Suzanne Enoch is an extremely talented writer and I absolutely loved BY LOVE UNDONE, the first of the Bancroft Brothers books (followed by TAMING RAFE). Maddie and Quin are wonderful characters and their romance is so enjoyable to read. The witty dialogue and verbal sparring is highly entertaining and Maddie is a great heroine, a real spitfire who is not afraid to stand up for herself. It was also a wonderful change to have the hero be unafraid to declare that he's in love (in this book, it's the heroine who is reluctant to admit her feelings out loud). The secondary characters were well-written and three dimensional; the Duke and Duchess (Quin's parents) were both complex characters and neither of them was portrayed as being simply "good" or "bad," making them very realistic. I loved Rafe, Quin's younger brother, and cannot wait to read his story.

SUMMARY:
Madeleine Willits was 18 years old when she was ruined after being caught kissing a young man who was not her fiance (the guy was actually drunk and forcing himself on her). Her friends and fiance abandon her and her parents lock her in her room; she escapes and decides to create a new life for herself, leaving London behind and vowing to have nothing more to do with London society or the nobility. When we meet Maddie, she is 23 years old and has been been the companion to an elderly gentleman, Mr. Malcolm Bancroft, for four years. Malcolm receives a letter from his brother, the Duke of Highbarrow, telling him that Malcolm's nephew Quinlan Bancroft, Marquis of Warefield (30), is coming to visit. Although Maddie has promised her employer she will be on her best behavior, she can barely control her antipathy and antagonism towards Quin (she pretends to cover it by being sickeningly sweet).

Quin is the upstanding and obedient elder son who has always fulfilled his obligations and taken care of his responsibilities, yet he is confounded by the immediate hostility he encounters upon meeting his uncle's companion - whom he assumes is actually Malcolm's mistress. When Malcolm (a great secondary character!) catches Maddie and Quin kissing, he insists that Quin help reintroduce Maddie to society to make up for it. The battle of wits that ensues is highly entertaining and you will greatly enjoy seeing Quin and Maddie getting to know, like, and eventually love one another.

There is a subplot involving characters who are trying to stop Quin and Maddie from getting their HEA and although I don't usually like contrived obstacles that get in the way of the hero and heroine's love story, there were none of those major misunderstandings/mix-ups between the main characters that sometimes ensue, so it didn't really detract from the book.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Maddie is a strong and independent heroine; she's very likable and admirably overcomes a painful past and creates a new life for herself. Like I said before, she's a spitfire who sticks up for herself and it's fun to watch her clash with Quin (and the Duke!!). Quin is a terrific hero; a lot of times the guys are rakes whom the heroine tames, so it was a nice change to have the hero be a man who is normally Mr. Respectable Nice Guy and who meets in the heroine a woman who makes him want to let passion and his heart guide him.

BOTTOM LINE:
A must-read that I would recommend buying; classified as a keeper and definite re-read in my library. Other Enoch books that I have read and enjoyed include A MATTER OF SCANDAL and LONDON'S PERFECT SCOUNDREL, as well as TAMING RAFE which is this book's sequel.

(Written January 2, 2009) ( )

A fiery romance with a hero and heroine whose sexual tension leaps off the page. They spend their time insulting each other and trading verbal ripostes in some very witty dialogue. I had a blast reading "By Love Undone" by Suzanne Enoch.

Madeline was ruined through no fault of her own and at the instigation of her rotten ex-fiance. Rather than stay with the family who didn't support her, she ran--and ended up as the companion to Mr. Malcolm Bancroft, good natured brother to the high and mighty Duke of Highbarrow. When Malcolm suffers an unexpected illness he writes to his brother. Rather than attend himself, the Duke sends his oldest son, Quin. With Maddie's distaste towards the peerage, she has a hard time being nice to Quin. His gorgeous good looks mean nothing to her!

Quin's whole life has been planned and programmed by his father the Duke. When he's sent to his Uncle Malcolm, he's a bit irritated that he'll have to put off going to London to spend a week rusticating in the country. But then comes Maddie. He can't quite figure out why she's so hostile towards him. He really shouldn't care, but soon finds himself enchanted with her spirit and lack of awe. When he's caught kissing her, he agrees with his Uncle. He will take to Maddie back to London and see her re-introduced into society. With his family name behind her, she'll soon find a nice man. So why does the thought of Maggie with anyone else make him so angry?

What a pair. They bicker and insult each other, but it's never truly mean. In reality they are so attracted to each other it's a bit like the grade school boy who pulls the girls' pigtails to get noticed. I spent quite a bit of time laughing at their antics when I wasn't cheering for Quin to realize that Maddie is the woman for him. "By Love Undone" was great fun to read and now I can't wait for Quin's brother's story! ( )