Rating: 
Summary: You have got to chek this one out!!!
Review: Okay,fans of romance...this is a must read. I just finished it and all I can say is I wish I could read it all over for the first time. This one goes on my "keep your hands off or die" shelf. Gabriel is a hero dreams are made of and the story line is tight and really keeps you enthralled(Ohhhh, I love that Cynster Family). I really enjoy Stepanie Laurens as an author...But, in the past some of her stuff has been a little on the darker side of passion. But, this book is steamy AND keeps the glow we crave about true love. I kept thinking.."Wow, I want that" and I can't say that about a lot of books. PS- If your looking for a new author and like Stephanie Laurens, check out Julie Garwood. She wraps love, laughter, passion, possessiveness and an incredible story into one. You just want to know her characters and feel like you do at the end of the story. Start with some of her older stuff...-Honor Splendor,The Secret, The Bride, The Prize and Saving Grace-to start and work your way forward. AND for all you Regency Period Lovers...she has a four book series right up your alley...-Lion's Lady, Guardian Angel, The Gift and Castles-. Read on and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Though many will disagree¿
Review: ...I liked this story the best in the Cynaster series so far, even edging out Devil's Bride (although just barely). The complexities of the relationship and how Alathea and Gabriel work through them are extraordinary. Where Devil's Bride was a great story, A Secret Love digs deeper into the characters and makes you think about what makes a relationship work. I was very wary in the beginning of this story thinking, "Oh no, another OLD MAID/VIRGIN story, can't we think of anything original?" Man, was I in for a surprise. Alathea and Rupert/Gabriel are long times friends. They, along with Lucifer (Gabriel's brother), grew up together in the same neighborhood and share a long history. This is a key factor in keeping this story fresh. Alathea and Gabriel clash at every opportunity as adults, starting when they turned 13 and 14. They saw each other as brother and sister and as very good friends. It never occurred to either one of them that there could ever be more to their relationship than that, and that they were clashing because they were attracted to one another. (Besides, circumstances take Alathea away on her first year "out" and they see each other infrequently.) Gabriel is definitely a Cynaster male and has had (more than) his share of sexual experience at the present time in the story. But at the time of their young adolescence, he would not have known how to read the different signs nor thought of them in conjunction with Alathea. With a decent and realistic plot to move the story along (not some far out fantasy adventure, but a somewhat realistic scam) our leads get reacquainted with one another. The first half of the book is sensual and gripping. When Gabriel arrives at his epiphany about their relationship, it is truly spine tingling. Alathea, although realizes her feelings first, is plagued by doubts. Knowing Rupert/Gabriel so well, she knows that he would help them out and want to marry her because of his Cynaster over-protectivism, not necessarily for love. It is because these two lead characters have such a long history, that the plot devises work so well. Friends first, lovers second, they understand each other too well and can't get away with anything. This is a great book, and I do not give 5 stars often but I feel it deserves each and every one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Another deserving Cynster bites the dust....
Review: Alathea needs Rupert (aka Gabriel) to help her save her family from financial ruin, but she cannot divulge her identity to him; thus, she approaches him in secret as a widowed countess, veiled in black. Intrigued and determined to seduce the alluring countess, Gabriel agrees to help her, in exchange for a kiss each time they meet. Well, a Cynster kiss is far from a peck on the cheek, and soon the pair find themselves intimately involved as they get closer and closer to the villain they seek. When Gabriel discovers her true identity and offers to marry her, Alathea firmly refuses to take advantage of his chivalry. Chasing away her other suitors doesn't make her change her mind, since she has determined to remain a spinster. How can Gabriel convince her to become his wife? Stephanie Laurens has created another spectacular Cynster romance that keeps the spellbound reader glued to the pages!
Rating: 
Summary: The end is near!
Review: Lady Alathea Morwellan needed help to keep her family from financial disaster. She needed her former childhood friend, Gabriel Cynster. But as adults, she and Gabriel can't be in a room together without an argument breaking out. The solution? Thea goes veiled and poses as a widowed countess while requesting Gabriel's help. She needed the help and expected Gabriel to win through, but she never expected to become his lover. Another member of the Bar Cynster hits the matrimonial dust, fighting all the way. Gabriel is a bit slow in determining that Thea is the countess. Duh, Gabriel, there aren't that many tall, feisty woman running around London. Yet the story is wonderful and engrossing. Laurens never disappoints. It appears we will have at least two more books in the series to look forward to, Lucifer and honorary Cynster, Chillingworth. I can't wait!
Rating:
Summary: Never a Dull Moment
Review: Great book. The best of the series to date. I can't wait for the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: As ever, Stephanie Laurens does not fail to please! This one is particularly good. My only wish for this author is that she would someday write about a heroine that wasn't SO perfectly beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: A Secret Love
Review: I enjoy all of Stepahine Laurens' books, and this was no exception. It was fun to read, and for those of you following the series...it leaves you anxiously awaiting the next installment. If you enjoy reading Regency books, and have missed the Cynster family series, buy them all any look forward to a marathon read!
Rating:
Summary: Ms Laurens does it again
Review: I don't know what Ms Laurens is smokin' but she should really give it to other writers of historical romance. She always pops out the most funny, romantic, and enjoyable novels I have ever read. This book, however, veers off a little from her normal plot lines. For instance, the hero and heroine have known each other for almost their entire lives. Not just casually knew each other like in A Rogue's Proposal, but knew each other inside and out-the consequence of being very good friends during their childhood. Also, I had the highest respect for the heroine, Alathea, who at age 18 gave up everything she had ever dreamed of to save her family from fanancial ruin. She deserved romance with a Cynster.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Laughter, and Pure Enjoyment
Review: Once again Stephanie Laurens has managed to make me laugh out loud making my family wonder if I was going nuts. The tables are finally turned with the heroine cloaked in secrecy instead of the hero. Keep driving the men mad and making us laugh.
Rating:
Summary: getting good again.
Review: *grin* i think that the bar cynster is a great series for idle reading. this book, the fifth, is in fact a rather good attempt. a secret love certainly cannot compare to devil's bride, which imho, is the best of the lot. but in a secret love, gabriel's tale, there is yet another setting, which is quite good. the characters are more driven and thank goodness it isn't simple a storey of misunderstanding and stubborn mood swings. in this book, althalea seeks gabriels aid. thought childhood friends, they're rather estranged, hence her elborate plan to evoke his interest to help by pretending to me a mysterious countess. it is to the author's credit that the novel is neither dull nor extrememly predictable. but this IS a romance storey, so there aren't really plot twists. still, it is a passionate and rather pleasant to delve into.
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