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Cynster #1-2
On a Stormy Night
Two Classic Cynster Novels
Devil's Bride
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire ton by offering her his hand in marriage. As society's mamas swoon at the loss of England's most eligible bachelor, Devil's infamous Cynster cousins begin to place wagers on the wedding date.
But Honoria isn't about to bend to society's demands and marry a man just because they've been found together unchaperoned. She craves adventure. But could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?
A Rake's Vow
He vowed he's never marry...
To Vane Cynster, Bellamy Hall seems like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London's husband hunters. But when he encounters irresistible Patience Debbington, Vane realises he's met his match.
She vowed no man would catch her...
Patience isn't about to succumb to Vane's sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses leave her dizzy and his caresses make her melt; but Patience has promised herself she'll never become vulnerable to a broken heart. Is this one vow that was meant to be broken?
Devil's Bride
When Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, is caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, he astonishes the entire ton by offering her his hand in marriage. As society's mamas swoon at the loss of England's most eligible bachelor, Devil's infamous Cynster cousins begin to place wagers on the wedding date.
But Honoria isn't about to bend to society's demands and marry a man just because they've been found together unchaperoned. She craves adventure. But could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?
A Rake's Vow
He vowed he's never marry...
To Vane Cynster, Bellamy Hall seems like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London's husband hunters. But when he encounters irresistible Patience Debbington, Vane realises he's met his match.
She vowed no man would catch her...
Patience isn't about to succumb to Vane's sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses leave her dizzy and his caresses make her melt; but Patience has promised herself she'll never become vulnerable to a broken heart. Is this one vow that was meant to be broken?
546 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
7 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Laurens
206 books5,589 followersStephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Stephanie and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.
Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle.
After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period.
Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.
Once in London, Stephanie and her husband both began work as research scientists in Kent. They lived in an area surrounded by history. Their own cottage was built in the 16th century, while next door were the protected ruins of an early Roman villa, and nearby was a 14th century castle.
After four years in England, Stephanie and her husband returned to Australia, where she continued to work in cancer research, eventually heading her own research laboratory. One evening Stephanie realized that she did not have any more of her favorite romance novels to read. After years of thinking about writing her own novel, during nights and weekends for the next several months, she began crafting her own story. That manuscript, Tangled Reins, was the first of her books to be published. After achieving a level of success with her novels, Stephanie "retired" from scientific research and became a full-time novelist. Her novels are primarily historical romances set in the Regency time period.
Stephanie and her husband live on peaceful acreage on the outskirts of Melbourne. If she isn't writing, she's reading, and if she's not reading, she's tending her garden.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 26, 2012
The two stories, all together, I give 'em 3.5 Stars! Finished Devil's Bride (7/15/12). Picked it back up to do A Rake's Vow on July 23rd, and finished it completely today, July 26th. We're doing a buddy read of this series in the Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired Group, the thread for the discussion for Devil's Bride is right here. I think doing it as a buddy read helped me to like it more than I might've on my own. At first I wasn't real fond of either Devil or Honoria, they were both kind of cookie-cutter-ish, Devil a bad-ass duke, oh, and of course supremely sexy, and rakish, and clever, and etc, and Honoria the independent, don't ever want to get married type. And the way he decides that he has to marry her, to me, was really, really rushed, it was like he knew her for 2 hours and decided he was going to marry her. But as the story went on, I started to like both of 'em a little better. Though they'll never rank up with my favorite romance couples, by the end they were ok, I felt like I knew them decently well, like acquaintances I sorta cared for. I liked the mystery aspect, though I figured out the villain rather quickly. It was still a good ride trying to get the proof, and find out the reason why Tolly had been killed. I did like the steam level, and I like the author's writing style, so I'll definitely be continuing on with the series, I'm sure I'll find a couple in there somewhere that really hooks me good.
The thread for the A Rake's Vow discussion is here. I liked Vane and Patience pretty well, the banter and teasing was good, and the love scenes, while sometimes drawn out and purplish, were nice and steamy. The mystery in this one kept me guessing, while I was suspicious of the people who eventually ended up being the villains, it could've been anybody, and so I was never 100% sure like I was in Devil's Bride. So that was nice, I like it when I don't have it all figured out right away, gives me something to think about when I'm not reading. The relationship between Vane and Patience developed at a nice pace I thought, nowhere near as rushed as in the first book. He was still an arrogant man, but he wasn't as bad as Devil, and he even had some humor too. And he actually told Patience that he loved her! Bonus right there, as Devil never did say those three words to Honoria... I liked the way the family took Patience, and her brother Gerrard as well, in right away, accepting her and being nice to her, even Honoria with her take-charge ways. Sure, Patience was a little stubborn about the marriage thing, but for a good reason, and the way Vane proved to her that he was nothing like her father's example of a husband was sweet. I also liked the supporting characters, Minnie and Timms, and Patience's brother Gerrard, and even to some extent Patience's 'harem' and the other women in the house. And the cat! Liked the cat. I'm glad I've finally gotten into this series, I'm thinking I rather like this clan, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. Will definitely be going on with the rest of the books :D 3.5 Stars!
The thread for the A Rake's Vow discussion is here. I liked Vane and Patience pretty well, the banter and teasing was good, and the love scenes, while sometimes drawn out and purplish, were nice and steamy. The mystery in this one kept me guessing, while I was suspicious of the people who eventually ended up being the villains, it could've been anybody, and so I was never 100% sure like I was in Devil's Bride. So that was nice, I like it when I don't have it all figured out right away, gives me something to think about when I'm not reading. The relationship between Vane and Patience developed at a nice pace I thought, nowhere near as rushed as in the first book. He was still an arrogant man, but he wasn't as bad as Devil, and he even had some humor too. And he actually told Patience that he loved her! Bonus right there, as Devil never did say those three words to Honoria... I liked the way the family took Patience, and her brother Gerrard as well, in right away, accepting her and being nice to her, even Honoria with her take-charge ways. Sure, Patience was a little stubborn about the marriage thing, but for a good reason, and the way Vane proved to her that he was nothing like her father's example of a husband was sweet. I also liked the supporting characters, Minnie and Timms, and Patience's brother Gerrard, and even to some extent Patience's 'harem' and the other women in the house. And the cat! Liked the cat. I'm glad I've finally gotten into this series, I'm thinking I rather like this clan, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. Will definitely be going on with the rest of the books :D 3.5 Stars!
November 26, 2019
I was really glad to read Devil’s Bride. I have been wanting to read it and i really enjoyed it. I also liked Vane’s story “A Rakes Vow”. I did not think it quite as good as Devil’s story; but I did enjoy it.
August 5, 2018
I enjoyed Devil's Bride and A Rake's Vow was even better!
December 3, 2015
I recently joined a group on Facebook, the Old School Romance Book Club, where at the end of each month a poll is put up and members vote on which book everyone will read the following month. The book for November was DEVIL'S BRIDE. I had to hunt down a copy, and wound up with this omnibus that also contains A RAKE'S VOW.
In DEVIL'S BRIDE, Honoria is a governess. One day while caught in a storm driving back from an excursion into town, she comes across a man lying in the road. While she's investigating his condition, a crack of thunder frightens her horse and he takes off, leaving her stranded with the unconscious man. And then Devil comes riding along and happens upon them. They take refuge in a nearby cottage. The young man, Tolly, who is Devil's cousin, dies. Devil and Honoria pass the night together in the cottage, sleeping in chairs before the fire. Only to be discovered by another of Devil's cousin in the morning, and Honoria's employer. A scandal in the making.
Devil offers Honoria marriage as a way for her to save face, which her brother and countless others are in favor of. But she has no intention of marrying. She wants to travel to Africa. So she repeatedly tells Devil thanks but no thanks.
I struggled to get into the story. I liked Devil well enough, but Honoria often irritated me. Devil and his cousins set out to discover who murdered Tolly and why, and Honoria was determined to be part of the investigation, while Devil was determined that she not be. I was conflicted in my feelings. I get that Honoria was a strong female character who was unwilling to settle into the conventional life of a woman of that time. And yet I often wanted to tell her to just let the the Bar Cynster, as the cousins were known, worry about the murder mystery. Which dragged out and was uninteresting.
I think a lot of my problem was that the author's writing style just didn't appeal to me. It's very effusive and flowery, with lots of long sentences, broken up with lots of commas. It was a little repetitive at times, with paragraphs dragging out in many more words than necessary to convey a thought. And the sex scenes have to to be some of the longest I've ever read. They aren't graphic, yet they are explicit.
Towards the end though I did get quite caught up in the action and was happy with how it all turned out.
In A RAKE'S VOW, which takes place several months later, Vane, one of Devil's cousins, is traveling when he gets caught in a thunderstorm near his godmother's home, so he stops in, planning to just stay the night and then be on his way. Right off the bat he meets Patience, his godmother's niece, and of course he is immediately intrigued with her. And then his godmother, Minnie, tells him that there have been a number of thefts in the household, small, usually insignificant items stolen, and there has been a mysterious being roaming around in the nearby ruins of an old abbey at night, who the household are all referring to as a Spectre. Minnie presses Vane to stay and help sort things out, and so he finds himself settling in with the rest of her house guests to investigate and figure out who is the thief and/or the Spectre.
I liked Patience much more than I did Honoria. She, too, has no plans to marry, especially not an “elegant gentleman” such as her father was, and such as Vane is. Her mother was desperately in love with her father, who did not return her affection, and Patience is determined to not let herself fall into the same type of marriage that made her mother miserable. Vane has no desire to marry either. He's a rake. Who needs a wife when you can have a mistress? And he quickly sets his sights on Patience. I also liked Vane, very much. And Minnie, and Patience's brother. And the mystery was much more interesting, and the writing didn't bother me as much as in the first book.
I liked A RAKE'S VOW considerably more than DEVIL'S BRIDE. Enough that I want to get the next book and continue with the series. I would give the first 3 stars and the 2nd four stars, and since I can't do 3 1/2, I'm rounding my rating up to 4 for both books.
Review first posted on my blog.
In DEVIL'S BRIDE, Honoria is a governess. One day while caught in a storm driving back from an excursion into town, she comes across a man lying in the road. While she's investigating his condition, a crack of thunder frightens her horse and he takes off, leaving her stranded with the unconscious man. And then Devil comes riding along and happens upon them. They take refuge in a nearby cottage. The young man, Tolly, who is Devil's cousin, dies. Devil and Honoria pass the night together in the cottage, sleeping in chairs before the fire. Only to be discovered by another of Devil's cousin in the morning, and Honoria's employer. A scandal in the making.
Devil offers Honoria marriage as a way for her to save face, which her brother and countless others are in favor of. But she has no intention of marrying. She wants to travel to Africa. So she repeatedly tells Devil thanks but no thanks.
I struggled to get into the story. I liked Devil well enough, but Honoria often irritated me. Devil and his cousins set out to discover who murdered Tolly and why, and Honoria was determined to be part of the investigation, while Devil was determined that she not be. I was conflicted in my feelings. I get that Honoria was a strong female character who was unwilling to settle into the conventional life of a woman of that time. And yet I often wanted to tell her to just let the the Bar Cynster, as the cousins were known, worry about the murder mystery. Which dragged out and was uninteresting.
I think a lot of my problem was that the author's writing style just didn't appeal to me. It's very effusive and flowery, with lots of long sentences, broken up with lots of commas. It was a little repetitive at times, with paragraphs dragging out in many more words than necessary to convey a thought. And the sex scenes have to to be some of the longest I've ever read. They aren't graphic, yet they are explicit.
Towards the end though I did get quite caught up in the action and was happy with how it all turned out.
In A RAKE'S VOW, which takes place several months later, Vane, one of Devil's cousins, is traveling when he gets caught in a thunderstorm near his godmother's home, so he stops in, planning to just stay the night and then be on his way. Right off the bat he meets Patience, his godmother's niece, and of course he is immediately intrigued with her. And then his godmother, Minnie, tells him that there have been a number of thefts in the household, small, usually insignificant items stolen, and there has been a mysterious being roaming around in the nearby ruins of an old abbey at night, who the household are all referring to as a Spectre. Minnie presses Vane to stay and help sort things out, and so he finds himself settling in with the rest of her house guests to investigate and figure out who is the thief and/or the Spectre.
I liked Patience much more than I did Honoria. She, too, has no plans to marry, especially not an “elegant gentleman” such as her father was, and such as Vane is. Her mother was desperately in love with her father, who did not return her affection, and Patience is determined to not let herself fall into the same type of marriage that made her mother miserable. Vane has no desire to marry either. He's a rake. Who needs a wife when you can have a mistress? And he quickly sets his sights on Patience. I also liked Vane, very much. And Minnie, and Patience's brother. And the mystery was much more interesting, and the writing didn't bother me as much as in the first book.
I liked A RAKE'S VOW considerably more than DEVIL'S BRIDE. Enough that I want to get the next book and continue with the series. I would give the first 3 stars and the 2nd four stars, and since I can't do 3 1/2, I'm rounding my rating up to 4 for both books.
Review first posted on my blog.
May 26, 2007
Book one of the Cynster series is still amongst my favorite romance novel reads. Certainly the main character's nickname, Devil, borders on the ludicrous. However, the cheekiness works well with Ms. Laurens witty storytelling and the sensuality of the more intimate naughty bits makes this a prime read for Regency romance-lovers.
Want to read
April 19, 2013This book has great community reviews but none of my friends have read it or marked it to read. It's a historical romance series and I love those. There is a mystery in these, sometimes mysteries are frustrating to me--they need to be well done to keep me interested. There is supposed to be good passion in these but I'm not really sure what the innocence level of the passion is like.
January 12, 2011
I read Devil's Bride years ago--Rake's Vow is second in the series.
Devil's Bride was a smart, sassy bodice ripper: steamy, not sleezy. My husband loved it, too. Rake's Vow (I'm halfway through) seems a bit more conventional Regency novel, but still worth the time.
Devil's Bride was a smart, sassy bodice ripper: steamy, not sleezy. My husband loved it, too. Rake's Vow (I'm halfway through) seems a bit more conventional Regency novel, but still worth the time.
April 13, 2013
Wonderful regency romance. Leading man is to-die-for. All of that protectiveness and possessiveness wrapped up in a masculine masterpiece with a sweet vulnerability for his love makes the hero nearly perfect. Loved this book! Stephanie Laurens is my new favorite historical romance writer!
October 30, 2015
Both good stories. In my opinion, the first story was the better one.
Of course both heroes have the same problem - they just don't realize that the way to get their women to say yes to marriage is to admit you love them with the words: "I love you."
This was my second time reading these stories.
Of course both heroes have the same problem - they just don't realize that the way to get their women to say yes to marriage is to admit you love them with the words: "I love you."
This was my second time reading these stories.
May 1, 2009
Let's just say it kept my mind away from all the driving we were doing in Greece at the time.
September 25, 2009
Regency
June 5, 2011
so far not a favorite. it is something okay to read during the lunch hour at work.
very disappointed in this book. could not finish it.
very disappointed in this book. could not finish it.
August 2, 2011
I did not like Vanes story so much as Devils......
December 2, 2011
The best of the Cynster series. A great lot of fun - domineering man meets spirited woman, falls in love, complications ensue.... but the characters were interesting.
January 16, 2013
Two of my favorite books in the series in one book! How could I not love it! Sigh...wish I could find a Cynster!
March 7, 2013
The opening is one of the very best set-ups for a romance novel I've ever read.
April 24, 2013
I am loving this series!
February 16, 2015
I have as soft a spot for the Cynsters as I do the Smythe-Smiths. However, I've read more second generation stories on them, so I'm glad to get to the Bar Cynster generation. :)
August 23, 2016
Devil's Bride (5 stars) is much better than A Rake's Vow (3 stars).
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews