Customer Reviews

A Rakes Vow

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've had this book for months, and have only made it about 3/4's of the way through it. I've read other books instead of finishing this one. I can't seem to get myself interested in it enough to finish, and that's extremely unusual for me. This was my second book in the Cynster Series, and I really liked Devil's Bride much better. I don't know if I will continue with the Cynster Series (when and if I even finish this one). At least I can see from other reviews that I'm not the only one disappointed in this book. I'm going to force myself to read the rest of it, but I honestly can't see myself continuing with this series.
The plot is thin at best, and taking far too long to get interesting. Patience started getting on my nerves in the first few pages and I almost want Vane to walk away from her. With all her casual liason's with him, it's amazing that pregnancy or scandal never crosses her mind.

Except for her hard-to-understand aversion to men like Vane, Patience is a good if slightly ordinary heroine. We eventually understand her reasoning, but it takes time to sympathize. Vane is one of those characters you really want to like, a lot, but Laurens never gives him his due. To me, Vane is never as clearly realized as the rest of the Cynsters.

I, however, found it refreshing (having read this series out of order) to have the hero almost immediately realize that this was the woman he wanted to marry and she's the one who needs convincing. The mystery plot was not particularly good; honestly, why could no one figure out the sand any earlier? Geez.

But Laurens writes well, and this book is enjoyable, although certainly not the best of the series. I think Vane has been cheated; it's almost as though the author never really understood him. His handling of Patience's brother Gerrard was one of the most insightful elements. Read it as part of the series, but it's hardly the best. Devil's and Scandal's stories are much better.

Just when you thought Stephanie Laurens couldn't get any better, she writes another stunning novel.

Following Devil's Bride as the second book in the Bar Cynster series by Laurens, this book manages to top the first.

Vane Cynster makes a mad run for it after his cousin Devil's wedding, as he refuses to be caught in the parson's mousetrap as well, but leave it to a thunderstorm to force him to take cover at his godmother's house, and introduce him to Miss Patience Debington.

When Patience gets trapped in the intrigue surrounding a petty thief at the house party she's attending, things begin to look up for her and her brother Gerrard when Vane shows up and puts his investigating skills to good use.

Though Patience hates the idea of getting tied to an "elegant gentleman" for life, she finds herself falling in love with the handsome cynster.

Laurens continues to amaze with her talent for writing. Hopefully she'll continue to pull off these wonderful romance novels for many years to come.

I am new to these books, but I have to say Stephanie Laurin's, writing is so beautiful. Even with this book being slow, I just love how she writes. It is like your right in the book with the characters. Her sex scenes are never dirty and astound you. And she is truly romantic. This book starts and stops, starts and stops. It is not the kind of book you cannot put down, but it is the kind of book you keep picking up, just because you get addicted to it and have to read it all.
I liked devils story better, this one is to much the same, and for a second book in a series, I thought it was to soon to have a repeat of the first. However, I will not give up on this author. She is very gifted.

Vane Cynster, Devil's cousin and closest friend, has his turn at meeting his match in this book. An enforced stay at his godmother's house brings him into contact with her niece, Patience Debbington, and a mystery: who is the magpie thief stealing all and sundry, and who is the Spectre who appears at night, in shadow, and appears to haunt the place? The primary suspect is Patience's young brother Gerrard, but Vane doesn't believe that for an instant. His godmother begs him to stay and sort it out, and as he is already very intrigued by Patience he agrees.

Patience is alarmed by Vane and does her best to avoid him; she's also worried about the effect he's having on Gerrard. ...

The plot of this book follows exactly the same direction as Devil's Bride. Vane - determined not to marry - encounters a woman and knows that he's met his fate. He wants to marry her. He proposes; she refuses him. He determines to persuade her through sensuality and at the same time find out why she won't marry him. And in the background there is a (not very interesting and pretty transparent) mystery plot - again, I'd worked out who was behind it pretty early on; ... Maybe Laurens wanted him to be seen as an idiot?

I found Vane's approach to Patience unconvincing; in one scene - when he'd just met her - he was aware that she had the power to attract him in a way no woman had before. And he was determined to resist that: he didn't *want* to marry. And yet barely a half-dozen pages later, with nothing having happened in the meantime, he was suddenly reconciled to his fate and determined to marry her. ...

And Patience's antipathy to Vane in the beginning was simply not explained until some way in the book. I can accept her stereotyping him as a certain type of man - and not being told what she meant by an 'elegant gentleman' until almost halfway through the book did not help! - but we need to know *what* stereotype she's using, and why it bothers her. That took some time to convey.

Again, a lot of detailed sex scenes, which is fine if you like that kind of thing; they're too numerous and technical - as well as lengthy - for my preference. I prefer my lovemaking scenes to focus on the emotions rather than descriptions of sex organs. Of course the extent and locations of Vane and Patience's amorous encounters are all wrong for the period, and I'm not sure why Laurens seems to assume that engaged, or near-engaged, couples of the - quite Puritanic, remember! - Regency period would naturally have sex. This has come across in three of her books now; her heroes seem to make an automatic assumption that an engagement means free sex. ...

I do have the rest of the Cynster series and will keep reading - Laurens has a readable style, even if I do skim some scenes - but I do hope that she varies her plots for later books.

First off these books should be read in order. The 1st book is DEVIL'S BRIDE, which is Devil's story. Devil is the cousin to the hero of this book, Vane. Vane and Devil are extremely close almost like brothers. After Devil has found himself a bride its now Vane's turn. Now Vane has decided no to marry. He is a Rake and has no plans to surrender his bachlorhood. That is until he meets Patience. Now patience has no desire to marry. She is "on The Shelf" and is quite content to groom her young brother, Gerrard, to becoming a great man. She and her brother are residing at the home of her Aunt Lady Bellamy. Vane has taken refuge at Bellamy Hall to wait out a storm and soon finds himself involved with a mystery. Someone has been stealing little baubles from Lady Bellamy's houseguests and everyone has pointed the finger at Patience's brother. Now Vane and Patience must prove Gerrard is innocent.

This is an exciting fast paced story. You get to meet Devil and several others of the Bar Cynster as well. Its filled with very passionate love scenes and quick humor. I highly recommend it and the whole series.

This is my third book by Stephanie Laurens, and unfortunately...I think its my last...I have tried to like this author, but I just cant do it. "A Rakes Vow" was sooo excruciatingly slow I wasnt even able to finish it...there was no plot..its just a bunch of way too long sex scenes broken up by chatting around the breakfast table...Not worth reading...

I think it's pretty good, expecially Vane's character. He seems to be sensible than other Cynsters. I migth be wrong, just my impression. However, the mystery seems to be nothing and not so exciting. Well, that's the point, I suppose. This is a romance not a mystery.

Vane is the second eldest in the 6 known as the Bar cynster. He runs into (quite literally) Patience Debbington and thus begins his downfall. He tries to escape the trap his cousin
Devil did, but when fate has her mind set.....
In this story Patience brother is suspect in a series of petty thefts. Vane comes to the youngster rescue while adding him in some growing up of his own. How honorable.
He of course falls in love but is unwilling to admit it. I don't know why men just can't get it through their heads that a women wants to be loved. He wouldn't have to do so much convincing if he would just recognized what is there. Oh well, Patience doesn't seem to mind his tactics. In fact, he is pretty convincing. Enough to set your blood to boiling. There is a scene in the conservatory that will never leave you looking at a fountain the same way again.
Her novel is fun to read. I enjoyed trying to figure out who the real theif was. The situations Patience and Vane got themselves into playing detective were amusing.
Vane and Patience are one steamy couple. Definitely buy this novel. The cynsters are well worth reading about.

This book is so excruciatingly slow and boring I couldn't get past the 5th Chapter. It had NOTHING to hold my attention.