In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster
In this Regency romance, Eliza Cynster is awfully close to being on the shelf. Her rapidly advancing age makes her wonder if she will ever find the man of her dreams (or any man to marry, for that matter). After her sister Heather is abducted by a mysterious Scotsman, Eliza and her sister Angelica are kept under close watch, thus preventing them from meeting any eligible bachelors. Then, at Heather’s engagement ball, Eliza is attacked, drugged, and tossed in a carriage bound for Scotland – yet another victim of Heather’s abductor, who seems intent on marrying one of the eligible Cynster sisters. Eliza’s situation seems desperate, but she finally recovers sufficiently from the laudanum and flags down a carriage – one that happens to be driven by scholar Jeremy Carling, a man who doesn’t see himself as a hero, but who realizes that there’s a woman in need of his assistance. Carling helps Eliza escape her captors, and the two take flight for the English border, falling in love in the process.
Laurens has been hit-or-miss for me lately – some of her most recent books have been too full of purple prose and too dependent on recurring characters for my taste. I was pleasantly surprised by In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster – it’s truly a welcome return to the exciting romantic adventures that she is best known for. Instead of rolling my eyes at yet another extension of the convoluted Cynster family tree, I’m looking forward to the next installment in this trilogy.
