Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

SUPERB, DECADENT, SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS YET.., 27 Jul 2007
I've just finished this trilogy and it's one of the best set of books I've read in a long time. The characters and settings have such depth! REally really enjoyed it and always looked forward to reading it after a long stressful day on the bus home!!
Fantastic, if you haven't read it, you should!!
I've ordered it for keeps as I definitely plan to read all three again!!!
WONDERFUL!

Celia - a role model?, 13 Jun 2007
The final book in a brilliant trilogy. PV, without tedious repetion, reminded us of the previous 2 books in this trilogy. One becomes caught in the intrigue of this family and particularly in Celia's secrets and secret life. Despite her double standards she is quite charmimg and easily respected and no other character matches her vibrancy, her ability to love and her wicked ambition - not simply for herself but for her grandchildren. Her diplomacy is second to none and confidences entrusted to her are sacrosant. The manner in which PV has developed the character of Celia makes this trilogy. Celia is the trilogy. Just read them!!! You cannot be disappointed.

A wonderful read, 04 Mar 2007
I have to say I have loved this trilogy and I think that Into Temptation lives up to the other two books in the trilogy. I am really sad to be leaving the Lytton, Miller and Brooks families and hope that I will soon be able to find another set of books that will engross and entertain me as much as this wonderful trilogy has.

Good, but not as good as the first two.., 19 Sep 2006
The final book in the Spoils of Time trilogy is good, wrapping up loose ends and introducing some new characters, including the complicated, greedy Charlie Patterson and the highly annoying Keir Brown. In my opinion though, there is too much of the Barty/Charlie storyline and not enough concentration on the London Lyttons; which is fair enough I suppose as Ms Vincenzi obviously wants to focus on the next generation. But the whole Charlie story is long-winded, with an unecessarily complicated background, and there are also some other annoying aspects; including Kit's childish attitude to Celia's marriage and Adele's frankly tiresome continuing depression over the events in Book 2. One other (final) thing that slightly annoyed me was the heavy hinting that went on; a lot of her books are like this and it always works very well; however it would have been interesting to know, for example, whether Celia and Sebastian were continuing their affair in this book, and when exactly they stopped.
However, these characters--even the annoying ones--are still compelling, and since we've been with them since the beginning it is still interesting finding out what happens.
The best bit of the book is the discovery of Celia's personal diaries, kept since the early 1900s and full of intruiging nuggets of information. Unfortunately, little of the diary entries are revealed and those that are are quite cryptic (one particularly interesting refernce to a highly personal, intimate entrance that mortified Giles comes to mind).
The ending is left open too, which is actually a good idea and works well. I did enjoy the book and of course, if you've read the other two (which are excellent) you'll read this anyway.

Into Temptation, 25 May 2005
Over all I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. I was rather disappointed with the ending of Into Temptation, feeling that rather than having a strong ending, it fizzled out. I found myself getting very angry at Jenna's attitude towards Charlie and against her trustees. Although I suppose she was only being her father's daughter. I found the deaths of both Barty and Celia very upsetting as I had expected them both to be present to the end of the book.

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

SUPERB, DECADENT, SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS YET.., 27 Jul 2007
I've just finished this trilogy and it's one of the best set of books I've read in a long time. The characters and settings have such depth! REally really enjoyed it and always looked forward to reading it after a long stressful day on the bus home!!
Fantastic, if you haven't read it, you should!!
I've ordered it for keeps as I definitely plan to read all three again!!!
WONDERFUL!

Celia - a role model?, 13 Jun 2007
The final book in a brilliant trilogy. PV, without tedious repetion, reminded us of the previous 2 books in this trilogy. One becomes caught in the intrigue of this family and particularly in Celia's secrets and secret life. Despite her double standards she is quite charmimg and easily respected and no other character matches her vibrancy, her ability to love and her wicked ambition - not simply for herself but for her grandchildren. Her diplomacy is second to none and confidences entrusted to her are sacrosant. The manner in which PV has developed the character of Celia makes this trilogy. Celia is the trilogy. Just read them!!! You cannot be disappointed.

A wonderful read, 04 Mar 2007
I have to say I have loved this trilogy and I think that Into Temptation lives up to the other two books in the trilogy. I am really sad to be leaving the Lytton, Miller and Brooks families and hope that I will soon be able to find another set of books that will engross and entertain me as much as this wonderful trilogy has.

Good, but not as good as the first two.., 19 Sep 2006
The final book in the Spoils of Time trilogy is good, wrapping up loose ends and introducing some new characters, including the complicated, greedy Charlie Patterson and the highly annoying Keir Brown. In my opinion though, there is too much of the Barty/Charlie storyline and not enough concentration on the London Lyttons; which is fair enough I suppose as Ms Vincenzi obviously wants to focus on the next generation. But the whole Charlie story is long-winded, with an unecessarily complicated background, and there are also some other annoying aspects; including Kit's childish attitude to Celia's marriage and Adele's frankly tiresome continuing depression over the events in Book 2. One other (final) thing that slightly annoyed me was the heavy hinting that went on; a lot of her books are like this and it always works very well; however it would have been interesting to know, for example, whether Celia and Sebastian were continuing their affair in this book, and when exactly they stopped.
However, these characters--even the annoying ones--are still compelling, and since we've been with them since the beginning it is still interesting finding out what happens.
The best bit of the book is the discovery of Celia's personal diaries, kept since the early 1900s and full of intruiging nuggets of information. Unfortunately, little of the diary entries are revealed and those that are are quite cryptic (one particularly interesting refernce to a highly personal, intimate entrance that mortified Giles comes to mind).
The ending is left open too, which is actually a good idea and works well. I did enjoy the book and of course, if you've read the other two (which are excellent) you'll read this anyway.

Into Temptation, 25 May 2005
Over all I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. I was rather disappointed with the ending of Into Temptation, feeling that rather than having a strong ending, it fizzled out. I found myself getting very angry at Jenna's attitude towards Charlie and against her trustees. Although I suppose she was only being her father's daughter. I found the deaths of both Barty and Celia very upsetting as I had expected them both to be present to the end of the book.

Couldn't put it down............., 14 Aug 2008
What a fantastic read! I have to say I haven't read any Penny Vincenzi for a couple of years now and boy have I obviously been missing out!! It is quite an intricate story about how the lives of many many charcacters become entwined through financial misfortune. Please don't be put off when you open the book and see the page and a half list of characters just skip it, it does all fall into place. The only charcacter'e ending I didn't like was that of "Debbie & Joel" and of course the fabulous Simon!!
Happy reading.

People Who Have a Lot to Lose!, 07 Aug 2008
Although not her best (in my opinion), Penny Vincenzi fans will not be disappointed in this one. Pure escapism, with the touch of realism coming in the form of the Lloyds' insurance scandal, which is central to the plot. Around a third of the way through this long novel (almost 900 pages), I did begin to tire of the characters - I began to find them annoying, but as I progressed I grew quite fond of them! Contrary to some reviewers, I believe the first two-thirds of the story could have been cut shorter, as it was the final one-third that I found more addictive. A good holiday or bedtime read.

I liked it !!, 14 Jul 2008
I greatly enjoyed this. It's nice to have some light reading from time to time and PV's are always easy reading. I liked it a lot. You do end up sympathising with some, especially poor Catherine. The end seemed rushed into the final 80 or so pages but I'd still recommend it.

How dragged out can you get ......, 11 Jun 2008
Subject, Lloyds was interesting to me as many of my clients were then caught out, lost their large homes & refreshingly discovered that 'big' was not necessarily 'beautiful' ! The copy reader failed in several areas - but I became tired of sections that started 'she' this and 'she' that - a few paragraphs on you could establish which 'she' was referred to. I thought it was unecessarily drawn out, could have been more 'gutsy' if about 1/3 shorter, removing many needless conversations. This is the 1st PV book I've read, not in a hurry to read another.

Not her best, 09 Jun 2008
Oh dear, I do agree with Booklover. I'm a great PV fan because of the escapism, the Britishness, the wonderful romantic scenes and the authentic mentions of Barbados where I live, but this was really not her best. The ending was too serendipitous, and the characters too alike, I became quite confused and had to keep on checking the cast of characters.I lioke her characterisation of women but its a bit unreal that every wife who takes a lover finds an honourable understanding sexy upstanding man who loves her madly...too unbelievable.

However, if you are a PV fan you'll not regret reading it, or stop being a fan.

Penny Vincenzi's No Angel is probably her most accomplished novel yet, and draws on many elements of the author's own life in journalism and publishing. Since inaugurating her writing career with Old Sins, Vincenzi has developed into one of the most stylish and compelling writers of blockbusting fiction with such novels as Another Woman, Forbidden Places, and Almost a Crime achieving phenomenal sales and a devoted readership that follows her work very closely.

Set in Lyttons, a great publishing house, this saga takes us into the lives of the family who owns it, and the dramas of crossed loyalties, ambition and deception inform a narrative that carries the reader along with great gusto. Vincenzi's canvas at the start of the book is the Edwardian era known as the Belle Époque, a time in which society contrasted hedonistic luxury and great social deprivation, with the First World War waiting in the wings to sweep so much away.

Celia Lytton is the firm-minded and ambitious wife of Oliver Lytton, the head of the publishing house that bears his name. Sylvia Miller, coming from a background of crushing poverty, is threatened by Celia's intrusion into her life, when Sylvia's youngest daughter is taken from the family to join the Lyttons and move in a different social circle. Sebastian Brooke, the author of a much-acclaimed children's book, finds himself both professionally and personally involved with the ambitious Celia.

This is the first volume in a series, The Spoils of Time, and Vincenzi sets out her stall impressively. We are very quickly involved in the larger-than-life experiences of these powerfully drawn characters, and as well as telling a thoroughly involving tale, the author is able to deal with some serious questions over good and evil. Most of all, it is her charismatic characters (such as the willful Celia) that make a lasting impression on the reader and the author's ability to keep the reader engrossed:

Celia had been right, Oliver was initially resistant to the risks of making love to her; but a mixture of emotional blackmail and a determined onslaught on his senses worked quite quickly. They found a physical delight in each other almost at once; Oliver was not exactly experienced, indeed his own knowledge had been gained at the hands of a couple of chorus girls introduced by his best friend at Oxford, but it was sufficient to guide him through Celia's initiation.

--Barry Forshaw

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

SUPERB, DECADENT, SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS YET.., 27 Jul 2007
I've just finished this trilogy and it's one of the best set of books I've read in a long time. The characters and settings have such depth! REally really enjoyed it and always looked forward to reading it after a long stressful day on the bus home!!
Fantastic, if you haven't read it, you should!!
I've ordered it for keeps as I definitely plan to read all three again!!!
WONDERFUL!

Celia - a role model?, 13 Jun 2007
The final book in a brilliant trilogy. PV, without tedious repetion, reminded us of the previous 2 books in this trilogy. One becomes caught in the intrigue of this family and particularly in Celia's secrets and secret life. Despite her double standards she is quite charmimg and easily respected and no other character matches her vibrancy, her ability to love and her wicked ambition - not simply for herself but for her grandchildren. Her diplomacy is second to none and confidences entrusted to her are sacrosant. The manner in which PV has developed the character of Celia makes this trilogy. Celia is the trilogy. Just read them!!! You cannot be disappointed.

A wonderful read, 04 Mar 2007
I have to say I have loved this trilogy and I think that Into Temptation lives up to the other two books in the trilogy. I am really sad to be leaving the Lytton, Miller and Brooks families and hope that I will soon be able to find another set of books that will engross and entertain me as much as this wonderful trilogy has.

Good, but not as good as the first two.., 19 Sep 2006
The final book in the Spoils of Time trilogy is good, wrapping up loose ends and introducing some new characters, including the complicated, greedy Charlie Patterson and the highly annoying Keir Brown. In my opinion though, there is too much of the Barty/Charlie storyline and not enough concentration on the London Lyttons; which is fair enough I suppose as Ms Vincenzi obviously wants to focus on the next generation. But the whole Charlie story is long-winded, with an unecessarily complicated background, and there are also some other annoying aspects; including Kit's childish attitude to Celia's marriage and Adele's frankly tiresome continuing depression over the events in Book 2. One other (final) thing that slightly annoyed me was the heavy hinting that went on; a lot of her books are like this and it always works very well; however it would have been interesting to know, for example, whether Celia and Sebastian were continuing their affair in this book, and when exactly they stopped.
However, these characters--even the annoying ones--are still compelling, and since we've been with them since the beginning it is still interesting finding out what happens.
The best bit of the book is the discovery of Celia's personal diaries, kept since the early 1900s and full of intruiging nuggets of information. Unfortunately, little of the diary entries are revealed and those that are are quite cryptic (one particularly interesting refernce to a highly personal, intimate entrance that mortified Giles comes to mind).
The ending is left open too, which is actually a good idea and works well. I did enjoy the book and of course, if you've read the other two (which are excellent) you'll read this anyway.

Into Temptation, 25 May 2005
Over all I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. I was rather disappointed with the ending of Into Temptation, feeling that rather than having a strong ending, it fizzled out. I found myself getting very angry at Jenna's attitude towards Charlie and against her trustees. Although I suppose she was only being her father's daughter. I found the deaths of both Barty and Celia very upsetting as I had expected them both to be present to the end of the book.

Couldn't put it down............., 14 Aug 2008
What a fantastic read! I have to say I haven't read any Penny Vincenzi for a couple of years now and boy have I obviously been missing out!! It is quite an intricate story about how the lives of many many charcacters become entwined through financial misfortune. Please don't be put off when you open the book and see the page and a half list of characters just skip it, it does all fall into place. The only charcacter'e ending I didn't like was that of "Debbie & Joel" and of course the fabulous Simon!!
Happy reading.

People Who Have a Lot to Lose!, 07 Aug 2008
Although not her best (in my opinion), Penny Vincenzi fans will not be disappointed in this one. Pure escapism, with the touch of realism coming in the form of the Lloyds' insurance scandal, which is central to the plot. Around a third of the way through this long novel (almost 900 pages), I did begin to tire of the characters - I began to find them annoying, but as I progressed I grew quite fond of them! Contrary to some reviewers, I believe the first two-thirds of the story could have been cut shorter, as it was the final one-third that I found more addictive. A good holiday or bedtime read.

I liked it !!, 14 Jul 2008
I greatly enjoyed this. It's nice to have some light reading from time to time and PV's are always easy reading. I liked it a lot. You do end up sympathising with some, especially poor Catherine. The end seemed rushed into the final 80 or so pages but I'd still recommend it.

How dragged out can you get ......, 11 Jun 2008
Subject, Lloyds was interesting to me as many of my clients were then caught out, lost their large homes & refreshingly discovered that 'big' was not necessarily 'beautiful' ! The copy reader failed in several areas - but I became tired of sections that started 'she' this and 'she' that - a few paragraphs on you could establish which 'she' was referred to. I thought it was unecessarily drawn out, could have been more 'gutsy' if about 1/3 shorter, removing many needless conversations. This is the 1st PV book I've read, not in a hurry to read another.

Not her best, 09 Jun 2008
Oh dear, I do agree with Booklover. I'm a great PV fan because of the escapism, the Britishness, the wonderful romantic scenes and the authentic mentions of Barbados where I live, but this was really not her best. The ending was too serendipitous, and the characters too alike, I became quite confused and had to keep on checking the cast of characters.I lioke her characterisation of women but its a bit unreal that every wife who takes a lover finds an honourable understanding sexy upstanding man who loves her madly...too unbelievable.

However, if you are a PV fan you'll not regret reading it, or stop being a fan.

Not my favourite Penny Vincenzi, 16 Oct 2008
I adore PV and was really looking forward to getting into her trilogy. But I didn't enjoy this as much as some of her other novels. The first half of the book was good, especially with all the war setting. But in the 2nd half I got very tired of Celia and LM CONSTANTLY crying. I won't give away what happens, but frankly I just wanted Celia to make a decision about 100 pages before she did - and I couldn't have cared less what that decision was! Some of the relationships also seemed quite far-fetched - although I loved LM's working class lover, I was a bit unconvinced that such a progressive relationship would exist. Finally, there was no mystery - usually the need to find out what's going on keeps me turning the pages.

That said, I did feel PV's treatment of WW1 was far more evocative than in the House at Riverton, and I have a feeling the next book in the Spoils of Time series will be better, as I guess we'll move onto the younger generation and their love lives - which has to be more fun than Celia and her frankly tiresome husband.

Truly Unforgettable!, 20 May 2008
This opening novel in "The Spoils of Time" trilogy was my first introduction to Penny Vincenzi's work, and I am so grateful I discovered her. Set around the Lyttons publishing house, against the glamorous backdrop of Edwardian London, this is a truly magical tale. The author's witty and distinctive style, not to mention the emotionally charged storylines, will keep you enthralled to the very end.

Celia, the heroine of this series, is a woman who knows what she wants. Moreover, being in possession of a deadly combination of beauty, intelligence and determination, she usually gets it. Follow along with her struggle to overcome her husband Oliver's reluctance to let her work alongside him at Lyttons, her thirst to prove herself, and her resolve to claw her way to the very top of the Lytton Empire. Experience all her triumphs and frustrations, her joys and her heartache. Love her or loathe her, Celia Lytton will remain with you for life.


Terrible!, 27 Mar 2008
Absolute nonsense! My first reading of a Penny Vincenzi book and I think its definitely put me off. Her writing is so dull and amateurish, I refuse to believe that she is considered an acclaimed writer. The characters have no depth, you are led to either like or dislike them, completely one dimensional. I have to admit I gave up on it half way through and even then I felt I'd wasted so much time!!!

Simply first class!!, 06 Jan 2008
This is my first Penny Vincenzi novel and I'm impressed!

No Angel is the first in a trilogy (The Spoils of Time) about the Lytton family, starting in the Edwardian area, the belle époque, covering World War I and going on into the glamourous twenties.

The 724 pages got me hooked from page 1. There are family matters, professional matters (the Lyttons own a renown publishing house in London) and love matters through one of the bleakest times (the war that is, which takes up most of the book) in English history.

I'm amazed by Vincenzi's attention to detail (never boring) and her amazing insight into the human mind of people of all ages and classes. She maintains a very British writing style and still manages to sound both straightforward and open, not the least about the matter of sex. Her writing flows lighty, the somewhat stilted speech of the upper classes melting easily into the author's superb story telling.

The characterization is strong and highly perceptive. I have to particularly mention Lady Beckingham. The mother of the book's main character, Lady Celia Lytton, is a truly refreshing personality. Her sound relationship with Lord Buckingham (with an ever roaming eye for young pretty servants), her view on family life and affairs on the side (of whom she approves as long as they are executed properly!) and no nonsense child upbringing. Unruly young ladies and gentlemen are amazingly reformed after a couple of weeks at the Beckinham residence, Ashingham. A sight for sore eyes it must have been, during the war with its petrol shortage, to see the good Lady roaming the countryside in her beloved motor cycle. Do women come like that any more??

No Angel comes through as a very modern book, surprisingly in tune with the world almost a hundred years after the story took place.

It is (cliché) unpoutdownable, a (cliché) pageturner and I am eagerly awaiting the already ordered two sequels "Into Temptation" and "Something Dangerous".

The best book I have read in ages. Simply first class!!



Amazing!!!!!, 05 Feb 2007
I have read a few of Penny Vincenzi's books and really enjoyed them but No Angel is a cut above the rest. From the first page I was hooked and finished this rather thick book in four days! Thank god this is the first in a trilogy because I can't wait to read more about the next generation of the Lytton family and I have in fact already ordered Something Dangerous and Into Temptation (the next two in this trilogy) and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. Please read this book and I sure you won't be disappointed it is truely wonderful.

Particular skills are required in a novel the size of Penny Vincenzi's Something Dangerous: strong, powerfully drawn characters, yes; colourful, authentic scene-setting, of course. But what's needed above all else is organisation: an author must know how to bring together all the elements to create an inexorable hold on the reader. It's no surprise to find Vincenzi doing just that. Through such engrossing novels as Another Woman, Forbidden Places and No Angel, she has effortlessly woven an unbreakable spell that ensures few readers will be able to put her intelligently written romantic sagas down.

Something Dangerous (like No Angel) introduces a sharply observed element of social commentary into its epic-saga format, along with a vivid panoply of international history from the frantic 20s to the two World Wars. Adele and Venetia Lytton are twins enjoying all the social prestige and wealth that their position as daughters of the founder of a highly successful publishing empire can give them. At the age of 18, they make up for a lack of formal education with a confidence and cheek that isn't too far from arrogance. As the 30s begin, the twins put the horrors of the 1914 conflict behind them--but their adulthood coincides with the sinister rise of Nazi Germany. Soon, their privileged position comes to seem hollow indeed: Venetia finds that being trapped in a grim marriage is only the beginning of her misery, while Adele struggles to bring up two young children in a Paris that is being engulfed by the war. Then there is Bart Miller, taken from the slums by the twins' mother and more able to cope with life than Adele or Venetia. And crucial to the narrative is Laurence Elliott, scion of the family's New York members, single-mindedly pursuing an almost obsessive love. The interaction of Vincenzi's fascinatingly rendered cast is choreographed with her usual aplomb, and the epic backdrop never dwarfs the agonies and ecstasies of her characters.--Barry Forshaw

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

SUPERB, DECADENT, SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS YET.., 27 Jul 2007
I've just finished this trilogy and it's one of the best set of books I've read in a long time. The characters and settings have such depth! REally really enjoyed it and always looked forward to reading it after a long stressful day on the bus home!!
Fantastic, if you haven't read it, you should!!
I've ordered it for keeps as I definitely plan to read all three again!!!
WONDERFUL!

Celia - a role model?, 13 Jun 2007
The final book in a brilliant trilogy. PV, without tedious repetion, reminded us of the previous 2 books in this trilogy. One becomes caught in the intrigue of this family and particularly in Celia's secrets and secret life. Despite her double standards she is quite charmimg and easily respected and no other character matches her vibrancy, her ability to love and her wicked ambition - not simply for herself but for her grandchildren. Her diplomacy is second to none and confidences entrusted to her are sacrosant. The manner in which PV has developed the character of Celia makes this trilogy. Celia is the trilogy. Just read them!!! You cannot be disappointed.

A wonderful read, 04 Mar 2007
I have to say I have loved this trilogy and I think that Into Temptation lives up to the other two books in the trilogy. I am really sad to be leaving the Lytton, Miller and Brooks families and hope that I will soon be able to find another set of books that will engross and entertain me as much as this wonderful trilogy has.

Good, but not as good as the first two.., 19 Sep 2006
The final book in the Spoils of Time trilogy is good, wrapping up loose ends and introducing some new characters, including the complicated, greedy Charlie Patterson and the highly annoying Keir Brown. In my opinion though, there is too much of the Barty/Charlie storyline and not enough concentration on the London Lyttons; which is fair enough I suppose as Ms Vincenzi obviously wants to focus on the next generation. But the whole Charlie story is long-winded, with an unecessarily complicated background, and there are also some other annoying aspects; including Kit's childish attitude to Celia's marriage and Adele's frankly tiresome continuing depression over the events in Book 2. One other (final) thing that slightly annoyed me was the heavy hinting that went on; a lot of her books are like this and it always works very well; however it would have been interesting to know, for example, whether Celia and Sebastian were continuing their affair in this book, and when exactly they stopped.
However, these characters--even the annoying ones--are still compelling, and since we've been with them since the beginning it is still interesting finding out what happens.
The best bit of the book is the discovery of Celia's personal diaries, kept since the early 1900s and full of intruiging nuggets of information. Unfortunately, little of the diary entries are revealed and those that are are quite cryptic (one particularly interesting refernce to a highly personal, intimate entrance that mortified Giles comes to mind).
The ending is left open too, which is actually a good idea and works well. I did enjoy the book and of course, if you've read the other two (which are excellent) you'll read this anyway.

Into Temptation, 25 May 2005
Over all I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. I was rather disappointed with the ending of Into Temptation, feeling that rather than having a strong ending, it fizzled out. I found myself getting very angry at Jenna's attitude towards Charlie and against her trustees. Although I suppose she was only being her father's daughter. I found the deaths of both Barty and Celia very upsetting as I had expected them both to be present to the end of the book.

Couldn't put it down............., 14 Aug 2008
What a fantastic read! I have to say I haven't read any Penny Vincenzi for a couple of years now and boy have I obviously been missing out!! It is quite an intricate story about how the lives of many many charcacters become entwined through financial misfortune. Please don't be put off when you open the book and see the page and a half list of characters just skip it, it does all fall into place. The only charcacter'e ending I didn't like was that of "Debbie & Joel" and of course the fabulous Simon!!
Happy reading.

People Who Have a Lot to Lose!, 07 Aug 2008
Although not her best (in my opinion), Penny Vincenzi fans will not be disappointed in this one. Pure escapism, with the touch of realism coming in the form of the Lloyds' insurance scandal, which is central to the plot. Around a third of the way through this long novel (almost 900 pages), I did begin to tire of the characters - I began to find them annoying, but as I progressed I grew quite fond of them! Contrary to some reviewers, I believe the first two-thirds of the story could have been cut shorter, as it was the final one-third that I found more addictive. A good holiday or bedtime read.

I liked it !!, 14 Jul 2008
I greatly enjoyed this. It's nice to have some light reading from time to time and PV's are always easy reading. I liked it a lot. You do end up sympathising with some, especially poor Catherine. The end seemed rushed into the final 80 or so pages but I'd still recommend it.

How dragged out can you get ......, 11 Jun 2008
Subject, Lloyds was interesting to me as many of my clients were then caught out, lost their large homes & refreshingly discovered that 'big' was not necessarily 'beautiful' ! The copy reader failed in several areas - but I became tired of sections that started 'she' this and 'she' that - a few paragraphs on you could establish which 'she' was referred to. I thought it was unecessarily drawn out, could have been more 'gutsy' if about 1/3 shorter, removing many needless conversations. This is the 1st PV book I've read, not in a hurry to read another.

Not her best, 09 Jun 2008
Oh dear, I do agree with Booklover. I'm a great PV fan because of the escapism, the Britishness, the wonderful romantic scenes and the authentic mentions of Barbados where I live, but this was really not her best. The ending was too serendipitous, and the characters too alike, I became quite confused and had to keep on checking the cast of characters.I lioke her characterisation of women but its a bit unreal that every wife who takes a lover finds an honourable understanding sexy upstanding man who loves her madly...too unbelievable.

However, if you are a PV fan you'll not regret reading it, or stop being a fan.

Not my favourite Penny Vincenzi, 16 Oct 2008
I adore PV and was really looking forward to getting into her trilogy. But I didn't enjoy this as much as some of her other novels. The first half of the book was good, especially with all the war setting. But in the 2nd half I got very tired of Celia and LM CONSTANTLY crying. I won't give away what happens, but frankly I just wanted Celia to make a decision about 100 pages before she did - and I couldn't have cared less what that decision was! Some of the relationships also seemed quite far-fetched - although I loved LM's working class lover, I was a bit unconvinced that such a progressive relationship would exist. Finally, there was no mystery - usually the need to find out what's going on keeps me turning the pages.

That said, I did feel PV's treatment of WW1 was far more evocative than in the House at Riverton, and I have a feeling the next book in the Spoils of Time series will be better, as I guess we'll move onto the younger generation and their love lives - which has to be more fun than Celia and her frankly tiresome husband.

Truly Unforgettable!, 20 May 2008
This opening novel in "The Spoils of Time" trilogy was my first introduction to Penny Vincenzi's work, and I am so grateful I discovered her. Set around the Lyttons publishing house, against the glamorous backdrop of Edwardian London, this is a truly magical tale. The author's witty and distinctive style, not to mention the emotionally charged storylines, will keep you enthralled to the very end.

Celia, the heroine of this series, is a woman who knows what she wants. Moreover, being in possession of a deadly combination of beauty, intelligence and determination, she usually gets it. Follow along with her struggle to overcome her husband Oliver's reluctance to let her work alongside him at Lyttons, her thirst to prove herself, and her resolve to claw her way to the very top of the Lytton Empire. Experience all her triumphs and frustrations, her joys and her heartache. Love her or loathe her, Celia Lytton will remain with you for life.


Terrible!, 27 Mar 2008
Absolute nonsense! My first reading of a Penny Vincenzi book and I think its definitely put me off. Her writing is so dull and amateurish, I refuse to believe that she is considered an acclaimed writer. The characters have no depth, you are led to either like or dislike them, completely one dimensional. I have to admit I gave up on it half way through and even then I felt I'd wasted so much time!!!

Simply first class!!, 06 Jan 2008
This is my first Penny Vincenzi novel and I'm impressed!

No Angel is the first in a trilogy (The Spoils of Time) about the Lytton family, starting in the Edwardian area, the belle époque, covering World War I and going on into the glamourous twenties.

The 724 pages got me hooked from page 1. There are family matters, professional matters (the Lyttons own a renown publishing house in London) and love matters through one of the bleakest times (the war that is, which takes up most of the book) in English history.

I'm amazed by Vincenzi's attention to detail (never boring) and her amazing insight into the human mind of people of all ages and classes. She maintains a very British writing style and still manages to sound both straightforward and open, not the least about the matter of sex. Her writing flows lighty, the somewhat stilted speech of the upper classes melting easily into the author's superb story telling.

The characterization is strong and highly perceptive. I have to particularly mention Lady Beckingham. The mother of the book's main character, Lady Celia Lytton, is a truly refreshing personality. Her sound relationship with Lord Buckingham (with an ever roaming eye for young pretty servants), her view on family life and affairs on the side (of whom she approves as long as they are executed properly!) and no nonsense child upbringing. Unruly young ladies and gentlemen are amazingly reformed after a couple of weeks at the Beckinham residence, Ashingham. A sight for sore eyes it must have been, during the war with its petrol shortage, to see the good Lady roaming the countryside in her beloved motor cycle. Do women come like that any more??

No Angel comes through as a very modern book, surprisingly in tune with the world almost a hundred years after the story took place.

It is (cliché) unpoutdownable, a (cliché) pageturner and I am eagerly awaiting the already ordered two sequels "Into Temptation" and "Something Dangerous".

The best book I have read in ages. Simply first class!!



Amazing!!!!!, 05 Feb 2007
I have read a few of Penny Vincenzi's books and really enjoyed them but No Angel is a cut above the rest. From the first page I was hooked and finished this rather thick book in four days! Thank god this is the first in a trilogy because I can't wait to read more about the next generation of the Lytton family and I have in fact already ordered Something Dangerous and Into Temptation (the next two in this trilogy) and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. Please read this book and I sure you won't be disappointed it is truely wonderful.

Another wonderful achievement , 18 Feb 2008
The second book in the trilogy about the Lytton family is yet another wonderful achievement by Penny Vincenzi, as we follow the family through the frivolous thirties and WWII.

The war proves an enormous test for the younger generation Lyttons and shows them as individuals made of quite sterner stuff than the slightly spoilt, priveleged youngsters we are first introduced to.

As all over England the women take over when the men go to war, so also do Lady Celia and her sister in law LM take charge at Lyttons. Just as they did, in fact, twenty years earlier during WWI.

The book takes us from London to Paris and New York. Destinies are met, lives changed and the young generation leave their carefree youth behind them forever.

There is one thing that bothered me a bit about this book, the relationship - or rather the lack of it - between Lady Celia and her ex-lover, the handsome author Sebastian. I think that after the way their love affair was presented in "No Angel", as "the love of a lifetime", their almost pragmatic friendship throughout this book did not quite ring through. Sebastian's marriage to Pandora, a woman he loves desperately and grieves for the rest of his life when she dies in childbirth, further emphasizes the disaccordance I felt with that whole situation.
I have still to read "Into Temptation". Perhaps some enlightment is offered there!

"Something Dangerous" was not quite as suberb as "No Angel", but still marvellous reading which kept me awake late into the night.

Chance Meeting, 15 Dec 2007
I found this book on a shelf in a Hall in which I had just attended a meeting. Fortunately it was for sale and I paid the massive sum of 50p for it. I couldn't put it down and I have been reading Penny Vincenzi books ever since.

I loved it, 14 Feb 2007
Having devoured No Angel I was delighted to read Something Dangerous and it did not disappoint. I thought that it may not live up to No Angel, it was a little different but still a brilliant book and I would definitely recommend it. I have Into Temptation to read but I'm nearly afraid to start it as I know that when it is finished I will have to say goodbye to the Lytton family. Something Dangerous is a really engrossing and entertaining read.

A good holiday book, 15 Sep 2006
This is the first Penny Vincenzi book that I have read, coming across this second in the trilogy by accident. The story is set in the glamorous Thirties and on through WWII. It looked like it was going to be a fantastically absorbing read and the first half of the book did not disappoint. However, I found that the second half was rushed and tied up lots of loose ends,in a rather too convenient and childish style to reflect real life. For example, I'm sure that most people did not find out what happened to their Jewish lovers living in Paris during the War in order to gain 'closure'.

ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE!!, 13 Sep 2005
I had bought this book to read on holiday. Started it on the coach trip from Bury St Edmunds to Alassio in Italy. Simply couldn't put it down - didn't want the journey to end at all. Penny Vincenzi has the ability to make you involved in the story and characters right from the start. Have now got to go and find Parts 1 and 3 of the Trilogy! Marvellous

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

SUPERB, DECADENT, SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS YET.., 27 Jul 2007
I've just finished this trilogy and it's one of the best set of books I've read in a long time. The characters and settings have such depth! REally really enjoyed it and always looked forward to reading it after a long stressful day on the bus home!!
Fantastic, if you haven't read it, you should!!
I've ordered it for keeps as I definitely plan to read all three again!!!
WONDERFUL!

Celia - a role model?, 13 Jun 2007
The final book in a brilliant trilogy. PV, without tedious repetion, reminded us of the previous 2 books in this trilogy. One becomes caught in the intrigue of this family and particularly in Celia's secrets and secret life. Despite her double standards she is quite charmimg and easily respected and no other character matches her vibrancy, her ability to love and her wicked ambition - not simply for herself but for her grandchildren. Her diplomacy is second to none and confidences entrusted to her are sacrosant. The manner in which PV has developed the character of Celia makes this trilogy. Celia is the trilogy. Just read them!!! You cannot be disappointed.

A wonderful read, 04 Mar 2007
I have to say I have loved this trilogy and I think that Into Temptation lives up to the other two books in the trilogy. I am really sad to be leaving the Lytton, Miller and Brooks families and hope that I will soon be able to find another set of books that will engross and entertain me as much as this wonderful trilogy has.

Good, but not as good as the first two.., 19 Sep 2006
The final book in the Spoils of Time trilogy is good, wrapping up loose ends and introducing some new characters, including the complicated, greedy Charlie Patterson and the highly annoying Keir Brown. In my opinion though, there is too much of the Barty/Charlie storyline and not enough concentration on the London Lyttons; which is fair enough I suppose as Ms Vincenzi obviously wants to focus on the next generation. But the whole Charlie story is long-winded, with an unecessarily complicated background, and there are also some other annoying aspects; including Kit's childish attitude to Celia's marriage and Adele's frankly tiresome continuing depression over the events in Book 2. One other (final) thing that slightly annoyed me was the heavy hinting that went on; a lot of her books are like this and it always works very well; however it would have been interesting to know, for example, whether Celia and Sebastian were continuing their affair in this book, and when exactly they stopped.
However, these characters--even the annoying ones--are still compelling, and since we've been with them since the beginning it is still interesting finding out what happens.
The best bit of the book is the discovery of Celia's personal diaries, kept since the early 1900s and full of intruiging nuggets of information. Unfortunately, little of the diary entries are revealed and those that are are quite cryptic (one particularly interesting refernce to a highly personal, intimate entrance that mortified Giles comes to mind).
The ending is left open too, which is actually a good idea and works well. I did enjoy the book and of course, if you've read the other two (which are excellent) you'll read this anyway.

Into Temptation, 25 May 2005
Over all I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. I was rather disappointed with the ending of Into Temptation, feeling that rather than having a strong ending, it fizzled out. I found myself getting very angry at Jenna's attitude towards Charlie and against her trustees. Although I suppose she was only being her father's daughter. I found the deaths of both Barty and Celia very upsetting as I had expected them both to be present to the end of the book.

Couldn't put it down............., 14 Aug 2008
What a fantastic read! I have to say I haven't read any Penny Vincenzi for a couple of years now and boy have I obviously been missing out!! It is quite an intricate story about how the lives of many many charcacters become entwined through financial misfortune. Please don't be put off when you open the book and see the page and a half list of characters just skip it, it does all fall into place. The only charcacter'e ending I didn't like was that of "Debbie & Joel" and of course the fabulous Simon!!
Happy reading.

People Who Have a Lot to Lose!, 07 Aug 2008
Although not her best (in my opinion), Penny Vincenzi fans will not be disappointed in this one. Pure escapism, with the touch of realism coming in the form of the Lloyds' insurance scandal, which is central to the plot. Around a third of the way through this long novel (almost 900 pages), I did begin to tire of the characters - I began to find them annoying, but as I progressed I grew quite fond of them! Contrary to some reviewers, I believe the first two-thirds of the story could have been cut shorter, as it was the final one-third that I found more addictive. A good holiday or bedtime read.

I liked it !!, 14 Jul 2008
I greatly enjoyed this. It's nice to have some light reading from time to time and PV's are always easy reading. I liked it a lot. You do end up sympathising with some, especially poor Catherine. The end seemed rushed into the final 80 or so pages but I'd still recommend it.

How dragged out can you get ......, 11 Jun 2008
Subject, Lloyds was interesting to me as many of my clients were then caught out, lost their large homes & refreshingly discovered that 'big' was not necessarily 'beautiful' ! The copy reader failed in several areas - but I became tired of sections that started 'she' this and 'she' that - a few paragraphs on you could establish which 'she' was referred to. I thought it was unecessarily drawn out, could have been more 'gutsy' if about 1/3 shorter, removing many needless conversations. This is the 1st PV book I've read, not in a hurry to read another.

Not her best, 09 Jun 2008
Oh dear, I do agree with Booklover. I'm a great PV fan because of the escapism, the Britishness, the wonderful romantic scenes and the authentic mentions of Barbados where I live, but this was really not her best. The ending was too serendipitous, and the characters too alike, I became quite confused and had to keep on checking the cast of characters.I lioke her characterisation of women but its a bit unreal that every wife who takes a lover finds an honourable understanding sexy upstanding man who loves her madly...too unbelievable.

However, if you are a PV fan you'll not regret reading it, or stop being a fan.

Not my favourite Penny Vincenzi, 16 Oct 2008
I adore PV and was really looking forward to getting into her trilogy. But I didn't enjoy this as much as some of her other novels. The first half of the book was good, especially with all the war setting. But in the 2nd half I got very tired of Celia and LM CONSTANTLY crying. I won't give away what happens, but frankly I just wanted Celia to make a decision about 100 pages before she did - and I couldn't have cared less what that decision was! Some of the relationships also seemed quite far-fetched - although I loved LM's working class lover, I was a bit unconvinced that such a progressive relationship would exist. Finally, there was no mystery - usually the need to find out what's going on keeps me turning the pages.

That said, I did feel PV's treatment of WW1 was far more evocative than in the House at Riverton, and I have a feeling the next book in the Spoils of Time series will be better, as I guess we'll move onto the younger generation and their love lives - which has to be more fun than Celia and her frankly tiresome husband.

Truly Unforgettable!, 20 May 2008
This opening novel in "The Spoils of Time" trilogy was my first introduction to Penny Vincenzi's work, and I am so grateful I discovered her. Set around the Lyttons publishing house, against the glamorous backdrop of Edwardian London, this is a truly magical tale. The author's witty and distinctive style, not to mention the emotionally charged storylines, will keep you enthralled to the very end.

Celia, the heroine of this series, is a woman who knows what she wants. Moreover, being in possession of a deadly combination of beauty, intelligence and determination, she usually gets it. Follow along with her struggle to overcome her husband Oliver's reluctance to let her work alongside him at Lyttons, her thirst to prove herself, and her resolve to claw her way to the very top of the Lytton Empire. Experience all her triumphs and frustrations, her joys and her heartache. Love her or loathe her, Celia Lytton will remain with you for life.


Terrible!, 27 Mar 2008
Absolute nonsense! My first reading of a Penny Vincenzi book and I think its definitely put me off. Her writing is so dull and amateurish, I refuse to believe that she is considered an acclaimed writer. The characters have no depth, you are led to either like or dislike them, completely one dimensional. I have to admit I gave up on it half way through and even then I felt I'd wasted so much time!!!

Simply first class!!, 06 Jan 2008
This is my first Penny Vincenzi novel and I'm impressed!

No Angel is the first in a trilogy (The Spoils of Time) about the Lytton family, starting in the Edwardian area, the belle époque, covering World War I and going on into the glamourous twenties.

The 724 pages got me hooked from page 1. There are family matters, professional matters (the Lyttons own a renown publishing house in London) and love matters through one of the bleakest times (the war that is, which takes up most of the book) in English history.

I'm amazed by Vincenzi's attention to detail (never boring) and her amazing insight into the human mind of people of all ages and classes. She maintains a very British writing style and still manages to sound both straightforward and open, not the least about the matter of sex. Her writing flows lighty, the somewhat stilted speech of the upper classes melting easily into the author's superb story telling.

The characterization is strong and highly perceptive. I have to particularly mention Lady Beckingham. The mother of the book's main character, Lady Celia Lytton, is a truly refreshing personality. Her sound relationship with Lord Buckingham (with an ever roaming eye for young pretty servants), her view on family life and affairs on the side (of whom she approves as long as they are executed properly!) and no nonsense child upbringing. Unruly young ladies and gentlemen are amazingly reformed after a couple of weeks at the Beckinham residence, Ashingham. A sight for sore eyes it must have been, during the war with its petrol shortage, to see the good Lady roaming the countryside in her beloved motor cycle. Do women come like that any more??

No Angel comes through as a very modern book, surprisingly in tune with the world almost a hundred years after the story took place.

It is (cliché) unpoutdownable, a (cliché) pageturner and I am eagerly awaiting the already ordered two sequels "Into Temptation" and "Something Dangerous".

The best book I have read in ages. Simply first class!!



Amazing!!!!!, 05 Feb 2007
I have read a few of Penny Vincenzi's books and really enjoyed them but No Angel is a cut above the rest. From the first page I was hooked and finished this rather thick book in four days! Thank god this is the first in a trilogy because I can't wait to read more about the next generation of the Lytton family and I have in fact already ordered Something Dangerous and Into Temptation (the next two in this trilogy) and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. Please read this book and I sure you won't be disappointed it is truely wonderful.

Another wonderful achievement , 18 Feb 2008
The second book in the trilogy about the Lytton family is yet another wonderful achievement by Penny Vincenzi, as we follow the family through the frivolous thirties and WWII.

The war proves an enormous test for the younger generation Lyttons and shows them as individuals made of quite sterner stuff than the slightly spoilt, priveleged youngsters we are first introduced to.

As all over England the women take over when the men go to war, so also do Lady Celia and her sister in law LM take charge at Lyttons. Just as they did, in fact, twenty years earlier during WWI.

The book takes us from London to Paris and New York. Destinies are met, lives changed and the young generation leave their carefree youth behind them forever.

There is one thing that bothered me a bit about this book, the relationship - or rather the lack of it - between Lady Celia and her ex-lover, the handsome author Sebastian. I think that after the way their love affair was presented in "No Angel", as "the love of a lifetime", their almost pragmatic friendship throughout this book did not quite ring through. Sebastian's marriage to Pandora, a woman he loves desperately and grieves for the rest of his life when she dies in childbirth, further emphasizes the disaccordance I felt with that whole situation.
I have still to read "Into Temptation". Perhaps some enlightment is offered there!

"Something Dangerous" was not quite as suberb as "No Angel", but still marvellous reading which kept me awake late into the night.

Chance Meeting, 15 Dec 2007
I found this book on a shelf in a Hall in which I had just attended a meeting. Fortunately it was for sale and I paid the massive sum of 50p for it. I couldn't put it down and I have been reading Penny Vincenzi books ever since.

I loved it, 14 Feb 2007
Having devoured No Angel I was delighted to read Something Dangerous and it did not disappoint. I thought that it may not live up to No Angel, it was a little different but still a brilliant book and I would definitely recommend it. I have Into Temptation to read but I'm nearly afraid to start it as I know that when it is finished I will have to say goodbye to the Lytton family. Something Dangerous is a really engrossing and entertaining read.

A good holiday book, 15 Sep 2006
This is the first Penny Vincenzi book that I have read, coming across this second in the trilogy by accident. The story is set in the glamorous Thirties and on through WWII. It looked like it was going to be a fantastically absorbing read and the first half of the book did not disappoint. However, I found that the second half was rushed and tied up lots of loose ends,in a rather too convenient and childish style to reflect real life. For example, I'm sure that most people did not find out what happened to their Jewish lovers living in Paris during the War in order to gain 'closure'.

ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE!!, 13 Sep 2005
I had bought this book to read on holiday. Started it on the coach trip from Bury St Edmunds to Alassio in Italy. Simply couldn't put it down - didn't want the journey to end at all. Penny Vincenzi has the ability to make you involved in the story and characters right from the start. Have now got to go and find Parts 1 and 3 of the Trilogy! Marvellous

Lightweight but ok, 30 May 2008
This is the second Penny Vincenzi book I have read and so far Im not sure about them......perhaps I just havent found the best ones yet.
I did enjoy it for the distraction value it provided - lots of unreal characters who live in a very different universe to me it seems ! - but I would also have to agree with other reviewers that the plot or plots seem to go a bit astray in places and some characters are too easily dropped out of the storyline without sufficient explanation.
I cant explain my main irritation - re the bride - without spoiling too much of the story but I would definately say that the ending was a huge let down to me and left me feeling there were still loose ends to be tied up.


beware, spoiler contained in review...., 22 May 2008
What an absolute load of drivel! Can't believe how disappointed I was with this book. The plot centres around a bride who disappears on the morning of her wedding and the effect it has on both her family and the grooms. However, about half way through the book, the author seems to lose sight of this and it shifts focus to only a couple of members of the brides family. I only kept reading as I wanted to find out what had happened to the Bride, and guess what? You don't!!! What a waste of time.
And to top it all, the author was rubbish at establishing the characters at the beginning of the book, so much so, I found myself turning back a few pages to see who she was talking about. I shouldn't have to do that.
Shame really, recently read another of Vincenzi's and I was hooked from start to finish.

Hooked, 26 May 2007
At the opening of this novel Cressida Forrest and Oliver Bergin are hosting their nearest and dearest at a pre-wedding dinner the night before they are due to be married. But by dawn Cressida has disappeared and the before long it's not just Cressida's secrets that unfold.

From extramarital affairs to financial dodgy dealings and all the bits in between this book has it all. I won't say too much about who's involved in which bits as it'll ruin the surprise. What I will say however is that this book isn't all doom and gloom. There are happy endings, there are new beginnings but there's more secrets and lies than anything. And they're gonna keep you hooked to see how each part fits into the next. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character and it's so masterfully done that switching from character to character is easy.

All in all a thoroughly engrossing book and I'll be picking up a few more Penny Vincenzi's to add to my collection.


Unputdownable!, 26 Feb 2007
I started this book on Friday night and finished it on Sunday night - and it is over 600 pages! I haven't read a book in ages that had me so hooked. The story takes place over a 48 hour period and each chapter is written from a different characters perspective - all the while moving it on at a pace. To start with, while the characters were being established, I thought I was getting confused and wouldn't remember certain facts but it all soon fell in to place. I found the end a little unrewarding but difficult to say why without giving the plot away!

A good story but............, 05 Apr 2002
An interesting story with many 'twists' but some characters lacked depth (perhaps too many characters in the story).
I never quite understood the personality of the 'Run Away Bride' nor did I have the feeling that her father, James, was a villain for having married for convience, and for keeping a mistress.
Yet, I couldn't put the book down.

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's books with the excetion of Glimpses which I haven't seen in our bookstores and I'm eagerly awaitng my trip to Miami where I'm hoping to capture No Angel. The reviews were very helpful.

Brilliant, 05 Dec 1999
This is Penny Vincenzi's first novel and what a blockbuster it is! I read this when it first came out and I have gone on to read EVERY book that she has written. An excellent holiday read. Near the end I began to get slightly dissappointed because I thought I had sussed out what was going to happen but Penny brilliantly makes the reader think that but then comes up with something that had never entered your head so it does build up to an excellent climax after all.

SUPERB, DECADENT, SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS YET.., 27 Jul 2007
I've just finished this trilogy and it's one of the best set of books I've read in a long time. The characters and settings have such depth! REally really enjoyed it and always looked forward to reading it after a long stressful day on the bus home!!
Fantastic, if you haven't read it, you should!!
I've ordered it for keeps as I definitely plan to read all three again!!!
WONDERFUL!

Celia - a role model?, 13 Jun 2007
The final book in a brilliant trilogy. PV, without tedious repetion, reminded us of the previous 2 books in this trilogy. One becomes caught in the intrigue of this family and particularly in Celia's secrets and secret life. Despite her double standards she is quite charmimg and easily respected and no other character matches her vibrancy, her ability to love and her wicked ambition - not simply for herself but for her grandchildren. Her diplomacy is second to none and confidences entrusted to her are sacrosant. The manner in which PV has developed the character of Celia makes this trilogy. Celia is the trilogy. Just read them!!! You cannot be disappointed.

A wonderful read, 04 Mar 2007
I have to say I have loved this trilogy and I think that Into Temptation lives up to the other two books in the trilogy. I am really sad to be leaving the Lytton, Miller and Brooks families and hope that I will soon be able to find another set of books that will engross and entertain me as much as this wonderful trilogy has.

Good, but not as good as the first two.., 19 Sep 2006
The final book in the Spoils of Time trilogy is good, wrapping up loose ends and introducing some new characters, including the complicated, greedy Charlie Patterson and the highly annoying Keir Brown. In my opinion though, there is too much of the Barty/Charlie storyline and not enough concentration on the London Lyttons; which is fair enough I suppose as Ms Vincenzi obviously wants to focus on the next generation. But the whole Charlie story is long-winded, with an unecessarily complicated background, and there are also some other annoying aspects; including Kit's childish attitude to Celia's marriage and Adele's frankly tiresome continuing depression over the events in Book 2. One other (final) thing that slightly annoyed me was the heavy hinting that went on; a lot of her books are like this and it always works very well; however it would have been interesting to know, for example, whether Celia and Sebastian were continuing their affair in this book, and when exactly they stopped.
However, these characters--even the annoying ones--are still compelling, and since we've been with them since the beginning it is still interesting finding out what happens.
The best bit of the book is the discovery of Celia's personal diaries, kept since the early 1900s and full of intruiging nuggets of information. Unfortunately, little of the diary entries are revealed and those that are are quite cryptic (one particularly interesting refernce to a highly personal, intimate entrance that mortified Giles comes to mind).
The ending is left open too, which is actually a good idea and works well. I did enjoy the book and of course, if you've read the other two (which are excellent) you'll read this anyway.

Into Temptation, 25 May 2005
Over all I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. I was rather disappointed with the ending of Into Temptation, feeling that rather than having a strong ending, it fizzled out. I found myself getting very angry at Jenna's attitude towards Charlie and against her trustees. Although I suppose she was only being her father's daughter. I found the deaths of both Barty and Celia very upsetting as I had expected them both to be present to the end of the book.

Couldn't put it down............., 14 Aug 2008
What a fantastic read! I have to say I haven't read any Penny Vincenzi for a couple of years now and boy have I obviously been missing out!! It is quite an intricate story about how the lives of many many charcacters become entwined through financial misfortune. Please don't be put off when you open the book and see the page and a half list of characters just skip it, it does all fall into place. The only charcacter'e ending I didn't like was that of "Debbie & Joel" and of course the fabulous Simon!!
Happy reading.

People Who Have a Lot to Lose!, 07 Aug 2008
Although not her best (in my opinion), Penny Vincenzi fans will not be disappointed in this one. Pure escapism, with the touch of realism coming in the form of the Lloyds' insurance scandal, which is central to the plot. Around a third of the way through this long novel (almost 900 pages), I did begin to tire of the characters - I began to find them annoying, but as I progressed I grew quite fond of them! Contrary to some reviewers, I believe the first two-thirds of the story could have been cut shorter, as it was the final one-third that I found more addictive. A good holiday or bedtime read.

I liked it !!, 14 Jul 2008
I greatly enjoyed this. It's nice to have some light reading from time to time and PV's are always easy reading. I liked it a lot. You do end up sympathising with some, especially poor Catherine. The end seemed rushed into the final 80 or so pages but I'd still recommend it.

How dragged out can you get ......, 11 Jun 2008
Subject, Lloyds was interesting to me as many of my clients were then caught out, lost their large homes & refreshingly discovered that 'big' was not necessarily 'beautiful' ! The copy reader failed in several areas - but I became tired of sections that started 'she' this and 'she' that - a few paragraphs on you could establish which 'she' was referred to. I thought it was unecessarily drawn out, could have been more 'gutsy' if about 1/3 shorter, removing many needless conversations. This is the 1st PV book I've read, not in a hurry to read another.

Not her best, 09 Jun 2008
Oh dear, I do agree with Booklover. I'm a great PV fan because of the escapism, the Britishness, the wonderful romantic scenes and the authentic mentions of Barbados where I live, but this was really not her best. The ending was too serendipitous, and the characters too alike, I became quite confused and had to keep on checking the cast of characters.I lioke her characterisation of women but its a bit unreal that every wife who takes a lover finds an honourable understanding sexy upstanding man who loves her madly...too unbelievable.

However, if you are a PV fan you'll not regret reading it, or stop being a fan.

Not my favourite Penny Vincenzi, 16 Oct 2008
I adore PV and was really looking forward to getting into her trilogy. But I didn't enjoy this as much as some of her other novels. The first half of the book was good, especially with all the war setting. But in the 2nd half I got very tired of Celia and LM CONSTANTLY crying. I won't give away what happens, but frankly I just wanted Celia to make a decision about 100 pages before she did - and I couldn't have cared less what that decision was! Some of the relationships also seemed quite far-fetched - although I loved LM's working class lover, I was a bit unconvinced that such a progressive relationship would exist. Finally, there was no mystery - usually the need to find out what's going on keeps me turning the pages.

That said, I did feel PV's treatment of WW1 was far more evocative than in the House at Riverton, and I have a feeling the next book in the Spoils of Time series will be better, as I guess we'll move onto the younger generation and their love lives - which has to be more fun than Celia and her frankly tiresome husband.

Truly Unforgettable!, 20 May 2008
This opening novel in "The Spoils of Time" trilogy was my first introduction to Penny Vincenzi's work, and I am so grateful I discovered her. Set around the Lyttons publishing house, against the glamorous backdrop of Edwardian London, this is a truly magical tale. The author's witty and distinctive style, not to mention the emotionally charged storylines, will keep you enthralled to the very end.

Celia, the heroine of this series, is a woman who knows what she wants. Moreover, being in possession of a deadly combination of beauty, intelligence and determination, she usually gets it. Follow along with her struggle to overcome her husband Oliver's reluctance to let her work alongside him at Lyttons, her thirst to prove herself, and her resolve to claw her way to the very top of the Lytton Empire. Experience all her triumphs and frustrations, her joys and her heartache. Love her or loathe her, Celia Lytton will remain with you for life.


Terrible!, 27 Mar 2008
Absolute nonsense! My first reading of a Penny Vincenzi book and I think its definitely put me off. Her writing is so dull and amateurish, I refuse to believe that she is considered an acclaimed writer. The characters have no depth, you are led to either like or dislike them, completely one dimensional. I have to admit I gave up on it half way through and even then I felt I'd wasted so much time!!!

Simply first class!!, 06 Jan 2008
This is my first Penny Vincenzi novel and I'm impressed!

No Angel is the first in a trilogy (The Spoils of Time) about the Lytton family, starting in the Edwardian area, the belle époque, covering World War I and going on into the glamourous twenties.

The 724 pages got me hooked from page 1. There are family matters, professional matters (the Lyttons own a renown publishing house in London) and love matters through one of the bleakest times (the war that is, which takes up most of the book) in English history.

I'm amazed by Vincenzi's attention to detail (never boring) and her amazing insight into the human mind of people of all ages and classes. She maintains a very British writing style and still manages to sound both straightforward and open, not the least about the matter of sex. Her writing flows lighty, the somewhat stilted speech of the upper classes melting easily into the author's superb story telling.

The characterization is strong and highly perceptive. I have to particularly mention Lady Beckingham. The mother of the book's main character, Lady Celia Lytton, is a truly refreshing personality. Her sound relationship with Lord Buckingham (with an ever roaming eye for young pretty servants), her view on family life and affairs on the side (of whom she approves as long as they are executed properly!) and no nonsense child upbringing. Unruly young ladies and gentlemen are amazingly reformed after a couple of weeks at the Beckinham residence, Ashingham. A sight for sore eyes it must have been, during the war with its petrol shortage, to see the good Lady roaming the countryside in her beloved motor cycle. Do women come like that any more??

No Angel comes through as a very modern book, surprisingly in tune with the world almost a hundred years after the story took place.

It is (cliché) unpoutdownable, a (cliché) pageturner and I am eagerly awaiting the already ordered two sequels "Into Temptation" and "Something Dangerous".

The best book I have read in ages. Simply first class!!



Amazing!!!!!, 05 Feb 2007
I have read a few of Penny Vincenzi's books and really enjoyed them but No Angel is a cut above the rest. From the first page I was hooked and finished this rather thick book in four days! Thank god this is the first in a trilogy because I can't wait to read more about the next generation of the Lytton family and I have in fact already ordered Something Dangerous and Into Temptation (the next two in this trilogy) and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. Please read this book and I sure you won't be disappointed it is truely wonderful.

Another wonderful achievement , 18 Feb 2008
The second book in the trilogy about the Lytton family is yet another wonderful achievement by Penny Vincenzi, as we follow the family through the frivolous thirties and WWII.

The war proves an enormous test for the younger generation Lyttons and shows them as individuals made of quite sterner stuff than the slightly spoilt, priveleged youngsters we are first introduced to.

As all over England the women take over when the men go to war, so also do Lady Celia and her sister in law LM take charge at Lyttons. Just as they did, in fact, twenty years earlier during WWI.

The book takes us from London to Paris and New York. Destinies are met, lives changed and the young generation leave their carefree youth behind them forever.

There is one thing that bothered me a bit about this book, the relationship - or rather the lack of it - between Lady Celia and her ex-lover, the handsome author Sebastian. I think that after the way their love affair was presented in "No Angel", as "the love of a lifetime", their almost pragmatic friendship throughout this book did not quite ring through. Sebastian's marriage to Pandora, a woman he loves desperately and grieves for the rest of his life when she dies in childbirth, further emphasizes the disaccordance I felt with that whole situation.
I have still to read "Into Temptation". Perhaps some enlightment is offered there!

"Something Dangerous" was not quite as suberb as "No Angel", but still marvellous reading which kept me awake late into the night.

Chance Meeting, 15 Dec 2007
I found this book on a shelf in a Hall in which I had just attended a meeting. Fortunately it was for sale and I paid the massive sum of 50p for it. I couldn't put it down and I have been reading Penny Vincenzi books ever since.

I loved it, 14 Feb 2007
Having devoured No Angel I was delighted to read Something Dangerous and it did not disappoint. I thought that it may not live up to No Angel, it was a little different but still a brilliant book and I would definitely recommend it. I have Into Temptation to read but I'm nearly afraid to start it as I know that when it is finished I will have to say goodbye to the Lytton family. Something Dangerous is a really engrossing and entertaining read.

A good holiday book, 15 Sep 2006
This is the first Penny Vincenzi book that I have read, coming across this second in the trilogy by accident. The story is set in the glamorous Thirties and on through WWII. It looked like it was going to be a fantastically absorbing read and the first half of the book did not disappoint. However, I found that the second half was rushed and tied up lots of loose ends,in a rather too convenient and childish style to reflect real life. For example, I'm sure that most people did not find out what happened to their Jewish lovers living in Paris during the War in order to gain 'closure'.

ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE!!, 13 Sep 2005
I had bought this book to read on holiday. Started it on the coach trip from Bury St Edmunds to Alassio in Italy. Simply couldn't put it down - didn't want the journey to end at all. Penny Vincenzi has the ability to make you involved in the story and characters right from the start. Have now got to go and find Parts 1 and 3 of the Trilogy! Marvellous

Lightweight but ok, 30 May 2008
This is the second Penny Vincenzi book I have read and so far Im not sure about them......perhaps I just havent found the best ones yet.
I did enjoy it for the distraction value it provided - lots of unreal characters who live in a very different universe to me it seems ! - but I would also have to agree with other reviewers that the plot or plots seem to go a bit astray in places and some characters are too easily dropped out of the storyline without sufficient explanation.
I cant explain my main irritation - re the bride - without spoiling too much of the story but I would definately say that the ending was a huge let down to me and left me feeling there were still loose ends to be tied up.


beware, spoiler contained in review...., 22 May 2008
What an absolute load of drivel! Can't believe how disappointed I was with this book. The plot centres around a bride who disappears on the morning of her wedding and the effect it has on both her family and the grooms. However, about half way through the book, the author seems to lose sight of this and it shifts focus to only a couple of members of the brides family. I only kept reading as I wanted to find out what had happened to the Bride, and guess what? You don't!!! What a waste of time.
And to top it all, the author was rubbish at establishing the characters at the beginning of the book, so much so, I found myself turning back a few pages to see who she was talking about. I shouldn't have to do that.
Shame really, recently read another of Vincenzi's and I was hooked from start to finish.

Hooked, 26 May 2007
At the opening of this novel Cressida Forrest and Oliver Bergin are hosting their nearest and dearest at a pre-wedding dinner the night before they are due to be married. But by dawn Cressida has disappeared and the before long it's not just Cressida's secrets that unfold.

From extramarital affairs to financial dodgy dealings and all the bits in between this book has it all. I won't say too much about who's involved in which bits as it'll ruin the surprise. What I will say however is that this book isn't all doom and gloom. There are happy endings, there are new beginnings but there's more secrets and lies than anything. And they're gonna keep you hooked to see how each part fits into the next. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character and it's so masterfully done that switching from character to character is easy.

All in all a thoroughly engrossing book and I'll be picking up a few more Penny Vincenzi's to add to my collection.


Unputdownable!, 26 Feb 2007
I started this book on Friday night and finished it on Sunday night - and it is over 600 pages! I haven't read a book in ages that had me so hooked. The story takes place over a 48 hour period and each chapter is written from a different characters perspective - all the while moving it on at a pace. To start with, while the characters were being established, I thought I was getting confused and wouldn't remember certain facts but it all soon fell in to place. I found the end a little unrewarding but difficult to say why without giving the plot away!

A good story but............, 05 Apr 2002
An interesting story with many 'twists' but some characters lacked depth (perhaps too many characters in the story).
I never quite understood the personality of the 'Run Away Bride' nor did I have the feeling that her father, James, was a villain for having married for convience, and for keeping a mistress.
Yet, I couldn't put the book down.

Another page-turner from Penny!, 07 Sep 2008
I only discovered PV a few years ago, and I think she's probably my fave writer out there. Apart from the dreadful Sheer Abandon, everything I've read from her has been fantastic. Indeed, in a year where I seem to be forever picking up over-hyped books and giving up after one hundred pages or so, Forbidden Places kept me glued from beginning to end. She manages to convey a sense of suspense in the most mediocre of scenes - a real talent.

Loved this book!, 20 Sep 2007
This was my first book by Penny Vincenzi and I quite simply loved it. A bit slow at the beginning, but unputdownable further on. Read it, it's fabulous.

Yummy, yummy - deserves more stars!, 05 Apr 2007
I so enjoyed devouring this book, yet again Penny Vincenzi has written a wonderful book, the pages just flew by! Having now read most of Penny Vincenzi's books, I think that this is a close favourite coming in just behind the Spoils of Times trilogy.

Like the Spoils of Time trilogy, Forbidden Places is also set at the time of World War Two and I think Penny V writes about that era so well it just brings it to life.

I totally agree with a previous reviewer who said that the back of the book doesn't do it justice, in fact it made it sound rather lame but believe me it isn't! A fantastic read for any bookworm - highly recommended.

Very enjoyable, but not the best one, 03 Apr 2007
I really enjoyed this and therefore didn't put it down much! Well worth the read but as another reviewer said quite a slow pace so not my favourite of all her books. I don't think I will re-read this one.

The Back of the book does not do it justice!, 02 Sep 2002
Not having read any books by Penny Vincenzi, I was not sure witch one to get first. So I decided on Forbidden Places and I am glad that I did. This was great book. All of Ms. Vincenzi's characters are rich and engaging. Even though the 600+ pages, Ms. Vincenzi keeps the action going and does not let the reader get bored. If you have never read Penny Vincenzi, try Forbidden Places I know you won't be disappointed!

Wonderful Book, 25 Mar 2008
One of Vincenzi's best and that takes some beating because I have read and really loved ALL of her books.

This is a tale of family with all its attendant sorrows, joys, avarice, love and betrayal.

It flows along and you really do not want to leave it until you have read it all.

Please read it, especially if you have not read any of her others. I guarantee that you will love it and want to read all the rest.

A Great Discovery, 28 Mar 2001
What a wonderful day it was when I discovered this wonderful author! Old Sins was my first reading by her and I throughly enjoyed the characters and the mystery attached. Since then I have read all of Ms.Vincenzi's