I was surprised to see a story for Maximilian “Max” de Rohan so soon after his introduction. I fell in love with Max when he was introduced in “A Woman of Virtue”. He is that tortured hero that so many of us fall for. I could tell this even in the earlier book. I could tell that there was a dark secret that was troubling him and troubled he truly has been. I enjoy very much reading the history of this complex man. He has been through so much in his life and it has molded him into the crusading man that he has become. London during this time could give any of the modern cities a run for their money as far as crime and poverty is concerned. I am not sure that there to could have been much that any one man could have done to improve things. This problem is made worse by the fact that there was no organized police force. The policing that was done was mostly incompetent and corrupt and it was inconsistent. Max does his best to make things better and I admire him for it. He is a caring, loving man. He is also honorable and loyal to a fault. I love how hard he fights trying to not be attracted to Catherine. I do love that he is both exasperated and loving toward his grandmother. Any man that can put up with a meddling relative with some grace is to be admired.

Catherine is one of those women that have no thought for gossip and primping. She is happiest in the country with her garden and horses. She wants nothing to do with town and all the etiquette that one must adhere to while in town. Catherine also has a deep curiosity that gets her into trouble more often than not. She is plain spoken and has little use for those that look down on the lesser orders. She values people for who they are and what they have done. I loved that she wanted Max to continue his job because she knew how much it meant to him. I also love that she isn't afraid for putting Bentham Rutledge in his place. I think that someone needs to do that more often maybe he would straighten out.

We get to see more of George Kemble in this story. I would love to know more about this intriguing man. He is so skilled at so many things you have to wonder how he came to know so much. We also see a little more of Bentley (Bentham) and he is on the road to ruin in a big way. I am hoping someone saves him from his life of dissolution soon. Finally we get to see Cecilia and David, Lady and Lord Delacourt, and their son.

This is one more example of the excellent writing style of Ms. Carlyle. There is so much going on in this story and it all flows very well. The characters are all enjoyable and their dialogue enjoyable and quick witted. This is another book that will go to the must keep shelf along with all the others. I continue to hope that Ms. Carlyle continues to write such wonderful stories. ( )

You won't find more well-developed characters anywhere. Liz's lush style captivated me from the beginning, and I adore her characters, especially the intelligent and strong-willed women. ( )

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 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-) ( )

If you're looking for a carefully written, literate novel that holds true to its time period, try NO TRUE GENTLEMAN. Carlyle's characterization and plotting are as successful as usual; and the chemistry between Max and Caterine burns up the pages. ( )

After reading several of Liz Carlyle's books, I have come to the conclusion that she, in my opinion, simply does not write a bad story. Some are better than others, but I have not yet found one that I didn't like. Such is the case with No True Gentleman. It was yet another worthy effort from Ms. Carlyle. The story hooked me in right at the beginning with the murder of a lady of ton. As usual the author kept me guessing about the solution to this mystery right up until the big reveal. The middle section of the book moved a little slower for me, but it had a truly wonderful ending. I thought the climax was very exciting, and the final pages showed a hint of humor as well as Ms. Carlyle's talent for writing beautifully romantic scenes. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the exploration of a romance involving class differences between a titled lady and a middle-class man who is rather rough around the edges. Even though there were a couple of plot devices used to make this pairing more plausible and acceptable to society, Max chose to live a very simple life and truly hated all the conventions associated with trying to be a proper gentleman. Yet Catherine fell in love with him anyway, and it was Max who felt unworthy of her. It is also rather rare, when one of the main characters had a previous spouse, for that person to have been likable, and for those characters to have shared love in their marriage. I really like when authors are able to believably pull this off. It was a refreshing change for Catherine to have been in love with her first husband, Will, and still missing him at the beginning of the story, but yet she had room in her heart to love Max. It was just a different kind of love and a very different relationship that they shared.

In spite of it being a likable story, there were a few weaknesses in my opinion. One was that until close to the end of the story, I did not feel that I could fully understand or become involved in the emotional issues that seemed to be plaguing Max. I think the story might have benefited from the author revealing more of Max's past and his emotions surrounding it earlier on. It also would have been nice if Max and Catherine had had more discussion of his family, his past, and his feelings surrounding their differences. I think this was part of the reason that some of the story moved slowly for me, but another reason was Max and Catherine's romance beginning as a casual affair. Of course this made for lots of steamy sensuality, but few of the heartwarming romantic moments and building of friendship between the two main characters that are present in some of Ms. Carlyle's other books. Because of the limited communication, I didn't feel that a deep friendship was ever truly built and the beautiful romance didn't really happen until toward the end when both characters were beginning to accept that they were falling in love. In the past, I have really enjoyed the child and animal characters in Ms. Carlyle's other works as they usually help to create a deep sense of home and family. Unfortunately, the only child character in No True Gentleman, was the street urchin, Nate, who was a very cute, likable and well-written secondary character, but didn't really add much in a familial sense. I did really like Max's dog, Lucifer, a lovable canine who could be sweet and docile one minute and viciously protective the next.

I really enjoyed the hero and heroine. Max's simplistic way of life was sweetly endearing, and I loved his sense of justice and fairness and his compassion for people of the lower classes. I also found his need to be out amongst the masses, doing hands-on work instead of just pushing papers, to be very attractive as well. Also, I just adore a hero who is an animal lover. And of course, what woman could resist a man who whispers endearments in a romantic foreign language during lovemaking. Catherine was another of Ms. Carlyle's independent and unconventional heroines. She seems to be the perfect mixture of her two brothers, Cam and Bentley. She showed Cam's commitment to responsibility in that she was apparently the brains and discipline behind the running of her late husband's estate, and she is an expert horsewoman who prefers the outdoors and the country to the stuffiness of London society. Yet, she shows a bit of Bentley's mischievousness when she climbs over the wall at Max's apartment to secretly visit him. Readers who dislike clingy heroines will not find one in Catherine. In fact, she stubbornly drives Max to distraction by keeping her distance, patiently waiting for him to come to terms with the possibility of them having a future together. All in all, these are two wonderful characters whose passion rules their hearts and whose stubbornness leads them into a few heated moments.

Ms. Carlyle continues her web of interconnected characters in No True Gentleman. Max and his dog, Lucifer, first appeared in A Woman of Virtue, while Catherine and her brother, Bentley, made their first appearances in Beauty Like the Night. Incorrigible rakehell, Bentley, added another layer to his character by showing off his thoughtful and sensitive side with Catherine periodically throughout the story, making him one of the fullest and most satisfying secondary characters I have ever read. He also appeared in A Woman of Virtue and gets his own story in The Devil You Know. The intriguing and multi-talented antiques dealer, George Kemble, who was formerly a gentleman's gentleman, also appears in My False Heart, A Woman of Virtue, The Devil You Know, A Deal with the Devil, and The Devil to Pay. Kem is another well-rounded secondary character who is fun to read and always full of surprises. Also making an appearance are Lord and Lady Delacourt, aka David and Cecelia; Cecelia's brother and stepson, Harry Markham-Sands and Giles Lorimer, respectively; and Catherine's aunt, Isabel, Lady Kirton, all of whom were first seen in A Woman of Virtue, except for David who was the hero of that story, but was originally conceived of in A Woman Scorned. Overall, No True Gentleman was yet another fun and enjoyable story to come from Liz Carlyle's fertile imagination. She is truly a talent and an asset to the romance writing profession.

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 was 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 Ms. Carlyle's first book, My False Heart, and continue reading them 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. ( )