After the Kiss: The Notorious Gentlemen

Enjoyable story and plot. However, I really did not lot the heroine that much. She was too high strung and arrogant in the beginning of the story. The hero was a bit weak. I prefer robust and confident heroes. I don't like historical romances that thrive on down grading commoners. However, towards the middle it came to be a pretty good read.

Normally, I stick to historical fiction, but these days it's become harder and harder to find good historical fiction with romantic elements or romantic endings. Tracy Chevalier did a good job in A Girl With a Pearl Earring, and I very much enjoyed Michelle Moran's Nefertiti. But now I'm branching out into historical romance, and I am very glad I've decided to do so.

After the Kiss is only my fifth romance novel, and I enjoyed it immensely. The real story begins with Lady Isabel discovering Sullivan Waring in the process of stealing from her home. To keep her from screaming, Sullivan kisses her, but Lady Isabel manages to grab his mask and later discover his identity. The characters are well drawn, the romance is full of tension, and the historical setting is spot-on.

Highly recommended.

Sullivan Waring is the son of a nobleman. The fact that he is illegitimate weighs heavily on his mind, especially since he is treated dastardly by the ton. After coming home a hero from the wars, Sully is becoming highly prized as a horse breeder and trainer. What the ton doesn't know is that he is the Mayfair Marauder. By day he breeds horses, by night he goes into the home of some of the richest of society and steals back items that were important to him. It is when he steals from the home of Lady Isabel Chalsey that his life changes.

Isabel Chalsey can't believe that the blackguard known as the Mayfair Marauder had the audacity to kiss her while stealing from her home. Coming upon the masked man in her kitchen, she was startled and intrigued. When she comes face to face the next day with Sullivan Waring, she has no doubts as to whom her midnight thief is and she plans to milk her knowledge for everything it is worth.

Suzanne Enoch has a prize on her hands with After the Kiss. Sully's characterization made me ache for the way he was treated and then feel proud for the way he overcame society's expectations and became the man I knew he was inside. Isabel made me smile more than once at her ability to keep Sully on his toes and his lips busy. Fans of beguiling historical romances will love After the Kiss. I know I did.

Talia
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Uh-oh, this is the second Suzanne Enoch book in a row I've read and not loved (following on the heels of the disappointing Sins of a Duke). I got hooked on Enoch because of her engaging characters, interesting subplots, and surprising resolutions to the hero/heroine conflict. This book had the first two ... but the resolution was fairly dull. I guess I was expecting her usual exciting plot twists there, but the hero/heroine just come together in a rather predictable way. Still it held my interest for most of the book, so I'm hoping for better things from the next two books in the series!

I liked that the book 's plot is different from the typical historical romance. The minor characters are also extremely well done, making me curious about future books on those characters.

Why I gave it only 3 stars:
I prefer more dialogue and less explanation.
Spoiler ahead:
I also think the book has a major plot flaw. The main conflict in the book was iniated when the hero's father sells/gives away the hero's inheritance when his mother died, which didn't make any sense, because the father doesn't want to 'recognize' the hero as his son and wants to keep everything quiet. Since he didn't need the money from the paintings, it didn't make any sense why he sold/gave away those paintings to anger the son! If he had just given the hero those paintings, there wouldn't have been a conflict.