Customer Reviews

Four in Hand

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If you are looking for a light Regency romp and an enjoyable romance, you have got it in this book. A young man suddenly found himself not only the inheritor of a noble title with all its wealth and prestige but also the guardianship of four beautiful young ladies. The Marquis of Rotherbridge found himself in the strange position of a fox trying to guard the hens. The rakish Marquis was drawn to the eldest of the sisters who was beautiful, voluptuous and alluring and set out to seduce her but all the time trying to protect the virtue of the other wards from his libertine friends and brother.The efforts at seduction and the episodes are very romantic but not at all explicit and erotic like Laurens' later works e.g. 'Captain Jack's Woman', 'Devil's Bride' but are actually much more enjoyable. I would have liked to give it 5 stars except that I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending which was rushed and made to look contrived and abrupt. The writer made the four sisters succumb to their seducers on the same day and without the presence of a chaperon or abigail which was highly improbable if not impossible. But for this flaw, the story is perfect! I heartily recommend this book.

The recurring romance storyline of "rakes falling in love with the ladies in the ton" predominates her Cynster saga - and originates from her earlier Harlequin regency romance as well, including the featured title Four In Hand in 1999. It is hence a largely predictible plot that is penned straight by Laurens with little surprises.

Despite this, FOUR IN HAND is kept spry in its narration by Lauren's firm grasp in her regal style. Max Rotherbridge was a viscount before he ascends to dukedom after the demise of his uncle in an accident. Little did he expects his obligations would include offering his protection to four delectable ladies of Twinning. Their stunning beauty propel them to the toast of the ton - and the duke of Twyford finds it a daunting task to fend off rakes and unwanted attraction. Even he himself is stumbled by his desire for the eldest Twinning sister Caroline - and it would prove a scandal if he falls in love with his ward....

It is a light-hearted and wispy romance that is kept bustling through Lauren's vivacious descriptions of baroque balls, glitzy parties where gossips are rampant among priggish countesses, flirtations are exchanged and hearts are lost. Her characters are equally measured in terms of exuberance - there is the matured Caroline, the naughty minx Arabella, the innocent Lizzie and the sensible Sarah. Lady Augusta Benborough, Max's aunt and the girls' chaperon also makes a welcoming presence. They each find their suitors and ultimately marriage proposals from the rakes...

I do like Lauren's style and passionate prose but I would even gladly welcome a change of her plots anytime to banish the staleness of the typical "rakes tempting ladies" storyline - that has been recycled from 1999 till now.

Stephanie Laurens is a talented writer and also reasonably knowledgeable about her period, but in recent years she's been wasting that talent writing `historical romances' which are little more than Black Lace books in disguise. This book, however, is one of her earlier romances, written at a time when she was still trying to stay true to the Regency period.

This is somewhat reminiscent of Georgette Heyer's Regency Buck, in that we have an arrogant, rakish lord who discovers that, along with the title he has recently inherited (in this case, Duke of Twyford), he has also inherited some wards. Here, his wards are four beautiful sisters, all unmarried, all wealthy and all, he knows, who will be the targets of every rake in town. He himself is hugely attracted to the eldest Miss Twinning, Caroline, and finds himself plotting to make her his mistress. Were she really his ward, it would be contrary to any sense of honour - even his honour - to seduce her, but under the terms of her parents' will, she is of age and so not his ward. Yet he pretends to her that she is, so that he'll be free to be with her without any suspicion.

There are four romances in this book but, as some other reviewers have noted, none of them is really satisfying. In an attempt to fit them all in, Laurens rushes through crucial developments - such as her heroes actually realising that they are in love with the women they're pursuing. Even Max - Twyford - whose story is the main one appears to fall in love without the readers ever realising how this momentous event happens. One minute he is pursuing Caroline in order to make her his mistress; the next (and this is quite early in the book) we see him musing that seducing her is no longer his primary aim. Why not? What made him fall in love? We don't know, because Laurens doesn't show us. Similarly with Lord Darcy, the suitor of Sarah Twinning: Sarah rejects his attempts at seduction, and he gives up, retiring to his Irish estate in order to show her that he's lost interest. And yet he comes back and pursues her again. Why? With what object?

This book does show signs of the pattern Laurens fell into with her Cynster books: her heroes all seem to fall in love too quickly, without any showing on Laurens' part of why and how this happens. Given the rushed nature of the individual love stories, which does leave readers unsatisfied, she would have been better advised to have made it a four-book series, culminating in Max and Caroline's story. Nevertheless, it's an entertaining read, and definitely far, far better than the majority of her later work.

wmr-uk

I absolutely adore the Cynster series, but I was unsure about how well Ms Laurens could create a novel that could stand alone. I could not have been more pleased. I loved that there were so many characters and so much passion going around. I always like to read about a good rake being brought low, but four in one book!! It was heaven. The girls were delightfully cheeky,and the men they chose were perfect for each of them. It was really refreshing to read a romance novel based on just that- romance. There are no murderers or treasures or evil relations, just four irrepressable young women. Anyone who loves an EXTREMELY happy ending (or endings!) would really enjoy this story.

I am huge Stephanie Lauren's fan, which is why I am extremely disappointed with this book. I can't say that I read it; I just kind of skimmed through it. The plot was thin at best and that is because she just had too much going on in the book. The story is supposed to be about Caroline and Max, but their story gets lost in the madness. In most books written by her, you get used to the dominant male knowing from the beginning that he wants the heroine, but usually the lady takes longer to decide if the male is right for her. In this book she gives new meaning to "love at first sight" because literally that is what drew the couples together. They just look at each other and fall in love. The story should be about Amanda because her story kind of takes center stage and the other girls become subplots. I prefer to stick with her Cynster and Bastion Club novels.

I loved this book. I had never read a Stephanie Laurens book before and I found it at the library so it's a few years old and I read it in one night. It's what I call a 'fluff' read-a book with likeable characters, lively dialogue and fun situations. Yes, as other reviewers have mentioned, there isn't a lot of time spent on each of the girls' romances but I was okay with that. I wasn't looked for a book with big,dark secrets or high drama. It was a fun, light read where the author tried to keep some historical realism. it's a great book to curl up with if you're having bad day or at the beach where you want something to make you smile and feel light. A word of warning though, this book was blessedly free of graphic details during the love scenes. She had just enough details to make you sigh and then she 'closed the door'. I like that a lot. I've found that lately a lot of authors are sacrificing a story for graphic love scenes-or having the characters thinking constantly about the love scenes. I've found some wonderful authors out there-lynn kurland for one-who created wonderful love stories with memorable characters without the grahic sex. I thought Stephanie Laurens was one of those so I bought one of her recent books. I actually went online to check and see if there were TWO Stephanie Laurens out there because the writing style was so different. (The way the characters acted wasn't true to the period, the storyline was frustrating and read like a modern story and well...that's a whole 'nother review). Suffice it to say, be warned that if you like the way this story is written, I'd avoid her newer books. But this one, I would buy and enjoy it over and over again.

The new Duke of Twyford had inherited more than his uncle's estates: he, the most notorious rake in London, had also become the guardian of four drop-dead gorgeous women, all of whom were determined to net a husband during the Season! Twyford's duty was to secure suitable husbands for them - and yet he was irrevocably drawn to his oldest ward, Caroline. It was completely improper for Twyford to attempt to seduce his own ward, but, as the most notorious rake in London, he could hardly allow the opportunity to pass him by! As three other rakes also attempt to seduce the Twinning sisters, each rake soon learns that only one word, the most dreadful word in a rake's vocabulary, can get the Twinning sisters into their beds - marriage!

I was frequently confused when reading this book. Not only were there the four Twinning sisters (Caroline, Bella, Sarah, and Lizzie) and their beaux, but there was also Amanda Crowbridge, the Jennings girl (don't remember her first name), who were both friends of the Twinnings, and Sir Ralph. I found it difficult to remember who was pining away for whom, and which Twinning sister was which. Besides being confused, it was also difficult to develop any of the secondary romance plots to any great detail in 300 pages. I would have prefered it if the author would have devoted AT LEAST four different books (Amanda Crowbridge and the Jennings girl could have had their own books too!) to the Twinning sisters' exploits during their Season, rather than try to cram it all into one book, which left a lot of unanswered questions and too little background information. For example, although the Twinnings' experiences in America were hinted at, for being such a pivotal time in their lives, their experiences were not described in any detail.

Still, I can't write off the book because I was thoroughly confused through about half of it. The premise was good, and I did get a good laugh out of the antics of the sisters. I also had a great laugh at the expense of the poor beaux who were attempting to seduce the sisters without the tangles of marriage! The book is really good, just incredibly fast-paced and bare-bones when it comes to descriptions, previous histories, etc.

I was really surprised at some of the negatives reviews because I absolutely loved this book! This was my first Stephanie Laurens book and it left me wanting more of the same. No, it didn't have heavy sex scenes-because it didn't need it! She kept just the right mix of inunendo, bringing things just to the edge without becoming graphic. It was a freshing change from some stories where it seems like the story is shoved aside to see how many times an author can destribe a couple making love in minute detail. There were really four love stories going on and each character was likable and engaging. The rakes acted like rakes and the characters seemed to like each other from the start-something I like in a romance. This is the perfect book to read on a bad day when you need a lift, a light happy romance that will leave you sighing happily at the end.

Stephanie Laurens has done it again. Or, as she in fact wrote it earlier in her career (this was the second book Laurens ever wrote), she has set the precedent for her future work. A well written, fast paced Regency Romance - in fact four for the price of one.

Max Rotherbridge inherited more than a dukedom on the death of his father eighteen months previous to the opening of the book - unknown to him he also inherited 4 wards. An established rake, he is initially dismayed to learn of his responsibilities, but dismay quickly turns into something else when he is presented with the eldest of the four sisters, Caroline Twinning.

It appears that Twinnings have something of a thing for rakes, as the four gorgeous sisters cut a swath through the ton and have the men at their feet. They may seem young, with the exception of 26 year old Caroline, but their eighteen months in America have given them a great deal of polish, and the freedom to discover what it is they really want in life.

This is a truly delightful tale and for me the principle enjoyment is the relationship between the females in the story. Set in a time when women rarely triumphed, here Caroline and her sisters Sarah, Arabella & Lizzy, their chaperone (Max's aunt) and the friends they make in London are able to set their goals, pursue and obtain them - even if it takes a little scheming and risk to get what they want. Each is a true character in their own right, and yet takes comfort in the relationship with their sisters (in the modern sense). Their story is told with a great deal of humour and style.

There has to be some sacrifice in squeezing four stories into one volume. This is firstly that Caroline and Max's is the main romance - the other three are something more than subplots and yet slightly less than a fully developed story in their own right. And finally, of course, is the improbability that all four romances should resolve themselves at the same time. To some extent this is satisfactorily dealt with by making the suitors either friends or relatives of Max. Each romance develops with a different plan of attack, and the charming thing is that although more confident than the typical deb, none of the four women are sure they will be able to hold out for marriage, as they themselves fall in love.

If you enjoy romance and the Regency genre, you will enjoy this well written example. Regular readers of Laurens will not be disappointed - I certainly wasn't.

I wasn't paying attention when I ordered this book and was disappointed to find it was not a new novel but a reprint of a 1993 Harlequin Regency. The only good thing is that I had not already read it.

I love the Cynster and Bastion Club novels and now that I have read this book, I can see how far Ms. Laurens has come as an author. Partly it is because of the length of the book and the number of characters -- you can't write four good romances in only 282 pages. The four Twinning sisters come to London to find husbands. Rather than being the first of a series, all four stories are in this short book. So most of the characters end up being not fully formed -- mostly described in terns of physical appearance and one or two individual quirks. This does not help the reader care very much whether they end up happy in love or not.

I didn't get the sense of a deep love with any of them; they felt instant attraction and went forward with their various agendas from there. It was also hard to feel strongly in favor of a group of 4 gentlemen who meet beautiful young single ladies of the ton and decide to seduce them and make them their mistresses. (Yes, I know the seduction of a young innocent of the ton is a standard part of historical romances, but it seems especially calculating and cold blooded in this book.) Speaking of the seductions, readers who like steamy love scenes should know that they are all PG at most in this book.

I thought the price was rather high for a book so short, much less a reprint.

I am still a fan of Stephanie Laurens but will take care to make sure I stick with her new novels.