The Bride Wore Scarlet

The Bride Wore Scarlet by Liz Carlyle 1225

Anais de Rohan learned at an early age that she was destined for a life as a Guardian, protecting those who were blessed with "the Gift" and she spent her life training under a master for her future. Geoffrey, Lord Bassett, is one of the leaders of the St. James Society, a society where Guardians are trained, and he is not at all pleased that Anais is seeking entry into this completely male society but he admires that she refuses to give up. St. James society has recently learned that there is a little girl, Giselle Moreau who has the gift and since she has recently been taken in by her uncle, whose political motives and plans for the girls' future are suspect, Bassett has been called in to help get the girl and her mother Charlotte to England as quickly and quietly as possible. Anais knows she will have to prove herself to the society and she agrees to pose as Bassett's wife as the travel to Belgium to save the girl and living in such close quarters with Geoff poses its' own set of problems for Anais who believes that she is destined to marry an Italian because of her grandmother's predictions.

The situation in Belgium is even more dire than they had imagined as Giselle is kept in relative imprisonment inside her uncle's home and her mother, Charlotte, is almost constantly watched and has very little freedom. Anais and Bassett pretend to be harmless and a tad ridiculous Englishmen, befriend Charlotte, and hope that her uncle will regard them as harmless. Anais is surprised to discover that Bassett himself has the gift and that it haunted his childhood until he learned to control it. This startling confession brings them closer together and unites them as they work together to get everyone to safety. Training and living in such close confines brings the sexual tension that boils between them to a head and even while refusing to believe that Bassett could be the one for her she has no problem thinking of him as Mr. Right Now. Bassett knows they have a job to do but cannot help but think about the future and how he will convince Anais that he is the one she has been waiting for  and that together they can accomplish anything.

Anais is strong and confident and very independent but she was also realistic enough to realize when she needed to work with others, prove herself to others, and I like that she did not complain about her what she went through and just did it. She was in charge of herself and her body and I liked that she didn't apologize or have regrets about not being a virgin and went after what she wanted even if society wouldn't appreciate it without believing that she was going to get a marriage proposal out of it. She was accepting of help and worked well with others and looked after her own safety and wasn't scared of compromising and doing things purely to keep the peace. Geoff was strong but also not scared of compromising with Anais and recognized that she was just as strong and capable as him, but still felt like as the man he was responsible for her well being. They worked incredibly well together as they tried to save the women and the sex between them was really hot because they were both very physical and confident and not scared of physical intimacy outside of a relationship.

They obviously spent a lot of time together and while they did get to know each other very well, I felt like their knowledge of each other was in the context of the St. James society. Sure, they shared secrets about their pasts, but I would have liked to see how they interacted in the real world and how they would get along without the threat of danger or intrigue. While I felt like their relationship was predicated on the plot of the Society and the Gift I did not feel like the romance was overwhelmed; I felt like it was an equal part of the book and felt like Carlyle was very skilled at balancing two very strong plots. However that other plot just did not do it for me. I am not a fan of large intrigue and mystery plots in general and I really am not a fan of supernatural things like "the Gift" and I really don't like secret societies of men who have very important duties. I wish it could have just been about rescuing the girl and her mother from an admittedly very well written and interesting villain. I found myself confused by the names of other people in the story and did not like so many references to Carlyle's previous books.

Rating: A strong romance with two characters I really liked but I did not enjoy the background of the entire book.

One Touch of Scandal

One Touch of Scandal by Liz Carlyle 1019

Grace Gauthier grew up in North Africa with her father, who was a French army officer, and after both of her parents death she takes up working as a governess for a mercantile family in London. She grows to like her employers step children and he decides that they should get married even though they are not in love and she is excited at the prospect of having a comfortable life of her own, even if it is passionless. But when he is murdered she is the prime suspect as the investigator discovers a note where her employer supposedly cancels their engagement. She seeks help from a male friend at a club but when he is not there Adrian, Lord Ruthveyn, steps in and offers to help. Adrian is a member of a very select gentlemen's club that only admits members who have a special mental gift or ability. It has brought trouble to Adrian but has also made him invaluable to the British government in the past.

Adrian has no plans to marry ever since his special gift allowed him to see how his now deceased wife would die, but he is very drawn to the beautiful young woman. He has his own problems with the investigator who is targeting Grace and to keep Grace safe he brings her into his house as a governess for his two nephews. It isn't long before he has his own suspects on the case and is desperately trying to convince everyone that Grace is innocent. And with Grace under his roof he finds it impossible to stay away from her despite all his intentions and even though Grace insists she does not want to marry he feels both guilty of what he is doing and terrified at the idea of losing her. Then when he finds out that she too might have the gift and be descended from the special people he knows he cannot lose her. He must prove to everyone that she is innocent of murder and prove to her that he wants her love forever.

I did not feel as though I gained very much insight into Adrian and what I did get was through the eyes of his special powers and I wanted to just shove it aside and figure out what was beneath them. Grace, on the other hand, was great as she wanted so badly for a normal, settled family life with her own children. Her motives were explained so well in the beginning that it made no sense when she wanted to run away to Paris and live on her own and all of a sudden wanted love with Adrian. His dedication to proving her innocence was noble and it was the only time I really felt like he was a "good guy." The relationship between them was rather sedate and just kind of chugged along and while the sex was good sometimes there was also a spiritual/ tantric moment during one that annoyed me. I was intrigued when one of Adrian's male friends had a moment of sexual tension with another man, but nothing happened.

The investigation into who killed Grace's employer was incredibly interesting to me and I really wanted to find out what had happened and why Grace had been framed- Carlyle did a good job drawing the reader in to this aspect of the book. I did not really talk too much in this review about the club Adrian was a part of and what they did and all the myths surrounding it and his special abilities to foreshadow what will happen. It did take up a lot of space in the book and I desperately tried to ignore it, even when it was brought to play in the bedroom. For the most part it confused me or made me role my eyes as I am just really not a fan of the mystical and magical in romance novels. Carlyle worked hard to make it a well integrated part of the novel and she did succeed, but it ended up hurting the book because I could not get into it at all and by the end it had completely taken over and I really didn't like it.

Rating: Good promise but the book got progressively worse the more the "special powers" were brought into play and at the end I was just racing toward the finish line.

Three Little Secrets

Three Little Secrets by Liz Carlyle 711

Merrick MacLachlan and Lady Madeleine were young, in love, and daring so they made a quick dash to Gretna Green to elope. It was magical and exciting and they both looked forward to what their new live would bring. The marriage ended in heartbreak when Madeleine's father showed up to take her home and filled both of their heads with lies. He told Madeleine that Merrick had only married her for the money and had agreed to an annulment using a forged document as proof, while he told Merrick that Madeleine had changed her mind and wanted to leave him and was corroborated by her made. His goons beat Merrick up and left him for dead and he brought Madeleine back home where he quickly married her off to Lord Bessett after learning that she was pregnant. When Bessett dies Madeleine moves to London with her son, Geoffrey, who has always been a troubled child, and happens to move in to one of Merrick's houses.

Merrick has become bitter and closed himself off from the world and when he learns that Maddie has moved into one of his houses he is conflicted on how to behave towards his wayward wife. He and Maddie butt heads immediately but the more time the spend together the more the remember all the reasons they had fallen in love in the first place. They also both are forced to realize that the reasons behind their inauspicious breakup were false and neither had truly given up on the other. When Merrick discovers that Geoffrey is his son he decides that the only way to handle the situation is to blackmail Madeleine into letting him spend time with the boy. Things are even more complicated as Geoffrey has "the gift" of sight and Merrick thinks the best way to help him is to bring him to his grandmother who has knowledge of such things. On the trip to Scotland Merrick and Madeleine are reminded of happier times and contemplate leaving the past behind and forging a better future together.

While I acknowledge that reading the three books in the series would have been a little repetitive, I took a break before reading this and I am very glad I did. We got glimpses of Merrick in the previous two books and were let a little in on his secret past. Merrick and Madeleine's past was very well done and we got some very nice glimpses into it and with the book jumping between both of the POV's we are well aware of what they are thinking throughout the book. I really liked reading about how their feelings for each other changed as their previous assumptions began to disintegrate. It was just remarkably well done. In addition their interactions were perfect, from disbelief, to arguing, to discussions about their son. There was some very well written sex between the two, the hot and fast variety and the more emotional love making that came after they had become reacquainted with their old feelings for the other.

Throughout the book we get some brief glimpses of how happy the previous couples from the other books in the series are; nothing too overwhelming and it didn't detract from the focus on Merrick and Madeleine at all. Geoffrey was not the most realistic 12 year old boy as he actually talked to people (!) but I can write that off as a product of the times and his abilities. I was skeptical at first about his gift and tend not to go for supernatural elements in my stories, but it was done pretty well here and pretty briefly. It also served as a nice impetuous to get them up to Scotland. I liked the hidden baby thing in this book, although I will admit I could easily have gone for some more angst and arguments about it on both of their parts. However, I guess it went a long way towards showing how great they were together that they did not resort to screaming and really just wanted what was best for Geoffrey.

Rating: Significantly better than the previous two books with many of the good elements without the more irritating things. Carlyle back to her typical goodness.

Two Little Lies

Two Little Lies by Liz Carlyle 624

Viviana Alessandri left Italy when her the Comte de Bergonzi threatened to cut her father off if she does not marry him. She worked hard and gained immense fame, and many followers in England, including the very young Quinten Haskett, the future Earl of Wynwood. He pursues her and she eventually gives in, but when she discovers she is pregnant she realizes she wants more out of their relationship. Despite his feelings for her, Quin is young and unsure about his future, so when she asks him to marry her, he turns her down. Horrified, Viviana flees back to England without telling Quin about the child and marries the Comte. In the intervening years Viviana has an unhappy marriage with three children, while Quin spends his time miserable, avoiding commitments, and whoring his way through all the women in London. After nine years Viviana comes back to England a widow to help her father compose an opera with a new patron who happens to be Quin's uncle.

Turns out Quin's uncle is staying at his country estate, just a mile away from Quin's family seat and it is not long before the two of them find themselves fighting about the past, the future, and why they still find themselves so attracted to each other. Viviana is terrified that Quin will discover her deception, especially with all three of her children, including the eldest, Cerelia, in such close quarters with Quin. Suddenly Quin realizes that the feelings he had for Viviana have not disappeared and Viviana quite likes this more mature Quin. Even before he knows Cerelia's parentage Quin knows that this is a special little girl and he feels a bond with her. But when she goes missing during a holly hunting expedition, Quin discovers what Viviana has been hiding from him and makes horrible threats to her. It takes time but Quin realizes that what he wants is not to take Cerelia away from Viviana, but to have both of them in his life, as his wife and his daughter. They must put aside past hurts to moveon be happy together.

Viviana and Quin have quite the history between the two of them and I liked that we got to read the scene where they broke up as it came up numerous times. Both of them had very real fears and worries about their relationship and they were written about very well by Carlyle. The sex between them was hot enough and, also really great as it was about them working through their emotions, and I really wish there had been quite a bit more of it. It's always a little tricky when dealing with secret babies as obviously the mother has to have a really good excuse and having Quin reject a marriage proposal was one of the few things that worked. And Carlyle also did a good job skillfully maneuvering through the problems that could have arisen from their previous relationship by making it clear that Quin really was so young and immature, and still rather under the thumb of his parents. However, I am always a sucker for the scene where the father discovers the child, and this was one was pretty good- if not as punch in the gut good as some other books.

I really didn't enjoy the first half of the book as Quin and Viviana were rarely together, never alone together, and when they were even in the same room they were arguing. I found myself enjoying references to Esmee and Alisdair from One Little Sin, more than Viviana and Quin's romance. In the second half there were a lot of very great moments between them as they talked through what had happened and began to work on their future. I found Quin especially great in these scenes, as while he briefly resorts to threats, he changes his mind and realizes that he loves Viviana and his child and just wants what's best for them. I also really enjoyed the little problem Viviana faced as she thought her voice had gone after her husband had punched her and broke her nose. It just added a note of poignancy to the novel. There was a vaguely hinted at side romance between Quin's sister Alice and the family estate manager that I would really liked to have read more about, perhaps even a whole novel on it's own, because it seemed so interesting.

Rating: I really did spend a lot of this book not liking it, but I did get into it about halfway through. Adequate and palatable.

One Little Sin

One Little Sin by Liz Carlyle 621

When her stepfather kicks her and her little sister out of their home after their mother's death, Esmee Hamilton decides that the best course of action would be to go to Sir Alasdair MacLachlan. Alasdair is Sorcha's father and her parentage is the reason that the two sister's were left on the stoop. Alasdair does not even remember his affair with Esmee's mother, but he has led a very dissolute life filled with many women. He can tell that Sorcha is a MacLachlan because of her eyes and he knows he must keep her, but he is terrified of what could happen when Esmee threatens to leave. He offers her the position of governess so that she can stay and be with her sister, but both know that the situation is very dangerous as he is quite a rakehell and she is an innocent, if not naive, young miss. The attraction they feel for each other is real and while they try to avoid each other, things don't go as planned and it is not long before they succumb to their desires.

The two bond over their love for young Sorcha and Esmee is quite impressed by how well Alasdair takes to being a father as he plays with the little girl and learns how to handle her temper. He desperately wants Esmee, but fears that the sixteen year age difference and his shady pace preclude any happiness they could have together. When he discovers that Esmee is an heiress, and the niece of one of the ton's grand dames, he tells her that she should go and find another man to wed; a nice, calm man who can do right by her. But he does not expect this man to be his equally disolute best friend, Quenten. Seeing Esmee with Quin pains Alasdair and makes him seriously reconsider everything he had thought about himself and the possibilities in the future. Esmee knows that she wants Alasdair, but when he rebuffs her, she is determined to get on. But of course there is no way Alasdair can let let Esmee marry someone else once he realizes he needs her so he sets out to convince both of them that they can be happy together.

I enjoyed reading about Esmee and Alasdair and how they came to be together through such interesting circumstances. I really liked that parts where the two of them were dealing with Sorcha together, but I do wish there had been more time with just the two of them together. There also were very few times when they were getting along together and just enjoying each other's company. They argued quite a lot and both of the sex scenes were brought about by arguments and challenges. However, the sex was romantic enough and really quite hot, although I wish there had been quite a bit more and it had been spread out through more of the book. It dragged on a little bit near the end when the two of them were each trying to convince themselves that they did not belong together. I definitely like my romances where I get a sneak peak into what their life together as they admit their love before the end of the novel. However, the denial did fit in with both of their characters.

There is quite the age difference between the two, and while this is fairly common, it is dealt with incredibly skillful in this instance. During conversations with his brother, the situation is discussed and it is made clear that while she is younger, age wise, her circumstances and her self-assurance, and her ability to handle herself have matured her. It worked. I also really enjoyed the wrenching emotions that each of them was going through when they thought they were not going to end up together. Carlyle does it very well so it does not overwhelm, but still keeps it interesting. The book really barely touched on the fact that Alasdair had had an affair, however brief, with Esmee's mother. I admit I could not decide if it was better that they just kind of skipped over it or it would have been better if they had aired all the dirty laundry. The book sets up the next two in the series very well, and I am reviewing the three of them in order.

Rating: I did like reading this book, but I would have preferred Esmee and Alasdair having spent more time together and really more romance.

Beauty Like the Night

Beauty Like the Night by Liz Carlyle 520

Camden Rutledge, Earl of Treyhem, is in desperate straights when he decides to employ another governess for his unruly daughter. The child has not spoken in years, since her mother died in a mysterious fire, and he decides to employ an expert in the field. He is shocked to discover Helene de Severs, a childhood friend and crush, whose mother was his very father's mistress for years is his new governess. Helene is not exactly pleased to be working with Camden again, but she wants very much to help Arianne and thinks that she has managed to place her old feelings for him away. Cam knows that he will not be able to live with Helene without giving in to the lust he feels for her, but when he offers to make her his mistress she is horrified and turns him down. When they were children Helene and Cam had been close friends and before she had been sent away to boarding school, they had engaged in some not so childish acts of love. Both begin to suspect that their feelings have not changed all that much.

Helene is shocked to discover that Arianne can speak when she comes in during the night as the child is having a nightmare. In the brief moments where the story is told from Arianne's point of view, we learn that she is keeping a secret for her dead mother who told her to keep quiet and she is taking it to the extreme. Cam apologizes for his offer to Helene and sets out to woo her, which he does successfully until his sister, Catherine, informs Helene that he is unofficially engaged to his cousin, Joan. Helene is horrified and Cam realizes that he cannot marry Joan because, despite all the years that have passed, his feelings for Helene have not changed and he wants her as so he did when they were young. He wants to marry Helene but she is still convinced that their stations preclude any attachment between them. When the truth about his wife's murder comes out it threatens their happiness forever, and Cam must come to the rescue to save both the ladies he holds dear.

I liked Helene because she was an honest to goodness working woman who had made a real life for herself without the hero's help or anyone else's. She was independent and sure of herself and did not let her mother's past get in way. She was a tad stubborn when it came to finally admitting that Cam was the one for her, but I also liked that she genuinely liked children, especially Arianne, and it did not seem as though this was just written as a reason for the hero to fall in love her. I liked that Cam was able to admit that he still loved Helene so quickly and that he was not at all a rake! Craziness in a romance novel hero, I know so it was quite a nice change of pace. Despite his not having legions of experience the sex between them is really well written and pretty hot really although there is only one scene and it is practically at the end of the book. I also really liked that the two characters were of an age with each other and especially that Helene was not a 20 year old debutante.

My first complaint with this book was that it was very long and really rather slow going. I had to put it down and read another book quite a few times and it took me forever to finish. I was not really that interested in finding out the truth behind Cassandra's death and I was not sure how accurate it was to have a child suddenly stop talking completely because her mother tells her not tell anyone about a secret. How sad that I was so annoyed by a child in this book. I will say right now- I get the feeling I have read this plot in another book with a child who doesn't talk to keep a secret about her dead mother and it was better done in the last book. I will say though that the truth is quite interesting and I was completely taken by surprise at the end when the big kidnap scene happens. I wish that Cam and Helene had spent more time together getting to know more about each other and really seeing how they got along as I felt as though most of this overly long book was not about them, but about other things.

Rating: I felt like so much could have been done with these two characters if they had been given time together and not surrounded by 420 pages of extra words.

Wicked All Day

Wicked All Day by Liz Carlyle

Zoe Armstrong is the illegitimate daughter of the Marquess of Rannoch and while she is quite the beauty and her family does not treat her differently than her legitimate siblings, no one in the hoity toity ton will let her forget her roots. Knowing that she will never make an ultra proper marriage Zoe has consigned herself to be the premier flirt of the ton. Rannoch has been very lenient with Zoe but she has been out for five years now and he has grown tired of her behavior, so he tells her she must either get married or move to Scotland with the sheep. Our of desperation she makes quite the mistake and ends up caught in a very compromising position with a (very distant) cousin of some sort. Robert Rowland is a carefree rake and he is not at all pleased to find himself engaged to Zoe, but his brother Stauart, the Marquess of Mercer, is even more upset. Mercer has spent his entire life getting Zoe and Robin out of scrapes but he's always felt as though he's on the outside looking in. He doesn't realize until it is too late that Zoe is more to him than just a family friend and he doesn't think there is anything he can do to put a stop to this marriage.

Neither Zoe nor Robin is excited about this marriage but when both their families head up to the Mercer estate to escape scandal, Zoe tries to make the best of it while Robin decides to get drunk and go whoring every night. Everyone knows this is not a love match but that does not make Mercer feel any better about lusting after his brother's fiance. Once again he is thrust into the role as Zoe's protector as he comes to her aid when she feels helpless and desperate. He has always thought of Zoe as a flighty young girl but watching her deal with this crazy situation forces him to acknowledge that he has never really known Zoe. In the same vein Zoe has always thought of Mercer as the stern, judgmental older brother figure and now, when she learns about passion from him, she knows that there is so much more to this man. Before they can figure out what to do Robin is gravely injured while riding a horse and their plans are thrown all up in the air. Zoe can not abandon Robin after he is scarred and left with a limp, but Mercer is not at all amenable to losing the woman he has always loved to his brother. Both need to throw off their expectations, their gloom, and find that love can work through the most dire of society's consequences.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book: a man in love with his brother's fiance and fighting his honor to do the right thing with his desire for her. And of course a woman fighting her attraction for a man she believes is absolutely wrong for her and knows she can't have. I knew that such a plot would necessitate quite a bit of angst but I was unprepared for the gloom that seemed to hang over the novel. There were some parts where Zoe just seemed to wallow in depression and it seemed so out of character for someone who was constantly grabbing life and being wild. Mercer was not exactly likable as the brooding did get a little much for me, but at least his actions as the honorable and tortured older brother is not a complete surprise. Robin was also in this book quite a bit and I was more than a little annoyed at what how utterly awful he got with his drinking. Carlyle tells this story very well from Mercer and Zoe's point of view and making how they're feeling very clear and explaining their motives and she also does some brief scenes from the point of view of Robin, Evangeline- Zoe's stepmom, Rannoch, and Jonet- Robin and Stuart's mom.

I very much enjoyed this book up until Robin's horse accident when it really did get to be a little too depressing for me. I felt as though this book dragged on quite a bit at the end and it was indeed very long for a typical romance novel. Unfortunately I wanted to grab both Mercer and Zoe and shake them and tell them to get over everything and just admit they loved each other and get married. There were some obstacles in their way but I really could not understand why they could not just get over them. Mercer's ex-mistress was vindictive, but they could get over that. Robin and Zoe obviously did not love each other so that should not have been a problem and no one in either of their families would have minded at all. As usual Carlyle is quite adept in writing some very great steamy scenes, although there is very little build up in this novel as they kind of explode on each other. I absolutely loved that part of the book, but I wish both of them had not been so gloomy and wracked with guilt about the whole thing.

Rating: A very promising premise that ends up bogged down in far too many words (there is a reason why romance novels usually cut off at 370 and not 421) and it just ends up depressing and gloomy.

Tempted All Night

Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle

Pheadra Northampton has been a little too proper for as far back as anyone can remember and Tristan Talbo, Lord Avoncliffe, has been far too improper for as far back as anyone can remember. When a brothel employee Pheadra has asked for help in finding her niece's mother turns up dead Tristan's father asks him to investigate as the brothel owner is a Russian madame suspected of blackmailing and spying on members of the ton. Tristan and Pheadra are immediately and strongly attracted to each other. Pheadra's investigation of where Millie, her niece's mother, has disappeared to lead her to the same brothel Tristan is investigating and he becomes terrified that she will end up hurt as this particular brothel is known for peddling "deviant" sex (including unwilling victims).

Needless to say Tristan is determined that Pheadra will not embark on this investigation on her own, due to the danger of dealing with a woman obviously capable of using force. He offers to take over the investigation for her, but when things don't go as speedily as Pheadra wanted she confronts him and the two end up in bed. And Pheadra's sexual tastes are not the average virginal tastes that Tristan had been expected. Which is where we learn Pheadra's secret, which is just as bad as it could be, but is not really a surprise given some allusions to it in previous chapters. Eventually Tristan manages to weasel his way into the brothel and Pheadra insists on accompanying him. What follows is approximately 4 chapters of resolving the issues- a far cry from the usual 4-5 pages. Angst ensues, but we can all guess how the book ends. ;)

The sex in this was STEAMY. Crazy steamy really. It involved a lot of bondage- and not necessarily just the tie his/her hands to the bed, but it got pretty creative and did extend into talk of how Pheadra "needed" to be controlled. The excuse for this was that her sexuality was "too much" and "overwhelming" and so she needed someone to take it out of her hands. It was a little- odd but at least towards the end of the book we get glimpses of both of them being tied up and not just Pheadra, as she becomes more accepting of her sexuality. A review on amazing derides the S&M in the book- for the record; there is no sadism and there is no masochism. Neither likes to be hurt, neither likes to inflict pain- it is just bondage with talk of needing to be controlled- even though very little control is ever really exerted. I thought the book did a good job of contrasting Pheadra's (and Tristan's) sexual tastes from those of the brothe's clients, who really were into S&M, and making consensual kink acceptable.

Tristan's relationship with his father can best be described as shaky and at worst outright hostile and their relationship is never really resolved before his father's death. Not exactly typical for romances where issues/ problems are usually resolved (oftentimes in a brief paragraph) within the last two chapters. It definitely seemed more realistic this way. I was hoping there would be a little more angst- Pheadra's friend, Zoe, recommends that she try to make him jealous when she believes he's cheating on her, but alas that was a no go. There isn't even a good little bit of angst at the end of book when circumstances would make some great angst very probable. Carlyle does a great job of referring back to her old novels (including My False Heart which I loved) in a way that makes the reader really want to read them but not shake her head in annoyance that one has to be constantly reminded that everyone in romance novels live happily ever after.

Rating: The book was interesting, fun, filled with great characters, and steamy to boot. Unfortunately it didn't really have all the bang of a five- heart book.