Author: Stephanie Laurens
Series: Cynster Series
Published: Avon March 1998
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Synopsis
Devil, the most infamous member of the Cynster family, caught in a compromising position with plucky governess Honoria Wetherby, astonishes the ton and offers marriage. Cousins wager on the wedding date. Honoria wants to see the world, bets on solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin instead, until her passion for Devil tempts her to an adventure of the heart?
My Review
This has to be one of my earliest Historical Romances that I read and probably part of the reason that I love them so much. I will admit to finding this book on one of my aunts bookshelves in my senior year of High School probably when I first started getting into romance in books. I had read the first four Harry Potter by this time and most of The Princess Diaries but beyond that I did not read much in the way of books back then unless it was Nancy Drew and the Boxcar Children.
I really do not know what caused me to read my first romance and a Historical (Bodice Ripper) to begin with but I did. There have been many of romances books on my shelf ever since then and there will be many more in the years to come because as a friend of mine from work likes to tell me they are the cocaine of all books. Once you start reading romance you just can't stop unless you just really do not like the happy love stories that romance brings your way, but enough about why I first read this book and more about my thoughts this most recent time of reading this book.
So Sylvester "Devil" Cynster best known to his family as That Devil Cynster is the 6th Duke of St. Ives. When he comes across Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Wetherby who is helping his recently shot cousin he knows that she is meant to be his. When Devil tells Honoria that she is to marry him she flat out refuses as she has no ambition to marry at all, her only goal is to travel to Egypt and ride camel back under the shadow of the Sphinx, something that Devil and her brother Micheal have come to agreement she shall not be doing. So to keep her occupied Micheal gets her to agree to stay with the Dowager Duchess through out her mourning period. Which works well for Honoria as he plans to use that time to find out who killed Tolly, Devils cousin, and why.
The best part about this book is the butting of heads between Devil and Honoria since he wants to keep her perfectly safe and she wants to have an adventure and solving the murder with our without the help of Devil is exactly what she plans to do. The sexy level of this book is also pretty strong which makes me want to know what I was thinking reading this book in high school at the age of 18. Now of course I think the eyes have been fully open to all things sex and not much surprises me until you think about the age at which you first read one of these books and you think "What was I thinking?".
Overall I like this book, the question of who the killer was and why were not an overall the basis of the book but Stephanie Laurens does not leave you completely guessing as she does keep giving you clues every so often.
