I read Devil’s Bride when it first came out several years ago, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the brainy heroine, the masterful, determined hero, and the expressive love scenes. Eight books later, I’m still reading Laurens, although I’ve missed a title or two along the way. At this point, she’s become a guilty pleasure. Eight books full of defiant Cynster men (they are different from other men, mind you) and heroines with ruched nipples will do that to you.

The Cynster men have more or less been covered at this point, so Laurens has moved on to twins Amanda and Amelia (Amelia’s story will appear next month). The book begins with a somewhat ridiculous conversation between the twins about how they intend to go about finding their future mates. They’ve had several seasons now, so they are ready to get down to business. Amanda is sure she’s seen every man the ton has to offer, so she decides to explore different venues where real ladies are forbidden, such as gaming hells, racy masquerades, and free-wheeling sexy salons. This conversation pretty much raised every TSTL hackle in my body, so I was prepared to despise Amanda for the idiot that she was.

Then she went to the gaming hell, got in over her head with a wager on a card game – and got rescued by Martin Fullbridge, Earl of Dexter. And I really liked him; I simply couldn’t help myself. I persisted in liking him even though he was attracted to a woman stupid enough to cavort through places where no woman should be. Martin has just returned from ten years in India. There is a scandal attached to his name, and he has never intended to marry or participate in society. But somehow Amanda raises his protective instincts, and he finds himself accompanying her on jaunts to London’s seamier side.

Fortunately, Amanda soon runs out of exotic excursions. Her true motive all along has been to snare a man like her Cynster cousins, and Martin fits the bill perfectly. Martin certainly returns her affections, and once he gets Amanda in bed he is determined to wed her so he can keep her there. But that’s the crux of the conflict – Amanda will not marry Martin without a declaration of love, and Martin does not want to admit that his heart is truly engaged. There is also the matter of the scandal in Martin’s past, which has blackened his name, and seems to be causing dangerous incidents in the present. Amanda and Martin will need to resolve their battle of wills and discover the truth about the scandalous past before they can join Amanda’s horde of relatives in matrimonial bliss.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Laurens writes a certain hero “type,” which lends a certain sameness to her books. I tend to find her arrogant, possessive heroes alluring, which goes a long way toward explaining the “pleasure” in this guilty pleasure. And then there are her love scenes, which are plentiful, creative, and sexy. Amanda and Martin manage to cavort through the ton having sex in outrageous places. Sometimes Amanda goes home with him and doesn’t return to her own home until morning, and no one seems to notice, including Amanda’s parents. Let’s just say a lot of suspension of disbelief is required for this scenario, and although I don’t think I ever want to see the term “ruched nipples” again, I found most of the plot engaging enough that I was willing to overlook the unlikelihood of it all.

What did distract me was the chatty conversations the twin sisters share. When Amanda tells Amelia that Martin is “Dev-astatingly handsome,” (this is precisely how Laurens uses the word) I had to roll my eyes. They sounded more like Valley Girls than Regency Misses. Like, Omigod!

I also tired of Laurens’ repeated references to Martin’s moss agate eyes and lion-like appearance. The lion comparison is made throughout the book, and at one point Amanda compares Martin to a lion while thinking that his friend is more of a panther. At that point I started picturing them both as Disney animals – the kind that are sort of cute and human in an inexplicable way. Metaphors are all well and good in their place, but when they call to mind Simba and Bagheera, things have probably gone too far.

I struggled with the grade for this book, because while it had its flaws and wasn’t terribly original, I did enjoy it. There were many worthwhile moments, including a very funny end to the mystery/suspense part of the book. I won’t give that away, but I will say that Laurens takes the “every family member must show up and save the day” convention to its extreme. It isn’t silly; it’s funny, likely because it is deliberate.

So should you read this book? If you’ve read the other seven other books (eight, including the prequel) and you’re still enjoying them, go for it. If you’ve never read Laurens, it’s worth trying, and believe it or not, the book more or less stands on it own. If you tired of sexy lions, moss agatey eyes, and ruched nipples five books ago, you’d probably be better off giving this a pass. The rest of us can cuddle up in ratty-but-comfortable nightgowns with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and enjoy our guilty pleasure in style.