Scandal's Bride (Cynster Novels, 3)

Stephanie Laurens is truly an incomparable author of lusty romance and vibrant characters. This is the third Cynster story, devoted to Richard Cynster and his pursuit of the fiery Catriona Hennesey. We are lured into a tale of passion, magic and age-old lore, filled with wonderful characters, interesting stories and settings, and overlying all an amazing romance between the two protagonists. Richard is everything a woman could possibly desire, and Catriona is a strong-willed woman who will find a way to achieve her goals no matter what the cost. I loved this book (yes the sensuality level is "R" on this one) and have reread it several times. The Cynster saga is almost perfect - start with "Devil's Bride" if you have not yet discovered them!!

My favorite of Ms. Laurens Bar Cynster series, this book contains both the sensual love story and the sweet partnership that develop between the lead characters. After Richard and Catriona marry because of the stipulations of a will, they struggle to create a relationship that will satisfy both her responsibilities and his need to be needed. Using the theme of a "hero without a cause", this book is more thoughtful than some of Stephanie Laurens' other novels. It's a satisfying very satifying, gentle book to read on a rainy day.

I loved Richard's character. Catriona was a wonderful character as well. If you are looking for a romance novel with a touch of magic, then you would enjoy this novel. This was a funny and romantic story.

This is my favorite of the Bar-Cynster series. I loved Devil's Bride as well as A Rake's Vow, however Richard and Catriona in Scandal are mezmerizing. Richard has all the same perfect qualities as all the other Cynster men except to me he is sexier due to his vulnerability. He has no real place to call his own. Catriona being a witch also adds spice to the story. I fell in love with Richard and wanted to be Catroina. If you like a good story, sizzling,hot,lingering sex scenes then this book is a must read or if you are just a fan of those oh sooooooooo sexy Cynsters, then read this book.

Of the hundreds of books I've read, I very rarely give a 5 star rating...I think I would prefer to give this a 9 out of 10, but since that's not an option, I'm giving it five stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and got some belly laughs when the Cynaster family visits Scandal and Catriona en mas. The poor only child gets inundated with family. I like the story, and although I can commiserate with Mrs. Giggles that the Cynaster males have no obvious flaws, I think that's part of the charm. As escapest reading, once and a while its nice to read about strong males who are "perfect", that's part of the escape. Now, I wouldn't want that to be a trend and read it in every new book, but Mrs. Laurens does such a good job with these males that I think that's their appeal. No one believes that anyone like that exists, though we wish they did. I have but two small objections to the book, which might seem petty in the extreme. The first is the excessive usage of the word "humph". I think everyone "humphed", and a page was not complete without it. The other small critisism was the amount of times Scandal appreciated the "swing of" our heroine's "hips". I loved the romance scenes and the quality which gave Scandal pause as to whether this was reality or a dream. I also like the fact that they don't get caught up in the "misunderstanding" plot. They seem to, but work through it and get on with the story. Do not pass go, do not collect $200...go out and BUY THIS BOOK!!!