[Poll Tally] Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens - 3 stars

[Theresa]

Continuing my audiobook quarantine sleep aid, for my 5th quarantine 'listen', I decided to read one of Laurens' trilogies that sit within her overall Cynster series - this is the first in the Cynster Sisters trilogy that share an over-arching plot line involving revenge kidnappings. I love the last 2 in the series, and while this first is fine, for some reason it's not one I choose to revisit. I often find that true of trilogies, actually - one of the books is always just ok to me. And of course, lucky me, suspense! Well, romantic suspense.

Heather Cynster is just about to be declared 'on the shelf' and has not found her own true love, her hero, in the ballrooms and social gatherings of the ton. You see, Cynsters marry for love, and there is no way she is settling for less. But not any old milksop or scion of a noble family will do. He must be a hero, a warrior, a rake ready to reform. It's time to take drastic steps and look elsewhere because clearly the really macho scions are not attending ton parties! So off she heads to a less than acceptable venue where her nemesis, Viscount Breckenridge, steps in and forces her to leave because of course he knows just how low these parties descend (basically orgies). After exchanging barbs, which of course tell you in the first 10 pages that these two are made for each other, Healther leaves but refused to allow Breckenridge to escort her to her carriage. Has he watches her walk down the drive to her carriage, he watches with horror as another carriage suddenly swings out of the line and Heather is kidnapped. Breckenridge quickly gives chase, proving indeed he is a hero.

And so we are off -- there's a mysterious Scottish laird behind it all, a long drive to Gretna where Heather with Breckenridge's assistance manages to escape the hired hands who kidnapped her, just as the mysterious laird arrives to claim her. There's a chase across Scotland as our couple heads to her Cousin Richard's home in Scotland, and of course there is the resolution of this couple's attraction to each other. We also learn in an alternative plotline that the Scottish laird may not be so evil, and seeds for the future 3 books are sown as the laird will without doubt now go after one of Heather's sisters since she has escaped him.

As usual, I hit a point in this story, when they are in Scotland safe in the Vale, that I grew impatient with the story and especially Heather. I don't have a lot of patience with a heroine who insists that the man who has all but killed himself to demonstrate his love but just can't say the words, has to say the words or she will not pledge to him. Being a person who is demonstrative when loving but not verbal with it, I am always on the side of the men, LOL.

Now for the audio review: This is another of Mathew Benhar's readings, and he bothered me much less. I believe that's because until they reach Scotland, the only major female character is Heather and the voice he uses for her isn't too irritating. His lovely baritone was perfection for Breckenridge and the Laird with a Scottish burr added. His more cartoony voices used for the villains suited those characters. His Scottish accents were quite enjoyable, both male and female. I am pleased as he reads the rest of the trilogy, which are 2 of my absolute faves and I would not want to be irritated listening!