he did have a heart. Here you get to meet him up front and personal, with no holds barred good and bad. Of course, in order to strip him to the core and show his soul it takes a very special woman, Frederica d'Avillez ' exotic and beautiful beauty ' a ward of another hero from 'My False Heart'. It takes an amazingly and gifted author to hold your attention through an entire book with a 'soft' plot but indeed it is done here. Characterizations are so exquisitely drawn, that you will find this as all of Carlyle's books extremely hard to put down. The passion and the SEX is to die for! This with all of her other books land permanently on my keeper shelf!
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY ENTERTAINING
Review: Bentley and Freddie are soo great together! He's a first class rake - the kind that you fall right in love with - she's the cousin of his best friend.. jilted recently by her "true love" and desperate to know if she is still attractive..after all, she thinks her first season didnt go well due to the fact that she is is a bastard and a french one to boot. After a rather interesting beginning, they agree to work on this marriage - little does Freddie know of the demons in Bentleys' past. They are the reason that he acts the way he acts . Its a great read and it was wonderful to revisit the family- Cam and Helena and Lord and Lady Rannoch.
Rating:
Summary: The best romance this year!
Review: Don't be fooled by the devil-may-care undertone of Liz Carlyle's latest romantic hero Bentley "Hell-Bent" Rutledge who thrives on risk and hedonistic pleasures. Why should we find ourselves falling for the egregious rake who recklessly engages in a night of passion with Frederica d'Avillez which she initiates after being spurned by her longtime beau Johnny? Many reasons as you plunge into this sweeping romance by sensual mistress Liz Carlyle. He immediately proposes through a note that was unfortunately gone with the wind and hastily marries Frederica, leading her to believe this marriage was strictly out of honor. Their love spawns from passion but, alas not intimacy as Bentley buries a deep humiliation that threatens to fester the relationship between his brother Cam and demolish any hope of conjugal bliss. This is not the typical 'open-the-bedroom-door' romance. It evolves from a light-hearted mismatch to a great love story of unflinching power where Bentley grapples with his shame of incest afflicted upon him. You will feel for this fallen angel as he prays for redemption and forgiveness from his brother and Frederica. He shoulders an emotional turmoil that will choke you in its sheer ugliness, heaved upon by his own father and Cam's malicious ex-wife. And cried I certainly did. Liz Carlyle's latest is an emotional rollercoaster with deft touches of lively brio from her supporting ensemble like Lord Rannoch, Helene and gritty intrigue from the Signora Castelli with her damningly accurate tarot-card predictions. The happy ending is a heartfelt triumph well deserving for the weathered couple. Why, The Devil You know might be the best romance this year!
Rating:
Summary: Regrets, Redemption, and Second Chances
Review: Ever since his first appearance in Liz Carlyle's BEAUTY LIKE THE NIGHT, I have been intrigued by Bentley Rutledge. A scamp with a penchant for malicious mischief, who showed up in later books as an unrepentant rogue, Randolph Bentham "Hell-Bent" Rutledge has been screaming for a comeuppance, and I am delighted to report that Ms. Carlyle gives him a rather stunning one in THE DEVIL YOU KNOW. Bentley is visiting long-time friends at Chatham Lodge, and after one night's drunken revels, he encounters disconsolate and furious Frederica d'Avillez in the gardens. Freddie, whom he has long viewed as a younger sister but recently noticed as a woman, is smarting over being rejected by her almost-fiancé due to her "inferior" bloodlines. After crying on Bentley's shoulder, she seduces him - part pride, part secret longing. Bentley has never been one to say no to any sort of vice and obliges her. He wakes with some regret in the morning, and leaves a "pretty" proposal in her room before escaping. But he doesn't know that his proposal flies out the window with him and Freddie never received it. Soon it is announced that Freddie is going abroad to marry. Bentley's been waiting weeks for the axe to fall, and can hardly believe that Freddie won't have him - or that Freddie's male relatives don't want him dead. Once he discovers she is pregnant and the marriage abroad is a ruse, he proposes that they marry for six months, and that he will always provide for Freddie and the child financially. Bentley and Freddie journey to his family's estate, where Bentley is forced to confront his past while trying to set up a viable future for his little family. It was wonderful to get inside Bentley's head. I always suspected there was more to him than he let on, that he was more than just a debauched rake. And there is. Bentley's past is surprisingly heart-wrenching; his feelings of hopelessness and despair are quite tangible to the reader. I haven't talked much about Freddie. She is a very sympathetic character, especially since she is trying to do what readers want to do: figure out what makes Bentley tick. Bentley is most definitely the star of this show, but I for one did not mind him upstaging everyone else (except, perhaps, Kemble!). I was a bit dismayed when I realized this was to be a marriage-forced-for-pregnancy plot, as this is one of my least favorite devices. But in Ms. Carlyle I trust, and she did not lead me astray. THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is a testament to what can happen to a seemingly irrepressible rogue in the hands of a master storyteller.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable.....
Review: Frederica d' Avillez has just been jilted by her long-time beau for another woman, and is sure she'll never marry. And just maybe she's always been a little attracted to that scandalous rake, Bentley "Hell-Bent" Rutledge. So maybe Bentley can help her forget her troubles, and she certainly doesn't want to "die a dried-up old virgin"! Their time together has consequences and leads to a misunderstanding. Freddie soon discovers Bentley's infamous behavior has been his way of running from the dark secrets of his past. This is the third novel centered on the Rutledge family. Normally I don't particularly like books that involve "the misunderstanding" device. This, however, is a rare and wonderful exception. Bentley is a bad boy you just gotta love! And the love scenes (which start in chapter one!), literally smolder off the pages. Even though there's not much new here for a romance storyline, it's so beautifully well-written it ceases to matter. I highly recommmend this book as one of my absolute all-time favorite romance novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Frederica d'Avillez is a good girl who is an orphan and taken by her cousin and her family, who happen to be an interesting bunch, but a good interesting bunch at that.
Bentley Ruteledge is a rogue and a rake in every sense of the word. He beds a woman every 2 days and feels nothign much.
He happens to be a friend of Freddie's cousins and Freddie does not hold a single memory that doesnt have Bentley somewhere around. She considers him a friend, so when a guy that had promised Freddie to marry her, changes his mind, Freddie finds herself in the arms of Bentley...crying. One thing leads to the other and now Freddie is 18 and pregnant. She does not want to marry Bentley, but Bentley insists.
Soon Freddie will find the truth of her husband's gambling, whoring and drinking. His family, she notices, seems to have a secret in every corner. And surprise, surprise they do!
The book is great , the form Carlyle developes their relationship is very well done. Sympathizing with the characters is extremely easy and the secrets that surround the Ruteledges is heart breaking.
The book was fantastic, my only complain was that at times so many characters were thrown at me, I did not know who was who and what were they doing there. And some descriptions I found unnecesary, but that's just personal taste. Everything else was great. Everything in the book worked and the story is heart warming and compelling!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I bought this book because of the recommendation on the cover by Linda Howard. However, I'm glad I only paid half-price of this. Outside of the first chapter, the book is boring. "Freddie" barely stands up for herself. "Bentley" was by far the best character in the novel, but I had a hard time feeling sorry for him, even after the "reveal." I would recommend check this out from the library.
Rating: 
Summary: It's OK...
Review: I came across Carlyle after reading Mary Balogh's book. To be honest, i was captivated with her writing, the author writes flawlessly. The character though.. i feel she should give more background to Freddie's character, and less emphasis on Bentley's depression. More depth on the character, please!Overall, quite a nice book.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely wonderful! Another vote for the year's best!
Review: I can't tell you how much I loved this book! This is only my second Liz Carlyle book - my first was "No True Gentleman" and that's where I first met thoroughly lovable scoundrel Bentley Rutledge. Now I'll have to go back and read all of Ms Carlyle's books to read the stories of the various wonderful secondary characters. Bentley is a complete rogue who spends next to no time in polite society. But it seems he's always been a part of Frederica "Freddie" d'Avillez's life, as he's her cousin's best friend. When Freddie is thrown over by the man she thought to marry, Bentley is there to console her (he's always had a soft spot for her). But one thing leads to another, and before either realizes it, Freddie's been ruined. Next morning Bentley writes a very pretty proposal letter that, unbeknownst to him, Freddie never receives. From her perspective, he's just taken off, no good-bye, typical Bentley. Though it hurts that he's just walked away, she does not hate him, for she threw herself at him and must also take some of the blame. When consequences from their night together develop, Freddie plans to leave for the continent to marry a non-existent husband, but when Bentley finds out, he's outraged (and hurt) that she's rejected his proposal to marry a stranger! How could she?! Eventually, Bentley convinces Freddie to marry him, then takes her home to meet his family. It is immediately clear to Freddie that there is bad blood between Bentley and his older brother Cam, but why? And Bentley seems different here - preoccupied, tense, unable to sleep - not the carefree Bentley she always thought she knew. As the days pass she knows that something is seriously wrong, but he refuses to discuss it with her. So how is she to help this husband she has come to love so desperately? Bentley is just so sweet and lovable - I just adored him. And he's carrying some heavy guilt and serious resentment over events from his childhood and early teen years. You just ache for him to resolve his difficult relationship with Cam, and you yearn for him to allow Freddie into his heart. He's a good man, if only he could believe it. And Freddie is a strong heroine, determined to help her husband anyway she can and keep her marriage together. It's rare that a book can have you laughing one moment and in tears the next, but this one definitely does! So well written, such wonderful characters, it's simply marvelous. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: average but slightly amusing
Review: I found this book mildly entertaining: despite having prepostourous plot with cliche characters, if one strains, one can to get involved and enjoy rather flowing language of the book.
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