Customer Reviews

The Ideal Bride

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Setting - Eyeworth Manor, near Fritham in New Forest, Hampshire, 1825 --- For fans of Laurens earlier Cynster novels this one features Michael Anstruther-Wetherby, who at 33 is a rising member of Parliament -- a man who clearly has a very promising future, quite possibly destined for greatness but insiders confided to him that advancement would be conditional upon him acquiring a wife. Handsome, well-born and naturally charming he is matchmaking mama's dream, especially with his connections to the wealthy and influential Cynster family -- his sister is married to Devil Cynster, the Duke of St. Ives (DEVIL'S BRIDE).

Knowing that he needs a perfect wife, who would be politically astute, Michael has looks over his acquaintances and decides that 19 year old, Elizabeth Mollston would make a perfectly acceptable wife and helpmate as she came from a politically involved family herself. The only problem is that Elizabeth is in love with another and has enlisted the help of her Aunt Caro Sutcliffe, to help her in discouraging him from declaring himself. It doesn't take long before Michael discovers what that Caro has been `managing' him and that it is Caro, the very accomplished foreign ministers widow, who would be the perfect helpmate. Only Caro, whose previous marriage to a much older man, is adamant to remain `The Merry Widow' and NEVER intends to marry again. Michael has to use all of his abundant diplomatic charm to convince her to become his wife. At the same time, in a secondary sub-plot, and after numerous `accidents', he must discover who is trying to kill her.

While this latest entry has abundant and graphic sexual encounters, it seemed to me that Laurens came up a bit short in the fire and feisty humor department. Caro and Michael, when not in bed, against a wall, or on the floor or ground hardly ever lose control of their emotions, which believe it or not give them a slightly lifeless appeal. After a while I grew somewhat bored with the repetitive sexual encounters and actually started skipping over them, being more interested in the action and mystery of the sub-plot of who was trying to kill Caro. The well-developed mystery subplot, in my opinion, saved this story being tossed aside, and of course, involving Devil Cynster (one of my all time favorite male heroes) was a treat! The excitement just wasn't there to call this a page-turner. Another point I look at when evaluating a book is that I had no trouble in putting it aside to go to bed. Bottom line.... Good, but not what I've come to expect from such an accomplished author.

This is the 11th in the Cynster series and is Michael Anstruther Wetherby's story. He is the brother of Honoria, Duchess of St. Ives (Devil's Bride)

Michael is in politics and needs a bride to further his career. He decides to marry a suitable young woman and when he goes to pursue her, he falls for her aunt instead. The aunt, Caro, is a young widow who was married to another man in politics. Sparks fly and the relationship takes off, but she is hesitant to marry because she is afraid he wants her for her political savy. There is also someone unknown person trying to kill her. The problem with this book is it is just plain boring. I don't know how to explain it but it just doesn't keep you involved. I continued reading it because I enjoy the Cynster series. If this was your first of Stephanie Lauren's books you pick up, you probably won't buy another, so try another one instead.

If you are interested these are the books in the series so far:

1. Devil's Bride
2. A Rake's Vow (Vane Cynster)
3. Scandal's Bride
4. A Rogue's Proposal (Demon Cynster)
5. A Secret Love (Gabriel Cynster)
6. All About Love (Lucifer Cynster)
7. All About Passion (Chillingworth)
8. On a Wild Night (Amanda Cynster)
9. On a Wicked Dawn (Amelia Cynster)
10. The Perfect Lover (Simon Cynster)
11. The Ideal Bride (Michael Anstruther-Wetherby)

As a Laurens fan I couldn't wait for this book! Well, I should have kept on waiting. Sorry to say, it took my days upon days to get throught this book. The first hundred pages or so seemed to be slow dry reading. The characters aren't that well developed and are lacking her usual flare. The plot could have amounted to a more exciting story if we didn't have to keep reading about the lack of [physical relations] in Caro's first marriage.

Tedious and tired. Lots of filler. Neither of the main characters are memorable, much less likeable. Reading this book was like being tortured with boredom. I've never been fond of Stephanie Laurens's writing style -- she draws out every little thing in a very talky way; she uses 20 words when three would do. But her earlier books were more spare and readable. Now each successive book is more and more labored. Plot lines seem re-treaded from earlier Cynster stories. Must every single person in this family be subject to murder plots and blackmail?

This one is the worst -- the diplomatic/political angle had her explaining every nuance of every word and gesture the characters used. Where was the editor on this book? Deleting a good 40% chunk of text would have done this book some good. Read in current state only if you need a nap.

I enjoyed most of the previous books in Lauren's Cynster series but was disappointed with The Ideal Bride. The plot is far too predictable; you will know exactly what is going to happen 50 or so pages before it does. There's lots of steamy sex but the descriptions are over-blown and quickly become repetitive. The author churned out three or four books over the past year; perhaps The Ideal Bride is the result of quantity over quality.

I really enjoyed this book, the force of his feeling for the heroine was expected but was not unforgettable. Although he first viewed her niece as a prospect to further his career and life, Caro became the obsesseion, that a male like Michael could not resist and loves seducing. This was a passionate story, and there is an introduction of the next Bastion Club book.

I am a big fan of Stephanie Laurens' but this book was just OK. The political talk and positioning got boring after a while but what I really objected to was the lame reason that was given for the fact that the main character was a virgin widow (her first husband, much older, decided that he could never satisfy her so he didn't make the attempt - even though he kept a mistress on the side!). Why did Laurens make her a virgin? If she felt she had to, then why not make up a better excuse (e.g. he wanted to keep her perfect with the rest of the antiques in his town house, or he was physically incapable at his age, or he had a STD and didn't want to taint her).

She therefore doesn't think she has sex appeal but this issue is only alluded to but never really hashed out. It would have been better if the hero had reassured her verbally instead of just being randy all the time.

It's not a bad book, better than most other regency romances out there but not Stephanie Laurens' best effort.

"The Ideal Bride" takes place in Regency England. M. is a young diplomat who decides to further his career by marrying a suitable woman -- the ideal bride, who can host diplomatic events, entertain ambasadors, and so forth. After a bit of looking around, M. decides that the daughter of a friend of his, E., might be suitable. He arranges a house party to visit with E. and decide if they will suit. E. however is in love with someone else, and asks her aunt, C., to intervene. C. immediately starts planning on subtle strategems to make E. appear usuited to being a diplomats wife. Upon ariving at the house party, M. quickly decides that C. would make him a far better wife than E.

This novel simply wasn't my cup of tea. The main couple are both diplomats, always subtle and indirect, very controlled, displaying an emotionally calm front. I didn't like them. They never say anything directly, but instead use vague inuendo. The text nicely identifies where these mechanisms are used, but my main reaction was that anyone who thinks the average person would catch and propperly interpret these convoluted clues is going to be very disappointed.

Now, if all of this pussy footing around won't bother you, by all means purchase this book. The rest is well done, 4 to 5 star material.

This book is so slow that i could not even finish it. Everytime
i would try to read it i was so bored that my mind would wonder.
I would not recamend this book to anyone. Stephanie Laurens has so many other great books read one of them instead.

Michael Anstruther-Wetherby has a challenge. There's an opportunity to move into the British cabinet, but only if he can do so as a married man--married to the right kind of woman. Because in 1825 England, women control society and can make or break a man's career. Michael identifies a candidate, Elizabeth, the daughter of a neighbor, and moves in. But his plans don't take into account the schemes of Elizabeth's aunt Caro. Elizabeth has fallen in love with another man and begs Caro to help her fend Michael off. Caro is willing and her plan works--sort of. Because Michael is soon convinced that Elizabeth isn't his perfect bride after all--Caro is.

Caro has never really recovered from her marriage to an aging diplomat. Although she was successful as a society hostess and made her late husband even more powerful, she has always known that he married her only for her political insights and not out of love. As a widow, Caro has a certain power--power she's sworn never to give up by marrying another. Michael may be sexy and strong, she might even consider an affair with him, but marriage--never. Of course, Michael isn't going to give up on his goals. But he'll take whatever path comes open and an affair sounds like the perfect first step. Things really get complicated, though, when Michael discovers that someone is trying to kill Caro.

Author Stephanie Laurens writes a steamy-sexy story. Caro is an interesting damaged character--filled with strength but still wounded from her former marriage. Michael is a fine alpha hero, fiercely protective of his woman and forceful in his lovemaking. Fans of Laurens' books will find a lot to like here, including appearances from some of the Cynster men who were heros in earlier novels.

Several errors pulled me out of the story (note: this review is based on an early review copy. Some or all of these may have been corrected in the published volume). Although it's a minor point, the Austrian general who claims that Austria has no seacoast is living in the post-World War I world rather than in 1825 when the book is set. At that time, the Austrian empire included much of northern Italy (including Venice) and Croatia. It had a seacoast and a navy. Later, Caro refers to Michael as a 'prehistoric caveman.' That term hadn't yet been introduced. More fundamentally, I found the action-packed conclusion to be unconvincing. Surely the intelligent Caro could have come up with a smarter plan to save her love. Also, alpha heros are a matter of taste but I think Michael's decision not to tell Caro about the pellets in her horse (which almost killed her) and his plan to get her pregnant were both unattractive. In contrast, Caro is a highly likable character who's easy to identify with and cheer for as she faces her own problems and the deadly threat to her life.

If you like sexy stories set in an England where the aristocracy still reigns supreme, where manners still matter and where a woman's every gesture can be packed with meaning, you'll find a lot to like in THE IDEAL BRIDE.