Liz Carlyle
Author of The Devil You Know
About the Author
Image credit: www.lizcarlyle.com/
Series
Works by Liz Carlyle
De passie van een vrouw 1 copy
A Deal with the Devil, One Little Sin, The Devil to Pay, Three Little Secrets, Two Little Lies (2000) 1 copy
Verwante zielen 1 copy
Hunting Season / Tea for Two 1 copy
Let's Talk About Sex 1 copy
Lorimer Family 5 Pack: My False Heart/A Woman Scorned/A Woman of Virtue/A Deal With the Devil/Wicked All Day (1999) 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Woodhouse, Susan T.
- Other names
- Carlyle, Liz
- Birthdate
- 1958-08-07
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Hampton University, Scripps Howard School of Journalism
- Occupations
- romance novelist
historical novelist - Short biography
- Susan T. Woodhouse was born on August 7, 1958 in Suffolk, Virginia, USA. She attended college at Scripps Howards on a writing scholarship and majored in Journalism. She then had a career in Human Resources in the automotive and chemical industries. It was when she was between jobs that she began writing novels. Her first submission to Pocket Books did not sell, but they were interested in seeing more of her work. In 1998, they bought two of her historical romances, published as Liz Carlyle. She enjoys bringing her readers a little bit of the 19th century to enjoy.
Susan lives in beautiful North Carolina with her husband, Edward, and their three cats, Elliot, Pelham and Mary. She often is visited by her two stepchildren. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Suffolk, Virginia, USA
- Places of residence
- North Carolina, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Once upon a time the heroine could count herself as content if not truly happy. She had a wealthy gentleman who’s offered her marriage and his two young daughters have offered her the prospect of being a mother. Life was peaceful. Then her world came crashing down. Her fiancé had been murdered in his own home, she herself discovering his body. In the span of one night, she is homeless, families and under the suspicion of murder. Her only hope is an old acquaintance of her deceased father. show more Grieving the loss of the man who she may not have loved but did indeed care for, she arrives that the F.A.C club only to discover the man she seeks has left London. In his place she meets the imposing and rather frightening hero. The hero has not had an easy life. His gift for seeing death in the eyes of those he meets and from touching them skin to skin has made him feared even among his family. He is also horribly tormented by what he’s seen. So much so that he rarely sleeps and depends upon hashish to cope with the visions. He also is terribly lonely having no real chance of ever marrying in fear that his visions will drive him crazy. Then he meets the heroine. She is beautiful and is every bit as light as he is dark. He feels protective of her. She too is as lonely as he is having been shut out from the life she once knew and from the start he feels a frighteningly deep connection to her though he fights his emotions. This doesn’t stop him from taking her into his home as a governess for his nephews and this doesn’t stop him from succumbing to the overwhelming desire to kiss her. He can see that there is no way she could ever be capable of murder and vows to see her name cleared, even if this passion to be her champion casts suspension on him from his family and friends. Their passion and desire for one another is hot and burns off the pages and though the heroine welcomes her dark hero into her bed, she knows that he his holding himself back emotionally. Fear that one day he’ll look into her eyes and see her death is too much for him to bare and as such, he foolishly risks the possibility of never knowing the love they could share. I thought this book was absolutely amazing. I swooned over the tortured hero who was actually a kind person at heart and devoted to his calling to help his fellows via the club even though visions he saw in the service of the crown plague him still. It broke my heart to read about how he doesn’t know how to interact with his own nephews for fear of his gift or the fact that he can only sleep when he’s in the heroine’s arms. I found him to be an engaging character with just as many virtues as flaws though he doesn’t see himself that way. And as much as I loved the hero, I loved the heroine. The heartbreak I felt as she sobbed at the gates of the cemetery holding her fiancés body, she being excluded from even paying her respects, was great. And I felt so deeply connected to these two characters that I never wanting this book to end. But I can say that from start to finish I was hooked and never wanted to put it down. So rare now a days with the amount of books I read to find one that captures my attention so fully that I know I will remember it always. I eagerly await the time in which I can read it again and highly recommend this book to any reader who claims romance novels are drivel and not worth their time. For this book will show them that even ‘chessey’ romance novels can be poetic. show less
My False Heart was the first book Liz Carlyle wrote and the first book by her that I have read. All I could think of throughout the story and especially after finishing it was that if this is her debut novel, I can't wait to see what else she has to offer in her later works. Ms. Carlyle wrote two absolutely wonderful characters in Elliot and Evangeline, as well as a full complement of secondary characters from friends and relatives to servants. I loved watching Elliot change from a bitter, show more vengeful, unhappy man to one who had finally found his heart's desire, as well as watching Evie finally learn to rely on someone else instead of feeling like she was all alone in her responsibilities. Elliot was made even more appealing by the inclusion of his daughter, Zoe, and the fact that he loved her deeply, but didn't know how to show it until he met Evie. His interactions with Zoe after that were endearingly awkward, and full of humanity. I adored Evie's eclectic family unit. It was easy to see why Elliot's cold heart was so warmed by all of them. Ms. Carlyle's characterizations made me wish that such a place and family actually existed, so that I might become a member of it too. I found the children to be particularly delightful, and there were even a few adorable pets who played minor roles in helping to set the tone.
All the characters, including the secondary ones, were amazingly well fleshed out. The author makes liberal use of lengthy passages of prose to give readers thorough insights into the characters thoughts and feelings, and to explain their back stories. Ms. Carlyle is masterful at creating truly romantic situations and sexual tension. Even the simplest of kisses became a thoroughly sensual reading experience. The author gives a believable interpretation of two people slowly falling hopelessly and desperately in love. Ms. Carlyle is also masterful at writing completely beautiful and romantic love scenes. She gives the reader the sense that Elliot and Evangeline truly love one another and are not merely lusting after each other in a physical way, as is unfortunately the case with many romance novels. I felt that the characters gave their initial decision great care and consideration and truly gave more of themselves to each other than just their bodies when they made love.
Often, stories that rely on secrets and misunderstandings to create conflict between the hero and heroine can become tedious and annoying, but I found that Ms. Carlyle does such a wonderful job with these elements that they became a believable part of the plot. I like the way that the author slowly feeds the reader bits and pieces of back story as well as the mystery element. It made me keep wanting to come back to the story to find out more about the characters and what happened next. The mystery was done so well that I did not figure it out until shortly before it was revealed in the story and even then, I wasn't sure I had it right until I actually read it. I loved the way that Ms. Carlyle intricately wove many of the secondary characters into the plot, much the way that a spider weaves her web. This made the story much more interesting, as they would often pop up in unexpected places, sometimes adding to the mystery. I really appreciated the author's use of intelligent, as well as historical, words and phrases. I like a story that makes me think, and this one certainly kept me on my toes, with not only it's rich vocabulary, but also it's extensive cast of characters and intricate plot. Ms. Carlyle's use of lush descriptive details transported me to another time and place, making me feel like I was right there watching the events unfold and could feel every emotion that each of the characters felt. Occasionally, I thought that some of the detailed prose could have been pared down just a bit for the sake of conciseness and to pick up the pacing just a little, but overall, I enjoyed the languid nature of the story. I think it really helped to build a believable illusion of the hero and heroine falling in love instead of rushing into it.
While Ms. Carlyle does not seem to officially consider her books to be a series, many of her stories, not surprisingly, have interconnected characters. My False Heart introduces us to Frederica d' Avillez, Evangeline's cousin, who is just a little girl in this story, but who grows up to become the heroine of her own novel, The Devil You Know. It also introduces readers to George Kemble, Elliot's intriguing multi-talented valet, who has such a vast network of acquaintances that he can find out almost any piece of information his employer or anyone else might want to know. Kem currently appears in five more of Ms. Carlyle's novels including A Woman of Virtue, No True Gentleman, The Devil You Know, A Deal with the Devil, and The Devil to Pay. My False Heart was a wonderful book about which I can find little to criticize. I throughly enjoyed reading it, and am anxiously looking forward to reading more of Ms. Carlyle's books as soon as possible. This story was a truly phenomenal first effort from a writer who is clearly incredibly talented, and the book has definitely earned a place on my keeper shelf.
Note: While none of Ms. Carlyle's books are 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 when I skipped one book and was left wishing that I had read it first. My suggestion for readers like myself who don't like any spoilers would be to begin with My False Heart and continue reading the books 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. show less
All the characters, including the secondary ones, were amazingly well fleshed out. The author makes liberal use of lengthy passages of prose to give readers thorough insights into the characters thoughts and feelings, and to explain their back stories. Ms. Carlyle is masterful at creating truly romantic situations and sexual tension. Even the simplest of kisses became a thoroughly sensual reading experience. The author gives a believable interpretation of two people slowly falling hopelessly and desperately in love. Ms. Carlyle is also masterful at writing completely beautiful and romantic love scenes. She gives the reader the sense that Elliot and Evangeline truly love one another and are not merely lusting after each other in a physical way, as is unfortunately the case with many romance novels. I felt that the characters gave their initial decision great care and consideration and truly gave more of themselves to each other than just their bodies when they made love.
Often, stories that rely on secrets and misunderstandings to create conflict between the hero and heroine can become tedious and annoying, but I found that Ms. Carlyle does such a wonderful job with these elements that they became a believable part of the plot. I like the way that the author slowly feeds the reader bits and pieces of back story as well as the mystery element. It made me keep wanting to come back to the story to find out more about the characters and what happened next. The mystery was done so well that I did not figure it out until shortly before it was revealed in the story and even then, I wasn't sure I had it right until I actually read it. I loved the way that Ms. Carlyle intricately wove many of the secondary characters into the plot, much the way that a spider weaves her web. This made the story much more interesting, as they would often pop up in unexpected places, sometimes adding to the mystery. I really appreciated the author's use of intelligent, as well as historical, words and phrases. I like a story that makes me think, and this one certainly kept me on my toes, with not only it's rich vocabulary, but also it's extensive cast of characters and intricate plot. Ms. Carlyle's use of lush descriptive details transported me to another time and place, making me feel like I was right there watching the events unfold and could feel every emotion that each of the characters felt. Occasionally, I thought that some of the detailed prose could have been pared down just a bit for the sake of conciseness and to pick up the pacing just a little, but overall, I enjoyed the languid nature of the story. I think it really helped to build a believable illusion of the hero and heroine falling in love instead of rushing into it.
While Ms. Carlyle does not seem to officially consider her books to be a series, many of her stories, not surprisingly, have interconnected characters. My False Heart introduces us to Frederica d' Avillez, Evangeline's cousin, who is just a little girl in this story, but who grows up to become the heroine of her own novel, The Devil You Know. It also introduces readers to George Kemble, Elliot's intriguing multi-talented valet, who has such a vast network of acquaintances that he can find out almost any piece of information his employer or anyone else might want to know. Kem currently appears in five more of Ms. Carlyle's novels including A Woman of Virtue, No True Gentleman, The Devil You Know, A Deal with the Devil, and The Devil to Pay. My False Heart was a wonderful book about which I can find little to criticize. I throughly enjoyed reading it, and am anxiously looking forward to reading more of Ms. Carlyle's books as soon as possible. This story was a truly phenomenal first effort from a writer who is clearly incredibly talented, and the book has definitely earned a place on my keeper shelf.
Note: While none of Ms. Carlyle's books are 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 when I skipped one book and was left wishing that I had read it first. My suggestion for readers like myself who don't like any spoilers would be to begin with My False Heart and continue reading the books 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. show less
Lady Wombat says:
Liz Carlyle is one of my favorite historical romance authors, so I looked forward to her latest with eagerness. But I found this one to be a big disappointment.
The novel opens with our heroine, Grace Gauthier, at the scene of her fiance's murder. Living in England has made Grace feel an outsider -- both because she is half French, and because she grew up in Algeria, where her French father was a Commandant in the French Foreign Legion. Marrying Ethan Holding not for love, show more but for security, and to care for his two young stepdaughters (she's worked as their governess), Grace still feels shock at his death, particularly when she becomes a prime suspect in the case.
Hoping to find help from an old army friend, Rance Welham, Grace visits his mysterious club, only to find him away. Instead, she discovers the mysterious Lord Ruthveyn, half Indian, half Scottish, who finds himself drawn to Grace despite the fact that he "feels nothing" for her. We later discover this "feeling nothing" is a good thing, for Lord Ruthveyn is of the Vateis, a prophet or mystic, and member of the Guardians, a group devoted to protecting those who have such "Gifts." He has always put up a protective wall around himself, denying intimacy with others, because it is too painful to read others' emotions, or, as happened with his first wife and child, see their deaths before they happen.
Sensing that more murders may be in the air, Ruthveyn offers Grace a position as a governess for his two nephews, which she accepts. The murder plot plays out in the background (to a melodramatic end) while Grace and Ruthveyn come together and finally realize that they should marry.
The book seemed out of character for Carlyle. Stylistically, the writing seems far more cliche-ridden than her usual prose, and her wit and cleverness are notably absent. Character development-wise, the book also seemed lacking, particularly when compared to some of her earlier books (the Neville trilogy in particular). Plot-wise, this was far below Carlyle's usual standard; usually if there is a mystery or secret that unfolds during the course of her novel, it is intricately tied to character development, but here the murder mystery just seemed like window-dressing. And the supernatural stuff did not engage me. Carlyle did touch upon mysticism in one of her earlier books, it takes center stage here, and not to good effect. We hear a bit about Scottish mysticism, and all too much about Indian mysticism, giving the book an Orientalist (in the Edward Said sense of the word) feel. Perhaps Carlyle has truly become interested in Indian culture, but she isn't able to make it come alive in any believable way in this book; instead, it serves only as exotic accessory.
The book was shorter than Carlyle's previous novels (not in page count, but the larger typeface makes for a shorter story). It is also a new publisher for her, I think -- I wonder if a new editor has contributed to the lesser quality of this book? Or the rush to produce it? At times, I almost wondered if it had been ghost-written, so far from Carlyle's usual did it seem...
As in all of her first entries in a new series, Carlyle lays the groundwork for future volumes. Here's hoping the stories of Rance, Royton, and Anisha prove more believable. show less
Liz Carlyle is one of my favorite historical romance authors, so I looked forward to her latest with eagerness. But I found this one to be a big disappointment.
The novel opens with our heroine, Grace Gauthier, at the scene of her fiance's murder. Living in England has made Grace feel an outsider -- both because she is half French, and because she grew up in Algeria, where her French father was a Commandant in the French Foreign Legion. Marrying Ethan Holding not for love, show more but for security, and to care for his two young stepdaughters (she's worked as their governess), Grace still feels shock at his death, particularly when she becomes a prime suspect in the case.
Hoping to find help from an old army friend, Rance Welham, Grace visits his mysterious club, only to find him away. Instead, she discovers the mysterious Lord Ruthveyn, half Indian, half Scottish, who finds himself drawn to Grace despite the fact that he "feels nothing" for her. We later discover this "feeling nothing" is a good thing, for Lord Ruthveyn is of the Vateis, a prophet or mystic, and member of the Guardians, a group devoted to protecting those who have such "Gifts." He has always put up a protective wall around himself, denying intimacy with others, because it is too painful to read others' emotions, or, as happened with his first wife and child, see their deaths before they happen.
Sensing that more murders may be in the air, Ruthveyn offers Grace a position as a governess for his two nephews, which she accepts. The murder plot plays out in the background (to a melodramatic end) while Grace and Ruthveyn come together and finally realize that they should marry.
The book seemed out of character for Carlyle. Stylistically, the writing seems far more cliche-ridden than her usual prose, and her wit and cleverness are notably absent. Character development-wise, the book also seemed lacking, particularly when compared to some of her earlier books (the Neville trilogy in particular). Plot-wise, this was far below Carlyle's usual standard; usually if there is a mystery or secret that unfolds during the course of her novel, it is intricately tied to character development, but here the murder mystery just seemed like window-dressing. And the supernatural stuff did not engage me. Carlyle did touch upon mysticism in one of her earlier books, it takes center stage here, and not to good effect. We hear a bit about Scottish mysticism, and all too much about Indian mysticism, giving the book an Orientalist (in the Edward Said sense of the word) feel. Perhaps Carlyle has truly become interested in Indian culture, but she isn't able to make it come alive in any believable way in this book; instead, it serves only as exotic accessory.
The book was shorter than Carlyle's previous novels (not in page count, but the larger typeface makes for a shorter story). It is also a new publisher for her, I think -- I wonder if a new editor has contributed to the lesser quality of this book? Or the rush to produce it? At times, I almost wondered if it had been ghost-written, so far from Carlyle's usual did it seem...
As in all of her first entries in a new series, Carlyle lays the groundwork for future volumes. Here's hoping the stories of Rance, Royton, and Anisha prove more believable. show less
Lady Catherine Wodeway is a widow newly arrive from the country. Maximilian de Rohan is an Italian immigrant who has worked his way up from a policeman to a magistrate in the Home Office. Max is working on a case of police corruption when he observes Catherine on her morning rides in Hyde Park and is attracted to her. When she inadvertently gets too close to a couple of suspects, Max pulls her into a kiss so that they can't identify them. And so the romance begins. Max fights his attraction show more because he feels unworthy of her and Catherine seems to do most of the pursuing.
I have ranted in the past about tired well-worn plot devices or stereotypical characters. So it was so enjoyable to read about memorable, unique characters. Max is not a womanizer or a rake, bedding everything in site. Catherine was not a young naive virgin. I enjoy reading about characters who were not of the aristocracy and especially enjoy reading about relationships that cross the lines of social class. Although Max is no gentleman, he is an honorable and decent man, reminding me a bit of a character from a Lisa Kleypas book. Catherine is a strong heroine but there is one puzzling scene when she asks Max to dinner even though he is a virtual stranger. This seemed to push the idea of her independence at bit too far from reality for me. The sex scenes were wonderfully sensual and steamy. The secondary characters were memorable as well - Max's meddling Italian grandmother, Kemble, and even Max's dog, Lucifer. Hard to imagine an HEA for two people with such disparate social backgrounds but the ending was satisfying with a terrific epilogue. (Grade: A-) show less
I have ranted in the past about tired well-worn plot devices or stereotypical characters. So it was so enjoyable to read about memorable, unique characters. Max is not a womanizer or a rake, bedding everything in site. Catherine was not a young naive virgin. I enjoy reading about characters who were not of the aristocracy and especially enjoy reading about relationships that cross the lines of social class. Although Max is no gentleman, he is an honorable and decent man, reminding me a bit of a character from a Lisa Kleypas book. Catherine is a strong heroine but there is one puzzling scene when she asks Max to dinner even though he is a virtual stranger. This seemed to push the idea of her independence at bit too far from reality for me. The sex scenes were wonderfully sensual and steamy. The secondary characters were memorable as well - Max's meddling Italian grandmother, Kemble, and even Max's dog, Lucifer. Hard to imagine an HEA for two people with such disparate social backgrounds but the ending was satisfying with a terrific epilogue. (Grade: A-) show less
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 37
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 7,216
- Popularity
- #3,394
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 145
- ISBNs
- 177
- Languages
- 9
- Favorited
- 19