What Price Love?

What Price Love?

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

Enter the unforgettable world of New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens, creator of the phenomenal Cynster family. This amazing clan - and their friends - are a bold, powerful group who let nothing stand in their way when it comes to matters of the heart. And in this, Stephanie Laurens's newest novel, a passionate man and a daring woman confront the ultimate question...What Price Love? There is nothing more fascinating than a darkly handsome rake, especially one as controlled and elusive as Dillon Caxton, protégé of Demon Cynster. Despite his dangerous air, Dillon is now a man of sterling reputation, but it wasn't always so. Years ago, an illicit scheme turned into a nefarious swindle, and only the help of his cousin, Felicity, and her husband, Demon, saved Dillon from ruin. Now impeccably honest, his hard-won reputation zealously guarded, he's the Keeper of the Register of all racing horses in England. His standing and aloofness makes Dillon undeniably desirable to young ladies, but despite all the lures thrown his way, he remains uninterested, his attention unfixed. Until Miss Priscilla Dalling erupts into his life. A stunning beauty, she affects Dillon as no other ever has, but what fascinates him even more is that this tempting young lady is clearly desperate, and equally clearly lying about wanting to see the Register to fulfill the whim of an eccentric aunt. Lady Priscilla Dalloway will do anything to see what's in the Register. Her twin brother, Russell, who had quarrelled with their father and quit the family home to work with the finest racehorses, has disappeared from Newmarket. Pris knows clues to his plight can be found in the tome Dillon Caxton protects so assiduously. In its pursuit, she unleashes her feminine wiles on Dillon - to no avail. But Dillon is now determined to learn the truth behind her quest. Exploiting the powerful attraction that flares between them, he succeeds in convincing Pris to tell him all, to trust him with her twin's life. Together, Dillon and Pris locate Rus, only to discover that his life is threatened by the perpetrators of a massive betting swindle, from whom he's escaped. The time is ripe for Dillon to repay old debts by helping another as he himself was helped. Assisted by Demon, Felicity, and Barnaby Adair, Dillon and Pris embark on a journey riddled with danger - and undeniable passion - as they seek to overturn the swindle and expose the deadly perpetrators. And along the way they discover the answer to that age old question: What price love?
Read online
  • 54
A Secret Love c-5

A Secret Love c-5

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

All of Regency London knows that no Cynster male would ever walk away from a lady in distress...but their protection can come at a tantalizingly high price. And now, Stephanie Laurens has created her boldest Cynster yet-Gabriel-a man who has known the pleasure of many women, but who has given his heart to no one. She was desperate for his help... When a mysterious lady, her face hidden by a black veil, begs Gabriel Cynster for his help, he cannot refuse her plea. For despite her disguise, Gabriel finds the woman alluring and he is powerless to deny her. But he exacts payment as only a Cynster would demand: with each piece of information he uncovers, she must pay him-in the form of a kiss. He was powerlerss to resist... Lady Alathea Morwellan knows Gabriel is intrigued, but despite the sparks that fly between them, they have never passed a civil moment together. Yet as the stakes get higher, so does Gabriel's desire for payment. And with each overpowering kiss, each passionate embrace, Alathea knows that she will not be able to resist his ultimate seduction...but what will happen when she reveals the truth?
Read online
  • 53
All About Passion

All About Passion

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

New York Times bestselling Australian author Stephanie Laurens delivers the latest tale in the immensely popular Cynster series. When Chillington is elected an ′honorary Cynster′ at the end of All About Love, he knows he needs a wife , and an heir. His goal; a simple marriage without romance. He agrees to marry a woman he believes to be pliant and quiet. Unfortunately for him, the woman he thinks is Francesca Rawling is really her cousin, Franni.Francesca herself is proud, passionate and opinionated in short, the perfect bride for a Cynster... **Amazon.com Review Gyles Rawlings, fifth Earl of Chillingworth and an honorary member of the Cynster clan, is determined not to marry for 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 docile, biddable lady who will bear him an heir and leave his emotions uninvolved. He arrives for his own wedding without ever actually meeting his fianc&eaccute; and at the chapel's altar, is astonished to discover that he's offered for the wrong woman--his wife is the cousin of the woman he thought he was marrying. The two ladies share the same name, and the woman he has married is a passionate female who makes his head spin. Francesca isn't docile, certainly not biddable, and she has no intention of settling for anything less than her husband's heart. The battle lines are drawn in this war of love, with both parties well aware of the stakes. Will Giles continue to barricade his heart, or will Francesca's love and loyalty tear down the walls that keep him from her? And if Giles can't thwart the strange threats to Francesca's life, neither may live to see the end of their contest of the heart. This installment in author Stephanie Laurens's beloved Cynster series has been eagerly anticipated by fans, and All About Passion doesn't disappoint. Taut with sexual tension between the hero and heroine, rich with details of the world of Regency England, and well-supported with a solid plot, this latest Cynster tale is an excellent read. --Lois Faye Dyer From Publishers Weekly 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. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Read online
  • 53
The Ideal Bride (Cynster Novels)

The Ideal Bride (Cynster Novels)

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens has created some of romance's most unforgettable novels. Now she has created her most provocative love story—and amazing hero—to date. This is the book that dares to ask the question: Who is this man's ideal bride? Michael Anstruther-Wetherby is a rising member of Parliament—a man destined for power. Aristocratic, elegant, and effortlessly charming, he is just arrogant enough to capture the interest of the ladies of the ton. And with his connections to the wealthy and influential Cynster family—his sister is married to Devil Cynster, the Duke of St. Ives—his future appears assured. Except that Michael lacks the single most important element of success: a wife. Political pressure sends him searching for his ideal bride, a gently bred, malleable young lady, preferably one with a political background. Michael discovers such a paragon but finds a formidable obstacle in his path—the young lady's beautiful, strong-minded aunt—Caroline Sutcliffe. One of London's foremost diplomatic hostesses, Caro has style and status but, having lived through an unhappy political marriage, wants nothing of the sort for her niece, who has already lost her heart to another. So Caro and the younger woman hatch a plot—Caro will demonstrate why an inexperienced young lady is not the bride for Michael. She succeeds in convincing him that what he really needs is a lady of experience by his side. And the perfect candidate is right under his nose—Caro herself. Then it is Michael's turn to be persuasive, a task that requires every ounce of his seductive charm as he tempts and tantalizes Caro, seeking to convince her that becoming his bride will bring her all her heart desires . . . and more. But then a series of mysterious, and dangerous, accidents befall Caro—an assailant has stepped in with their own idea for Caro's future—one that could involve murder. Before Caro can become Michael's ideal bride, they must race to uncover the unknown's identity before all hope of what they long for, and wish for, is destroyed.
Read online
  • 52


A Lady of Expectations

A Lady of Expectations

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

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 most 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?
Read online
  • 50
The Trouble With Virtue: A Comfortable Wife\A Lady by Day

The Trouble With Virtue: A Comfortable WifeA Lady by Day

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

Retail#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens and rising star Alison DeLaine bring you two tales of passionate temptation...and decorum overthrown.A Comfortable WifeMiss Antonia Mannering has made plans that include her long-ago friend Lord Philip Ruthven. She knows Philip is popular with the ladies, but he has never married. Might he now be ready for a wife? If she could only prove that she could run his home, not disgrace him in Society and be a comfortable wife, surely he would propose to her. But when love enters the equation, Antonia might be getting more than she bargained for....A Lady by DayRecovering from scandal, Josephine, Countess of Mareck, has secured a second chance at respectability. And she certainly will not risk it for Sir Noah Rutledge, who's returned to London from the Mediterranean to secure a new business venture. But when Noah confronts Josephine and puts her secrets at risk, he stirs a most...
Read online
  • 50
All About Love

All About Love

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

Alasdair Cynster known to his intimates as Lucifer decides to rusticate in the country before the matchmaking skills of London′s mamas become firmly focused on him, the last unwed Cynster. But an escape to Devonshire leads him straight to his destiny in the irresistible form of Phyllida Tallent, a willful, independent beauty of means who brings all his masterful Cynster instincts rioting to the fore. Lucifer isn′t about to deny his desire for Phyllida, and he′s determined to use all his seductive skills to enjoy the benefits of destiny′s choice without submitting to the parson′s noose. Phyllida has had a bevy of suitors, her charm and wit are well known throughout the countryside, but none of them has tempted her the way Lucifer does. His offer to teach her all about the ways of love is almost too tantalising to resist. And though she′s not yet completely surrendered, she knows only a fool stands against a Cynster...and Phyllida is no one′s fool. **
Read online
  • 50
Devil's Bride with Bonus Material

Devil's Bride with Bonus Material

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

Where it all began. . . The Cynsters!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 town by offering his hand in marriage. No one dreamed this scandalous rake would ever take a bride. And as society mamas swooned at the loss of England's most eligible bachelor, Devil's infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date.But Honoria wasn't about to bend society's demands and marry a man "just" because they'd been found together virtually unchaperoned. No, she craved adventure, and while solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit the bill for a while, she decided that once the crime was solved she'd go off to see the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the...
Read online
  • 49
Where the Heart Leads

Where the Heart Leads

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens knows the world of Regency London ... especially the exclusive enclave of luxury in which the aristocracy lived in wealth and comfort. But outside that glittering circle lay another world ... and Laurens pulls back the curtain that has hidden it from us—until now.Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's younger sister, has grown up with every advantage—wealth, position, and beauty. Yet Penelope is anything but a pretty face in a satin gown—forceful, willful, and blunt to a fault, she has for years devoted her considerable energy and intelligence to caring for the forgotten orphans of London's sooty and seamier streets.But now her charges are mysteriously disappearing. Desperate, Penelope turns to the one man she knows who might help her—Barnaby Adair.Handsome scion of a noble house, Adair has made a name for himself in certain circles where his powers of observation and deduction have seen him solve several serious...
Read online
  • 48
Captain Jack’s Woman / A Gentleman's Honor

Captain Jack’s Woman / A Gentleman's Honor

Stephanie Laurens

Romance / Mystery

One of the brightest stars of romantic fiction, the incomparable New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens flings wide the gates of the Bastion Club – an elite society of unmarried London gentlemen dedicated to determining their own matrimonial futures. Here, in one volume, are two of the author's most captivating and sensuous novels: a "prequel" that brilliantly sets the stage for the popular series and an early Bastion delight. Captain Jack's Woman Rebellious Kathryn "Kit" Cranmer finds adventure at the head of a rag-tag band of smugglers. But her dashing, ruthless rival, the notorious Captain Jack, rules the night – and becoming this bold man of mystery's woman will carry Kit to new heights of excitement beyond anything she's ever dreamed. A Gentleman's Honor Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, believes Alicia Carrington when the frightened young beauty swears she's innocent in the murder of the villain who was blackmailing her. But it is more than honor that compels the handsome nobleman to protect her, and to do everything in his seductive power to make Alicia his.
Read online
  • 47
183