Somehow, I'd never read Liz Carlyle before now. This was a grave mistake that I intend to keep on rectifying! What I Loved: Absolutely gorgeous, insight-laden prose and sharp dialogue. I was very pleasantly surprised by just how good a writer Carlyle is---certainly not a given in this particular genre! :) That alone compelled me and my greedy Kindle to buy a bunch of her other novels. This is a great choice for those of us who sometimes crave a large dollop of mystery with our romance. And, unlike most books that aspire to give us both mystery and romance and end up succeeding at neither, the mystery is actually fairly compelling. The hero and heroine, while not personal all-time favorites of mine, were vivid and well drawn. What I Didn't Love:As others have noted, parts of the book feel a little crowded, with a few too many characters and a bit too much going on. I wouldn't say it's too convoluted to follow, but I did have a couple more of those 'wait, who's that and what the heck is his deal again...?!' moments than is typical of me. At 416 pages, the book was a little overlong---and those pages contained a little too much tiresomely detailed, explicit sex for my personal, admittedly odd "less is more!" taste :) Those who love steamy sex scenes will almost certainly enjoy those parts of the book more than I did. Overall, the aspects of the book that I loved definitely outweighed the ones that I didn't, and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author! With a police officer’s nose for lies Royden Napier can tell from the minute she opens her mouth that Elizabeth Colburne is in the world-class category. Lisette will use any manipulation or falsification to get Royden to right the wrong that was done to her family. Lisette cannot bear that her father’s reputation was ruined and that the person responsible shows how money can buy your freedom. Royden catches her up one too many times so that house arrest is in order and that house just happens to be the one he is now in charge of. Having been disinherited by his family it came as quite a shock to now learn he is a titled gentleman with property to care for and decisions to be made he never thought would involve him. Foremost in his mind right now is Lisette who it turns out is charming him into being a romantic fool that wants nothing more than to capture her heart and win her trust. Liz Carlyle intertwines romance, mystery, and intrigue into a magnificent story no reader can put down.
What do You think about A Bride By Moonlight (2013)?
3.5. Loved the romance, but the story was a little too complicated for my taste.
—christine
