Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've read all of Stephanie Lauren's novels, and I'm getting... a bit disappointed. Perhaps I've just come to expect more from her. This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't her best or even close. I have liked Barnaby's character throughout the other novels he's appeared in, and was really looking forward to his story.
Things I liked: As others have mentioned, the mystery was a bit better than most of the others. The writing, as always is well done (although the "patience of Jove" still annoys me lol). I liked that although Barnaby felt protective, he wasn't constantly demanding that she obey him, or trying to force her to do things as he wished. He appeared to respect her opinion and listen to her comments (at least as the book got farther in).
Things I disliked: How many times do we have to hear about her "wits" and "senses"? Her "arguments" weren't really all that convincing. The near constant references to "men" being of inferior intellect. That, as another reviewer mentioned, her whole reason for pursuing a "relationship" with him was out of curiosity. That is a common theme in many of Ms. Laurens' novels, but in this case there seemed to be little else at that point.
As I said, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. I happily bought the book (electronic version), and am looking forward to more of her works (especially the Bastian Club series), but I'm pretty glad I didn't spend $25 on it.
I appreciate very much that Ms. Laurens is one of the best, most eloquent writers in the genre, and also that she has some of the steamiest sex scenes of any author. I just wasn't thrilled with this story, and would like to see more emphasis placed on "romance". I would happily read a longer novel if the quality of the mystery was equaled by the quality of the love story.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Where the Heart Leads: From the Casebook of Barnaby Adair (Cynster Novels)
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens knows the world of Regency London . . . especially the exclusive enclave of luxury in which the aristocracy lived in wealth and comfort. But outside that glittering circle lay another world . . . and Laurens pulls back the curtain that has hidden it from us—until now.
Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's younger sister, has grown up with every advantage—wealth, position, and beauty. Yet Penelope is anything but a pretty face in a satin gown—forceful, willful, and blunt to a fault, she has for years devoted her considerable energy and intelligence to caring for the forgotten orphans of London's sooty and seamier streets.
But now her charges are mysteriously disappearing. Desperate, Penelope turns to the one man she knows who might help her—Barnaby Adair.
Handsome scion of a noble house, Adair has made a name for himself in certain circles where his powers of observation and deduction have seen him solve several serious and unsavory crimes within the ton. His pedigree, relentless intelligence, and discretion make him a deadly avenger in an elegant guise. Despite his skills—or perhaps because of them—he makes Penelope distinctly uncomfortable, but the stakes are too grave. Throwing caution to the wind, defying every rule for unmarried ladies, she appears on his doorstep late one night determined to recruit his talents.
Barnaby is intrigued—both by her problem and her. Her bold beauty and undeniable brains make a striking contrast to the usual insipid ton misses. And as he's in dire need of an excuse to avoid said insipid misses, he accepts her challenge, never dreaming she and it will consume his every waking hour.
Enlisting the aid of Inspector Basil Stokes of the fledgling Scotland Yard, they infiltrate the streets of London's notorious East End. But as they unravel the mystery of the missing orphans, they uncover a trail leading to the upper echelons of society and a ruthless and clever criminal adept at pulling strings who, becoming aware of them and their efforts, is only too ready to destroy all they hold dear, including their newfound understanding of the intrigues of the human heart.
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