I recently breezed through the latest Cynster novels - 'And Then She Fell' and 'The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh' by Stephanie Laurens!!
I've loved the Cynsters' since Devil first walked on to the page and through the years this series has held fast as one of my very favourite.... One I can read and re-read and read again, each time finding something else, something more to love, to think about and to anticipate.
One thing I truly love about Stephanie Laurens Regency-era is that almost all her novels exist in the framework of one "world". The Bastion Club lays some groundwork for the Cynsters novels, you get a side trip into the Black Cobra books, then more Cynsters, connections and friends, leading to the Adair Casebook stories... You don't have to learn a whole new landscape with each story, though each story is fulfilling on its own.
And because of the intermingling of at least some characters in all the books, you find yourself able to understand and appreciate their contribution - no matter how small, to the whole. You understand without explanation why the hero, or heroine, decides to approach a specific character for something. Because you've visited this world, this structure and you know, at least to a certain degree, the characters involved, you can quickly become entrenched in whichever story you hold in your hands. Like with life the mysteries of some character who appears repeatedly along the way becomes clear with repeated interactions.
You learn the history of Royce, Duke of Wolverstone's life. Through his story you meet Devil Cynster, Duke of St. Ives and quickly discover his Devil-may-care attitude covers a much deeper character than you would assume. You see through the friends and families interactions, the care they give one another, and how the react to crisis, to the bonds that hold them together and the lengths they are willing to go for one another. You find the power of the net they cast when they're called upon to support their countrymen and trust that they give to those they care for and about.
Right from the time we met Tristan and Lenora, to this most recent dip back in that world with Mary and Ryder - we become intimately aware of vast portions of the world they live in. The places they call home. And the reasons why, for all of them, that love is the cornerstone of their lives... Whether they looked for it or not.
Visit Stephanie Laurens website (below) for more about all of her novels, series and even some about how they relate to one another. She truly is one of the best Regency authors that I've read.
http://stephanielaurens.com/index.html
