Veena’s review of The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh (Cynster Sisters Duo, Book 2) by Stephanie Laurens
Historical Romance published by Avon 25 Jun 13
Ryder Cavanaugh is the undisputed lion prowling through London’s glittering ballrooms and appears to have his sights set on Mary Cynster. But Mary has already chosen her ideal mate and Ryder Cavanaugh is definitely not her choice. Suddenly he’s everywhere she goes, including in her thoughts and dreams. Her surefire test of a mate is the lady’s necklace and waltzing. It feels divine in his arms and the necklace seems to warm up every time he’s near. But! but! there must be something wrong somewhere? Yes, there is but not where you might think…
Having decided that Mary would make him an ideal marchioness with her connections and breeding, Ryder manipulates events to bring Mary to the same state of mind. Circumstances play into Ryder’s favor when chance puts Mary in the position of coming to his rescue when he is attacked by footpads. Mary takes him home, takes charge, and summons medical home, but she is an unprotected lady of noble birth un-chaperoned in a bachelor household. Since she is compromised, there is no choice but for Ryder to propose and for Mary to accept.
Of course, the book doesn’t end here. Mary now sees a different side to Ryder than she has imagined or seen before and finds that they are better matched than she could have ever imagined. He fits in well with her siblings and cousins, as though he’s a part of the family. Perhaps this relationship will work out way better than Mary’s original choice might have worked out.
But pretty soon the plot thickens. It appears that the accident/attack which was the catalyst for their engagement and marriage is not an isolated incident. Now it seems that Mary is the target of these random attacks. They work together with the various members of the Cynster friends and family that we know and love from the author’s earlier books in the series to solve the mystery.
I enjoyed the book, even though it is a predictable ending. We also got to meet the next generation of Cynsters who are still in their teens or younger, so I suppose we’ll get to meet some of them all grown up in the author’s future books.
Grade: B
Summary:
The Honorable Miss Mary Cynster always gets what she wants. As the last unwed Cynster of her generation, she is determined to remain in charge of her life and of the man she will marry. At the very bottom of her list of potential husbands is Ryder Cavanaugh, the daring and devastating Marquess of Raventhorne, an overwhelming and utterly unmanageable lion of the ton. But destiny has a different plan.
Ryder needs Mary as his wife, not just because she is delightful, fiery, and tempting, but because he values all she could be. When fate and circumstance hand him the chance, he claims Mary as his marchioness…only to discover that what he truly desires is not just to take her hand in marriage, but to capture her heart.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
