Review: In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster

First of all, you can read the summary first to get to know more of this story:

Three heros, three rescues, three weddings.

The pleasure of your company is requested
at the wedding of Miss Eliza Cynster 

...but not until she's rescued from a daring abduction by the most unexpected of heros!

Brazenly kidnapped from her sister Heather's engagement ball, Eliza Cynster is spirited north to Edinburgh. Desperate and determined to escape, she seizes upon the first possible champion who happens along - gentleman scholar Jeremy Carling.

Villains and rescues are a far cry from Jeremy's expertise, yet he cannot abandon a damsel in distress. But danger lurks and hurdles abound in their race to escape the mysterious laird, until a final confrontation on a windswept cliff reveals what their future life could hold - if both are bold enough to seize and own the unexpected love they now share.


Review:


So, to start it off. To tell you the truth, I've read all the books by Stephanie Laurens, Cynster series, yep, read em' all, and this one, well, kinda lukewarm to me, but not bad, just lack the zing like other Cynster books I've read.


It started off with Eliza, being kidnapped from her sister's engagement ball to be handed over to the mysterious laird, who has his own agenda to save his title. So, a long ride to Scotland she spotted someone she knew, but barely, a gentleman scholar - Jeremy Carling (from The Lady Chosen, 1st Bastion Club series, or 2nd, if you count Captain Jack's Woman).


Jeremy Carling, is a quiet and reserved scholar, not like those alpha male heroes from her previous books, kinda different as he is more interested in hieroglyphs and tomes rather than pursuing marriage. Eliza is also portrayed as the quiet, reserved,loves to embroider rather than horseback riding, but still unmarried at the age of 24. So, two halves makes a whole, to summarize it.


The best part of this book is the rescue and cat and mouse chase from Edinburgh to Wolverstone Castle. They passed through many small towns and villages in Scotland, also describing how quaint, or beautiful some of the places visited in the book.


The chemistry of Eliza and Jeremy also started from nothing to wildly in love, which is, how to say it, nice. Not the bad nice, but just nice, nothing more. It develops slowly until almost nearing the end where the hot steamy love scenes come out, and it started from an innocent kiss in the middle of the story. I find this very cute and simply sweet. I like the fact that it was so pleasant reading about the relationship blooming between them.


The villains can be divided into two, the nice one and the psychopath. Not to spoil it for you, but if you read it, you become confused as the real motive of the kidnapping and when she escapes, the mysterious laird just doesn't have the interest in chasing them back, just following and letting them be. He's going to lose his inheritance and that one chance to save his fortune, he lets it go, and thinking that the next girl will be the better. Why? And the captor was the psychopathic one to recapture Eliza, rather than the laird. Which comes to my other flaws in this book.


Firstly, you know you are targeted to be kidnapped, so why oh  why did you still go to a stranger who sent you a note, to meet you outside, alone, with no one to accompany you? Tsk tsk, bad move Eliza. Should've given it to your brothers or cousins.


Next, the romance between Eliza and Jeremy is a good match, but the lack of arguments or fiery tension makes it less interesting. They really left it to Fate, and they were lucky to be in a romance book, where they WILL have a happy ending. At least add some spice and fire to their relationship, so it feels real, when being in a relationship. (Being gored by a bull is an exception, hehehe)


However, Ms. Laurens has the knack in writing love scenes that can be steaming hot chilli con carnage. I enjoyed the scenes and they were written very effectively, and it captures the emotion of the two love birds. The style, how to pleasure both man and woman, is very deep and passionate, adding that they were both shy at first,  but became very comfortable in the end.


In a nutshell, it was a satisfactory book to read, and it picks up from the first book, Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue, where it really delves into the story of the laird in the beginning. To compare it to other Cynster books is not that fair, because this is a trilogy of its own and it can only be compared to the 1st book. So, it is almost the same but better than the 1st, minus the flaws, it's a gripping tale almost like the Black Cobra Quartet, except it is toned down. 


This book is a keeper for those who are really into Stephanie Laurens' books, and a good read for 1st time readers of historical romance.


The 3rd and last book of this trilogy, The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae, will be out January 31st 2012.


Grade for this book: B


PS: Reading this book, I thought of the movie The Librarian, starring Noah Wyle. Really, I think it's almost the same.