Yes, in the first couple of books I couldn't quite reconcile what we see of Nicholas with the way, say, Tobie sees him, but it's gradually starting to come together into something coherent. Lymond, I think, is more likeable, but then, given that in the last book I kept seeing Nicholas's assumed father as Rob Titchener from the Archers and this time I couldn't stop seeing his assumed grandfather as Donald Trump, that may be hardly surprising...