Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Honoria Anstruther-Wetherby and Sylvester "Devil" Cynster, the Duke of St. Ives' book



Devil's Bride (Cynster book 1)

By Stephanie Laurens

Book Blurb:To have...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 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.

...and to hold.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 heart?

About a year ago I was lucky enough to have won a trilogy of the Cynster sisters. I enjoyed those books and I knew that the trilogy was a spin off of the original Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens. I checked out the series and since this first book, Devil's Bride was originally published in 1998 and the series was still going strong, I just knew I had to read the book that started it all. 

The Kindle copy of Devil's Bride is really expensive at $11.22 so when Amazon had a super deal of only $2.22 I snatched it up. I'm glad I did because it is now back up to $11.22. I guess that just goes to show you, even though it is a vintage romance, they can still be pricey. 

I really enjoyed Devil's Bride although in many places it really dragged on. I kind of contradict myself here because on one hand I am glad that the murder mystery that surrounded Devil's cousin, Tolly didn't have the protagonists easily making the murderous connection and then on the other hand, it sure took them a long time to make the connection.  The reader easily figures out who the murder was and I was really hoping for a surprise where Stephanie Laurens was taking the reader down a path and then surprise us at the end. Unfortunately that was not the case and I was a bit disappointed. 

As much as I adored Devil and Honoria together, I couldn't quite figure out why Devil wanted to marry her so badly from the beginning. He pursues her seductively and eventually the stubborn Honoria gives in. There were times I thought he was wearing her down but ultimately I do believe it was her choice to marry him. 

I felt that there weren't many intimate scenes but the private moments that Devil and Honoria experienced did have a lot of heat. I was excited for them when they finally gave into their desires and I really felt that they were meant to be. 

One thing I really liked about Devil's Bride is that the author Stephanie Laurens included actual locations and street names. I love when an author includes real locations set in with fictional characters. So many times I have read historicals with such vague locations that it was great to make a note of the streets and look on a map. I loved that. 

Devil and Honoria make a great couple and definitely have the staying power and presence to be the head of the entire Cynster family. A fabulous book to start it all.  

Teasers: wood cutter's cottage, cake-eating demon horse, Grosvenor Square,  saved by a flask