Gyles Rawlings, fifth Earl of Chillingworth and an honorary member of the Cynster clan, is determined not to marry for love. To that end, he makes an offer of marriage, sight unseen, to the niece of an old friend. He believes he's chosen a docile, biddable lady who will bear him an heir and leave his emotions uninvolved. He arrives for his own wedding without ever actually meeting his fianc&eaccute; and at the chapel's altar, is astonished to discover that he's offered for the wrong woman--his wife is the cousin of the woman he thought he was marrying. The two ladies share the same name, and the woman he has married is a passionate female who makes his head spin. Francesca isn't docile, certainly not biddable, and she has no intention of settling for anything less than her husband's heart.

The battle lines are drawn in this war of love, with both parties well aware of the stakes. Will Giles continue to barricade his heart, or will Francesca's love and loyalty tear down the walls that keep him from her? And if Giles can't thwart the strange threats to Francesca's life, neither may live to see the end of their contest of the heart.

This installment in author Stephanie Laurens's beloved Cynster series has been eagerly anticipated by fans, and All About Passion doesn't disappoint. Taut with sexual tension between the hero and heroine, rich with details of the world of Regency England, and well-supported with a solid plot, this latest Cynster tale is an excellent read. --Lois Faye Dyer


From Publishers Weekly
Appealing characters and red-hot chemistry breathe new life into a familiar story line in the latest entry in Laurens's Regency-era Cynster series (following All About Love). This time, Cupid's arrow fells Gyles Rawlings, the Earl of Chillingworth and an "honorary Cynster." Gyles realizes that it's time to take a wife and carry on the line, but he's determined to go about it in a businesslike fashion with an arranged marriage. Fortunately, country heiress Francesca Rawlings, a distant relation, seems to be the perfect candidate. She's well favored, pleasant and endowed with an estate that will nicely complement his own. On his wedding day, however, he discovers that the serene, docile woman that he spied in the garden a few days earlier was not Francesca, but her cousin Frannie. The heiress he's contracted for is the passionate hoyden he's met galloping across the downs. Nevertheless, he goes through with the marriage, seizing the opportunity to complete his estate and indulge his passion for the spirited Francesca. She, in turn, is determined to make the earl admit his love for her. The stubbornness of the hero and heroine, though the center of the story's conflict, may irritate some readers, but Laurens's twist on the bride-switch, arranged marriage formula is fun, spicy and sure to please. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
"If one is not marrying for love, one may as well marry for something else. My future countess has to be sufficiently docile and endowed with at least passable grace of form, deportment and address."Fate has made Gyles Rawlings a man determined to control his destiny. He has decided to wed a well-bred lady who will dutifully bear him sons, yet turn a blind eye while he takes his pleasure elsewhere. By all good accounts, Francesca will fit his bill. As for the "elsewhere," he's recently encountered a beautiful, brazen siren who will make a fine mistress, one with a fiery nature to match his own. But at the altar, Gyles discovers his bride is the bold enchantress who has inspired his deepest fantasies. Finding passion and love in the same woman has long been a secret fear. But as his world is rocked on its axis, Gyles becomes obsessed with one thing he'd thought he would never want...his wife's heart


Download Description
Gyles Rawlings, a man determined to control his destiny, finds out what it means to become obsessed with the one thing he'd thought he would never want ... his wife's heart. "If one is not marrying for love, one may as well marry for something else. My future countess has to be sufficiently docile and endowed with at least passable grace of form, deportment and address." Fate has made Gyles Rawlings a man determined to control his destiny. He has decided to wed a well-bred lady who will dutifully bear him sons, yet turn a blind eye while he takes his pleasure elsewhere. By all good accounts, Francesca will fit his bill. As for the "elsewhere," he's recently encountered a beautiful, brazen siren who will make a fine mistress, one with a fiery nature to match his own. But at the altar, Gyles discovers his bride is the bold enchantress who has inspired his deepest fantasies. Finding passion and love in the same woman has long been a secret fear. But as his world is rocked on its axis, Gyles becomes obsessed with one thing he'd thought he would never want...his wife's heart


About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career, and her series about the masterful Cynster cousins has captivated readers, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors. She currently lives in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and two teenage daughters.

FROM OUR EDITORS

When Gyles Rawlings, Earl of Chillingworth, was named an honorary Cynster (in All About Love), he was pleased at the recognition of his longtime friendship with the Cynsters but certain that the gesture would not affect his future in the slightest. Unlike the Cynsters, who are destined to wed for love, Gyles is determined that love will play no part in his marriage plans. That's why he's contracted to wed an heiress, sight unseen, to acquire an estate that had once been part of his family's land. He considers it a bonus that, while conducting the negotiations for his perfectly suitable bride, he's met an unforgettable beauty whose passionate nature is the perfect match for his own -- until he discovers that the brazen beauty he plans to make his mistress is, in fact, his promised bride, and she is determined her marriage will be a perfect fusion of passion and love.

ANNOTATION

Gyles discovers his bride is the bold enchantress who has inspired his deepest fantasies. Finding passion and love in the same woman has long been a secret fear. But as his world is rocked on its axis, Gyles becomes obsessed with one thing he'd thought he would never want...his wife's heart

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"If one is not marrying for love, one may as well marry for something else. My future countess has to be sufficiently docile and endowed with at least passable grace of form, deportment and address."

Fate has made Gyles Rawlings a man determined to control his destiny. He has decided to wed a well-bred lady who will dutifully bear him sons, yet turn a blind eye while he takes his pleasure elsewhere. By all good accounts, Francesca will fit his bill. As for the "elsewhere," he's recently encountered a beautiful, brazen siren who will make a fine mistress, one with a fiery nature to match his own. But at the altar, Gyles discovers his bride is the bold enchantress who has inspired his deepest fantasies. Finding passion and love in the same woman has long been a secret fear. But as his world is rocked on its axis, Gyles becomes obsessed with one thing he'd thought he would never want...his wife's heart

About the AuthorNew York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career, and her series about the masterful Cynster cousins has captivated readers, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors. She currently lives in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and two teenage daughters.

SYNOPSIS

"If one is not marrying for love, one may as well marry for something else. My future countess has to be sufficiently docile and endowed with at least passable grace of form, deportment and address."

Fate has made Gyles Rawlings a man determined to control his destiny.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly