Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue - Stephanie Laurens Hadrian's Wall in Scotland,
built by the Romans around AD 122

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★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve never hear Matthew Brenher narrate before, but I liked his reading of this first in The Cynster Sisters Trilogy. He enunciates nicely and has a great Scottish accent, where applicable. Sometimes he needs to pause a bit, as he seemed to drone on at times, but I think that was due to my having read so many of this author’s books and she gets repetitive. It isn’t easy for a man to read me the love scenes, especially in Historical Romances (as opposed to PNR or UF), but he gave a very nice performance and his female voices weren’t falsetto deliveries.

I was surprised I enjoyed the story-line in one as much as I did. Ms. Sanders has a template she uses for her long running Cynster series, but in VBttR she gives the reader a little something different here: a kidnapping right off the get-go.

Then there is also the mysterious Highlander, and trying to figure out not only his intent, but also if he is potential hero material for a future book in this series, or truly evil. When Ms. Landers stuck to that, I was thoroughly entertained. That, and the first love scene worked for me. I thought it was going to be a five star read for me.

However, she lapsed back into the same old theme of the heroine not wanting to marry the hero until he says those three little words. There are so many good things about LS’s writing, but this theme she falls back on too many times. Maybe she’s of the view that she wants to stick with the sure thing, for her books have all been very successful. For a reason. I always enjoy parts of them a lot and still re-read [b:Devil's Bride|363499|Devil's Bride (Cynster, #1)|Stephanie Laurens|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348213744s/363499.jpg|2524956] once a year.

Nevertheless, June, in our “buddy read” of this one in Romance Lovers for the Challenge Impaired, put it best: “I'm not a big fan of a woman that demands a love declaration, but has no courage to tell her man that she loves him.” I agree. Especially each and every time... and for too, too many chapters.

Love the trek through Scotland, though.

*Picture Credit: Public Domain found on Wiki.