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palnic26's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
mmbay's review
3.25
This book was more to set up the future books in the series, the romance at the center of this one was straightforward and boring. I’ll read the next one before deciding if I want to read them all.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been a fan of the Cynster novels for years and when the youngest Cynster was finally married off I was a little curious as to what Ms. Laurens could possibly do next. With this novel, By Winter’s Light, she provides an introduction to the next generation of Cynsters, the children, by bringing everyone together for the holidays and helping a tutor and governess find love. Daniel has loved Claire for years but knew he was in no position to care for a wife and family but as his youngest charges leave for school he knows that now is his chance to finally find happiness with Claire. As a widow Claire made a promise to herself that she was never find herself under the thumb of a man again and even though she’s at a crossroads in her life she doesn’t believe that Daniel is in her future. With some scheming Cynster children and some Christmas magic Claire begins to realize that maybe her future plans need to change. A really fun introduction to the next generation of Cynters, a great chance to revisit with some of my favorites. There is more to this novel than just Claire and Daniel and in fact, they really don’t seem to be the primary characters, but I enjoyed how Ms. Laurens begins her newest series. Great read, can’t wait to pick up the rest!
plottrysts's review against another edition
4.0
When we opened this book to find three pages devoted to the cast of characters, including the names and aliases of 6 separate Cynster cousins AND all of their offspring, we knew we had a winner on our hands. This is the 21st Cynster book, but is the first "Next Generation" novel, meaning that we got to see our returning heroes and heroines and an intro to all of the kids who will feature as new MCs.
Do NOT go into this book unprepared. You must, at the very least, have read Devil's Bride and Scandal's Bride to understand how unhinged this book gets. The supposed A Plot focuses on Claire and Daniel, governess and tutor, respectively, to two Cynster cousins' children. As this book opens, Daniel has been offered an independent living, meaning that he's finally able to propose marriage to Claire. Why are they in love? Who the heck knows?! Apparently they've gotten to know each other well enough over the past few years of family gatherings to know they're well-suited.
But the REAL plot of this book is the Next Gen setup: Lucilla, heiress to her mother as the Lady of the Vale, knows that the Lady (the deity of the Vale) wants her to do some stuff. Turns out it's so she can meet her soulmate! But even Stephanie Laurens balks at giving us two teenagers getting it on, so she had to get a love story in there somewhere.
The final word on this one: Objectively speaking, the book is pretty long and kinda boring. That said, if you, like us, love that specific brand of Cynster batshit, you'll love this book.
26-Word Summaries:
Laine: Christmas in the Vale has wassail, decorating, community spirit, and a big Cynster gathering. Also, a pagan(?) deity leading everyone to get some with their soulmate.
Meg: What’s a Cynster Christmas look like? Well, it needs 3 pages of character references and at least 7 POVs to describe, so 26 words isn’t enough.
Do NOT go into this book unprepared. You must, at the very least, have read Devil's Bride and Scandal's Bride to understand how unhinged this book gets. The supposed A Plot focuses on Claire and Daniel, governess and tutor, respectively, to two Cynster cousins' children. As this book opens, Daniel has been offered an independent living, meaning that he's finally able to propose marriage to Claire. Why are they in love? Who the heck knows?! Apparently they've gotten to know each other well enough over the past few years of family gatherings to know they're well-suited.
But the REAL plot of this book is the Next Gen setup: Lucilla, heiress to her mother as the Lady of the Vale, knows that the Lady (the deity of the Vale) wants her to do some stuff. Turns out it's so she can meet her soulmate! But even Stephanie Laurens balks at giving us two teenagers getting it on, so she had to get a love story in there somewhere.
The final word on this one: Objectively speaking, the book is pretty long and kinda boring. That said, if you, like us, love that specific brand of Cynster batshit, you'll love this book.
26-Word Summaries:
Laine: Christmas in the Vale has wassail, decorating, community spirit, and a big Cynster gathering. Also, a pagan(?) deity leading everyone to get some with their soulmate.
Meg: What’s a Cynster Christmas look like? Well, it needs 3 pages of character references and at least 7 POVs to describe, so 26 words isn’t enough.
eap157's review against another edition
Like Mary Balogh’s Westcott series, half of what you’re reading is naming people and how they’re related and mundane details like where they are sitting. It never has a chance to get interesting because there are simply too many characters to attempt to get to know.
ssejig's review
3.0
Though a part of the Cynster series, Laurens continues the work she's been doing in the "Casebooks of Barnaby Adair" series detailing relationships between couples who are not haute ton. In this book, one of the tutors to the next generation of Cynsters, Daniel Crosbie, and one of the governesses, Claire Meadows, find their own path to true love.
By dint of their occupations, Daniel and Claire have been thrown together during the Cynster celebrations. Now that his charges are about to all be off to school, Daniel is excited to be asked to stay on as Lucifer's amenuensis, assisting Lucifer with his collections. It would be enough to support a family...
But Claire has a past. As a widow, she's not really sure that she wants to get married again, but there's something about Daniel.
There was a lot of time given to the next generation of Cynsters, getting ready for the next books in the series. We see the five oldest of the children from the first round entering into their own adulthood. We see Sebastian and Michael (Honoria and Devil's oldest), Marcus and Lucinda (twins of Catriona and Vane), and Prudence (didn't catch the parents) working to help a small crofter get his house in order while his wife struggles to birth their first child.
In this book, we get our first glimpse of Thomas Carrick, Lucinda's one true love. He bursts into the cottage with his deerhound in a whirl of snow and manages to not only catch her eye but her interest as well.
By dint of their occupations, Daniel and Claire have been thrown together during the Cynster celebrations. Now that his charges are about to all be off to school, Daniel is excited to be asked to stay on as Lucifer's amenuensis, assisting Lucifer with his collections. It would be enough to support a family...
But Claire has a past. As a widow, she's not really sure that she wants to get married again, but there's something about Daniel.
There was a lot of time given to the next generation of Cynsters, getting ready for the next books in the series. We see the five oldest of the children from the first round entering into their own adulthood. We see Sebastian and Michael (Honoria and Devil's oldest), Marcus and Lucinda (twins of Catriona and Vane), and Prudence (didn't catch the parents) working to help a small crofter get his house in order while his wife struggles to birth their first child.
In this book, we get our first glimpse of Thomas Carrick, Lucinda's one true love. He bursts into the cottage with his deerhound in a whirl of snow and manages to not only catch her eye but her interest as well.
valefimbres's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hopevollm's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
We didn’t even get enough of the characters we were supposed to be following for me to even remember their names.
wc4's review against another edition
4.0
A novella romance between Daniel, a tutor in Lucifer Cynster's household and Claire, governess to Gabriel Cynster's daughter. Enjoyed this, because I like the Cynster books, and I enjoy seeing how they have fared through the years. This is also a preview to Lucilla Cynster's book, The Tempting of Thomas Carrick. It worked, now I can't wait to read that book.