The Untamed Bride (Black Cobra Quartet, #1)

My rating:

add to my books

The Untamed Bride (Black Cobra Quartet #1)

by Stephanie Laurens

3.73 · rating details · 878 ratings · 94 reviews

"New York Times" bestselling author Stephanie Laurens presents a brash, bold new series.

They're battle-hardened, sinfully wealthy, completely unstoppable--and "all" male: Four officers of the Crown, fighting against a deadly foe known only as the Black Cobra.

He is a man who has faced peril without flinching, determined to fight for king and country

...more

Mass Market Paperbound, 347 pages

Published November 1st 2009 by Avon Books (first published October 27th 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Best Romance Series

198th out of 212 books — 361 voters

Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey

The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Best Bodice Ripper Romances

181st out of 194 books — 183 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,498)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 01, 2012

Liza rated it

Shelves: e-book, romance

Hard to read if you're not familiar with Laurens' other series (Bastion Club and Cynster Family). I've read some of the Cynster novels, but not in a good fifteen years, and had no basis for the interplay between characters she treated with too much familiarity.

The plot itself was...okay...if you could get past the assumption that you already know half the characters. Also, many characters were superfluous, like she was dragging them out for a family reunion.

Oh, and I hated ...more

· see review

Sep 23, 2011

Peebs rated it

Shelves: borrowed

The first in a series of four novels that are connected to the Cinsters series.

This one deals with the first man in the Black Cobra Quartet. Five British officers in India are tasked with finding who is the leader of the Black Cobra which is terrorizing the populace. The officers after many months of surveillance are nowhere near figuring out who the leader is. One of them strikes gold when he intercepts/finds a letter signed by the leader, except that the letter was signed with his ow...more

· see review

Aug 07, 2010

Michelle rated it

Shelves: historicalfiction, romance

The Governor General of India, Marquess of Hastings, orders five soldiers (Colonel Derek “Del” Delborough, Major Gareth Hamilton, Captain Rafe Carstairs, Major Logan Monteith, and Captain James MacFarlane) in the East India Company to discover and dispatch the leader of a rebel cult, the Black Cobra. After nearly exhausting their search for proof of the identity of the Black Cobra, Captain MacFarlane discovers, almost by chance, the needed proof while escorting the Governor of Bombay’s niece. ...moreThe Governor General of India, Marquess of Hastings, orders five soldiers (Colonel Derek “Del” Delborough, Major Gareth Hamilton, Captain Rafe Carstairs, Major Logan Monteith, and Captain James MacFarlane) in the East India Company to discover and dispatch the leader of a rebel cult, the Black Cobra. After nearly exhausting their search for proof of the identity of the Black Cobra, Captain MacFarlane discovers, almost by chance, the needed proof while escorting the Governor of Bombay’s niece. While on their way, the cultists attack and Captain MacFarlane sacrifices himself in order to make sure the proof (a letter) gets to the right hands. He enlists the aid of the Governor’s niece who brings the proof to the remaining four officers. They then make copies of the letter and each set off on different paths to return to England with the proof of the Black Cobra’s identity.

Colonel Delborough is the first to leave with his copy of the letter. His route takes him directly to London. Once he arrives at the predisposed inn, he discovers that he has been saddled with escorting Deliah Duncannon to their hometown. While Del is trying to get out of his escort duty, the Black Cobra’s assassin strikes, but Deliah warns him in time. Since she has seen, and been seen in return by the assassin, Del decides to take Deliah with him. Del is surprised to discover that Deliah is quite the ally in his goal in catching the eye of the Black Cobra’s men. Not only are these two a good team in the field, but in the bedroom as well.

Since this is the first book in the series, there is some backstory to get through. Once the main character begins his journey, we are treated to a cookie-cutter plot, especially if you have read other novels by Laurens. The main characters are somewhat interesting and fleshed out, but at times become predictable. If you have read any of the Cynster or Bastian Club novels, then be prepared for the onslaught of visiting characters. Overall, a decent read with some action (both in and out of the bedroom) and some tender moments.(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Nov 15, 2009

Carol Kerry-green rated it

Shelves: historical-romance

Cue rant...

I've just finished reading Stephanie Laurens' new book - The Untamed Bride - book one in the Black Cobra series. I really enjoyed it, like the premise of four heroes each racing back to England with important information that must reach the Duke of Wolverstone (aka Daziel from the Bastion Club) aided by characters from the Bastion series and all of the Cynster cousins. Talk about putting all your apples in one cart! But it worked, mostly.

I don't know if it's j...moreCue rant...

I've just finished reading Stephanie Laurens' new book - The Untamed Bride - book one in the Black Cobra series. I really enjoyed it, like the premise of four heroes each racing back to England with important information that must reach the Duke of Wolverstone (aka Daziel from the Bastion Club) aided by characters from the Bastion series and all of the Cynster cousins. Talk about putting all your apples in one cart! But it worked, mostly.

I don't know if it's just me, but I do like historical accuracy in my Historical Romance novels, as in any other historical novel I read - and in this one, Laurens' for me, dropped a clanger. It probably won't mean much to the majority of readers of her books, or indeed to this review, but her main characters, Del Delborough and Deliah Duncannon both hail from an area known as the Wolds, he from Middleton on the Wolds, which is great I thought, it's not far from where I live! Then she dropped the clanger by consistenly saying it was in Humberside - all throughout the novel this jarred, and I admit if I hadn't have been enjoying the plot, I would have chucked the book away in disgust - it's sloppy research. Humberside as an administrative county only existed between the years of 1974 and 1996, until then and indeed afterwards it has always been in the East Riding of Yorkshire! In 1822, the year in which the novel is set, Humberside wasn't even used as a descriptive for the area around the Humber, it was either Yorkshire or for the south bank Lincolnshire! As I was reading the novel I then started to question the rest of the historical geographic information, so far haven't found any other clangers there.

I was reminded of the other time Laurens sloppy research annoyed me, it was in one of the Bastion books, and they were trying to find out who the bad guy was, they had a name but nothing else - so what did they do, but go to St Catherine House to search for his birth! No, no, no. This book was set in 1816, general registration in England didn't start until 1837 - before that births were only recorded if someone was baptised, and that information in 1816 would still be in the individual churches, so I can see whey Laurens did it - and St Catherine's House as the deposit for birth registrations didn't start until 1970, before then they were held at Somerset House on the Strand in London from 1837-1970. - Sorry, I'm a genealogist, so that misinformation really annoys me!!

I mean, I accept that for HR novels, the characters, usually members of the British Aristocracy are made up, the Dukes of St Ives and Wolverstone weren't real Dukedoms, and I accept that, they are fiction. But it's were historical accuracy is needed is around the period that the books are set in, so if a book is set in 1816 or whenever, then only those places that existed historically in 1816 etc. should be mentioned, etc.

Anyway, rant over!(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 24, 2011

Jody rated it

Shelves: library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Did not really think I would like this book to begin with with all the talk at the beginning kinda sounded like it was gonna be a military book all the way through. But eventually they bring in some of my all time favorite characters, the Cynsters.
Beginning in India, with a majorly evil man taking control, five men are selected to discover who he is and gather enough evidence to destroy him. Which is kinda hard considering that they believe him to be the heir of a VERY important man in Eng...more

· see review

Apr 09, 2011

Kasey rated it

Shelves: audiobook, library, period-pieces-historical-romances, men-in-uniform

This book wasn't hard to read and if I didn't think about it to much might have received more stars. It kept me entertained enough and I didn't dread picking it up again. I like Del and Deliah. She was strong willed and 29 far to old not to have married. She was a business woman and basically all around not the norm for a lady in her time. Del was suppose to be an 'alpha' male. He was controlling, sexual, and thrilled about Deliah's differences. Neither Del or Deliah are common for their ...more

· see review

Jun 20, 2010

Hazel rated it

· review of another edition

My sister used to collect Stephanie Laurens books, so I’ve read several of them. I remember the formula, and was interested to find that in this book she gathers together some half a dozen heroes from previous novels. In this book she tells us repeatedly that they’re identical, :-), so the profile of Laurens’ idealised man is clear. He’s tall and handsome, unsurprisingly rich. But he’s also extraordinarily commanding, an acknowledged leader among men; possessive and protective , but emotionally...moreMy sister used to collect Stephanie Laurens books, so I’ve read several of them. I remember the formula, and was interested to find that in this book she gathers together some half a dozen heroes from previous novels. In this book she tells us repeatedly that they’re identical, :-), so the profile of Laurens’ idealised man is clear. He’s tall and handsome, unsurprisingly rich. But he’s also extraordinarily commanding, an acknowledged leader among men; possessive and protective , but emotionally vulnerable towards his mate. He’s virile, sexually demanding and willing to indulge in a little bondage, but also a closely involved and attentive father, an early 19th century ‘new man’. He isn't described changing nappies, but that's about it. Laurens didn’t seem to think there’d be any tension at all in a houseful of these uber-alpha males. As for the women, naturally each is a raving beauty. They’re also intelligent, strong-willed and combative, so that their warrior-husbands have to conspire in order to keep them from joining in to fight the bad guys. More about that later.

I’ve spent more time than usual thinking about this novel, because in the Bodice Rippers, we’ve been considering romance novels and trying to understand their themes. This seems quite defferent to the other books we’ve read in the group. I think Laurens is technically superior to Emily Bryan and the Skye-writer. Her plot is rubbish, of course. No spoilers, but the mystery/adventure elements are very weak. The Black Cobra is a sinister criminal master-mind comic-strip villain (not comic-book:this is the kind of guy the Phantom would have gone after, seeking justice and swearing revenge), whose murderous thugs are wholly laughable. The ‘mystery’ serves just to provide contrived encounters which allow the hero to be victorious and masterful and the heroine to be feisty and spirited. Yawn. The rest of the characters are plastic, not an individual among them. But there are elements of interest here.

There’s more sex and each encounter lasts several pages. (Did I mention how virile the hero is?) But it’s all enthusiastically consensual; nothing like the disturbing rapefest we encountered in Skye O'Malley. One thing that strikes me about Laurens’ book is her focus on the hero’s point of view. We spend page after page on his ruminations, his examination of his physical and emotional reactions to the heroine, the development of his attachment to her. For a 19th century tough guy, his EQ is impressive. I’m also interested in Laurens' deliberate use of sex for communication. Her hero consciously sets out to woo and win his lady by making love to her, but also aims at some almost mystical communication of his deepest need for her. Somehow this non-verbal communication is remarkably clear, and they understand each other perfectly. So the idealised romantic couple are not just a good physical match, they are soulmates. Of course it’s all somewhat purple: ‘their wills met and merged in a clash of fire and passion’ etc.

Which brings me back to bondage. I’m no prude, but isn’t there something odd in a houseful of husbands conspiring each to distract his wife with a little S+M, and then simultaneously, to leave her tied-up in bed? I half-expected them to meet downstairs and throw the car-keys into a bowl. So, S+M and group sex. :-) How titillating. (less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Nov 14, 2009

Andrea rated it

Shelves: read-historical-romance

I like the Cynsters so I was glad that this book featured them and their wives. I like the idea of this book - a clandestine mission meant to stop "the Black Cobra" from massacring more and more people in India. I normally don't like series but I like how this one will probably all come together in the end.

HOWEVER - I did not like the way English imperialism was relayed in this book - all good, no bad. (I know, I know....English citizens from this timer period would undoub...more

· see review

Feb 22, 2010

(Kelly)~DemonLover~ Oakes rated it

Shelves: historical-romance

Okay, I must admit that this is the first Stephanie Laurens novel that I've ever read... and will NOT be the last.

I am not a big fan of the Historical Romance genre, but this book may have altered that point of view.

The Untamed Bride is set in India 1822. Our leading man, Colonel Derek Delborough, is what makes the pages turn at an alarming rate. Tall, dark and handsome, he is a commanding presence to those around him. One of four officers of the crown, he is now faced wi...more

· see review

Feb 09, 2010

Penny Watson rated it

The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens

After the disastrous final installment of The Bastion Club series (Mastered by Love), I was reluctant to dive into the new Laurens' series, The Black Cobra Quartet. I bought this book at the grocery store on a whim and figured....What the heck, I'll give Stephanie another chance!

Well, lo and behold, Stephanie Laurens got her mojo back! The suspense part of this book is absolutely riveting. I adored the prelude to this book, which take...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 15, 2011

taita rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: romance, fiction, historical-fiction, kindle, series, regency

I have never rolled my eyes or guffawed so many times in the course of reading a book. This book proved almost every prejudice and pet peeve I have about Romance novels - one word sentences strung repeatedly to convey emotion, improbable twists to the story, ridiculous reasons or awkward transitions to a love scene, superficial dialogue, detailed inner monologue, etc.

This is the first I've read by this author and I was pretty disappointed. It started out promising until the two m...more

· see review

Dec 29, 2011

Hope rated it

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance-novel

Lordy. Publishers choose titles and covers with marketing in mind, but this is why I get embarrassed walking through the romance section of a bookstore. I repeat a reassuring mantra to myself that I'm looking for urban fantasy novels, not bodice rippers, if my search for an author comes up empty on the sci fi/fantasy wall.

Then I got a Nook for Christmas to read e-book releases by my fave urban fantasy authors. And one of those authors, Carolyn Crane, enthusiastically recommends selec...more

· see review

Nov 24, 2011

AnEyeSpy rated it

Shelves: xrate

"The Untamed Bride" (Black Cobra 1/4) by Stephanie Laurens starts (March 1822) a new series about corrupt English aristocrats (funding Regency King George) who pillage villages in India. When the youngest of a group of elite Guard "soliders" (typo p11) is typically tortured and killed finding incriminating papers sealed with the villains' unique family ring, the remaining quartet split up with copies and head for home and Cynster support. A beguiling female entangles each in ...more

· see review

Jan 11, 2010

Emma Hillman rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Aug 12, 2009

Dara rated it

Shelves: signed-books, 2009-winnings, arc, historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Jan 05, 2011

Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it

Shelves: historical-romance, romance

*3-3.5 stars* I enjoyed this book. I found it at the library with a nice group of Stephanie Laurens books, I figured that I would give the author a try. I enjoyed the story line, this book is the first in a four book series, about 4 soldiers with a final mission, and each book is each soldier's story. This book was about Del, and Deliah. I liked the characters very much, but I felt that at times the romance was a bit forced, that may not be the correct word, but close enough I guess. I wil...more

· see review

Sep 08, 2011

Abi rated it

Shelves: re-read

I'm re-reading the whole Black Cobra Quartet, and I'm glad to say that I am. I'm actually reading it in chronological order this time, seeing as last time i started with the third book, followed by the second, the first, but at least i ended it right.

Also, this was my second Stephanie Laurens book, so while i was reading this, I had no idea who the Cynsters were and any of the Bastion Club men, all i knew about them was that they were all handsome, rugged and very dangerous. Either way...more

· see review

Mar 18, 2010

Mom rated it

Shelves: read-during-2010

It took awhile to get started, setting the background, but was good and included many characters from previous books.

They're battle-hardened, sinfully wealthy, completely unstoppable—and all male: Four officers of the Crown, fighting against a deadly foe known only as the Black Cobra.

He is a man who has faced peril without flinching, determined to fight for king and country.

She is a bold, beautiful woman with a scandalous past, destined to become an untamed ...more

· see review

Apr 05, 2010

Rachel rated it

Good enough to make me want to read on and backtrack through the Cynster books. Went on a bit long and in the last hour the heroine cast more secrets into her back story but never explained them. A little odd unless it's really laying groundwork for something else, but that doesn't feel right. Anyway, Laurens' characters, story and larger meta-plot are all fairly engaging it's her use of the language that occasionally, thus the former keeps me reading despite the cringes caused by the latter.
...more

· see review

Jan 13, 2012

Sara rated it

Shelves: historical, romance

An intriguing and entertaining first in a series of books about military men resigning their commissions in order to bring back evidence from India to convict and put a stop to a man who has been terrorizing the Indian people and stealing from Her Majesty's coffers. In this one, the first of 4 men hit England's shores, only to find himself encumbered by a female and her household. Thankfully, she's no shrinking violet and managed to get involved and save him as often as he saves her. Naturall...more

· see review

Jul 20, 2011

Shelly rated it

Shelves: audiobook-version, gives-great-cover-art, part-of-a-series, regency-victorian-era, reviewed, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I know, I know - 4 stars? But really, if you take this with a grain of salt and know what you're walking into, it really is a fun read, promise! Several reviewers have commented about how unrealistic this book is, or complained about how much use the author's thesaurus got (a lot!), but honestly, who doesn't love an occasional over-the-top, smack-you-in-the-face blatant fantasy set in historical regency era England-but-break-tons-of-rules romance? Before I read this, if I had read the reviews...moreI know, I know - 4 stars? But really, if you take this with a grain of salt and know what you're walking into, it really is a fun read, promise! Several reviewers have commented about how unrealistic this book is, or complained about how much use the author's thesaurus got (a lot!), but honestly, who doesn't love an occasional over-the-top, smack-you-in-the-face blatant fantasy set in historical regency era England-but-break-tons-of-rules romance? Before I read this, if I had read the reviews first, I would have avoided this like the plague. I despise rule breakers. Well, really I like them, but they still have to fit in with the strict society. Maybe rule breakers is the wrong word. I think I really like rule benders, yes, that's the ticket! I adore characters who are not afraid to be themselves, rules be damned, but can still succeed in society. Weird, I realize this, but it's my quirk and I like it! And it's a very fine line to walk in Regency, too much and you get a book like this, not enough and it's not interesting to me. What can I say - I'm a tough customer!

I do have to admit I was really surprised I like this as much as I did. Really, you have to throw out a ton of rules, well almost all of them! But this series has a lot to offer, and if you like adventure, action, sword fighting, espionage, hot steamy sex and lots of it, alpha males, spitfire headstrong females all of which is set in Regency England but really doesn't follow the rules well, you'll probably enjoy this. I think it's the action and sword fighting for me that does it. I love the swash-buckling, good vs. evil, save the damsel in distress types. Except the damsels in this book aren't the fainting fillies of the ton, they are all unique and have never fit in with the strict society. Kinda like I would expect to feel if I had been born in this era. That is another point that this book has in it's favor. Who here hasn't read a Regency and thought, 'Thank my lucky stars I don't have to put up with the ton!' This snobby society intrigues me, in the way that the 'popular' crowd in high school always did. I wanted to be part of them, but be myself, which would never fly. I was too independent, too free with my own thoughts, going my own way, so while I was friends with some of the popular kids, I never was in on the whole clique. But a small part of me always wanted to be included. The heroine in this book, Deliah, feels the same way. She's her own person, but feels left out because she doesn't fit anywhere. It's totally possible to be happy with who you are and still feel lonely, and Deliah represents this very well. Granted, she is a little too modern for her times, but she's a great heroine, and I love that she gives Del her opinions freely and doesn't feel she needs to defer to him, in fact wants and demands to be treated as an equal. Great, but not really realistic for a Regency.

Del is a different sort of fish as well. Like I said earlier, I really dig the alpha-swashbuckling-sword fighting male, and a man in uniform, or in this case, a former soldier - well, now you're just smashing all my buttons! I would say this is a fantasy of mine, and probably why I love my husband so much, former Army Ranger, over protective, but still lets me be my own person, *le sigh.* Anyways, lol, not only is he the ultimate man, but he's not afraid to show his emotions, and doesn't fight them at every turn. When he realizes he loves Deliah and wants to be with her forever, he's not afraid to show those emotions. And I can tell you, these men really do exist - I know, I married one! Now, as for if this fits in a Regency, I can't say, as not many stories revolve around the soldiers during this time. Almost all are of the aristocracy, so this is new to me. As much as I love a story about the rakehell Viscount and the Earl who is a rogue, they were not the only people in existence during the Regency, just the top of the food chain. But I enjoyed Del because he wasn't a lord anything, just a soldier who wanted to protect his country and the country he served in from evil. What's so wrong with that?

The storyline of the Black Cobra is interesting to me as well, I really do enjoy the good vs. evil theme, and this works for me. I've read this series already before, so I know how it ends, and now I'm listening intently to the audio book trying to see if I can see the surprise coming. So far, the audio is throwing it off, if you've read the series, try listening to the audio, and you'll know what I mean. The voice for the Black Cobra is all wrong. That's all I'll say, so as not to spoil the surprise for others! But the audio is great, Simon Prebble is awesome. I could listen to him talk all day long!

Be open minded and loose with the rules if you read this and you'll have a great time. If you can't forgive a few inaccuracies or it would bother you too much, then you probably won't enjoy this, but you'll never know if you don't try!!(less)

· see review

Jan 30, 2012

Rowena rated it

Shelves: romance, for-review, historical

This is the first book in the Black Cobra Quartet. Stephanie Laurens got really creative when she outlined this series because I love the idea surrounding this group of books. The prologue sets up the entire series. It puts into motion what will happen in the coming books and I am much too excited about it.

You see, the book starts out with five soldiers of the crown thrown together on a mission to hunt and bring down a monster of a villain. This villain is such a huge monster that it t...moreThis is the first book in the Black Cobra Quartet. Stephanie Laurens got really creative when she outlined this series because I love the idea surrounding this group of books. The prologue sets up the entire series. It puts into motion what will happen in the coming books and I am much too excited about it.

You see, the book starts out with five soldiers of the crown thrown together on a mission to hunt and bring down a monster of a villain. This villain is such a huge monster that it takes creative thinking to bring him down. Lots of strategic planning went into play here and I loved that Laurens brought in other war veterans to help out with this particular mission. It was great to see characters from the other series play a role in this story without stealing Del and Deliah's thunder. It was good to see all of the series come together to bring down the big beastly monster.

The thing that makes this series unique is that each book in this series will be taking place at the same time, fighting the same fight but in different places. You see, the story starts in India and one of the five soldiers is killed and the remaining soldiers come together to avenge his death and to fulfill their mission. The strategic planning that I mentioned a little bit ago comes into effect when they get the evidence they need to bring this monster down. With help from Dalziel, they come up with a plan to bring the evidence back safely to England and into the right hands. This mission is a whole lot more complicated than just merely protecting a document and bringing it safely home. The villain has an army to do his bidding and so four guys taking on an army just won't work. They have to split up and they all have to take a different route home with either a copy of the evidence or the original evidence package. Nobody will know who has the original package but the person who draws it and they will all meet back home in England, hopefully in one piece to begin the second part of their plan. Bring the Black Cobra down.

This book follows Derek "Del" Delborough as he makes his way to England. Along the way, he becomes entangled with a spirited young lady who won't stay where she's supposed to stay and just won't flat out listen. They encounter numerous attempts on Del's life and they just keep right on fighting the good fight. Together. I enjoyed getting to know these two and I thought that they were well suited for each other even though Deliah got on my nerves some of the time, I didn't hate her. Not at all. She was head strong but she wasn't TSTL. She knew what she was capable of and she ended being a huge help to Del. She was smart and she was capable. I liked her.

Del was a solid, strong hero. One that I had no trouble following along with. He is a great leader and though I loved him, I can tell that I'm going to fall in love with one of the others just a little more. I'm mighty intrigued by Rafe, the hot headed one. Although I'm looking forward to getting to know both Gareth and Logan. I'm really excited for the rest of the series to play out and I think that Stephanie Laurens did a fantastic job with the start of this series. Del and Deliah's story was very entertaining and with the addition of the Cynsters and the Bastion Club, I think fans of Stephanie Laurens will not be disappionted.(less)

· see review

May 10, 2011

Luvmyfamily rated it

(3/2/11) - couldn't take it. i had to put it down. the author is very descriptive, drawing the books out by describing everything! I have managed to find many reasons to put the book down (mostly to wake myself up). but my house is clean... I think I will pick the book up again eventually so I'll put it back on my "to read" list but it might be a while before that happens.

(5/10/11) - SO! I finally finished the book. The story is very interesting and has such potential. The ...more

· see review

May 03, 2011

Jessi rated it

Shelves: audiobook, appealing-characteristic-character, historical, romance

I wonder if I would have liked this as a "reading" book. It was a little long in parts but I made it through. (Later note: Just re-read as a book. It was a little easier to get through, mostly because I could skim through the boring parts, but there were still a lot of parts that were a little boring.)
Colonel Delborough (Del) is part of an elite group of officers who are battling a cult known as the Black Cobra. This cult has been very brutal in trying to take over India and he is...more

· see review

Jan 23, 2010

Robin (RBBR) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: author-stephanie-laurens

This is the first book in a set of books which can be considered a spin off of Laurens Cynster and Bastion Club Series. The four heroes in each of the books served with the Cynsters cousins but stayed in the military after the war with France was over. The Cynsters left service and returned home after Waterloo. The four heroes are serving in India and having become and elite force of sorts they are on special assignment to discover who the Black Cobra is. A cult has formed and they not only stea...more

· see review

Jul 09, 2010

Mojca rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bodyguard-military-merc-gov-cop-leo, e-book, stephanie-laurens, part-of-a-series, series-black-cobra-quartet, historical-romance, own, monthly-challenge-read-july, read-the-month-challenge-july, once-and-never-again, hb, bitchslapable-heroine

A villain and cult-leader named Black Cobra is terrorizing early 19th century India. Five English officers are appointed to finding out who the man is and bring his reign of terror to an end. It turns out he’s also English, a member of the East India Company, but the five have no way of proving it.

Month later, one of them is killed, providing irrefutable proof of the Englishman’s wrongdoing and the four remaining are tasked with getting the proof, a letter, back to homeland. Three co...moreA villain and cult-leader named Black Cobra is terrorizing early 19th century India. Five English officers are appointed to finding out who the man is and bring his reign of terror to an end. It turns out he’s also English, a member of the East India Company, but the five have no way of proving it.

Month later, one of them is killed, providing irrefutable proof of the Englishman’s wrongdoing and the four remaining are tasked with getting the proof, a letter, back to homeland. Three copies are made and the four embark on their long journeys home, each via different route…

This is the story of their “commander” Colonel Derek “Del” Delborough. He takes the sea route to Southampton where he encounters an unpleasant surprise in the form of Miss Deliah Duncannon, who he’s charged with escorting home. He has all intentions of leaving her to her own devises when she saves his life, sees his attacker, and Del has no choice but take her with him…

I have a few of Stephanie Laurens’ books in my library and I remember trying to read one back in the day, but didn’t get past the first few chapters. I thought maybe it was a fluke, so, since I love espionage story set in the regency/Victorian era (thank you, Celeste Bradley), I decided to buy this one and its sequel…Well, my inability to read that first book long ago wasn’t a fluke. I simply don’t like Ms. Laurens’ narrative style.

The pacing was extremely slow, there was too much tell and not enough tell, I simply couldn’t relate to the characters, Del was too introverted for my taste, Deliah was an utter pain in the rear-end, I didn’t see the attraction between them, the bedroom scenes were cold, detached and clinical, and even the hope that the suspense would compensate for everything else, quickly dwindled. Ms. Laurens apparently realized she was writing a suspense historical only toward the end, and she tried to liven up the plot by inserting an action scene, but it was too late and frankly, the “action” was boring.

This would’ve ended as an DNF if I didn’t have the second book in the series to read for the same challenge as this one…Yup, it will be a challenge. 1 ½ stars(less)

like 3 likes

· see review

Mar 20, 2011

Jessica rated it

Shelves: mushy-squishy-romantic-stuff

If you've read any of my reviews for Laurens, you know they are not usuallly kind. However, this book was better than I expected... I put off reading it for over a year, after all. I do not like mysteries, especially ones that some authors feel the must include in a squishy book, but this one was brisk, easy to decipher and not so frightfully boring as others I have read. Also the character of Deliah was likable and understanding, not some obnoxious cipher who had to pretend to be stubborn and i...more

· see review

Mar 11, 2010

Debbie rated it

Recommended to Debbie by: http://thebookbinge.com/2009/10/book-wat...

I enjoyed both Laurens Cynster books and her Bastion Club series so I was excited to see that she had come out with a new series. From what we see of all four officers at the beginning of the book I think this should make for a sexy and fun series. This book focuses on the leader of the group of officers, Colonel Derek Delborough. Each of the officers are carrying back to England what could be vital evidence on the identity of the leader of the Black Cobra. On his journey back Delborough fin...more

· see review

Jul 05, 2011

Dana Alma rated it

Intriguing! Adventurous! Artful! Although not a Cynster novel, it has a few of our favorites all back for a visit. I loved the heroine, she was bold and sassy and you just got to love that! Being a huge fan of the Cynster series, I wanted more from this new series. It was a good book and of course well written. I plan on reading the next book in the series before summer is out! Ms. Laurens as always brings to the table a cleverly plotted story that will reel you in.

· see review

Feb 18, 2011

Megan rated it

Shelves: books-read-in-2011, listened-to-in-2011

It's like a copy/paste job from any Cynster, Bastion Club book.

Take your typical Laurens domineering arrogant hero who meets, decides he must have, and campaigns to make his, fiesty independent heroine. There are even scenes where the Cynster ladies and Cynster/Bastion males separately congregate and note not only how well their wives/spouses are such good photocopies of each other, but also how they all behave the same!

Bottom line: if you've read any one of them, you've...more

like 1 like

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 49 50 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
I won a Galley of this!	2	8	Jan 21, 2012 09:17am

combine
Other Editions (11)

More editions...

Genres

Romance

97 users

Romance > Historical Romance

82 users

Regency

15 users

Historical Fiction

8 users

Historical Romance > Regency Romance

3 users

Cultural > India

3 users

Adult Fiction

2 users

Romance > Romantic Suspense

2 users

Adventure

2 users

Mystery

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Stephanie Laurens

Stephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Laurens and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.

Once in London,...more

More about Stephanie Laurens...

Books by Stephanie Laurens

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About The Untamed Bride

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Groups That Shelved The Untamed Bride

Romance Readers Reading C...

4393 members

last activity 8 minutes ago

shelf: read

Aussie Readers

1630 members

last activity 1 hour, 23 min ago

shelf: read

Book Buying Addicts Anony...

2267 members

last activity 2 hours, 47 min ago

shelf: to-read

title link	preview: The Untamed Bride
avg rating	preview: The Untamed Bride Goodreads rating: 3.73 (878 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6275437-the-untamed-bride?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1249865125m/6275437.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6275437-the-untamed-bride?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens[/url]

The Untamed Bride (Black Cobra Quartet #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website