1241. The Elusive Bride (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis:

Gareth Hamilton is stunned when he recognizes Emily Ensworth on his ship. The veil she wears is not enough to disguise her from him - or from the man hired to kill her. Whisking Emily to safety, Gareth realizes that the Black Cobra is on to them. In order to protect her, Gareth must let Emily in on the dangerous plot she is now intimately involved in. Emily Ensworth is no wilting flower. She knew the packet the dying soldier thrust upon her held vital information, and she has every intention of seeing it into safe hands. But she is also determined to bring the men trying to kill her to justice. Together, she and Gareth do their best to lure the Black Cobra and his men into the open. Putting their lives at risk draws Emily and Gareth ever closer together, the constant danger sparking a passion neither one can resist. But with threats lurking around every corner, Gareth and Emily must work harder than ever to make sure that their newfound love isn't snuffed out before it ever has a chance.

My rating: 2 stars

1069. Mastered By Love (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis:
As the mysterious leader of the Bastion Club known as "Dalziel," Royce Varisey, tenth Duke of Wolverstone, served his country for decades, facing dangers untold. But as the holder of one of England's most august noble titles, he must now take on that gravest duty of all: marriage.

Yet the young ladies the grand dames would have him consider are predictably boring. Far more tempting is his castle's willful and determinedly aloof chatelaine, Minerva Chesterton. Beneath her serene faÇade lies a woman of smoldering sensuality, one who will fill his days with comfort and his nights with sheer pleasure. Determined to claim her, he embarks on a seduction to prove his mastery over every inch of her body . . . and every piece of her heart.

My rating: 3 stars

796. A Season For Scandal (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from author:
Tangled Reins -- Miss Dorothea Darent had no intention of ever getting married, until a dashing stranger with hazel eyes kissed her under a tree. Haunted by their kiss, the Marquis of Hazelmere, a notorious rake, was determined to win Dorothea's heart, even while she was busy dazzling other bucks of the ton. Dorothea had a choice: stick with her plans to remain an independent spinster, or surrender to love.

Fair Juno -- When the Earl of Merton suddenly found himself playing knight to a damsel in distress, he knew that his days of rakish bachelordom were numbered. But although the lady seemed grateful for his assistance, she fled the scene without revealing her name. Now it was up to him to search for the threads that would lead him back to her, he had to find her and woo her -- though past scandals and present dangers threatened his pursuit of the mysterious lady he knew was to be his destiny.

My rating: 2 stars

714. Four In Hand (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
Max Rotherbridge couldn't believe it. Along with the dukedom of Twyford, he -- London's most notorious rogue -- had inherited wardship of four devilishly attractive sisters! Including the irresistible Caroline Twinning. The eldest Twinning was everything he had ever wanted in a woman, but even Max couldn't seduce his own ward ... or could he? After all, he did have a substantial reputation to protect. And what better challenge than the one woman capable of stealing his heart?

My rating: 2 stars

441. A Lady of His Own (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
The seven members of the Bastion Club have served loyally in the perilous service of the Crown. Now they've banded together to support one another through their most dangerous mission of all: getting married. When Charles St. Austell returns home to claim his title as earl, and to settle quickly on a suitable wife as well, he discovers that experience has made him impatient of the young ladies who vie for his attention — with the exception of Lady Penelope Selborne. Years ago, Charles and Penelope's youthful ardor was consummated in an unforgettable afternoon. Charles is still haunted by their interlude, but Penny refuses to have anything more to do with him. If controlling her heart was difficult before, resisting a stronger, battle-hardened Charles is well nigh impossible, yet Penelope has vowed she won't make the same mistake twice, nor will she marry without love. But when a traitorous intrigue draws them together, then ultimately threatens them both — will Penny discover she has a true protector in Charles, her first and only love, who now vows to make her his own?

My rating: 2 stars

406. An Unwilling Conquest (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
A successful horse breeder and self-proclaimed rake, Harry Lester samples women like wines. But after having his heart trampled upon by someone he actually loved, he has no intention of falling for a woman again, let alone be ensnared by the trap of marriage. Now, with a large inheritance to his name, Harry knows that he'd best start running from London's matchmaking mothers and widows. Harry heads for the racing town of Newmarket, only to encounter Mrs. Lucinda Babbacombe, a beautiful, independent widow. And before he knows it, Harry vows to protect Lucinda from the town full of lonely gambling men, despite her refusal to accept his countless offers of help. Lucinda is extraordinary -- an intelligent, tender, marriage worthy woman -- but will Harry let himself be taken prisoner in this most passionate of traps?

My rating: 3 stars

400. A Gentleman's Honor (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
Penniless Alicia masquerades as the widowed "Mrs. Carrington" to launch her younger sister into the ton and have her make a profitable marriage, but her plans go awry when she finds herself a suspect in a murder investigation.

My rating: 2 stars

383. The Lady Chosen (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
"It's a sad day when, having survived everything the French could throw at us, we, England's heroes, return home -- only to face an even greater threat," laments Tristan, fourth Earl of Trentham, to his fellow ex-spies after they return from war with Napoleon to discover the sword of matrimony hanging over their heads. In response, the titled gentlemen set up the Bastion Club, a retreat where they can exchange intelligence about the eager-eyed damsels who are their latest challenge. This first installment in Laurens's new series focuses on Tristan, who must wed within a year or support his 14 maiden aunts without his inheritance. Little does he expect to find his future with Leonora Carling, neighbor to the Bastion Club and the victim of several recent home invasions. Intrigued by both Leonora and the suspicious events, Tristan bends his talents to uncovering the mystery burglar and to charming Leonora. Leonora, who has no use for marriage, may be new to the sexual tension vibrating between her and Tristan, but she's willing to explore further, believing that nothing permanent can come of it. When Tristan insists that she marry him, the battle of wills commences.

My rating: 2 stars

363. The Reasons for Marriage (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
Lenore Lester was perfectly content with her quiet country life, caring for her father, and having no desire for marriage. She took steps to remain inconspicuous and tried her best to show indifference -- but no avail! The irresistible Duke of Eversleigh had found her out and was quite persistent in his affections .... Notoriously charming Jason, Duke of Eversleigh, could easily see behind Miss Lenore's brilliant disguise. Though the awkward lady hid behind glasses and pulled-back hair, she couldn't cover her beauty. And Jason was ever determined to loosen the hold she had on her heart.

My rating: 4 stars

Excerpt: [from Chapter 1]
The door of the Duke of Eversleigh's library clicked shut. From his chair behind the huge mahogany desk, Jason Montgomery, fifth Duke of Eversleigh, eyed the oak panels with marked disfavour.

"Impossible!" he muttered, the word heavy with contemptuous disdain laced with an odd reluctance. As the sound of his cousin Hector's retreating footsteps dwindled, Jason's gaze left the door, travelling across the laden bookcases to the large canvas mounted on a nearby wall.

Expression bleak, he studied the features of the young man depicted there, the impudent, devil-may-care smile and mischievous grey eyes topped by wind-tousled dark brown hair. Broad shoulders were clad in the scarlet of regimentals, a lance stood to one side, all evidence of the subject's occupation. A muscle twitched at the corner of Jason's mouth. He quelled it, his austere, chiselled features hardening into a mask of chilly reserve.

The door opened to admit a gentleman, elegantly garbed and smiling amiably. He paused with his hand on the knob and raised a brow enquiringly.

"I saw your cousin depart. Are you safe?"

With the confidence of one sure of his welcome, Frederick Marshall did not wait for an answer but, shutting the door, strolled towards the desk between the long windows.

His Grace of Eversleigh let out an explosive sigh. "Damn it, Frederick, this is no laughing matter! Hector Montgomery is a man-milliner. It would be the height of irresponsibility for me to allow him to step into the ducal shoes. Even I can't stomach the thought—and I wouldn't be here to see it"

Pushing back his chair, Jason swung to face his friend as he sank into an armchair nearby. "More to the point," he continued, stretching his long legs before him, a somewhat grim smile twisting his lips, "tempting though the idea might be, if I introduced cker Hector to the family as my heir, there'd be a riot—a mutiny in the Montgomery ranks. Knowing my aunts, they would press for incarceration until such time as I capitulated and wed."

"I dare say your aunts would be delighted to know you see the problem—and its solution—so clearly."

At that, Jason's piercing gaze focused on his friend's face. "Just whose side are you on, Frederick?"

Frederick smiled. "Need you ask? But there's no sense in ducking the facts. Now Ricky's gone, you'll have to wed. And the sooner you make up your mind to it, the less likely it will be that your aunts, dear ladies, think to take a hand themselves—don't you think?"

Having delivered himself of this eminently sound piece of advice, Frederick sat back and watched his friend digest it Sunshine shone through the windows at Jason's back, burnishing the famous chestnut locks cut short in the prevailing mode. Broad shoulders did justice to one of Schultz's more severe designs, executed in grey superfine, worn over tightly fitting pantaloons. The waistcoat Frederick
espied beneath the grey coat, a subtle thing in shades of deeper grey and muted lavender, elicited a twinge of envy. There was one man in all of England who could effortlessly make Frederick Marshall feel less than elegant and that man was seated behind the desk, sunk in unaccustomed gloom.

Both bachelors, their association was bound by many common interests, but in all their endeavours it was Jason who excelled. A consummate sportsman, a noted whip, a hardened gamester and acknowledged rake, dangerous with pistols—and even more dangerous with women. Unused to acknowledging any authority beyond his own whims, the fifth Duke of Eversleigh had lived a hedonistic existence that few, in this hedonistic age, could match.

Which, of course, made the solution to his present predicament that much harder to swallow.

Seeing Jason's gaze, pensive yet stubborn, rise to the portrait of his younger brother, known to all as Ricky, Frederick stifled a sigh. Few understood how close the brothers had been, despite the nine years' difference in age. At twenty-nine, Ricky had possessed a boundless charm which had cloaked the wilful streak he shared with Jason—the same wilful streak that had sent him in the glory of his Guards' captaincy to Waterloo, there to die at Hougoumont. The dispatches had heaped praise on all the fated Guardsmen who had defended the vital fort so valiantly, yet no amount of praise had eased the grief, all the more deep for being so private, that Jason had borne.

For a time the Montgomery clan had held off, aware, as others were not, of the brothers' affection. However, as they were also privy to the understanding that had been forged years before—that Ricky, much less cynical, much less hard than Jason, would take on the responsibility of providing for the next generation, leaving his older brother free to continue his life unfettered by the bonds of matrimony, it was not to be expected that the family's interest in Jason's affairs would remain permanently deflected. Consequently, when Jason had re-emerged, taking up his usual pursuits with a vigour which, Frederick shrewdly suspected, had been fuelled by a need to bury the recent past, his aunts became restive. When their arrogantly errant nephew continued to give no hint of turning his attention to what they perceived as a now pressing duty, they had, collectively, deemed it time to take a hand.

Tipped off by one of Jason's redoubtable aunts, Lady Agatha Colebatch, Frederick had deemed it wise to prod Jason's mind to deal with the matter before his aunts made his hackles rise. It was at his urging that Jason had finally consented to meet with his heir, a cousin many times removed.

The silence was broken by a frustrated snort.

"Damn you, Ricky," Jason grumbled, his gaze on his brother's portrait. "How dare you go to hell in your own way and leave me to face this hell on earth?"

Detecting the resigned undertones in his friend's complaint, Frederick chuckled. "Hell on earth?"

Abruptly straightening and swinging back to his desk, Jason raised his brows. "Can you think of a better description for the sanctified institution of marriage?"

"Oh, I don't know." Frederick waved a hand. "No reason it has to be as bad as all that."

Jason's grey gaze transfixed him. "You being such an expert on the matter?"

"Hardly me—but I should think you could figure as such."

"Me?" Jason looked his amazement.

"Well, all your recent mistresses have been married, haven't they?"

Frederick's air of innocence deceived Jason not one whit. Nevertheless, his lips twitched and the frown which had marred his strikingly handsome countenance lifted. "Your misogyny defeats you, my friend. The women I bed are prime reasons for my distrust of the venerable bonds of matrimony. Such women are perfect examples of what I should not wish for in a wife."

"Precisely," agreed Frederick. "So at least you have that much insight." He looked up to discover Jason regarding him intently, a suspicious glint in his silver-grey eyes.

"Frederick, dear chap, you aren't by any chance possessed of an ulterior motive in this matter, are you? Perchance my aunts have whispered dire threats in your ear?"

To his confusion, Frederick blushed uncomfortably. "Damn you, Jason, get those devilish eyes off me. If you must know, Lady Agatha did speak to me, but you know she's always been inclined to take your side. She merely pointed out that her sisters were already considering candidates and if I wished to avert a major explosion I'd do well to bring the matter to your mind."

Jason grimaced. "Well, consider it done. But having accomplished so much, you can damn well help me through the rest of it. Who the devil am I to marry?"

The question hung in the calm of the library while both men considered the possible answers.

"What about the Taunton chit? She's surely pretty enough to take your fancy."

Jason frowned. "The one with reams of blonde ringlets?" When Frederick nodded, Jason shook his head decisively. "She twitters."

"Hemming's girl then—a fortune there, and word is out that they're hanging out for a title. You'd only have to say the word and she'd be yours."

"She and her three sisters and whining mother to boot? No, I thank you. Think again."

And so it went, on through the ranks of the year's debutantes and their still unwed older sisters.

Eventually, Frederick was close to admitting defeat. Sipping the wine Jason had poured to fortify them through the mind-numbing process, he tried a different tack. "Perhaps," he said, slanting a somewhat peevish glance at his host, "given your highly specific requirements, we would do better to clarify just what it is you require in a wife and then try to find a suitable candidate?"

Savouring the excellent madeira he had recently acquired, Jason's eyes narrowed. "What I want in a wife?" he echoed.

For a full minute, silence held sway, broken only by the discreet tick of the ornate clock on the mantelpiece. Slowly, Jason set down his long-stemmed glass, running his fingers down the figured stem in an unconscious caress. "My wife," he stated, his voice sure and strong, "must be a virtuous woman, capable of running the Abbey and this house in a manner commensurate with the dignity of the Montgomerys."

Wordlessly, Frederick nodded. Eversleigh Abbey was the Montgomery family seat, a sprawling mansion in Dorset. Running the huge house, and playing hostess at the immense family gatherings occasionally held there, would stretch the talents of the most well-educated miss.

"She would need to be at least presentable—I draw the line at any underbred antidote being the Duchess of Eversleigh."

Reflecting that Jason's aunts, high-sticklers every one, would certainly echo that sentiment, Frederick waited for more.

Jason's gaze had dropped to his long fingers, still moving sensuously up and down the glass stem. "And, naturally, she would have to be prepared to provide me with heirs without undue fuss over the matter." His expression hardened. "Any woman who expects me to make a cake of myself over her will hardly suit."

Frederick had no doubts about that.

After a moment's consideration, Jason quietly added, "Furthermore, she would need to be prepared to remain principally at the Abbey, unless I specifically request her presence here in town."

At that cold declaration, Frederick blinked. "But...do you mean after the Season has ended?"

"No. I mean at all times."

"You mean to incarcerate her in the Abbey? Even while you enjoy yourself in town?" When Jason merely nodded, Frederick felt moved to expostulate. "Really, Jason! A mite draconian, surely?"

Jason smiled, a slow, predatory smile that did not reach his eyes. "You forget, Frederick. I have, as you noted earlier, extensive experience of the bored wives of the ton. Whatever else, rest assured my wife will never join their ranks."

"Ah." Faced with such a statement, Frederick had nothing to do but retreat. "So what else do you require in your bride?"

Leaning back in his chair, Jason crossed his ankles and fell to studying the high gloss on his Hessians. "She would have to be well-born—the family would accept nothing less. Luckily, a dowry makes no odds—I doubt I'd notice, after all. Connections, however, are a must"

''Given what you have to offer, that should hardly pose a problem." Frederick drained his glass. "All the haut ton with daughters to establish will beat a path to your door once they realize your intent."

"No doubt," Jason returned ascerbically. "That, if you must know, is the vision that spurs me to take your advice and act now—before the hordes descend. The idea of being forced to run the gamut of all the dim-witted debs fills me with horror."

"Well, that's a point you haven't mentioned." When Jason lifted his brows, Frederick clarified. "Dim-witted. You never could bear fools lightly, so you had better add that to your list."

"Lord, yes," Jason sighed, letting his head fall back against the padded leather. "If she's to avoid being strangled the morning after we are wed, my prospective bride would do well to have rather more wit than the common run." After a moment, he mused, "You know, I rather wonder if this paragon—my prospective bride—exists in this world."

Frederick pursed his lips. "Your requirements are a mite stringent, but I'm sure, somewhere, there must be a woman who can fill your position."

"Ah," said Jason, amusement beginning to glimmer in his grey eyes. "Now we come to the difficult part. Where?"

Frederick wracked his brain for an answer. "A more mature woman, perhaps? But one with the right background." He caught Jason's eyes and frowned. "Dash it, it's you who must wed. Perhaps I should remind you of Miss Ekhart, the young lady your aunt Hardcastle pushed under your nose last time she was in town?"

"Heaven forbid!" Jason schooled his features to a suitably intimidated expression. "Say on, dear Frederick. Where resides my paragon?"

The clock ticked on. Finally, frowning direfully, Frederick flung up a hand. "Hell and the devil! There must be some suitable women about?"

Jason met his frustration with bland resignation. "I can safely say I've never found one. That aside, however, I agree that, assuming there is indeed at least one woman who could fill my bill, it behoves me to hunt her out, wherever she may be. The question is, where to start?"

With no real idea, Frederick kept mum.

His gaze abstracted, his mind turning over his problem, Jason's long fingers deserted his empty glass to idly play with a stack of invitations, the more conservative gilt-edged notelets vying with delicate pastel envelopes, a six-inch-high stack, awaiting his attention. Abruptly realising what he had in his hand, Jason straightened in his chair, the better to examine the ton's offerings.

"Morecambes, Lady Hillthorpe's rout." He paused to check the back of one envelope. "Sussex Devenishes. The usual lot." One by one, the invitations dropped from his fingers on to the leather-framed blotter. "D'Arcys, Penbrights. Lady Allington has forgiven me, I see."

Frederick frowned. "What did she have to forgive you for?"

"Don't ask. Minchinghams, Carstairs." Abruptly, Jason halted. "Now this is one I haven't seen in a white—the Lesters." Laying aside the other invitations, he reached for a letter-knife.

"Jack and Harry?"

Unfolding the single sheet of parchment, Jason scanned the lines within and nodded. "Just so. A request for the pleasure, et cetera, et cetera at a week-long succession of entertainments—for which one can read bacchanal—at Lester Hall."

"I suspect I've got one, too." Frederick uncurled his elegant form from the depths of the armchair. "Thought I recognised the Lester crest but didn't stop to open it." Glass in hand, he picked up Jason's glass and crossed to place both on the sideboard. Turning, he beheld an expression of consideration on His Grace of Eversleigh's countenance.

Jason's gaze lifted to his face. "Do you plan to attend?"

Frederick grimaced. "Not exactly my style. That last time was distinctly too licentious for my taste."

A smile of complete understanding suffused Jason's features. "You should not let your misogyny spoil your enjoyment of life, my friend."

Frederick snorted. "Permit me to inform His Grace of Eversleigh that His Grace enjoys himself far too much."

Jason chuckled. "Perhaps you're right. But they haven't opened Lester Hall for some years now, have they? That last effort was at Jack's hunting box."

"Old Lester's been under the weather, so I'd heard." Frederick dropped into bis armchair. "They all thought his time had come, but Gerald was in Manton's last week and gave me to understand the old man had pulled clear."

"Hmm. Seems he's sufficiently recovered to have no objection to his sons opening his house for him." Jason reread the brief missive, then shrugged. "Doubtful that I'd find a candidate suitable to take to wife there."

"Highly unlikely." Frederick shuddered and closed his eyes. "I can still recall the peculiar scent of that woman in purple who pursued me so doggedly at their last affair."

Smiling, Jason made to lay aside the note. Instead, his hand halted halfway to the pile of discarded invitations, then slowly returned until the missive was once more before him. Staring at the note, he frowned.

"What is it?"

"The sister." Jason's frown deepened. "There was a sister. Younger than Jack or Harry, but, if I recall aright, older than Gerald."

Frederick frowned, too. "That's right," he eventually conceded. "Haven't sighted her since the last time we were at Lester Hall—which must be all of six years ago. Slip of a thing, if I'm thinking of the right one. Tended to hug the shadows."

Jason's brows rose. "Hardly surprising given the usual tone of entertainments at Lester Hall. I don't believe I've ever met her."

When he made no further remark, Frederick turned to stare at him, eyes widening as he took in Jason's pensive expression. "You aren't thinking...?"

"Why not?" Jason looked up. "Jack Lester's sister might suit me very well."

"Jack and Harry as brothers-in-law? Good God! The Montgomerys will never be the same."

"The Montgomerys are liable to be only too thankful to see me wed regardless." Jason tapped the crisp parchment with a manicured fingernail. "Aside from anything else, at least the Lester men won't expect me to turn myself into a monk if I marry their sister."

Frederick shifted. "Perhaps she's already married."

"Perhaps," Jason conceded. "But somehow I think not. I rather suspect it is she who runs Lester Hall."

"Oh? Why so?"

"Because," Jason said, reaching over to drop the invitation into Frederick's hand, "some woman penned this invitation. Not an older woman, and not a schoolgirl but yet a lady bred. And, as we know, neither Jack, Harry nor Gerald has yet been caught in parson's mousetrap. So what other young lady would reside at Lester Hall?"

Reluctantly, Frederick acknowledged the likely truth of his friend's deduction. "So you plan to go down?"

"I rather think I will," Jason mused. "However," he added, "I intend to consult the oracle before we commit ourselves."

"Oracle?" asked Frederick, then, rather more forcefully.

"We?"

"The oracle that masquerades as my aunt Agatha," Jason replied. "She's sure to know if the Lester chit is unwed and suitable—she knows damned near everything else in this world." He turned to study Frederick, grey eyes glinting steel. "And as for the 'we', my friend, having thrust my duty upon me, you can hardly deny me your support in this, my greatest travail."

Frederick squirmed. "Dash it, Jason—you hardly need me to hold your hand. You've had more experience in successfully hunting women than any man I know."

"True," declared His Grace of Eversleigh, unperturbed. "But this is different. I've had women aplenty—this time, I want wife."

344. Devil's Bride (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
Governess Honoria Wetherby is determined not to marry; she plans to have adventures among the Egyptian pyramids in lieu of wedding a controlling husband. But even the best-laid plans can run afoul of luck and outrageous fortune, as is fatefully proven one stormy evening when Honoria happens upon a dying young man in the woods. After passing the night in a cottage alone with the corpse and his cousin, the rakish and very much alive Devil Cynster, it is decided -- by the handsome rake -- that Honoria has been compromised by the unchaperoned evening and the only remedy is to marry. Despite her flat refusal, Devil is determined to have the beautiful and feisty governess and his family is overjoyed that he is finally planning to marry. But Devil definitely has his work cut out for him as he attempts to convince Honoria to wed him and forego her plans for adventure. Luring Honoria to the altar is further complicated when she insists upon aiding him in the search for his cousin's killer. Which will Devil accomplish first: seducing Honoria or unveiling a murderer? Or will Honoria foil the first plan and solve the second before Devil can?

My rating: 2 stars

334. The Truth About Love (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
Dashing Gerrard Debbington is an acclaimed landscape painter, Lord Vane Cyster's protégé, and the ton's most eligible bachelor. All he lacks is the chance to paint the beautiful, unusual gardens at Hellebore Hall, the Cornwall home of reclusive Lord Tregonning. One day, the opportunity drops in his lap — so long as he agrees to also paint a portrait of Lord Tregonning's daughter. Reluctant to spend months in the company of a vapid society chit, Gerrard almost refuses, but the lure of the gardens proves too strong. At Hellebore Hall, Gerrard discovers that he's in deeper than he bargained for. Jacqueline, Lord Tregonning's daughter, is a remarkable young woman, and she inspires both his artistic passion and his love. She is also widely suspected to be the cause of two deaths: that of her former fiancé, who disappeared two years before, and her mother, who mysteriously fell to her death into the brooding Garden of Night. Lord Tregonning, convinced that a good portrait portrays the true nature of its subject, believes that Gerrard's depiction of Jacqueline will prove his daughter's innocence. So who is the real killer?

My rating: 2 stars

321. On a Wicked Dawn (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
"Marrying you will be entirely my pleasure." Amelia Cynster hears these words from the handsome, enigmatic Lucien Ashford and is stunned. It's near dawn and she's risked scandal by lying in wait for him just outside his London house. But he agrees to her outrageous marriage proposal -- just prior to passing out at her feet. Amelia's torn between astounded relief and indignant affront, then decides she doesn't care. She has always loved him -- no other man will do -- and, frankly, she's tired of waiting. Sometimes a young lady needs to take matters into her own hands. But matters of the heart are never that simple. The first hitch in Amelia's plans comes when Luc refuses to agree to a hasty wedding but insists on properly wooing her ... in public and private. Soon, she longs for those moments away from the watchful gaze of the ton, in which she can learn all about seduction from a master. But unbeknown to Amelia, Luc has a very good reason for wooing her. Every wicked gentleman has his price.

My rating: 2 stars

271. All About Passion (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon UK:
"If one is not marrying for love, one may as well marry for something else. My future countess has to be sufficiently docile and endowed with at least passable grace of form, deportment and address." Gyles Rawlings, fifth Earl of Chillingworth and honorary member of the Cynster clan, is determined not to succumb to the dangers of falling in love. To that end, he makes an offer of marriage -- sight unseen -- to the niece of an old friend. He believes he's chosen a biddable lady who will bear him an heir and leave his emotions unattached. He arrives for his own wedding without ever actually meeting his fiancee and at the altar is astonished to discover that he's offered for the wrong woman. His new wife is a passionate hoyden who makes his head spin. Francesca isn't docile, certainly not biddable, and she has no intention of setting for anything less than her husband's heart.

My rating: 3 stars

262. What Price Love? (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon Canada:
Set in 1831, bestseller Laurens's crowd-pleasing hot-blooded romance reintroduces Dillon Caxton, a young rake now reformed, who first appeared in A Rogue's Proposal. Recruited by the Jockey Club to investigate rumors of race fixing in Newmarket, Suffolk, Dillon is startled to discover that a gorgeous young Irishwoman calling herself Priscilla "Pris" Dalling (in reality an earl's daughter) is trying to get a look at the two official tomes on breeding and racing in England, the Breeding Register and the Stud Book. The green-eyed femme fatale is determined to help her twin brother, Lord Russell Dalling, whose dream to train an Irish Derby winner for Lord Cromarty's stables has landed them both in heart-stopping danger.

My rating: 2 stars

240. A Lady of Expectations (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
Jack Lester has to find a bride .... But where can he find the perfect woman? She has to be attractive, kind, a good conversationalist ... and more important, she has to accept him as he is: devilishly handsome, charming and, as far as anyone knows, poor as a church mouse! If London society discovers his hidden wealth, he'll never find the right wife. Jack's heart races when he first lays eyes on Sophie Winterton. She is everything he desires -- and more -- but he is caught in his own trap. Believing that Jack needs to marry into wealth, Sophie rejects all his advances, certain he would never marry a poor girl like her. As they play out a game of cat and mouse, can Jack convince her that she is the woman he wants -- and that he is the husband she deserves?

My rating: 2 stars

212. The Perfect Lover (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
Setting: England, 1835
Sensuality: 8
A wealthy and powerful rake of the English ton, Simon Cynster has known Portia Ashford, equally wealthy and well-educated, since they were children. By sheer chance, he decides it's time to find a wife at the same time that she decides she wants children and must find a husband. Knowing each other so well is both a blessing and a curse, for when it dawns on Simon that he's in love with Portia, he's well aware that she'll feel challenged by his protectiveness and wary of having her independence curtailed. For her part, Portia feels safe exploring her newly awakened sensuality with Simon, but she’s not at all sure that he'll make a suitable husband. While they're feeling their way through a minefield of turbulent emotions, they're distracted by several unexplained "accidents," and when a member of the weekend house party they’re attending dies, Simon is confronted with the urgent need to keep Portia safe from harm.

My rating: 4 stars

164. A Secret Love (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
Setting: Regency England
Sensuality: 8
Althea Morwellan needs Gabriel Cynster's help to save her family's fortune from an unscrupulous con artist, but the beauty is determined to keep her family's precarious financial state a secret. Althea and Gabriel played together as children on neighboring estates and she knows him very, very well. Aware that he can't resist a challenge, she conceals her identity behind a heavy black veil, pretending to be a mysterious, widowed countess. Intrigued, Gabriel agrees to help her, both because of her plea for help and because the beautiful mystery woman represents a personal challenge that he finds irresistible. Althea extracts a promise from Gabriel that he will not attempt to discover her identity and will not remove her veil. Althea has loved Gabriel since they were children, but their relationship deteriorated over time. As adults, the two strike verbal sparks from each other at every meeting. Because of their barely polite truce, Althea is unprepared for Gabriel's wild attraction to her countess persona and she falls more deeply in love with him. Gabriel hasn't a clue that the mysterious veiled countess is really Althea, for the lady adamantly refuses to remove her veil. He finds himself charmed and seduced by the countess while frustrated beyond belief that she won't reveal her identity. For Althea, the pressure of maintaining her disguise is great and one evening, she makes a fatal slip. The ensuing confrontation with Gabriel turns both of their worlds topsy-turvy and complicates solving the mystery of her family fortune.

My rating: 4 stars

My review: One of the best in the Cynster series.

163. A Rogue's Proposal (Stephanie Laurens)

Newmarket races

Synopsis from Amazon:
Setting: Regency England
Sensuality: 8
Harold Henry Cynster -- better known as Demon to family and friends -- leaves London society for the all-male environment of his Newmarket stables in an attempt to escape matchmaking mamas and the spate of marriages that have decimated the ranks of his bachelor cousins. But Demon barely sets one foot on his property before he notices a too-shapely boy settling into the saddle of his favorite Irish Thoroughbred. Beautiful Felicity Parteger hasn't seen Demon Cynster since she was a young girl, when with clear-sighted practicality she'd reasoned that the handsome rake was a threat to every female's heart and had scrupulously disappeared every time he visited her guardian, General Sir Gordon Caxton. When Demon finds her masquerading as a stable lad and demands an explanation, she has no choice but to confess that she's trying to uncover information about a racing syndicate that bribes jockeys. The General's son, Dillon, has fallen in with them and is now in hiding to escape their threats on his life. With cool efficiency Demon attempts to take over her campaign to save Dillon. Felicity, however, refuses to sit home and tend to her needlework while Demon has all the fun, and a partnership of sorts is formed. Much to Demon's delight, she also willingly cooperates in his plans for seduction; but pleasure turns to frustration when Felicity refuses his marriage proposal. Although she's head-over-heels in love with him, the independent young woman has no intention of saying "I do" to the infamous rake before he says "I love you" to her. While the two lovers risk their lives in tracking the dangerous syndicate, they engage in a courtship dance that risks both of their hearts as well.

My rating: 4 stars

My review: One of the best from the Cynster series.

150. A Comfortable Wife (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
Antonia Mannering refused to become an old maid! She was a young woman with plans, and Lord Philip Ruthven played a large part in them. Though the childhood friends had not seen one another in years, she was perfectly aware that Philip had no lack of female companionship. But he had never married, and it was high time he did. If she could prove to him that she was capable of running his home and would not disgrace him in society, Antonia was certain he would propose a comfortable arrangement. But never had she expected that their hearts would somehow find their way into the bargain!

My rating: 2 stars

My review: Boring.

135. On a Wild Night (Stephanie Laurens)

Synopsis from Amazon:
After six years on the marriage mart, Amanda and her twin, Amelia, despairing of ever finding the right mate, have decided to broaden their search. While browsing for prospects in a notorious gaming hell, Amanda encounters Martin Fulbridge, fifth earl of Dexter. Banished from England by his father for a murder he didn't commit, Martin eschews London's elite circles and has been living abroad for the past 10 years. Nevertheless, he finds himself playing the part of Amanda's protector as she flits from one disreputable venue to another in a spurious quest for adventure. Inevitably, Amanda is "compromised," but she's unwilling to settle for anything less than a marriage based on love.

My rating: 2 stars

My review: Amanda and Amelia got on my nerves as well as Dexter's "brooding" (ie. moody and bossy) character.