Blog Tour Review: Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens & HUGE Giveaway Entry Stop

As part of the Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens blog tour, I had the pleasure of reading the sixteenth book of the Cynster series, which is actually the first book of The Cynster Sisters Trilogy.

Haven't read any of the Cynster series books yet, don't worry!! This was my first Cynster experience as well! Let me share my thoughts with you, then stay tuned for a fan-freaking-tastic giveaway sponsored by Avon! You won't want to miss this!

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Title: Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue

Author: Stephanie Laurens

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Cynster, #16; The Cynster Sisters Trilogy, #1
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pub. Date: August 1, 2011
Received By: Publisher for Review
Overall Rating: 4/5
Heat Rating: 3.5/5

~*~Book Blurb~*~

Three heros, three rescues, three weddings.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Miss Heather Cynster

...but not before she encounters kidnappers, danger, and a daring rescue at the hands of Viscount Breckenridge.

Determined to hunt down her very own hero, one who will sweep her off her feet and into wedded bliss, and despairing of finding him in London's staid ballrooms, Heather Cynster steps out of her safe world and boldly attends a racy soiree.

But her promising hunt is ruined by the supremely interfering Viscount Breckenridge, who whisks her out of scandal-and straight into danger when a mysterious enemy seizes her, bundles her into a coach, and conveys her out of London.

Now it's up to the notorious Breckenridge to prove himself the hero she's been searching for all along...

A kidnapping, a journey, self-discovery, and an unmistakable love fueled by unbridled passion are just some of the aspects that make up this odyssey-like, romantic historical read.

The hero and heroine have a strong aversion to each other ... right?  Viscount Breckenridge *is* after all one of the most notorious rakes of England. And Heather Cynster is one of the most strong-willed and stubborn twenty-five year-old Lady's of the ton. Yet .. a passion neither expects nor necessarily welcomes -- at least on the heroine's part -- is discovered during a most unfortunate event: the kidnapping of Heather Cynster.

Fans of alpha heros with a sensitive, intellegent, and caring core will surely enjoy Viscount Breckenridge as much as I did! He follows Heather after witnessing her kidnapping, determined to save her from her most dangerous and unfortunate event -- not to mention the ultimate disaster: Ruin. Her fall in the eyes of society for being alone and with a man. 

Heather, on the other hand, doesn't want to be rescued ... at least not right away. There's more to her kidnapping then meets the eye, and it all centers around the Cynster women.  She's bold, determined, intelligent, strong willed, and stubborn. Everything that makes her a great heroine and a complete irritation to Breckenridge. She's determined to discover the meaning behind her kidnapping, but she can only stay safe with the help of the very sexy Breckenridge, who despite his irritation with Heather, can't help but also feel a little excitement in the twist of events. Not to mention, he soon realizes that his irritation towards Heather is actually a completely different feeling that is unfamiliar and takes him by surprise.

Away from England in the hills of Scotland, away from the prying, gossiping ton, the stage is set for a discovery of passion and love that neither the hero nor heroine expected. Stephanie Laurens does a fabulous job at truly captivating a strong passion, full of sensuality between the two protagonists. It's sexy and heartfelt, and I really enjoyed it! :)

Heather is determined to only marry a "hero" (yes, her words) that she truly loves and trusts. She'll either find her hero or remain "shelved" being that just as she was kidnapped, her last season she would attend was just beginning. Breckenridge has other plans. But will Heather she through the rakes reputation? Or will their nights filled with passion be enough to carry her through a life of spinsterhood? 

Although the story started off slightly slow, by the end of the first quarter there was a clear pick up in action -- in many, many ways! *g*  I really enjoyed both the hero and heroine, and the passion, mmm... the passion! All I can say is enjoy!

Having not been familiar with the Cynsters series, I was slightly apprehensive in wondering if I would feel lost with any story or character arcs. Happily, I was not at all left in the dark. While there is clearly a much deeper backstory with the characters, not once did I feel as though I was missing something. In addition, after finishing Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue, there is a short introduction to the next story in The Cynster Sister Trilogy, which looks very, very promising. It looks as though it will tie in nicely to the kidnapping plot of this current (1st book of the series) book, that left many questions unanswered. AND ... this hero is one I'm looking forward to getting to know! :)

Giveaway Details:

• Stephanie and Avon/HaperCollins are gifting a $100 Amazon gift certificate to one very lucky randomly drawn commenter during the course of the tour.  AND... All commenters will have the chance to win ONE of FOUR AUTOGRAPHED sets of Stephanie Lauren's backlist from Avon!   I know, right??? WOW!

• Leave a comment along with your email addy (please break it apart using (at) and (dot)).

• Contest runs the duration of the blog tour.

• The more stops you check out and comment on, the higher your chances of winning! So, go, go, go!!!! :)

Blog Tour Stops:

Click the graphic or peruse the following stops!

August 1: REVIEW Brazen Bookworm
August 2: REVIEW Book Junkie
August 3: GUEST BLOG Reading Romances
August 4: REVIEW What Book Is That
August 5: INTERVIEW Tracy's Treasure of Books
August 9: INTERVIEW Book Junkie
August 10: REVIEW Songs and Stories
August 11: REVIEW Books Like Breathing
August 12: REVIEW A Chick Who Reads
August 15: INTERVIEW Books Like Breathing
August 16: INTERVIEW Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
August 17: REVIEW Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess
August 18: REVIEW Romancing the Book
August 19: INTERVIEW Lisa Haselton's News and Reviews
August 22: REVIEW Just One More Paragraph
August 23: REVIEW Oodles of Books
August 24: REVIEW Among the Muses
August 25: REVIEW Reading Romances
August 26: REVIEW Tracy's Treasure of Books
August 30: REVIEW Reviews by Molly
August 30: REVIEW News and Reviews from the Heart of the Dragon's Den




Good Luck!!