by Stephanie Laurens
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Product Description
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 and unsavory crimes within the ton. His pedigree, relentless intelligence, and discretion make him a deadly avenger in an elegant guise. Despite his skills—or perhaps because of them—he makes Penelope distinctly uncomfortable, but the stakes are too grave. Throwing caution to the wind, defying every rule for unmarried ladies, she appears on his doorstep late one night determined to recruit his talents. Barnaby is intrigued—both by her problem and her. Her bold beauty and undeniable brains make a striking contrast to the usual insipid ton misses. And as he's in dire need of an excuse to avoid said insipid misses, he accepts her challenge, never dreaming she and it will consume his every waking hour. Enlisting the aid of Inspector Basil Stokes of the fledgling Scotland Yard, they infiltrate the streets of London's notorious East End. But as they unravel the mystery of the missing orphans, they uncover a trail leading to the upper echelons of society and a ruthless and clever criminal adept at pulling strings who, becoming aware of them and their efforts, is only too ready to destroy all they hold dear, including their newfound understanding of the intrigues of the human heart.
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Average Customer Review:
5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
 Review of the eReader version, 2008-05-28
I've read all of Stephanie Lauren's novels, and I'm getting... a bit disappointed. Perhaps I've just come to expect more from her. This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't her best or even close. I have liked Barnaby's character throughout the other novels he's appeared in, and was really looking forward to his story.
Things I liked: As others have mentioned, the mystery was a bit better than most of the others. The writing, as always is well done (although the "patience of Jove" still annoys me lol). I liked that although Barnaby felt protective, he wasn't constantly demanding that she obey him, or trying to force her to do things as he wished. He appeared to respect her opinion and listen to her comments (at least as the book got farther in).
Things I disliked: How many times do we have to hear about her "wits" and "senses"? Her "arguments" weren't really all that convincing. The near constant references to "men" being of inferior intellect. That, as another reviewer mentioned, her whole reason for pursuing a "relationship" with him was out of curiosity. That is a common theme in many of Ms. Laurens' novels, but in this case there seemed to be little else at that point.
As I said, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. I happily bought the book (electronic version), and am looking forward to more of her works (especially the Bastian Club series), but I'm pretty glad I didn't spend $25 on it.
I appreciate very much that Ms. Laurens is one of the best, most eloquent writers in the genre, and also that she has some of the steamiest sex scenes of any author. I just wasn't thrilled with this story, and would like to see more emphasis placed on "romance". I would happily read a longer novel if the quality of the mystery was equaled by the quality of the love story.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Bar Cynster Novels, 2008-05-12
Well, I for one couldn't put it down till I'd read it through to the end. Story line & characters are well developed & very interesting. Dialog is funny and fast and romance scenes are great! Both romances are well drawn & the people very believable & likeable. I've never gone wrong with any of her books -- they are delightful!!! Thanks Stephanie!!!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Laurens Hits a Homerun with New Series!, 2008-05-05
Set in 19th century London, Lauren's latest Cynster book follows the adventures of Barnaby Adair. Third son of an earl, Barnaby works as a private investigator examining crimes that are often perpetuated against and generally set in motion by members of the affluent ton and not a recreation gentlemen of society would pursue.
Lady Penelope Ashford was thought of as a bit of an eccentric and non-conformist. Penelope's passion and dedication were for running the Foundling House for orphans. When the last four young boys who were to be admitted disappeared before they could be brought to the home, Penelope very boldly cornered Barnaby in his home and enlisted his help to find them.
Fascinated by the intelligent, pushy, and determined woman, Barnaby takes on the case and a new partner, as Penelope is not about to be left behind he investigates. Deducing that the boys are probably being trained for illegal activities, their search brings them into the underworld and slums of the East End of London. Soon the two begin to admire each other's strength, dedication and resolve in trying to make a difference to those less fortunate outside of their privileged world. As their attraction grows, Barnaby lets Penelope take the lead in seduction, while he leads her in the direction to make her his partner in truth!
*** This delightful story is another installment to the Cynster family chronicles yet Laurens seems to be spinning this off into a brand new series under the Casebook of Barnaby Adair, and I am happy to say, if the follow-up to this retains the freshness and spark seen here, Laurens will have another hit on her hands. Penelope is another of Laurens' wondrous female creations - born to wealth, strong and determined to made a difference to those less fortunate - in short an admirable heroine. The fact that Penelope was also feisty, outspoken, curious, and outrageous at times (i.e. the coshing attack) proves to be a delightful bonus.
Laurens has always come up with masterful heroes and Barnaby was indeed created as another fascinating male. As the third son of an earl, Barnaby has made his own way and found his own niche by doing something responsible rather than other gentlemanly pursuits. His friendship with his old friend Inspector Basil Stokes of Scotland Yard heralds a plethora of possibilities to anticipate as Barnaby's `case book' evolves.
As always there is never a lack of a substantial amount of fascinating secondary characters and the fast-pace of the adventure and chase to save the missing orphan boys before it was too late gives the readers some nail biting moments.
Consummate storyteller Laurens is back in fine form with this new twist in the Cynster family chronicles encapsulating all the sensualness and hot smoking love scenes one comes to expect from her skillful pen. Being able to cross over between the glorious ballrooms of the ton, and the seamier underside of London, Barnaby and associates new cases promise all the thrills one has come to expect from this mistress of romance. I can't wait to see what comes up next!
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Predictable, and a bit contrived, but not bad, 2008-05-03
Part romance, part mystery, this follows the story of Penelope, strong-willed sister of Lucien who appeared in a previous Cynster novel, and Barnaby Adair, the sleuthing third son of an earl, who apparently appeared in another. Penelope is the administrator of an orphanage, and seeks Barnaby's help when a number of youngsters are abducted. Although Barnaby and Penelope are both confirmed singletons, as they unravel the mystery they are drawn together and although Penelope fights her attraction to Barnaby, but there is never any doubt of the outcome.
For me the story was a bit contrived, particularly the ending, and Laurens has already done this plotline to death. She writes quite well, and is reasonably adept at conjuring up the atmosphere of the post Regency era. However, the one attempt at humour in the book did make me laugh, but for the wrong reasons, since it concerns on the heroine's inability to open mussels. Had she succeeded, the book would have been considerably shorter, since she would have died of food poisoning - healthy mussels open when cooked!
It isn't a bad book, just rather predictable. And since none of the Cynsters make an appearance, fans of the series may be disappointed. I understand it's the first of a new series by Laurens - I doubt I'll be reading any of them.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Where the heart leads: From the casebook of Barnaby Adair, 2008-04-06
I love Stephanie Laurens, and this book continues the Cynster storylines. As usual the sensuality and heat is there but I didn't find this book as 'unputtdownable' as others in the series like Devil's Bride or A Secret Love.
Stephanie Laurens is still my favourite writer of this type of book - equal first with Catherine Coulter. The strength of the females who fly in the face of all the manners they were expected to exhibit has always found a fan in me - not to mention the incredibly strong yet loving alpha males they populate their books with.
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