Enoch, Suzanne

views updated

ENOCH, Suzanne

PERSONAL:

Born in CA. Education: University of California, Irvine, B.A. (English).

ADDRESSES:

Home—P.O. Box 17463, Anaheim, CA 92817-7463. Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd St., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10022. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Author.

WRITINGS:

The Black Duke's Prize, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Angel's Devil, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Lady Rogue, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Stolen Kisses, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1997.

By Love Undone, Avon Books (New York, NY), 1998.

Taming Rafe (sequel to By Love Undone), Avon Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Reforming a Rake ("With This Ring" series), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Meet Me at Midnight ("With This Ring" series), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2000.

A Matter of Scandal ("With This Ring" series), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Rake ("Lessons in Love" series), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2002.

London's Perfect Scoundrel ("Lessons in Love" series), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2003.

England's Perfect Hero ("Lessons in Love" series), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Sin and Sensibility, Avon Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Flirting with Danger, Avon Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor to anthologies, including The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, Avon Books (New York, NY), 2003, and Lady Whistledown Strikes Back, Avon Books (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Suzanne Enoch has a long list of Regency and historical romance novels to her credit since publishing her first novel in the mid-1990s. A Publishers Weekly writer positively reviewed one of Enoch's more recent romances, England's Perfect Hero, the last in her "Lessons in Love" series, saying that "although the popularity of the historical romance may be waning, writers like Enoch give readers plenty of reasons to return to the genre."

England's Perfect Hero is about three friends, Lucinda, Georgiana, and Evelyn, each of whom have come up with their own rules for improving a gentleman. Georgiana and Evelyn soon marry their projects, but Lucinda has yet to land the object of her affection, roguish Lord Geoffrey. During these pursuits, tormented hero and former prisoner of war Robert Carroway returns to London but is unable to fit back into the social life he left behind. He meets Lucinda, with whom he feels comfortable, and offers to help her land her man. But as they see more of each other, Lucinda knows it is Robert she really wants. In spite of her father's objections that Robert is damaged and may even be a traitor, she trusts her own heart. A Publishers Weekly reviewer said that "Lucinda's refusal to treat Robert as less than a whole man and Robert's sharp sense of humor give this charming tale depth." In a review for BookLoons online, Rashmi Srinivas wrote that "varied side characters, blazing passion, danger, and intrigue complete this otherwise purely romantic story."

In addition to her own books, Enoch has contributed to two anthologies with Julia Quinn, Karen Hawkins, and Mia Ryan, that developed from a character Quinn introduced in her 2000 book, The Duke and I. The four stories of each book feature gossip columnist Lady Thistledown, and the first of the two, The Further Observations of Lady Thistledown, focuses on the events leading up to Valentine's Day in 1814 London.

A Publishers Weekly contributor felt Enoch's "One True Love" to be "the strongest" of the stories, and added that "these Regency bonbons are filled with the wit and charm that mark the authors' full-length novels." Kristin Kloberdanz wrote about the heroines of the stories in the Chicago Tribune, saying that "these ladies are more than willing to rip off their own bodices before honing in on their lovers' velvet trousers."

The second anthology is titled Lady Whistledown Strikes Back. As in the first collection, one couple is featured in each of the stories, some of which are humorous or touching, but all are very romantic as the characters overcome obstacles in their quests for love. A Publishers Weekly critic noted the similarities to the first collection, saying that "the heroines are unwed virgins, the heroes unwed but not virginal, and all are filled with gratitude that they found each other." Still, the reviewer felt that this collection is "a cut above" most anthologies in this genre.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, March 30, 2003, Kristin Kloberdanz, review of The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, p. 3.

Publishers Weekly, January 20, 2003, review of The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, p. 63; February 9, 2004, review of England's Perfect Hero, p. 64; March 29, 2004, review of Lady Whistledown Strikes Back, p. 44.