The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
laurenjodi's review against another edition
2.0
The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh
2 Stars
Series note: This is book #1 in the Cavanaughs spin-off. The series focuses on the younger siblings of Ryder Cavanaugh (book #20 in the Cynsters). Ryder's story provides important background on the family and should be read prior to this one.
Lord Randolph Cavanaugh has sworn off marriage and dedicated his life to making a name for himself as an entrepreneur. However, his latest investment is not going according to plan as the erstwhile inventor has gone silent. As such, Rand travels to Buckinghamshire where he discovers that the key to his success, not to mention his heart, is a strong and intelligent young woman, Felicia Throgmorton, who will do anything to protect her family and her home.
Unfortunately, this Cynster spin-off does not begin with a bang (despite the exploding experiment). Rand and Felicia have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, and the suspense plot is woefully underdeveloped. In fact, the villain.
Most of the book is dedicated to the Throgmorton steam-powered carriage and there are numerous descriptions of pistons, engines, boilers, and other assorted mechanical devices and parts. All of this is rather tedious, and even the inclusion of Prince Albert's Great Exhibition (which is brought forward a few years) cannot make it any more interesting.
Overall, a bland and uninspired romance with virtually no conflict or suspense. Hopefully, the next book will be better but I might take a break for a pallette cleanser.
2 Stars
Series note: This is book #1 in the Cavanaughs spin-off. The series focuses on the younger siblings of Ryder Cavanaugh (book #20 in the Cynsters). Ryder's story provides important background on the family and should be read prior to this one.
Lord Randolph Cavanaugh has sworn off marriage and dedicated his life to making a name for himself as an entrepreneur. However, his latest investment is not going according to plan as the erstwhile inventor has gone silent. As such, Rand travels to Buckinghamshire where he discovers that the key to his success, not to mention his heart, is a strong and intelligent young woman, Felicia Throgmorton, who will do anything to protect her family and her home.
Unfortunately, this Cynster spin-off does not begin with a bang (despite the exploding experiment). Rand and Felicia have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, and the suspense plot is woefully underdeveloped. In fact, the villain
Spoiler
turns out to be more heroic than treacherousMost of the book is dedicated to the Throgmorton steam-powered carriage and there are numerous descriptions of pistons, engines, boilers, and other assorted mechanical devices and parts. All of this is rather tedious, and even the inclusion of Prince Albert's Great Exhibition (which is brought forward a few years) cannot make it any more interesting.
Overall, a bland and uninspired romance with virtually no conflict or suspense. Hopefully, the next book will be better but I might take a break for a pallette cleanser.
floristica's review against another edition
2.0
It took me soooo long to finish this book because the book started so sluggishly slow. It did pick up after a while, but unfortunately, I've lost interest. I finished it, anyway, and boy was I glad when I got to the final page!
It's the usual stuff -- dashing man of noble blood finding trouble at his front door, the classic damsel in distress who is beautiful (of course!), intelligent, courageous and so on needing the help from the man, fell in love during all that trouble and together overcome it all. Yeah.
I think I'm gonna stay away from historical romance for a while.
It's the usual stuff -- dashing man of noble blood finding trouble at his front door, the classic damsel in distress who is beautiful (of course!), intelligent, courageous and so on needing the help from the man, fell in love during all that trouble and together overcome it all. Yeah.
I think I'm gonna stay away from historical romance for a while.
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
2.0
This book surprised me in that it was almost a DNF...I basically DNF'd it for a year before deciding to finish, and the finish was a slog. I've noticed this trend in Stephanie Laurens's recent books, where the main characters' romance is quickly worked out by the middle of the novel, with little left for them to do but "decide what kind of marriage they'll have" and solve whatever mystery the book is premised on. The solving and deciding stretches out over MANY pages, with much repetition, making the last third overly redundant. The mystery in this one is revealed to the reader early on, and tied up in the span of a few pages. This new turn has been disappointing since I've loved Laurens's Cynster series and Adventurers Quartet. I'm hoping the next book in this series will be much better.
helenephoebe's review against another edition
4.0
Review - I still love every single book I've read by Stephanie Laurens. Her blend of romance with mystery works incredibly well for me. I loved this one because it combines the romance of a new relationship with the idea of inventing and how Prince Albert was involved with the Great Exhibition. I like the fact that Laurens cements her novels with real life events like the Great Exhibition, and how the fiction effortlessly intertwined with real events. I loved Felicia especially and how she has to adjust to what takes place around her without knowing how or why.
Genre? - Historical / Romance
Characters? - Randolph Cavanaugh / Felicia Throgmorton / Mary Cynster / Shields / Ryder Cavanaugh / William John Throgmorton / Flora Throgmorton / Mayhew / Prince Albert
Setting? - Hampstead Norreys (England)
Series? - The Cavanaughs #1
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 18/20
Genre? - Historical / Romance
Characters? - Randolph Cavanaugh / Felicia Throgmorton / Mary Cynster / Shields / Ryder Cavanaugh / William John Throgmorton / Flora Throgmorton / Mayhew / Prince Albert
Setting? - Hampstead Norreys (England)
Series? - The Cavanaughs #1
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 18/20
katiecatbooks's review
4.0
Slow burning. Unrealistic. Strong female lead.
Story: In 1843 England, Lord Randolph Cavanaugh visits the countryside to check on one of his investments. William Throgmorton has plans to reveal a groundbreaking invention at an exhibition Prince Albert will attend. But when Rand arrives to the hall amidst the scenes of an explosion, more than just his investment will be at stake, when he witnesses a slender, pale, fine featured young lady step from the midst.
Language: Told in third person mostly from Rand's perspective, this is a cross genre book. In addition to romance (slow burning, not so steamy, but with unbelievable elements some readers might find problematic), the book is also historical fiction (though accuracy might be problematic), and has elements of crime fiction in it. It is slow paced, but with large font and spacing, can be read in a short time.
Characters: Lord Randolph Cavanaugh is a wealthy gentleman from a large family. Living primarily in the city, he invests his money into inventions that have the possibility to impact society. Felicia Throgmorton is in her 20's and a well brought up lady. After her parents' death, she manages the household and staff, and tries to keep her brother in line, who tends more towards absent-minded tendencies.
This was my first historical romance set in this time period. On the one hand I was pleasantly surprised by the slow burn aspect of the romance and how low-key the sexuality was, especially with such a cover, but on the other hand I found problems with the decisions and morals of the characters, especially considering the values of the time period. But it was clear by other moments in the book that historical accuracy was not the intention of the book, rather a light fluffy read, so I laid the criticism aside and enjoyed the book for what it was. Light, fluffy and historically inaccurate.
Story: In 1843 England, Lord Randolph Cavanaugh visits the countryside to check on one of his investments. William Throgmorton has plans to reveal a groundbreaking invention at an exhibition Prince Albert will attend. But when Rand arrives to the hall amidst the scenes of an explosion, more than just his investment will be at stake, when he witnesses a slender, pale, fine featured young lady step from the midst.
Language: Told in third person mostly from Rand's perspective, this is a cross genre book. In addition to romance (slow burning, not so steamy, but with unbelievable elements some readers might find problematic), the book is also historical fiction (though accuracy might be problematic), and has elements of crime fiction in it. It is slow paced, but with large font and spacing, can be read in a short time.
Characters: Lord Randolph Cavanaugh is a wealthy gentleman from a large family. Living primarily in the city, he invests his money into inventions that have the possibility to impact society. Felicia Throgmorton is in her 20's and a well brought up lady. After her parents' death, she manages the household and staff, and tries to keep her brother in line, who tends more towards absent-minded tendencies.
This was my first historical romance set in this time period. On the one hand I was pleasantly surprised by the slow burn aspect of the romance and how low-key the sexuality was, especially with such a cover, but on the other hand I found problems with the decisions and morals of the characters, especially considering the values of the time period. But it was clear by other moments in the book that historical accuracy was not the intention of the book, rather a light fluffy read, so I laid the criticism aside and enjoyed the book for what it was. Light, fluffy and historically inaccurate.
l1brarygirl's review
3.0
I was a little surprised by this book. There wasn't much "tension" between our love interests and I found some parts of this book to be fairly boring (talk about the pistons and valves and such...). It was still a cute love story but it didn't wow me.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
3.0
Review to come
[Read for PopSugar Reading Challenge 2019: A book that includes a wedding]
[Read for PopSugar Reading Challenge 2019: A book that includes a wedding]
sazimouse's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
taisie22's review against another edition
3.0
Lord Rand Cavanaugh stops by the Throgmorton estate to check on the progress of an invention he's invested in. He arrives just as the steam engine blows up and must stay to ensure the inventor William John Throgmorton meets the deadline for an exhibition. However, William John's sister Felicia promises to make his stay enjoyable.
I read The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh when it came out and enjoyed it very much. This is sort of the next book though it is the first in this series. I find that Ms. Laurens can be hit or miss for me, and this book was one of the misses. I enjoyed the technical parts about the inventions and the design of the steam engine though I thought there was too much of it.
But this is supposed to be a romance. Felicia and Rand barely talk, share a few kisses, then jump into bed. They think vaguely that they'll need to speak to each other about their future at some point after the machine has been exhibited, but it's pretty bland. When there's no real passion happening, Ms. Laurens can venture into purple prose territory during the sex scenes in order to show there is some connection. She does that here during the one sex scene. And not that I need to have a lot of sex scenes, but here she basically bypasses the rest with a passing reference which just adds to the disconnection between Felicia and Rand.
This may be the first romance I've ever read where the h/h don't even say 'I love you' to each other. There's one declaration which is more of 'I admire you so you must be the one for me forever'. I found that pretty strange.
The writing is good as always with Ms. Laurens' books, but there did seem to be a lot of head-hopping. I'm fine with that between the h/h, but here it was all the characters and was sometimes confusing. Bonus: Ryder and Mary show up so there's that.
Not one of her best in my opinion.
I read The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh when it came out and enjoyed it very much. This is sort of the next book though it is the first in this series. I find that Ms. Laurens can be hit or miss for me, and this book was one of the misses. I enjoyed the technical parts about the inventions and the design of the steam engine though I thought there was too much of it.
But this is supposed to be a romance. Felicia and Rand barely talk, share a few kisses, then jump into bed. They think vaguely that they'll need to speak to each other about their future at some point after the machine has been exhibited, but it's pretty bland. When there's no real passion happening, Ms. Laurens can venture into purple prose territory during the sex scenes in order to show there is some connection. She does that here during the one sex scene. And not that I need to have a lot of sex scenes, but here she basically bypasses the rest with a passing reference which just adds to the disconnection between Felicia and Rand.
This may be the first romance I've ever read where the h/h don't even say 'I love you' to each other. There's one declaration which is more of 'I admire you so you must be the one for me forever'. I found that pretty strange.
The writing is good as always with Ms. Laurens' books, but there did seem to be a lot of head-hopping. I'm fine with that between the h/h, but here it was all the characters and was sometimes confusing. Bonus: Ryder and Mary show up so there's that.
Not one of her best in my opinion.
staceylynn42's review against another edition
3.0
I read everything that Stephanie Laurens writes. I love the Cynsters & their kin, but she does occasionally produce some clunkers. This one isn't a full on clunker, the way The Masterful Mister Montague was was or the Adventurers Quartet in general were, but it does fall a bit flat.
The mystery part of the story was good. Will they figure out who is trying to sabotage the steam engine? Will they be able to stop him? I enjoyed the 'troublemaker' who turned out not to be that bad after all.
The problem is, I liked him more than Rand. Rand was okay, a perfectly nice guy, not one of her over protective alpha types who occasionally go over the top for my tastes. He was caring, concerned, not lost in the whole "a man like me can never admit love" BS that irritates me if it goes on too long (looking at you, Devil). But he was kind of flat. I didn't really feel his attraction to Felicity was driven by more than she was there at the time & it was convenient for the plot.
Felicity was a decent heroine. She was smart, strong and self-assured. She faced her demons without a lot of dithering. But she too was a bit flat. Her attraction to Rand also seemed to be along the lines of "Oh here's a man I've never met, which is something of a novelty where I live, I should find him attractive."
Overall I liked it well enough but it didn't have much spark.
The mystery part of the story was good. Will they figure out who is trying to sabotage the steam engine? Will they be able to stop him? I enjoyed the 'troublemaker' who turned out not to be that bad after all.
The problem is, I liked him more than Rand. Rand was okay, a perfectly nice guy, not one of her over protective alpha types who occasionally go over the top for my tastes. He was caring, concerned, not lost in the whole "a man like me can never admit love" BS that irritates me if it goes on too long (looking at you, Devil). But he was kind of flat. I didn't really feel his attraction to Felicity was driven by more than she was there at the time & it was convenient for the plot.
Felicity was a decent heroine. She was smart, strong and self-assured. She faced her demons without a lot of dithering. But she too was a bit flat. Her attraction to Rand also seemed to be along the lines of "Oh here's a man I've never met, which is something of a novelty where I live, I should find him attractive."
Overall I liked it well enough but it didn't have much spark.