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Devil's Bride

(Cynster #1)

Stephanie Laurens (Goodreads Author)

4.09 · Rating details · 18,470 ratings · 1,156 reviews

Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1

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 town 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 Eng ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 388 pages

Published March 1st 1998 by Avon

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Mar 21, 2012 Blacky *Romance Addict* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, read-historical, best-of-the-best, my-fav-covers, read-2011, favorite-historical, he-is-mine, review, read-2013, bestest-of-the-best

Framing her jaw, Devil lifted her face, looked down on pale cheeks, at eyes awash with tears, then he bent his head and kissed her set lips. "You'll never lose me," he whispered. "I'll never leave you."

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One of my favorite historicals

This is the introduction to the Cynster family (and what a family it is

). I was actually re-reading this one, so it was kind of funny to see all those men and women who'll get their own books :) Most of the time, I was like: Oh look, that's Vane, I love ...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Ilana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

This is sort of how the plot of this book went:

- *Random person dies*
- "You are going to marry me."
- "There is no way I am going to marry you, so get away from me!"
- "I am going to MAKE you marry me." (Hotness inserted here)
- "Er, wtf? Back off!"
- "Ooh, I smell a challenge." >:) *begin seduction tactics* (Insert make-out scenes)
- "Are you going to marry me?"
- "Nuh-uh, I am going to go to Egypt!"
- "What about now?" *making-out, etc.*
- ...Oh wow, maybe I will just have sex with this guy and then l ...more

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Jul 24, 2009 Sarah MacLean rated it it was amazing

i love devil with an intensity that terrifies my husband. i can't help it. ...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Wicked Incognito Now rated it it was ok

Shelves: dnf-super-totally-awful

I thoroughly enjoyed the first quarter of this book. I was thinking "yes! I'm gonna love this" but it, disappointingly, fell apart for me afterwards.

In the beginning, we meet the sensible, governess heroine. She comes upon a mortally wounded young man on a dark woods road. Later, our hero arrives, and they work together to try to help the young man. After POV switches to our hero, we are immediately treated to his insight that he has just met his future wife. I LOVED THAT!!! No pussy-footing aro I thoroughly enjoyed the first quarter of this book. I was thinking "yes! I'm gonna love this" but it, disappointingly, fell apart for me afterwards.

In the beginning, we meet the sensible, governess heroine. She comes upon a mortally wounded young man on a dark woods road. Later, our hero arrives, and they work together to try to help the young man. After POV switches to our hero, we are immediately treated to his insight that he has just met his future wife. I LOVED THAT!!! No pussy-footing around. This man found what he had been looking for. And then he immediately sets about informing her and everyone else of that fact. Very intriguing and hot. But that didn't last long. I eventually had enough of this alpha hero's dictates and high-handedness. I came to the conclusion that the heroine needed to deny his @$$ just no-one should be that sure themselves. Of course, he was a great catch, and the heroine did not cut off her nose to spite her face, she eventually realized marrying him would be a good thing. That's where the sizzle, and romantic tension ended. Not even halfway through the book.

And then.....sigh.....the BIG MURDER MYSTERY. It was no mystery at all. I knew who "done it" within the first few pages. I was then left with the excurciating task of reading about the h/h trying to figure out whodunnit through the whole book. ARGH. I hate these suspense storylines messing up a good romance.

So, the romantic tension has fizzled, the suspense/mystery is non-intriguing....what's left to read about? Not much. There were a multitude of sex scenes left. Which, lets face it, I LOVE the sex scenes in romance novels. But with these I was SKIPPING PAGES. I never do that. But these scenes were long and boring, filled with flowery metaphors that just went on and on and on......

Example: "She felt him within her and accepted him eagerly, taking him in, both possessed and possessing. The sunburst rose and drew rapidly nearer; their bodies strove, racing to their fate. Then it was upon them. It caught them in its heat, in its unquenchable delight, in sensation so exquisite she screamed. She clutched him tightly and he was with her. Locked together, they soared, gasped, then fractured--into a selfless void of aching peace beyond the reach of human senses."

And again..."As usual, she was rushing--he set himself to slow her down, bringing her to that plane where she could appreciate his expertise, savor all he could give her, rather than fly headlong to her fate. He repeated his caresses, again and again, until she grew familiar with each new sensation. Her breathing slowed, deepened; he body softened beneath his hands. She moaned softly and twisted in his hold, but she no longer fought him; she floated, senses alive to each explicit caress, recpetive to the pleasures he wished her to know. Only then, deploying every ounce of his considerable expertise, did he open the door and introduce her to all that might be."

It goes on like that page after page but with nothing really TANGIBLE to hang onto. Just these airy references to flying, fracturing, soaring, just so much blah blah!!!

"again and again she rose to the heavens; again and again, he drew her back."

Oh get on with it already!!!! JEEZ

So, I stopped reading about 2/3 of the way through. But I did skim the ending just to make sure I was right about the killer....I was.

...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Daniella rated it did not like it

Reading Devil's Bride was a very confusing experience. I usually have good instincts when it comes to stories; I can normally sense, even early on, whether I'll end up liking or disliking it. But this book just totally floored me. I was so, so sure that I'll end up giving this a 4 or 5 star rating, but I was wrong. Issues with the book just kept on piling up the more I read it, and at the end, they were far too much to ignore.

The said issues are as follows:

First, the writing style was unbalance ...more

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Mar 27, 2008 K rated it did not like it

Recommended to K by: All About Romance Top 100 list

Shelves: romance

What? This book is apparently a favorite of many romance readers, but I didn't get the appeal. Sentence structure was definitely more sophisticated than most, but character development was not believable (even by romance novel standards). Disappointingly, it is not titled Devil's Bride because it is about the bride of Satan, Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, lord of hell and all evil, but the bride of some jerk with "Devil" as an improbable nickname. The mystery was ridiculously obvious even as i ...more

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Oct 18, 2019 Mindy Lou's Book Review rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hist-romance, my-kind-of-alpha, protective-alpha, jealous-possessive, 2019

Enjoyable read!

This was quite the enjoyable read. We get my favorite with a hero who decides from the start that the heroine will belong to him, and proceeds to pursue her until he gets her.

We also get a heroine who made him work for it, while still being a very like-able character. She’s very stubborn and just when it started to get too much, she acknowledges her feelings for him.

There is also an exciting storyline that involves a “who done it” mystery. It did seem obvious, but I still enjoyed ...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Lisa Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, m-audible-dot-com, authors-s, re-read-for-comfort, xyzcover-flower, buddy-read-rlftci, genre-romance-regency, setting-england, reviewed-by-me, re-read-via-audio

English woodsman’s cottage

★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) When someone wanted to do a “buddy read” (which you know I can’t resist!) of this one, I decided I’d listen this time, even though I’m not a big fan of Simon Prebble’s. (I just couldn’t get into an older man reading the love scenes to me. However, now that I’m older, he isn’t so bad. LOL!) Nevertheless, Mr. Prebble does an admirable job of this one. The old biddies of the ton are hilarious and the duke is sufficiently arrogant. I definitely got caught up in his telling me the story again.

Why do I love this book so much? I read it at least once a year. **sigh** I think it is because I’m definitely one of ‘those’ readers. You know the kind that the marketing people just adore – who loves a duke in the story! I also love books with “bride” in the title. Combine these two, and my book budget is shot to hell.

This is the first book in Ms. Laurens’ Cynster series and it is one of the best, IMHO. The 6th Duke of St. Ives, Sylvester “Devil” Cynster is the leader of this notorious pack of handsome, aristocratic rakes. He certainly is the one with the most sense of entitlement and he feels entitled to Miss Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Wetherby, finishing governess extraordinaire. Caught in a compromising position, these two have a battle of the wills when Devil decides she’d make a perfect duchess for him.

Ms. Laurens wastes no time getting these two together in a plausible set-up, which also provides a nice little mystery. Not a great mystery, mind you; but, a nice one, that leads us in the right direction all along. She’s not trying to trick the reader; it is a romance, after all. I love that Honoria puts herself right in the thick of the investigation.

However, I love the romance, too! Devil thinks he has his feelings all under control, but he’s in for as much of a surprise as Honoria. The love scenes are pretty hot, especially if you haven’t read the other books. (Alas, this author does tend to repeat the same phrases in her other books.) She also has a couple of funny scenes that still make me smile. (view spoiler)

I also zipped through all the rest of this series (before it broke off into the Cysters Sisters Trilogy), back when I first discovered this author and “OD’d” on this storyline. Still, this one holds up for me, along with several others. Mr. Prebble narrates a few in this series, but not all. I’ll probably be very bad and purchase a few more.

...more

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Jun 25, 2013 Addie H rated it it was ok

Shelves: zl-marriage-of-convenience, za-wallflower-spinster, zz-rereadfavs, h-rom-regency, ze-enemies-to-lovers, 4-word

I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 62 on my shelf (and counting). This is book 43.

(Tropes: Spinster/Wallflower, Marriage of Convenience, Enemies to Lovers)

This is how my 43rd re-read held up.

description

Ugh, this did not hold up.

She repeatedly says no to his kisses, he forces himself on her anyway by grabbing and kissing her until she “succumbs” to passion. She repeatedly tells him she won’t marry him, and he repeatedly ignores her.

It’s meant to be cute?

description

I won’t argue that Devi ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it liked it · review of another edition

I wish I could rate this higher. Unfortunately, my tolerance for characters who refuse to communicate, are constantly making (incorrect) assumptions, and being standoffish for no real reason...is abysmally low. I liked Devil. I liked that he was quiet and decisive and in charge, and that he knew almost from the moment he met Honoria that he was going to marry her. That was extremely refreshing. No shilly-shallying from this hero. Regrettably, since the hero is so amenable to the match, the autho ...more

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May 15, 2008 Eastofoz rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Readers who enjoy books like Brenda Joyce's "The Conqueror"

Recommended to Eastofoz by: Julie (jjmachshev)

Shelves: 2010, historical-regency

I love the alpha/gamma hero who’s all Mr I’m in Charge with his swagger and hotness, his nothing-stands-in-my-wayness, basically his total babe-ness BUT he has to have some depth to him unlike the hero of this novel, Sylvester “Devil” Cynster. The guy is as flat as brown cardboard and never really develops into anything else. This story just didn’t work for me because I didn’t like the jerk alpha who needed a good shaking for a wakeup call.

The story grabs your attention relatively well from the I love the alpha/gamma hero who’s all Mr I’m in Charge with his swagger and hotness, his nothing-stands-in-my-wayness, basically his total babe-ness BUT he has to have some depth to him unlike the hero of this novel, Sylvester “Devil” Cynster. The guy is as flat as brown cardboard and never really develops into anything else. This story just didn’t work for me because I didn’t like the jerk alpha who needed a good shaking for a wakeup call.

The story grabs your attention relatively well from the start with the heroine Honoria (what a horrible name,) the drab governess, and Devil crossing paths where a crime has been committed. They stay together in the same house unchaperoned and of course that could get the ton’s tongues wagging so he decides he’s going to marry her –she decides otherwise. His pursuit of her is more of a I’m going to wear you down kind of thing and she does the cat and mouse thing on her end. She waivers too much –can’t say much more without giving spoilers here. So it sounds good and it could’ve been what with the hot sex (despite the fact that the first real scene was sooooo loooonng it became tedious), tension building and generally good romance but there’s the arrogance of the hero that just never lets up and the stupid crime that needs to be solved by the Cynster clan –seemed like the regency version of the mafia which could work but just didn’t here. Devil reminds me of Brad Pitt in the way that he looks good but he has very limited dialog scenes so his character is never really fleshed out. I hate when the hero barely says anything apart from a few monosyllabic quips, barking out orders, acting like he’s so hot that the sun couldn’t possibly shine without him or is way too cocky in bed. A hero should have some weak spot or uncertainty in him that only the heroine knows about otherwise he’s just irritating (sort of like some of Lora Leigh's contemporary heroes --**shudder shudder look of horror on the face**).

The writing style could’ve used some editing in places. Laurens is comma/semi-colon happy which makes reading awkward and overdramatizes scenes. It's similar to those authors that go crazy with the exclamation mark. It just takes away from the story when it’s not a smooth read because the punctuation is messed. It’s also very heavy on the narration in some parts bogging down the pages and inciting the reader to skim. Lots of telling here and not much showing unfortunately. The heroine is always, always, always described as “regal” –yeah okay we got it after the 206th time :-/ Towards the end of the book she comes across as a stuck up snob looking down her nose at everyone –sort of like the rest of the Cynster clan really –(*eye rolling time*) get a grip people. The epilogue was good which was what saved the book a bit for me but overall it’s not a novel I’d recommend.

What a relief that I didn’t care for this one much, the series is huge ;) 3.5 stars and my shelves are creaking out a “thank you!”
...more

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Dec 02, 2019 Carvanz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: alpha, favorite-hero, mysteryish, growly-hero, hero-is-controlling, historical, jealous-possessive, male-pov, safety-hmm, mild-angst

Audiobook: Narrator - Simon Prebble

I was a little concerned about this narrator doing both male and female voices but was pleasantly surprised at how well he did and how much I enjoyed it. The voices of not only the hero and heroine were distinctive, but so were many of the secondary characters.

I’ve had this one in my sights for years but never made a conscious effort to dig in until a good book friend recommended it to me. The kindle price was way out of my budget and it was going to be over 6 ...more

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Oct 30, 2008 Holly rated it really liked it

Shelves: stephanie-laurens

*gasp* Where's my "I love you?" I never realized how important this was until I finished this book and realized our hero never says it to his heroine. I even went back and skimmed through the book again, sure I had missed it. Grrrr.

Besides that, this was a really good book. I enjoyed it, immensely. Devil was adorable, with his puffed up sense of importance, and Honoria was exactly the type of no nonsense woman he needed to keep him in line. These two have quite a love affair and the fact that i *gasp* Where's my "I love you?" I never realized how important this was until I finished this book and realized our hero never says it to his heroine. I even went back and skimmed through the book again, sure I had missed it. Grrrr.

Besides that, this was a really good book. I enjoyed it, immensely. Devil was adorable, with his puffed up sense of importance, and Honoria was exactly the type of no nonsense woman he needed to keep him in line. These two have quite a love affair and the fact that it had plenty of sexy love scenes was just icing on the cake. The book starts out with a bang, with the murder of Devil's cousin which Honoria happened to come across right at the end. This forces our hero and heroine to spend the night together and of course the following morning everyone thinks they have been caught in flagrante delicto. Devil then proceeds to inform everyone that he will be marrying Miss Honoria as soon as his period of mourning for his cousin is over. Honoria is quite adamant that they will not be marrying but with the sort of suave manipulations that Devil has been using all his life, he soon manuevers her right where he wants her. Into his arms and into his bed.

Their lovemaking was just so much fun! I loved how Devil wanted a clear and concise declaration from Honoria that she was accepting his suit before he allowed her to seduce him. I laughed when he said that, then kicked her out of his bedroom. Priceless.

The plot involving the entire Cynster family was at first pretty intricate but it quickly turns into a tried and true battle over title and money. Stephanie Laurens threw in enough twists and turns to make it fresh and interesting, though, and the villain was dastardly enough to make it all worthwhile.

This was my first Cynster book and I enjoyed it all so much. I loved all the new characters, especially all the Cynster men and I am looking forward to reading more and testing out their invincibility complex once all these delicious men find their own ladies. All the men seem to have their own sense of personality and flair and they all seemed so mysterious and intriguing. It was extremely enjoyable reading about the scion of this proud and noble family, Devil Cynster, and how he fell so hard and fast for Honoria. While he may never say, "I love you," it was plain as day he did, so it wasn't too bad. There is a scene when he thinks Honoria has betrayed him and his cold anger and jealousy was thrilling and shiver inducing and believable as only a man in love could be. I can't wait to read more. ...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Jacob Proffitt rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, steamy, audiobook, unfinished

This book rather depends on you suspending disbelief a lot in order to enjoy it. The mystery isn't really much of one (I don't think, I didn't actually get to the reveal, but you can practically hear a villain theme song start up anytime a particular character enters a scene and since the rest of the book isn't exactly subtle, I doubt it's being coy here). And the main characters take turns being kind of stupid. And the steam level is way past my preferences. I'm going to chalk this one up to a ...more

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Oct 24, 2018 Sammy Loves Books rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library-audio, do-me-baby, bad-ass-heroine, her-eggo-is-prego, favorites, historical-romance, virgins-like-sex-too

5.0 "Why am I just discovering this Gem" Stars
I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Devil Cynster.

"I’m not a gentleman, I’m a nobleman, a distinction I suspect you understand very well."

Devil

Devil has a reputation as a rake and seducer of women. He's a no nonsense, tyrant who's use to getting his way in all things! Devil is an unmovable force, feared and respected by the ton and he has just met the woman he wants to marry. Fate won't make it easy for him.

"You like my kisses - and I like k ...more

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May 03, 2012 Patricia rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf, romance, historical

I was excited when I found this at the library's used book sale because it had been praised so highly by people whose opinion I respect. "What a steal!" I thought. After trying to read it, though, I felt the $0.50 sale price was a waste of quarters. The book got off to a good start, with a smart, independent heroine who had unconventional but well-planned ambitions and could keep her cool in a difficult situation. The book rapidly went downhill, though. The story is supposed to be built around a ...more

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Nov 17, 2009 FlibBityFLooB rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: witty-i-am-not, read-in-2010, era-regency-pre-victorian, historical, zzauthor-laurens-stephanie

Some thoughts on this novel...

1) The mystery was very thinly veiled. I figured out who the murderer was with no issue.

2) I have never heard of an orangery that contains a daybed and full length mirror. However, for the horny Cynster family, it seemed very appropriate! ;)

3) I still can't get over the nicknames of all the Cynster cousins. Who would chose to call themself "LUCIFER"!?!??!?!

4) I can see why the book Beyond Heaving Bosoms The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels called this series " ...more

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Jun 12, 2016 ~Nichole~ Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2-reviewed-on-amazon, 1st-in-series, 1-perfect-alpha-never-wavers, 1-safe-no-cheating-no-ow-om, 1-historical, 1-faithful-from-the-start, 1-heroine-is-a-virgin, 1-pregnancy, 2-no-separations, 1-lots-of-past-sex-references-for-h

Very different from what I'm used to. Reminds me a lot of books I read about 20 yrs ago. Devil was so serious yet at times I just laughed at how he tried to tame Honoria. Lots of suspense and the passion was beautiful. Very sexy historical romance. ...more

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Dec 26, 2015 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: governess-companion-housekeeper, mystery, virgin-heroines, historical-romance, regency, fated-mates, pregnancy, reformed-rake

Devil's Bride
4 Stars

Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Wetherby (quite a mouthful, isn’t it?) is just settling in to her new governess position when she inadvertently stumbles upon a dying man. To confound matters, the victim’s cousin soon puts in an appearance and the two spend the night together in a cottage. The problems begin the next morning when Honoria’s reputation is place in jeopardy and her companion turns out the be none other than Sylvester “Devil” Cynster, 6th Duke of Ives. So begins the u ...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Susan (susayq ~) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, historical-romance, 1st-in-series, ebooks, 2012books, re-read, 2011books

July 13,2012 - just finished rereading this and I loved it as much as the first time!

I LOVE DEVIL! In case you couldn't understand that cause I was yelling, let me say it in a calmer voice...I LOVE DEVIL! Sorry, I just can't help the way I feel and I need to express it appropriately.

Devil Cynster is arrogant, overbearing, possessive, and HOT. He meets Honoria and immediately knows he'll marry her, even though he's claimed he wouldn't marry. Honoria is in her own right just as arrogant and posse ...more

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Jun 15, 2014 Vintage rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adventure, alpha, charming, h-i-would-trade-my-husband-for, nicely-done, chemical-reaction, danger-will-robinson, honor, spine-of-steel, virgin

The gold standard Regency and the Stephanie Laurens' Cynster romance that sets the bar for all the rest.

Honoria is a strong minded heroine that the Devil has to convince to marry for a nice change of pace. A romantic ideal to the max, he uses any and all weapons including sexual seduction to woo Honoria.

A plethora of hunky brothers and cousins are set to roll out the series.

Beware, the rest are more or less pale imitations of Devil and Honoria in that the heroes are the ones doing the convinci ...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Anne rated it really liked it

Shelves: trashy-romance-novel, read-in-2011

This book had its issues. No I love you from the hero, she gave up on her dreams of travel pretty quickly (although, to be honest, I had to agree with Devil and her brother...waaaay too dangerous by herself), and I figured out the whodunit without breaking a sweat.
Still, it was a thoroughly enjoyable romance between Honoria and Devil. It was just what I needed to pull me out of my slump!

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Jan 14, 2010 Christine rated it it was ok

I've read a few book by Stephanie Laurens now and while at first I enjoyed them, I now find myself pretty fed up. It's amazing that no matter how many books she writes, no matter how many different characters she dreams up, they all make the exact same decisions. It's uncanny. It would be as if we were reading about the same people over and over again except that in trying to come up with subtly different pasts, what actually happens is that in some books the decisions they make are more logical ...more

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Jul 09, 2017 Gi's Spot Reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: amazing-hero, amazing-heroine, obsessed-hero, no-cheating, manwhore-hero, possessive-hero, insta-lust-love, 1-safe-no-cheating-no-ow-om, elements-i-didnt-like, protective-hero

3.5 'Devilish' Stars

Yes, I gave this series a try, since one of my fav authors raved to me so much about it. Devil really was a fantastic H - apart from his constant emphasis on his über experience in all matters sexual - and Honoria as a strong and sassy h. Overall was a great read, but it was always tainted, like I expected, by his father's actions in the past (since supposedly all family men are loyal, and even the motto is even 'To have and to hold'), and then they all - specially his mother ...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Susanne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Susanne by: Blacky *Romance Addict*

Shelves: genre-historical-romance

Historical romance. 4 stars.

Some books inspires you to write amazing reviews and some books just leaves you with nothing to say. This book falls for me in the latter category. I liked it and I could see all the qualities, I just did not connect to it. Let me sum it up.

What I loved:

1. Devil. Handsome, reckless, fiercely loyal to his family. How can you not love a hero named Devil?

2. The writing. It was beautiful and at times I really felt inside the story. I can see it so clearly even now - and e ...more

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Feb 03, 2013 r. rated it it was ok

I found various things about this book super irritating and not to my taste, but the series is about a huge tightly knit family and how each member ultimately finds love AND THAT IS MY KRYPTONITE.

Soooo, I'll probably read the rest.

I hope they don't have "mystery" plotlines though. Since the mystery taking up a good portion of the 400 page of this book was simplistic and obvious to the point of silliness.

Cynsters: "Oh no, our youngest cousin has been mysteriously murdered!! Whoever could have don ...more

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Apr 26, 2018 Natasa rated it really liked it

Shelves: regency-romance, england, romance

For a casual read, with an interest in how a feminist woman could fight back, in a patriarchal world, I loved this. We catch onto the melodrama, the matchmaker themes and heavy breathing going on. But the heroine is brilliant; the mystery plot is detailed and tangled. It keeps you guessing. I love a book that tends toward disaster, but all is well in the end. This one is well worth reading.

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May 14, 2016 Bookphenomena (Micky) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: married-couples, jerk-redemption, old-favourites, historical, chemistry

This was my first Stephanie Laurens book and it was a fabulous surprise. Very real, kind of graphic chemistry but believable connections between the main characters. If you want HR with heat, this is where to start.

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Apr 28, 2015 Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) rated it really liked it

Shelves: hero-alpha, genre-historical-romance, hero-rake-man-whore, best-of-the-best-2015

Miss Honoria Anstruther-Wetherby has plans, plans for adventure and excitement, so what she doesn't need is the unwanted attention of a Duke. Especially when that Duke is a Cynster, the head of a family notorious for being wild, but Devil Cynster, Duke of St. Ives is determined to have Honoria as his bride and the more she stubbornly denies him, despite the attraction and passion between them, the more he wants her. But, he must also keep her safe, there is a murderer intent on doing harm to his family and most especially him, putting Honoria right in his sights.

I can't believe this book has been published since 1998 and yet this is the first time I have read it; the first time but I highly doubt it will be the last. After feeling like I have been fighting my way through a field of 'meh' with my reads lately, Laurens has cleared the way, showing that although Devil's Bride is an oldie, it's a goodie. This book was well polished, full of intriguing characters, many of whom are of the bad boy variety, and packed full or passion and romance. A great start to a series.

If you like your heroes intense, arrogant and gorgeous, then Devil will charm you immediately. But despite his name I hesitate to call him a bad boy, as the Duke of St Ives and the head of the Cynster family Devil has a lot of responsibility on his broad shoulders and he takes them very seriously; nothing is more important to him than his family. Nothing maybe, except perhaps Honoria. Honoria is proud, intelligent and stubborn and I loved seeing her match wits with Devil, one of them always seemed to end up speechless either with rage, passion or incredulity- sometimes all three. However, Honoria seemed oblivious that the more of a challenge she was, the more eager Devil was to stalk her and bring her down...right to the marriage bed.

“You are riding for a fall, Your Grace,"
"I'll be riding you before Christmas.

This is the start of a long series, fifteen full length novels so far, and in Devil's Bride we meet a few of the likely heroes of the future books. I cannot wait to see each of the handsome and arrogant Cynster men fall in love. The quote below perfectly describes the Cynster males.

They were also invincibly arrogant, a characteristic fueled by the fact that they were, by and large, as talented as they thought themselves, a situation which engendered in less-favored mortals a certain reluctant respect. Not that Cynsters demanded respect - they simply took it as their due

Although I enjoyed this book and it is one of the best books I have read this year, the reason it didn't get full marks was because of the intrigue plot. Laurens makes it very clear from almost the beginning of the book, exactly who the culprit is, and yet the mystery stretches on till almost the end of the book. It did mean that Honoria and Devil were put through intense emotions and situations that they wouldn't normally, leading to some very emotional scenes and revelations. But, I did find myself getting bored when they were discussing it...it just seemed so obvious.

This was a fantastic read and I can't wait to get started on the next book in the series, Laurens has created a romantic and passionate book, with a couple that fit together perfectly, if you are looking for a quality historical romance read, not a short bit of fluff, then give this book a try. ...more

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Jan 31, 2010 ~Sara~ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, my-paper-books, historical-romance

I'd say that there are minor spoilers in this review but I think the book is so predictable that I'm not really ruining anything...at least nothing important.

2.5 stars.
I was a little disappointed with the lack of plot in this book and the "mystery" could have been handled better (or at all). Instead it was: make-out, slip in the tiniest crumb of information about what Devil was doing to solve the murder but not enough to actually tell you anything worthwhile, sex scene, repeat. I don't mind when I'd say that there are minor spoilers in this review but I think the book is so predictable that I'm not really ruining anything...at least nothing important.

2.5 stars.
I was a little disappointed with the lack of plot in this book and the "mystery" could have been handled better (or at all). Instead it was: make-out, slip in the tiniest crumb of information about what Devil was doing to solve the murder but not enough to actually tell you anything worthwhile, sex scene, repeat. I don't mind when a book focuses on the physical aspects of the character's relationship but this was starting to feel like the same scene, different bedroom. There was so much repetition in both the plot and the thoughts of the characters that it seemed completely unnecessary and slowed things down way too much. I actually started to skim through what should have been the juicy parts to try and find some substance or actual story! Unfortunately all I got was this:
"Devil stirred as the last candle guttered. Even before he lifted his head, he'd assimilated the fact that there was a woman, sleeping the sleep of the sated, more or less beneath him. Before he levered his shoulders away from her and looked down, he'd recalled who that woman was."
Wow, isn't he a bright one! He knew who it was he'd just had sex with without even having to get off of her and take a look (and no, he wasn't drunk)!!! What, does he have short term memory loss? Within the time it takes for a candle to burn down, he almost forgot who the hell the woman in his bed was!?! That gives new meaning to "mind blowing sex"; apparently he blew more than just his load which would actually explain a great deal of the rest of the book! :D
The part that disappointed me the most was with Honoria's estranged grandfather. Devil went to go see him but, not only were we not invited to join him, we were barely even told about it! That visit and the reunion with Honoria should have been a pivotal part of the book but instead it was given only a few lines! Why? So we could hear Honoria wax poetic about her husband's chest a little more!?! Or how about the scene where Devil finds out who it was that was frequenting the freaky brothel - oh wait, we missed that scene too but I think there was a line about it somewhere...
Not a bad book overall for a fluff read, but there was far too much focus on the fluff for my liking! I would've liked to know how the characters interacted and what they were doing outside of the bedroom a little more. I also would've liked a chance to get to know some of the other Cynster's better. That's my favourite part of a series like this - the build up and development of the rest of the characters so by the time you get to their story you have a vested interest in their lives and happiness plus you get little updates on how the previous couples are doing. This book skipped the building up and development part. I can't actually even remember most of their names, who was who, who did what, etc. I'll read the next book and see how it goes (especially since the book I own is the first 2 in one volume) but if it's more of the same, all fluff and no substance, I'll probably move on to something else. I've still got Kleypas, Quinn, Balogh, Lindsey...
...more

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Adult Historical Romance. Large series about titled English family. Book 1: Duke? in carriage accident? and country woman looks after him overnight. Next day he offers marriage but she refuses. Read before 2010. [s]	9	39	Dec 30, 2020 05:48PM
Play Book Tag: Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens - 3 stars	2	10	Dec 10, 2020 02:54PM
Do you own any complete book series?	39	98	Jan 17, 2019 09:30AM
Romance Novel Boo...: SOLVED - Regency, Oldest male sibling, governess, storm	4	32	Oct 02, 2017 05:05AM
Romance Lovers fo...: Devil's Bride, by Stephanie Laurens ("Buddy Read") Starts: July 9th	164	100	Jan 30, 2016 01:20PM

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About Stephanie Laurens

Stephanie Laurens

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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, Stephanie and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.

Once in London, Stephanie ...more

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Quotes from Devil's Bride

“I’m not a gentleman, I’m a nobleman, a distinction I suspect you understand very well.” — 34 likes

“I'm a Cynster--I've been raised to acquire, defend, and protect. My family is the core of my existence--without a family, without children, I'd have nothing to protect, no reason to acquire.” — 19 likes

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