What Price Love? by Stephanie Laurens

Synopsis: There is nothing more fascinating than a darkly handsome rake, especially one as controlled and elusive as Dillon Caxton, protege of Demon Cynster. Despite his dangerous air, Dillon is 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, he guards his hard-won reputation and is the Keeper of the Register of all racing horses in England. His standing and aloofness make Dillon undeniably desirable to young ladies, but despite all the lures thrown his way, he remains uninterested -- his attention unfixed.

                 Until "Miss Priscilla Dalling" erupts into his life. A stunning beauty, she affects Dillon as no other ever has, but what fascinates him even more is that this tempting young lady is clearly desperate, and equally clearly lying about wanting to see the Register to fulfill the whim of an eccentric aunt.

                 Lady Priscilla Dalloway will do anything to see what's in the Register -- even lie! Her twin brother, Russell, who had fought with their father and left the family home to work with the finest racehorses, has disappeared. Pris knows that clues to his whereabouts can be found in the tome Dillon Caxton refuses to let her see.

                 She unleashes her feminine wiles on Dillon -- to no avail. But Dillon is now determined to learn the truth behind her quest. Exploiting the powerful attraction that flares between them, he succeeds in convincing Pris to tell him all, to trust him with her twin's life. Together, Dillon and Pris locate Rus, only to discover that his life is being threatened by the perpetrators of a massive betting swindle.

                 The time is ripe for Dillon to repay old debts by helping another as he himself was helped. Assisted by Demon, Felicity, and Barnaby Adair, Dillon and Pris embark on a journey riddled with danger -- and undeniable passion -- as they seek to overturn the swindle and expose Rus's deadly enemies. And along the way they discover the answer to that age-old question: What price love?

My thoughts: this is a romance that I usually call “pastime book”. When you don’t have anything better to do and want to enjoy an adorable evening reading a romance, that’s the kind of book that I usually pick to read. However, I’m starting to see an established pattern: a beautiful couple that hates each other in the beginning, but falls in love at first sight and just realizes that by the end of the reading. The only thing that really impressed me was that this time, the man realizes first. Usually is the girl the first to discover that is in love.

                After Jane Austen came up with the base for historical romance in Pride and Prejudice, it seems that all the other novelists thought that they should follow the same road, and thus the romances lose its gentleness and became something not original. There isn’t a lot differences, except for the change of scenario and this was the first time that the romance spun around horses and jockeys. I really liked the commitment of the author in making the scenes related to the races as truthful as possible, even though I couldn’t understand much about the details since I never participated in a race like that, but it was very instructive.

                Caxton and Priscilla made a cute couple, but even before they REALLY became a couple, I sensed that Dillon had a very possessive felling towards Pris. It only became a sweet sensation, like one of caring and protection, after 2/3 of the reading. I consider the quantity and quality of the romance according to the quantity of words and gestures that I mark during the reading and this one didn’t have many.

                What I liked was the couple and their friends. Prue was a little joy: the oldest daughter of Demon and Flick Cynster, Prudence was quite a mind and is very straightforward. She reminded me of Georgia from Rescued, so I really had fun when she appeared (unfortunately, she didn’t have that many scenes). Dillon is H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E. Another thing that was kind of funny was the name of the male members of the Cynsters: Demon, Devil, Gabriel, Vane. Some were from hell and others from heaven! (O.K. I stopped already)

                Last, but not least, is the cover. It gives the air of mystery, and the girl of the cover, obviously represents Pris. The fan in front of her suggest that she is hiding something (that I won’t tell what) from the reader, and to find out, of course, you have to read it. And the red color symbolizing love and passion.

Rate:

 and a half