Devil’s Bride Audiobook

By: Stephanie Laurens

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Reviewed by Lisa Kay

Why do I love this book so much? I read it at least once a year. **sigh** I think it is because I’m definitely only of ‘those’ readers. You know the kind that the marketing people just adore – who loves a duke in the story! I also love books with “bride” in the title. Combine these two, and my book budget is shot to hell.
This is the first book in Ms. Laurens’ Cynster seriesand it is one of the best, IMHO. The 6th Duke of St. Ives, Sylvester “Devil” Cynster is the leader of this notorious pack of handsome, aristocratic rakes. He certainly is the one with the most sense of entitlement and he feels entitled to Miss Honoria Prudence Anstruther-Wetherby, finishing governess extraordinaire.  Caught in a compromising position, these two have a battle of the wills when Devil decides she’d make a perfect duchess for him.
Ms. Laurens wastes no time getting these two together in a plausible set-up, which also provides a nice little mystery. Not a great mystery, mind you; but, a nice one, that leads us in the right direction all along. She’s not trying to trick the reader; it is a romance, after all. I love that Honoria puts herself right in the thick of the investigation.
However, I love the romance, too! Devil thinks he has his feelings all under control, but he’s in for as much of a surprise as Honoria.
The love scenes are pretty hot, especially if you haven’t read the other books. (Alas, this author does tend to repeat the same phrases in her other books.) She also has a couple of funny scenes that still make me smile. Sulliman, Devil’s horse, eating the scones and when Honoria goes to Chillingworth’s townhouse. LOL!
I also zipped through all the rest of this series (before it broke off into the Cysters Sisters Trilogy), back when I first discovered this author and “OD’d” on this storyline. Still, this one holds up for me, along with several others. Mr. Prebble narrates a few in this series, but not all. I’ll probably be very bad and purchase a few more.

  4.10  ·  rating details  ·  3,743 ratings  ·  257 reviews on Goodreads 

The Author

Stephanie Laurens

Narration

 When someone wanted to do a “buddy read” (which you know I can’t resist!) of this one, I decided I’d listen this time, even though I’m not a big fan of Simon Prebble’s. (I just couldn’t get into an older man reading the love scenes to me. However, now that I’m older, he isn’t so bad. LOL!) Nevertheless, Mr. Prebble does an admirable job of this one.
The old biddies of the ton are hilariousand the duke is sufficiently arrogant. I definitely got caught up in his telling me the story again.