Even though I had read this story some years ago some parts of it still stuck with me and at this point in my life that is saying something. The biggest thing that sticks in my mind is Elliot finding Chatham Lodge in the rain. He is soaked through to the skin and he is for all intents and purposes heart sick. The glowing windows in the house call to him and show him that families can be happy and rowdy and loving. It is something that he has longed for all his life. Elliot Armstrong is a rake of the first order at the beginning of this story but he quickly becomes a very different man as the story unfolds. He is saved from downward spiral his life has become. All it takes is the love of one woman and houseful of children that adore him. I loved that he is so willing to do what is right and become a better man. I love how the author shows the improvement with each visit to Evangeline’s home. I also love that we get so much insight into Elliot’s mind as he struggles with the choices that he has made and the wreck that his life has become. I also love that he is a proud and very loving toward his daughter even though she was born out of wedlock. In many ways it is his biggest redeeming characteristic. I do wish that there had been a little more of the Scottish burr in his voice. That would have made is just about perfect.

Evangeline Stone has been the responsible adult since she was seventeen. It has been up to her to raise and see to the education of her younger siblings and to earn a living that keeps everyone with a home, food and clothing. I admire that she has been able find an occupation that keeps the family will cared for and her close to the children. I also admire that she is such a well-educated and open minded woman. That is partly because of the way she was raised. Both her parents were artist and that community has always had a more realistic view of life. Evie is direct and intelligent and very creative. She has become a much admired artist. She is also very lonely.

This is a wonderfully written story that pulls you in and won’t let you go. Ms. Carlyle is a gifted writer that should be much more popular than she is. She provides well rounded characters throughout the story. You want to know what happened to each of the secondary characters as much as the primary. Ms. Carlyle also pulls into the area around the Chatham Lodge. She describes it as such a peaceful and pleasant place you actually think of how you would love to spend a week or so with the people that live there. This is a very good example of this genre of books and those that love historical romance will love this book. ( )

I tried. Really, I did. I am definitely not one to endure pages and pages of a character pondering all their conflicting thoughts. It's confusing. I definitely like to get into the head of a character to understand where they're coming from but this read didn't give me that. I was like "OK, already!!" This was also one of those where the hero was huge, in all respects, and the heroine, a small wee thing, realized that if she were to get close, her head would match the place where his heart was and she could hear it beating. Maybe it's me but I got this vision of Bigfoot rutting around with a fairy sprite. Whatever. This one was ok, but perhaps my expectations were set too high. ( )

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. ( )

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, 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. ( )