Bar Cynster – serie

There is nothing more fascinating than a darkly handsome rake, especially one as controlled and elusive as Dillon Caxton, protg of Demon Cynster. Despite his dangerous air, Dillon is now a man of sterling reputation, but it wasn't always so. Years ago, an illicit scheme turned into a nefarious swindle, and only the help of his cousin, Felicity, and her husband, Demon, saved Dillon from ruin. Now impeccably honest, his hard-won reputation zealously guarded, he's the Keeper of the Register of all racing horses in England, the very register Lady Priscilla Dalloway is desperate to see. She has come to Newmarket, determined to come to the rescue of her horse-mad brother who has fallen into bad company. Together, Dillon and Pris uncover a massive betting swindle. Assisted by Demon, Felicity, and Barnaby Adair, they embark on a journey riddled with danger and undeniable passion as they seek to expose the deadly perpetrators. And along the way they discover the answer to that age old question: What price love?

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 ton by offering his hand in marriage. No one had dreamed this scandalous rake would so tamely take a bride. As society's mamas swooned at the loss of England's most eligible bachelor, Devil's infamous Cynster cousins began to place wagers on the wedding date. But Honoria wasn't about to bend to society's demands and marry a man just because they'd been found together unchaperoned. No. She craved adventure. Solving the murder of a young Cynster cousin fit the bill for a while, but once the crime was solved, Honoria was set on seeing the world. But the scalding heat of her unsated desire for Devil soon had Honoria craving a very different sort of excitement. Could her passion for Devil cause her to embrace the enchanting peril of a lifelong adventure of the heart?

He vowed he'd never marry: Vane Cynster always knew which way the wind was blowing, and it was headed in a marrying direction. The other Cynster men might not mind stepping up to the altar, but Vane never wanted to be shackled to any woman, no matter how comely. Bellamy Hall seemed like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London's husband hunters. But when he encountered irresistible Patience Debbington, Vane realized he'd met his match and soon he had more than seduction on his mind. She vowed no man would catch her: Patience wasn't about to succumb to Vane's sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses left her dizzy but he was arrogant, presumptuous...and, despite his protests, bound to be unfaithful, just like every other man. Patience had promised herself that she'd never become vulnerable to a broken heart. But was this one vow that was meant to be broken?

He will father your children...'When Catriona Hennessy, honourable Scottish Lady of the Vale, receives this prediction, she is exceedingly vexed. How can she unite with a rake like Richard Cynster - a masterful man with a scandalous reputation? More shocking still is her guardian's will that decrees that she and Richard be wed within a week! Though charmed by his commanding presence, and wooed by his heated kisses, she will not - can not - give up her independence. So she forms a plan to get the heir she needs without taking wedding vows. Richard is just as stunned by the will's command. Marriage had not previously been on his agenda, but lately he's been feeling rather... restless. Perhaps taming the lady is just the challenge he needs. But can he have the rights of the marriage bed without making any revealing promises of love?

Demon Cynster has seen love bring his brethren to their knees, and he's vowed that he will not share their fate until he spies Felicity Parteger sneaking around his country estate. Demon remembers Felicity as a mere chit of a girl, but now she stands before him begging for his help all lush curves, sparkling eyes and so temptingly worthy of the love he's vowed never to surrender to any woman. Felicity knew Demon was one of the ton's most eligible bachelors and a rogue of the worst sort, but he was the only one capable of getting her friend out of trouble. Her fascination with him had nothing to do with the power lurking just beneath his devil-may-care facade or with the desire that flares when he takes her in his arms. She knows he'll never yield to her the love she desperately seeks, but could a marriage with passion alone even with a man like Demon be enough?

When a mysterious lady, her face hidden by a black veil, begs Gabriel Cynster for his help, he cannot refuse her plea. For despite her disguise, Gabriel finds the woman alluring and he is powerless to deny her. But he exacts payment as only a Cynster would demand: with each piece of information he uncovers, she must pay him in the form of a kiss. Lady Alathea Morwellan knows Gabriel is intrigued, but despite the sparks that fly between them, they have never passed a civil moment together. Yet as the stakes get higher, so does Gabriel's desire for payment. And with each overpowering kiss, each passionate embrace, Alathea knows that she will not be able to resist his ultimate seduction...but what will happen when she reveals the truth?

Six notorious cousins, known to the ton as the Bar Cynster, have cut a swath through the ballrooms of London. Yet one by one, each has fallen in love and married the woman of his heart, until only one of them is left unclaimed...Alasdair Cynster. Known to his intimates as Lucifer, Alasdair had decided to rusticate in the country before the matchmaking skills of London's mamas become firmly focused on him, the last unwed Cynster. But an escape to Devon leads him straight to his destiny in the irresistible form of Phyllida Tallent, a willful, independent beauty of means who brings all his masterful Cynster instincts rioting to the fore. Lucifer tries to deny the desire Phyllida evokes - acting on it will land him in a parson's mousetrap, one place he's sworn never to go. But destiny intervenes, leaving him to face the greatest Cynster challenge - wooing a reluctant bride.

"If one is not marrying for love, one may as well marry for something else. My future countess has to be sufficiently docile and endowed with at least passable grace of form, deportment and address. "Gyles Rawlings, fifth Earl of Chillingworth and honorary member of the Cynster clan, is determined not to succumb to the dangers of falling in love. To that end, he makes an offer of marriage - sight unseen - to the niece of an old friend. He believes he's chosen a biddable lady who will bear him an heir and leave his emotions unattached. He arrives for his own wedding without ever actually meeting his fianc and at the altar is astonished to discover that he's offered for the wrong woman. His new wife is a passionate hoyden who makes his head spin. Francesca isn't docile, certainly not biddable, and she has no intention of settling for anything less than her husband's heart.

Where are all the exciting men in London? After spending years in the glittering ballrooms of the town, Amanda Cynster is utterly bored by the current crop of bland suitors. Determined to take matters into her own hands, one night she shockingly goes where no respectable lady ever should, but where many an intriguing gentleman might be found. But titillating excitement quickly turns to panic when Amanda discovers she's quite out of her depth. She looks around for help - and is unexpectedly rescued by the Earl of Dexter. Lean, sensuous, and mysterious, he has delayed re-entering society, preferring instead a more interesting existence on its fringes.He's the epitome of the boldly passionate gentleman Amanda has been searching for, but although his very touch makes it clear he's willing to educate her in the art of love, Amanda has to wonder if such a masterful rake can be sufficiently tamed into the ways of marriage.

When a handsome man literally falls at her feet while she's walking through a moonlit convent courtyard, Helena knows he must be there for a scandalous liaison. Yet she keeps his presence a secret from the questioning nuns - and for her silence the stranger rewards her with an enticing, unforgettable kiss. What Helena doesn't know was that her wild Englishman is Sebastian Cynster, Duke of St. Ives. Seven years later, Sebastian spies Helena from across a crowded ballroom. This heiress is dazzling London society with her wit and beauty, tantalising all the eligible men with the prospect of taking her hand in marriage. But Helena is not looking for just any husband. She wants an equal, a challenge - someone who can live up to the promise of that delicious, never-forgotten kiss.

One of the most eligible gentlemen in the ton, Gerrard Debbington is besieged by offers from London's most sought-after beauties, but as the ton's foremost artistic lion, there's only one offer he wants to accept - the chance to paint the fantastical but seldom-seen gardens of reclusive Lord Tregonning's Hellebore Hall.That chance is dangled before Gerrard, but to grasp it he must fulfill Lord Tregonning's demand that he also create an open and honest portrait of the man's daughter. Gerrard loathes the idea of wasting his time and talents on some simpering miss, but with no alternative, he agrees. Only Gerrard is stunned by the deep emotions Jacqueline stirs, and captivated by her passionate nature and innate goodness. He is soon convinced that Jacqueline is the soulmate he needs as his wife.But something is horribly wrong at Hellebore Hall. Evil lurks in the beautiful gardens and along the rambling pathways. And that evil reaches out to ensnare Jacqueline, trapping her in a web of insidious whispers - whispers that paint her as a double murderess.

Welcome to the Regency world of Stephanie Laurens - and to the Cynsters and their ever-expanding clan! Now, Charles Morwellan, who we first meet in A SECRET LOVE (0749937203), one of her most beloved Cynster novels, meets his match in this exciting, and utterly sensuous, story.Charles Morwellan has no intention of following in the footsteps of his family - marrying for love - and therefore wants to find a bride before fate finds him. He is convinced that it was total devotion to love that caused his father to shirk the responsibilities of the earldom and is determined not to make the same mistakes. What Charlie doesn't realise is the woman he chose, Sarah Conningham, wants nothing less than a love match and she has no intention of letting Charlie get away with pushing her out of his life. Now, it's up to Sarah to convince Charlie that you really can have it all.

Trouble and secrets When Emily Beauregard applies for the position of innkeeper on Jonas Tallent's Devonshire estate, nothing can prepare him for the trouble that follows. Little does he realise that Em has an agenda of her own: to discover her family's treasure, guided by a cryptic rhyme. Orphaned, near penniless, the treasure is her and her siblings' future, but solving the rhyme is no easy task. Passion and dangerOnly once she accepts Jonas as her lover and enlists his aid do they start to unravel the clues. But someone else has the Colyton treasure in their sights, and the closer Em and Jonas draw to her family's legacy, the greater the danger - and the passion between them - grows...

Simon Frederick Cynster is determined to find a wife. However, nothing could be more tiresome than having every blushing miss on the marriage mart thrust upon him. So he discreetly begins his search at a house party at Glossup Halland is astonished that the lady who immediately captures his interest is Portia Ashford. Simon has never considered Portia as a potential bride. He's known the raven-haired beauty since childhood; she's willfully independent and has always claimed to be uninterested in marriage. But an unexpectedly heated kiss abruptly alters the rules of their decade-long interaction. Soon they begin to long for the moments they can spend in each other's arms.But all is not as it seems at Glossup Hall. As Simon and Portia begin to explore the depths of their mutual passion, a shocking murder is committed.

Michael Anstruther-Wetherby is a rising member of Parliament - a man destined for power. And with his connections to the wealthy and influential Cynster family his future appears assured. Except that Michael lacks the single most important element of success: a wife.Political pressure sends him searching for a perfect wife - a gently bred, malleable young lady, preferably with a political background. Michael discovers such a paragon but finds a formidable obstacle in his path - the young lady's beautiful, strong-minded widowed aunt, Caroline Sutcliffe.Having lived through an unhappy political marriage, Caroline wants nothing of the sort for her niece, who has already lost her heart to another. So Caroline and the younger woman hatch a plot - Caroline will demonstrate why an inexperienced young lady is not the ideal bride for Michael.