Review: Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue

This book was not a winner for me.  It had some redeeming qualities, but more often than not, it left me frustrated and annoyed with the main characters.

At 25, Heather Cynster isn't quite on the shelf, but she is probably facing her last season. So she decides to take her love life into her own hands and to go in search of her own hero.  She ventures out to a scandalous party and comes face to face with Viscount Breckenridge, the bane of her existence.  Breckenridge ushers her away from the party and to her carriage. But she's kidnapped before she makes it to her destination.  Fortunately, Breckenridge witnesses the whole things and takes off in pursuit.

Heather's kidnappers are working for a mystery man who have tasked them with snatching any one of the Cynster sisters.  So once Breckenridge catches up to them, Heather opts to stay close to her captors to learn about their boss. She figures that if she simply escapes, the man will hire someone to go after one of her sisters.  That plan is a dud, but takes us about 1/3 of the way through the book.  From there, she does escape with Breckenridge... and they make they way towards some nearby relatives.  Along the way, the couple falls into bed together. And the rest of the book is spent going back and forth as to whether the two of them will admit their feelings to the other as the rules of society dictate they should wed.

These two frankly didn't deserve to find happiness.  At first, I kind of sympathized with Heather -- I mean, who would want to marry a man who doesn't love you?  But then, I realized, she won't step up and admit her feelings any more than he will.  They do this dance, where they sleep together, feel warm and fuzzy, refuse to admit it and have one miscommunication after another. And it goes on and on.

The book was too long, especially in the second half.  And the language was cumbersome and too flowery at times.  I actually found myself skimming over parts of the love scenes... which frankly, is blasphemy in most cases.  Let me give you an example of why:

"He led her into a landscape of sensual lushness created by touch, by tactile sensation, by long drawn-out intimate exploration, capped by sexual revelation.  He guided her on through valleys of pleasure colored by rainbows of glitteringly sharp delight, onto plateaus where untempered passion ran so luxuriously and deliciously deep that it swamped her senses and left her reeling."

Moving on.  There were moments I did want them to work things out. I wasn't beyond caring.  And I was pleased when the two of them finally admitted their feelings.  But on the whole, it didn't ring my bells. A little more than 3 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue

by Stephanie Laurens

Release Date: August 30, 2011 

Publisher: Avon