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The Mouth of Truth
"You may run, but you'll never escape!"
Domenico Manzu was like no one else she had ever met, and Deborah hadn't the remotest idea how to cope with him.
If she'd heeded her father's warning, she'd never have come to Rome. Now here she was, virtually kidnapped yet treated like a guest.
Domenico was a very charming villain. But Deborah knew that while he had captured her person, she'd be a fool if she allowed him to capture her heart!
Domenico Manzu was like no one else she had ever met, and Deborah hadn't the remotest idea how to cope with him.
If she'd heeded her father's warning, she'd never have come to Rome. Now here she was, virtually kidnapped yet treated like a guest.
Domenico was a very charming villain. But Deborah knew that while he had captured her person, she'd be a fool if she allowed him to capture her heart!
Paperback
First published May 1, 1977
About the author
Isobel Chace
72 books4 followersElizabeth Mary Teresa de Guise, née Hunter on 24 October 1934 in Nairobi, Kenya. She spent much of her years in Kenya and South Africa, and studied at the Open University. Her brother Alexander also wrote Western novels. After their parents' divorce, she and her sister, decided change their surname by de Guise.
Elizabeth wrote under the pseudonym of Isobel Chace, and under her real names: Elizabeth Hunter and Elizabeth de Guise. She was a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Elizabeth passed away in May 2005, at 70.
Elizabeth wrote under the pseudonym of Isobel Chace, and under her real names: Elizabeth Hunter and Elizabeth de Guise. She was a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Elizabeth passed away in May 2005, at 70.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 11, 2016
This is an odd little story. The title refers to a famous sculpted head on a wall in Rome. If you put your hand inside it and tell a lie, it will bite you.
The heroine is the daughter of an ambitious businessman and his first wife. She is an art student and wants to go with her hippie friends to Rome to take in all of the art. Her father objects since he worries she might be kidnapped or make headlines when he's trying to set up a branch there. Heroine is rude to him and goes on her trip anyway. The OM in her life is a chauvinist artist who is always putting her sculptures down. He also sneers at her moneyed background (even though she takes nothing from her father but her school fees).
Once they arrive at Rome's airport, a black limo pulls up and the hero, an Italian count/prince whisks heroine away from her friends. He explains he's kidnapping her for $$$. Then he takes her to his palace and introduces her as his guest to his mother and sister. (?) He takes her shopping and insists she cuts her hair. Heroine is kind of frightened, but not really because she loves her new clothes. Oh, no! The hippie likes nice things and what will happen to her new independence.
This was the weirdest - and not in a good way - plot I've read in a while. There's absolutely no tension or angst after the initial set-up. The heroine is a brat, always screeching about her independence, without backing it up with her actions. And she's really rude to her father, even while they're supposed to be reconciling. The OM is revealed as a creepy male chauvinist and the hero, to his credit, takes the heroine's sculpting career seriously. Not much of a romance, but an interesting peek at the "battle of the sexes" and freedom vs money tensions that were in the air in the 1970's.
The heroine is the daughter of an ambitious businessman and his first wife. She is an art student and wants to go with her hippie friends to Rome to take in all of the art. Her father objects since he worries she might be kidnapped or make headlines when he's trying to set up a branch there. Heroine is rude to him and goes on her trip anyway. The OM in her life is a chauvinist artist who is always putting her sculptures down. He also sneers at her moneyed background (even though she takes nothing from her father but her school fees).
Once they arrive at Rome's airport, a black limo pulls up and the hero, an Italian count/prince whisks heroine away from her friends. He explains he's kidnapping her for $$$. Then he takes her to his palace and introduces her as his guest to his mother and sister. (?) He takes her shopping and insists she cuts her hair. Heroine is kind of frightened, but not really because she loves her new clothes. Oh, no! The hippie likes nice things and what will happen to her new independence.
This was the weirdest - and not in a good way - plot I've read in a while. There's absolutely no tension or angst after the initial set-up. The heroine is a brat, always screeching about her independence, without backing it up with her actions. And she's really rude to her father, even while they're supposed to be reconciling. The OM is revealed as a creepy male chauvinist and the hero, to his credit, takes the heroine's sculpting career seriously. Not much of a romance, but an interesting peek at the "battle of the sexes" and freedom vs money tensions that were in the air in the 1970's.
November 12, 2011
I first read this book several years ago, probably sometime in the early-mid 1990s, and liked it fairly well for some reason then. Well enough that it stuck in my mind when most other books of this sort all ran together eventually in my head. Waxing a bit nostalgic earlier this year, I tracked down copies of a few of the old books like this I remembered, and read this one again. And, well, let's just say my opinion of it this time around was much lower.
Deborah is annoying, naive, gullible, etc. beyond belief, even making allowances for the time period it was written in (and I'm generally prepared to make quite a few allowances for such). She's a spoiled little rich girl who thinks she's all grown up and independant at all of 19 or something like that, not realizing just how sheltered she truly is still, and apparently without a brain in her head. While she seems ok at the very first of the book, she rapidly loses credibility and believability when she gets to Rome with her friends. Where one of the first things that happens is that she is "kidnapped" by a man she's never met. I use the term a bit loosely, because as I recall, she actually gets into the car with him pretty willingly, without really asking any questions. He tells her to get in the car and after some token resistance she does so. She tries to make a show of wanting to get away and blathers about being held against her will, but I'm not sure she's even convincing herself of the fact, and she certainly doesn't do very well at convincing the reader, for she mostly seems pretty OK with her situation, and outside of one half-hearted, lame attempt at escape, she just goes along with things and does as she's told.
There is also the usual string of misunderstandings to add "conflict", and as usual, most of them stem from the young, naive bimbo, er, female character, making assumptions that she accepts as gospel truth and never questions them. Not until it's all explained to her finally in unmistakable terms...slowly...probably with pictures so she can catch on easier. Deborah actually clings stubbornly to her naivete and misconceptions more than most of "heroines" of these books do. It takes a LOT to finally convince her that her so-called boyfriend Michael was only ever interested in her for her father's money, and that he doesn't consider she could ever be a serious artist because she's a woman. I could go on at length about how aggravating she is, and how idiotic the whole scenario is for the most part, but I'll leave it at what I've said so far since I think it gives enough of a picture of her.
So why did I give it 2 stars and not just 1? Well, it does have a few slightly redeeming qualities to it. Domenico is a good character, a strong, mature man, who is surprisingly patient with Deboarah's spoiled rich girl antics. And the few bits of lore we learn about Rome, such as the story of The Mouth of Truth, are interesting. So...it was worth 2 stars I think, but really? Don't waste your time on this one, and certainly don't waste any money on it.
Deborah is annoying, naive, gullible, etc. beyond belief, even making allowances for the time period it was written in (and I'm generally prepared to make quite a few allowances for such). She's a spoiled little rich girl who thinks she's all grown up and independant at all of 19 or something like that, not realizing just how sheltered she truly is still, and apparently without a brain in her head. While she seems ok at the very first of the book, she rapidly loses credibility and believability when she gets to Rome with her friends. Where one of the first things that happens is that she is "kidnapped" by a man she's never met. I use the term a bit loosely, because as I recall, she actually gets into the car with him pretty willingly, without really asking any questions. He tells her to get in the car and after some token resistance she does so. She tries to make a show of wanting to get away and blathers about being held against her will, but I'm not sure she's even convincing herself of the fact, and she certainly doesn't do very well at convincing the reader, for she mostly seems pretty OK with her situation, and outside of one half-hearted, lame attempt at escape, she just goes along with things and does as she's told.
There is also the usual string of misunderstandings to add "conflict", and as usual, most of them stem from the young, naive bimbo, er, female character, making assumptions that she accepts as gospel truth and never questions them. Not until it's all explained to her finally in unmistakable terms...slowly...probably with pictures so she can catch on easier. Deborah actually clings stubbornly to her naivete and misconceptions more than most of "heroines" of these books do. It takes a LOT to finally convince her that her so-called boyfriend Michael was only ever interested in her for her father's money, and that he doesn't consider she could ever be a serious artist because she's a woman. I could go on at length about how aggravating she is, and how idiotic the whole scenario is for the most part, but I'll leave it at what I've said so far since I think it gives enough of a picture of her.
So why did I give it 2 stars and not just 1? Well, it does have a few slightly redeeming qualities to it. Domenico is a good character, a strong, mature man, who is surprisingly patient with Deboarah's spoiled rich girl antics. And the few bits of lore we learn about Rome, such as the story of The Mouth of Truth, are interesting. So...it was worth 2 stars I think, but really? Don't waste your time on this one, and certainly don't waste any money on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2026
Debbie’s Dad is rich and remarried with other kids, but still wants to protect his estranged daughter. Debbie just wants to go to Rome with her friends. It’s on her own dime. Sure he’s paid her bills in the past! Is he going to begrudge her that now? (Exclamation point alert. Chace spares no spear.)
Deb’s Dad explains that his company had some recent business dealings in Italy and may have inadvertently thrown an election. It’s not ideal for someone sharing his name to visit Italy, not right now.
There’s some foot-stomping, some you-can’t-stop-me, and poof! Debbie is on the plane, staring out the window, wondering if she was right to come.
The other reviewers are spot on.
So far I'm 0/2 with Isobel Chace. I couldn't get through the second chapter with The Japanese Lantern (1966). But I gave her another shot because she was a career romance novelist. She published at least 25 Harlequins before this one. Of course, she knew by The Mouth of Truth how tension works. My sense was that she was just phoning it in.
The worst part? It's set in Rome, the heroine gets a whole new wardrobe, and we hear near to crickets about fashion, save for a sentence about a new white dress with a gold belt and a matching gold necklace. Which must've been fabulous. But we'll never know because Chace didn't describe the cut or the fabric.
Enjoy old-school historical romance? Me too! Start my series with Wolfe Island by Giulia Torre. It’s available in paperback, ebook, and Audible.
Deb’s Dad explains that his company had some recent business dealings in Italy and may have inadvertently thrown an election. It’s not ideal for someone sharing his name to visit Italy, not right now.
There’s some foot-stomping, some you-can’t-stop-me, and poof! Debbie is on the plane, staring out the window, wondering if she was right to come.
The other reviewers are spot on.
So far I'm 0/2 with Isobel Chace. I couldn't get through the second chapter with The Japanese Lantern (1966). But I gave her another shot because she was a career romance novelist. She published at least 25 Harlequins before this one. Of course, she knew by The Mouth of Truth how tension works. My sense was that she was just phoning it in.
The worst part? It's set in Rome, the heroine gets a whole new wardrobe, and we hear near to crickets about fashion, save for a sentence about a new white dress with a gold belt and a matching gold necklace. Which must've been fabulous. But we'll never know because Chace didn't describe the cut or the fabric.
Enjoy old-school historical romance? Me too! Start my series with Wolfe Island by Giulia Torre. It’s available in paperback, ebook, and Audible.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews