I really enjoyed the other books in this series and loved Chillingworth's role in them. But this book in which he is the star character fell very flat to me. He seemed to have lost all of the sparkle he had in the first books when he became the hero.
Helpful Score: 6
Appealing characters and red-hot chemistry breathe new life into a familiar story line in the latest entry in Laurens's Regency-era Cynster series (following All About Love). This time, Cupid's arrow fells Gyles Rawlings, the Earl of Chillingworth and an "honorary Cynster." Gyles realizes that it's time to take a wife and carry on the line, but he's determined to go about it in a businesslike fashion with an arranged marriage. Fortunately, country heiress Francesca Rawlings, a distant relation, seems to be the perfect candidate. She's well favored, pleasant and endowed with an estate that will nicely complement his own. On his wedding day, however, he discovers that the serene, docile woman that he spied in the garden a few days earlier was not Francesca, but her cousin Frannie. The heiress he's contracted for is the passionate hoyden he's met galloping across the downs. Nevertheless, he goes through with the marriage, seizing the opportunity to complete his estate and indulge his passion for the spirited Francesca. She, in turn, is determined to make the earl admit his love for her. The stubbornness of the hero and heroine, though the center of the story's conflict, may irritate some readers, but Laurens's twist on the bride-switch, arranged marriage formula is fun, spicy and sure to please.
Helpful Score: 4
He wants to marry a malleable, proper bride. He thinks he is doing that. But a case of mistaken identity is confounded at the altar when he lifts the veil and discovers that his bride is beautiful, assertive, and passionate. Intimate love scenes, great dialogue. Very real hero and heroine. Wonderful Regency in the indomitable Laurens style.
Helpful Score: 2
A very romantic novel about a wild gypsy and a Duke.
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent series....Hurrah...Chillingworth's story
