A Rogue's Proposal

My rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.This book is well-written, because Stephanie Laurens is a talented writer. I read it several years ago, but recently decided to re-read the entire Cynster series, since I had enjoyed them all. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still like this book -- maybe not quite as much as the first read, but I still liked it a lot.Demon was mostly likable, but it seemed like he was mostly in lust, not love -- especially at first. It also irritated me that he was so determined to never admit that he loved a woman, and could have lost Felicity because of it. He finally did tell her he loved her, but it took him a long time to realize he needed to. What is it with men thinking that a woman has too much power if she knows she is loved? This is a common theme in many romances, but it still bugs me.I liked Felicity, but thought she did a lot of really stupid things in trying to solve the mystery. Demon kept having to save her from herself, and she was just too stubborn to stop getting herself in bad situations.There was a mistake in this book, which should have been caught in editing. In the first book, Devil's Bride, the twins Amanda and Amelia are described as having chestnut hair. But in the next two books and this book, now they have pale blonde hair.My rating system is below.1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

Enjoyable reading

This is the fourth Cynster novel, with the male lead Harry “Demon” Cynster, Vane’s younger brother. What Price Love?, the second Barnaby Adair mystery that I read before this one, is a sequel to this one. Demon—like all the “Bar Cynster” other than Devil, who as Duke of St. Ives knew from childhood that he would need to produce at least one legitimate son—had no desire to get leg-shackled, but when he meets Felicity “Flick” Parteger as a 20-year-old beauty, when the last he’d seen her had been as a pigtailed ten-year-old tomboy, he’s gobsmacked. Flick’s parents had died in a shipwreck when she was only seven, and she’d been taken on as a ward by General Sir Gordon Caxton—really only a fairly distant connection, but no one else in the family wanted her even though she is a considerable heiress (£10,000 a year was a lot of money in 1820). She grows up horse-mad, and to a considerable extent acts as protector to the General’s feckless only son, Dillon, even though Dillon is a couple of years older. (The events of this book turn Dillon into a much more responsible person, fitting him for the male lead in WPL.) There’s a mystery connected with the fixing of horse races that provides a plotline running along with the romance (and for once the leads don’t actually have sex until halfway through the book). Pretty typical of the series.

The 4th book in The Cynster Series by Stephanie Laurens is one of my favorites. I have yet to read a book by her that I did not like. The original six Bar Cynster Books started a series that has truly evolved and made it my Favorite. I have reread the series at least 3 times. This book is about Harry "Demon" Cynster (they all have nicknames which are not what they seem) and how he ends up falling in Fate's trap and in love with Felicity "Flick" Parmenter. Demon is the owner of a stud farm near Newcastle which is the racing capitol of England. He arrives back from London to find Flick training one of his best horses. Felicity is young and beautiful and knows more about horses than most men do. She is helping Dillion, the son of her guardian The General, who has become involved in a gambling scheme that could shatter the whole industry. Demon takes over the reins of the investigation as well as keeping Flick in hand as he wants her for his future wife. It is a fun read with mysteries to solve, love on the line due to lots of misunderstandings and a few heartaches along the way as well. I again have to say that this is one of my top 3 books by Stephanie Laurens and I never tire from reading them. They do not have to be read in order to be enjoyed, but it is fun to watch Fate take control of each of the Cynster Cousins and run them a merry race to find and secure the ones they love.

Extremely enthralling and entertaining, couldn’t look away from the captivating love story and the sensual web of desire the author conjures

Vaneの弟　Demonのお話Bar Cynsterの年長3人が純愛の呪縛にやられたところで、次は自分と悟ったDemonはとっとと逃げ出します。が、どんなに女性がいないところに逃げようとも、運命の歯車が廻っている時には女性に出会ってしまうもの...。Demonのお相手Felixは、れっきとした淑女ではありますが、馬オタクの祖父に育てられたので、超の付く馬好きのDemonも一目置く程馬に乗れてしまいます。運命に逆らえないと観念したDemonは無垢な淑女に相応しいやリ方でFelixに求愛しようとしますが、文字通りのお転婆娘であるFelixは、そんな事には無頓着にDemonを振り回します。放蕩者としてたゆまぬ修練を積んで来たDemonは、期せずしてFelixが差し出す機会を次々とモノにして行き...。Felixとロンドンの社交界に戻ってからの、Bar Cynsterの名に恥じないDemonのrakeっぷりが素敵です。

Love the romance, love the family, love the conquest, love the honour, love the wickedness. Love the author, great read!

“Bar Cynster”シリーズの第４作め、Vaneの弟Demonのラブロマンス。ロンドンを離れNewmarketの自分の厩舎で仕事をしていたDemonは、競馬の不正事件に巻き込まれた後見人の息子を助けるために男装して仕事場にもぐりこんでいたヒロインに出会います。まだ少女だったころの彼女を知るDemonは、美しく成長した彼女に強く心魅かれて一緒に事件解決に乗り出します。二人で行動するうち、どんどん彼女を愛するようになっていくDemon。結婚を避けていたDemonもやっぱり運命には逆らえず、彼女に結婚を申し込みますが・・。本作中で「頑固」で「短気」と評されている彼が、無垢で天使のような彼女に振り回されるところがとっても笑えます♪（特に台詞のあとの独白はさいこー）でも「愛」や「家族」に対する彼の思いを告白するシーンはCynsterの男らしくとっても素敵でした♪

Wao! Stephanie Laurens is fantastic storyteller! Her books just keep getting better and better!. Demon is another member of the Bar Cynster, known in town for his rogues ways😉 The last thing he expects is to find Felicity AKA Flick working in his stables, disguised as a boy. Or the instant hot attraction for the girl he had known for years. I love Flick so much! She us determine and strong and her passion and desire for Demon is so honest and vibrate that is not surprise he is knocked over kilter. Their passionate encounters as so hot and steamy that will leave you so hot and bothered. Highly recommended