Reviews

The Beguilement of Lady Eustacia Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens

meuyi's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

clairey_fairy82's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

athenaevarinya's review

3.0

If one ignores the errors in regards to titles and the question of the author possibly forgetting the details about her own characters (it really would help if she gave us definite dates of who was born on what date and who died when because it may simply be that she is writing correctly but since we don't know exactly when such events happened, the little info we are given makes us question her), it's not a bad book. Ending lacked something though.

attytheresa's review

3.0

Stacie is in her mid-20's, wealthy, established in the haut ton and is dead set against marriage, having witnessed first hand in her parents just how bad a marriage can be. Stacie is also the spitting image of her mother who was a beautiful but manipulative evil bitch, and since everyone says she's just like her mother, Stacie refuses to ever place herself in a position to hurt a husband and children by her actions. Instead, Stacie takes her passion for classical music and sets out to help gifted British musicians to command international soloist status by showcasing them in carefully orchestrated musical evenings. But to assure attendance by the members of the haute ton, she needs a draw, to dangle something to lure them in.

Thus enters Frederick, Marquess of Aylesbury. Frederick is a gifted pianist and composer but notoriously reticent and reclusive. He's not performed in public in over 10 years (reasons are a spoiler so you have to read the book). Stacie seeks a meeting with Frederick, determined to persuade him to play at her event. Naturally they strike sparks off each other, and as their mutual dedication to music draws them closer, romance develops but so does danger to their lives.

I enjoyed this, the background of British classical musicians in 1844 being of great interest to me. I liked the characters. The danger plot was one that has been trod many times before but brought a nice bit of excitement and mystery in the last third of the book.

helenephoebe's review

4.0

Review - I think this was possibly my favourite of the Cavanaugh series so far, though they are very close together. I think I'd have to reread the earlier books in the series to be sure. The characters all came together and the story of Lavinia, dowager Marchioness of Raventhorne, came to a head in this one, in the person of her daughter, Stacie. I think I particularly love Stephanie Laurens's romances because they always have an element of danger and stepping outside of the ton's boundaries. Stacie and Frederick I think are one of my favourite couples because they seemed to fit so seamlessly together, and there was no unnecessary wrangling between them. The relationship developed and strengthened without there being a very obvious point where it solidified, which was quite clever.

Genre? - Classic / Romance

Characters? - Eustacia 'Stacie' Cavanaugh / Frederick, Marquess of Albury / Ryder, Marquess of Raventhorne / Mary Marchioness of Raventhorne / Rand Cavanaugh / Felicia Cavanaugh / Sylvia Cavanaugh / Kit Cavanaugh / Godfrey Cavanaugh / Ernestine / Emily / Carlisle / Aurelia / Hadley

Setting? - London (England)

Series? - The Cavanaughs #3

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 18/20

l1brarygirl's review

3.0

#1 The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh - ★★★☆☆
#2 The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh - ★★☆☆☆

bookwyrm_lark's review

4.0

3.75 stars (maybe 4?) I loved the role music played in both hero and heroine's lives. Also, this book and the previous one in this series focus much more on relationship-building and contain fewer steamy scenes, and I found that refreshing -- the relationships aren't driven as much by physical attraction (though that was definitely there) as by emotional attraction. Or maybe equal parts of both, but the book dwells more on the latter. Full review to come.

attytheresa's review against another edition

3.0

Stacie is in her mid-20's, wealthy, established in the haut ton and is dead set against marriage, having witnessed first hand in her parents just how bad a marriage can be. Stacie is also the spitting image of her mother who was a beautiful but manipulative evil bitch, and since everyone says she's just like her mother, Stacie refuses to ever place herself in a position to hurt a husband and children by her actions. Instead, Stacie takes her passion for classical music and sets out to help gifted British musicians to command international soloist status by showcasing them in carefully orchestrated musical evenings. But to assure attendance by the members of the haute ton, she needs a draw, to dangle something to lure them in.

Thus enters Frederick, Marquess of Aylesbury. Frederick is a gifted pianist and composer but notoriously reticent and reclusive. He's not performed in public in over 10 years (reasons are a spoiler so you have to read the book). Stacie seeks a meeting with Frederick, determined to persuade him to play at her event. Naturally they strike sparks off each other, and as their mutual dedication to music draws them closer, romance develops but so does danger to their lives.

I enjoyed this, the background of British classical musicians in 1844 being of great interest to me. I liked the characters. The danger plot was one that has been trod many times before but brought a nice bit of excitement and mystery in the last third of the book.

taisie22's review against another edition

3.0

Stacie Cavanaugh has an idea to encourage members of the Ton to patronize English musical students, but she needs the help of Frederick, Marquess of Albury and a noted musician, to make her dream come true. He isn't interested in performing for the Ton though he was once a musical star, but he is interested in Stacie so eventually he agrees.
I'm hot and cold on Stephanie Laurens books. Some I enjoy very much and others I find predictable and overdramatic. This is one of the latter types. I thought the book started out strong with the musical emphasis, but later the number of unsuccessful murder attempts was ridiculous (hence the overdramatic label). The romantic plot with Stacie's dismal view toward marriage and Frederick working to overcome it was predictable.
I also find Ms. Laurens' writing can verge on the purple, especially in the sex scenes. The almost breathless sentence fragments annoy me. I do like the Cavanaughs and I'm hoping I'll enjoy Godfrey's story more.

jeannette_andrews's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0