The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh

2.5 stars<br /><br />I’m shocked at my own reading experience with this book considering that I have such love for Stephanie Lauren’s Cynster series. THE DESIGNS OF LORD RANDOLPH CAVANAUGH is the start of a new series and I launched at it with great enthusiasm and expectation.<br /><br />I have to say, I started off interested and open-minded but by 35%, I was having difficulty with the book for a few reasons. Firstly, this might have well been a rookie’s guide to steam engines for all the technical information and description and sadly it had me very bored. This issue perpetuated throughout the book with much discussion of pistons, valves and boilers (I don’t mean those phrases as a double entendre either). My second issue was around the main characters themselves. Both characters, Felicia and Rand were basically pleasant characters but they had no chemistry. Their supposed connection came out of nowhere and it’s just wasn’t believable for me. It was everything instalove and I was turned off.<br /><br />This is the least romantic book I’ve read from Stephanie Laurens, with slow burn of chemistry and I must admit I was desperate for some romantic connection earlier. Maybe I was just ‘over it’ when it did come. My rating and value for this book are given for the main characters themselves, I liked them each as people, just not together, so clearly this missed the spot with me.<br /><br />If you’ve not read Stephanie Laurens, don’t start here. Start with Devil’s Bride.<br /><br />I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Lord Randolph Cavanaugh arrives at Throgmorton Hall unannounced. He's checking up on one of his investments. He alights from his carriage to witness the explosion of the engine to the Throgmorton Steam-Powered Horseless Carriage. Lord Randolph further discovers that the inventor has died and his son, William John, has ascended to the position. William John's sister, Felicia, wants nothing to do with inventions or inventors. She has seen the damage they do to the family and staff. When she learns of William John's financial deception, Felicia is outraged. Randolph --Rand -- points out the consequences to all parties if the steam engine is not presented at the exhibition in Birmingham. William John will need the help of both Rand and Felicia if he is to make the invention run. Can the three of them work together for the sake of everyone?<br /><br />The main characters are expressive and real. We feel the sentiment of the protagonists and the secondary characters. The love between Rand and Felicia is respectful and honest. The plot is simple but compelling. The epilogue wraps up Rand and Felicia's story and also teases the reader towards the next book in the series. A most delightful story with a HEA ending.

Series: The Cavanaughs #1<br />Publication Date: 4/24/18<br /><br />What a wonderfully, delightfully different take on a historical romance. It was such a refreshing change that I felt like starting at the beginning and reading it all over again. What, you might ask, is so different? Well, the romance itself. Rand and Felicia had never met – they didn’t hate each other, they weren’t childhood friends who had become enemies. There wasn’t a malevolent family member trying to do either of them harm. They were both warm and loving toward their families. Neither had any deep, dark secrets that they were in constant angst about. What wasn’t to love about it? Their relationship grew in trust, respect, honesty, and love over a period of time. They made a commitment to each other and vowed that nothing would deter them from that commitment no matter what happened with the things that were going on around them – and they stuck to that commitment. They looked toward the future and worked together through the obstacles that were put in their way.<br /><br />It was lovely to see Ryder Cavanaugh’s brothers and sister all grown up and getting their own series. Ryder was paired with Mary Cynster in about book 20 or so of the Cynster novels – <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16065437-the-taming-of-ryder-cavanaugh" rel="nofollow noopener">The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh</a>. Rand, our hero in this novel, was actually Mary’s target husband in that book. Isn’t it lucky for us that Ryder won the lovely lady Mary instead? Now, all of Ryder’s brothers and his sister want the kind of love and marriage Ryder found with Mary. <br /><br />Randolph Cavanaugh has been working hard to make a name for himself other than being a Cavanaugh and brother to a Marquess. He has a gift for financial management and investment and worked with Gabriel Cynster for several years while he learned the ropes. Now, he has his own investment firm – Cavanaugh Investments – and he’s doing very well. However, his latest investment seems to have hit a snag and he needs to check on it – since he’s in the area anyway. When he arrives unannounced, he discovers that his inventor has died and his son has taken over the project. The son is a capable inventor, but he’s run into some problems and the boiler has exploded. Ryder knows his reputation is riding on the successful completion of this invention and decides to stay around and manage the project himself. Of course, the inventor’s lovely sister, Felicity, wouldn’t be too hard to put up with either.<br /><br />Felicia Throgmorton’s jaw drops when she learns that her brother William John has deceived Lord Randolph and that she has been, unknowingly, benefitting from that deception. She readily accepts Lord Randolph into their home and encourages him and her brother. Then, she discovers a long-forgotten affinity for inventing in herself and can sometimes help William John and Rand. <br /><br />Then, you have the villain – and a wily dude he is – sort of – sometimes you just have to be careful who you hire. He wants nothing more than to sabotage the invention and assure it fails miserably. Rand and Felicia have to help work out the problems with the invention and thwart the villain all while they are very busily falling in love.<br /><br />This book holds the first ‘form of address’ error I ever remember catching in a Stephanie Laurens book. Since this was an ARC, that may have been caught and addressed prior to the actual publication. She constantly addressed Rand as Lord Cavanaugh – and she even addressed his brother Kit as Lord Cavanaugh in the epilogue. Rand should have been Lord Randolph and Kit would have been Lord Christopher – or both could have been simply addressed (by close friends &amp; relatives) as Cavanaugh, but that would have been confusing with three brothers who could have all been called that. <br /><br />There was a lovely set-up for the next book contained in the epilogue. I can’t wait to read that one with Kit and Sylvia Buckleberry (don’t you just love that name?).<br /><br />Delightful prose populates this book from beginning to end. Stephanie Laurens is in a class of her own when it comes to a lovely turn of phrase. I’ll give you a quote here, but remember this is an ARC, so the quote may have been altered or deleted by publication.<br /> <br />“<i>He was beyond grateful he’d found her – the right wife, the perfect helpmate, the partner-in-life he hadn’t had the faintest inkling could exist, much less that such an intelligent, independent lady was the bride he’d instinctively, if unknowingly, been searching for – the one lady in the whole world he needed to complete his life.</i>”<br /><br />I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a wonderful romance.<br /><br />Please check out my reviews at:<br />Blog: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://flippinpages.blog/">https://flippinpages.blog/</a><br />Facebook Page: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/flippinpagesweb.wordpress/">https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages...</a><br />Twitter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev">https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev</a><br />Twitter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview">https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview</a><br /><br />"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Intriguing, authentic, and romantic!<br /><br />Full review to follow shortly closer to publication.

In the throes of the Industrial Revolution, Britain’s inventors competed ferociously with each other to push the technology of the time to its available limits and beyond. Even more ferocious than the inventors were the investors, however, with fortunes made and lost by investing in the inventions which would power the future.<br /><br />Lord Randolph Cavanaugh is such an investor, and William John Throgmorton’s horseless carriage is, he hopes, the greatest invention yet. The only problem is that it isn’t ready, and now there might be a saboteur out to make sure it never will be. Riding herd on the inventor might be the only way it will ever be ready in time for an upcoming exhibition.<br /><br />What Rand doesn’t count on is the inventor’s sister, the lovely Felicia, who has no love for inventions after her father devoted his life and the family fortunes to them. He has to win her over to his way of thinking, which quickly becomes a desire to win her heart as well.<br /><br />I actually really enjoyed the romance between the two. It was a quiet growth of respect and admiration, and a recognition between two like-minded souls, rather than the insta-lust which is too often what is portrayed as love in romance novels. It was really well done.<br /><br />The 19th century engineering detailed in the text was lovingly researched and accurately written; Ms Laurens has obviously done her research on early steam-powered engines. As a former engineer, I found it intriguing but I suspect that the average reader might find it quite dull, as there was a lot of talk about valves and pistons and pressure - which is about as interesting as a discussion of modern-day motor mechanics to most. <br /><br />I can imagine that many might think the 1840s too early for a steam-powered vehicle to be traversing England’s roads, but I checked up and there were similar vehicles being successfully built and demonstrated from the 1820s onwards.<br /><br />This is a beautifully written period romance with so much historical accuracy behind it, and some genuinely unique and intriguing characters. I hope other readers aren’t put off by the sheer amount of engineering included in the book; it really is an integral part of Felicia and Rand’s story. I loved this and I’m happy to give it five stars.<br /><br />Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

Did not expect to enjoy this much when reading the opening chapter. I get quickly annoyed with inventors' single minded focus and their schemes. But Stephanie Laurens' writing pulled me in. Fortunately the hero and heroine balanced out the drama with the steam engine invention.

Lord Randolph Cavanaugh aka Rand, the younger half-brother of Ryder Cavanaugh, Marquess of Raventhorne has carved out a life for himself as an investor. He is currently on his way to see William Throgmorton, an inventor with a project due in less than a month, whom he has not heard from in months. Throgmorton's invention is the Throgmorton Steam-Powered Horseless Carriage. As the exhibition at Birmingham is going to be attended by Prince Albert, Rand wants to make sure the project is on schedule and ready for presentation - he has a lot invested in this venture and will do whatever is necessary to ensure Throgmorton's success.<br /><br />He arrives at Throgmorton Hall just as a loud explosion sounds, followed by the members of the house filing out and smoke escaping the opened door. He immediately offers his assistance to an older woman coming down the stairs, he settles the woman and then sees a young man being led from the house by an enraged young woman. A woman that makes Rand look twice...<br /><br />Miss Felicia Throgmorton is not a fan of inventors, she has seen the carnage their obsession can produce and wants no part of it! When the explosion shakes the house, she immediately gets her staff and Cousin Flora out and then gets her brother, William John out. On the lawn she notices a stranger - a very handsome stranger with Flora. The man introduces himself and she sees her brother go pale. Rand asks to speak to their father and learns that he passed away months ago. <br /><br />Concerned about his investment, Rand decides to stay for a few days and work with William John. He is attracted to Felicia, but has no time for a romance, this project is and will remain his first priority. But that doesn't stop him from getting to know her a bit better. For her part, Felicia is shocked and angered by her brother's deceit regarding the funds he received for the invention - Felicia now realized how imperative it is that the engine is a success. She grudgingly offers her assistance and is soon pulled into the thrill of the invention process.<br /><br />But there are those that are not as excited at the prospect of Throgmorton's success, who will do whatever is necessary to see the engine fail. Rand and Felicia will grow closer as they work together with her brother and each other to ensure the engine is ready for the exhibit and to thwart any attempts at sabotage. Along the way, they will find a love that neither was looking for, but soon realize has been exactly what was missing in their lives.<br /><br />This book is classic Stephanie Laurens, it has all her signature elements, a strong, intelligent hero paired with an equally intelligent heroine, steamish love scenes, a dash of danger, a bit of intrigue, a soulmate type bond, a twist that changes everything and a wonderful cast of secondary characters. The book is a little wordy, but I kept turning pages to see what was going to happen next! I was fascinated by the invention process and I actually felt a little sorry for the villain. The epilogue perfectly set up the next book in the series without taking anything away from Felicia and Rand. <br /><br />I happily recommend this book and am looking forward to Kit's story!<br /><br />*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*

I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. <br /><br />FINAL DECISION: I found the topic very interesting dealing with an invention of the combustion engine, but I thought the romance bland and the ultimate story line didn't have much consequence. I liked the characters, but the story didn't give them enough to delve into.<br /><br />THE STORY: Lord Randolph Cavanaugh is determined to make something of himself through his investments. Traveling to Throgmorton Hall to see the status of an investment in an engine and finds that the inventor has died. The son has taken on the task of finishing the engine. The daughter, Felicia, has been keeping the family afloat for years and is not a fan of inventors' obsessions. With someone out to make sure that the invention fails, Rand and Felicia must work together to save all their fortunes.<br /><br />OPINION: I really love the Cynster books and I loved the story of Rand's brother, but I couldn't love this one.<br /><br />The characters were really nice and I liked them, but just about everything about the story failed them. Nothing was particularly interesting to me.<br /><br />The romance was really bland and I never felt a connection between Rand and Felicia. There romance felt formulaic to me without any real spark between the characters. I ultimately liked how they related to one another, but I never felt that these two had the desperate passion between them that I would expect. The whole romance felt too left brain for me.<br /><br />Then there was the story itself. The beginning felt like it would be dramatic and interesting and while the Victorian topic of engines was interesting, the story itself didn't feel compelling. The twists hinted at in the blurb ended up less intriguing that I supposed.<br /><br />The entire book felt too cold and plotted for me and lacked the passion on all levels that I look for in Laurens' books.<br /><br />WORTH MENTIONING: Ryder and Mary Cavanaugh make a significant appearance here.<br /><br />CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DESIGNS OF LORD RANDOLPH CAVANAUGH is the first book in the Cavanaughs series. This book is connected to THE TAMING OF RYDER CAVANAUGH which tells the story of Rand's older brother.<br /><br />STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.<br /><br />NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to prepare a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.<br /><br /> <a href="http://top10romancebooks.com/reviews/review-the-designs-of-lord-randolph-cavanaugh/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">This review was originally posted on Top10RomanceBooks.com</a>

Good beginning to a new series. Rand is the younger brother of Ryder Cavanaugh (The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh). He has an excellent reputation in the financial world, but he is ready for more in his life. On his way to visit his brother, Rand stops to check on an investment just in time to find it has exploded, leaving him in doubt about its future. His only hope lies in the hands of the inventor's son and daughter.<br /><br />Since her father's death a few months earlier, it has been up to Felicia to keep their household going. After years of seeing the effects of her father's single-minded efforts, and seeing her brother going down the same road, she doesn't know how she's going to manage. The arrival of Rand Cavanaugh does nothing to soothe her fears.<br /><br />With a backdrop of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, this book had a slightly different feel than earlier books by the author. I enjoyed the look at the progress of an invention from start to finish, and how the progress of Rand and Felicia's relationship mirrored it.<br /><br />Rand's arrival at Throgmorton Hall coincided with the latest setback in William John's attempt to get the steam-powered automobile working in time for the upcoming exhibition. The circumstances were an unpleasant surprise for him, as he has both money and reputation invested in its success. I liked that he didn't lose his temper over the situation, but instead was determined to do what he must to help ensure its success. One of those things was to get Felicia's cooperation. Felicia was shocked to find out the details of Rand's investment in her father's work, and that her father and brother had lied to her about it. The only options are to help make it a success or lose everything.<br /><br />I liked the development of the relationship between Rand and Felicia. Neither of them expected it to happen. Rand is somewhat cynical about women, seeing most as manipulative thanks to his mother's actions in Ryder's book. But there is something about Felicia that captures his attention from the start. Felicia had had her Season several years before but didn't "take" and doesn't think it likely that she will find anyone now. Rand is intriguing, but the brother of a marquess isn't likely to look her way. I liked the fact that it was neither love nor lust at first sight with Rand and Felicia. Instead, it was the growing realization that they were meant for each other. I liked that it was Rand who first accepted what was happening between them, and also realized that rushing things with Felicia would be counterproductive. It was sweet to see the way that he recognized Felicia's abilities before she did, and did everything he could to encourage her. I loved seeing Felicia grow closer to Rand as they worked together. It took a while for her to realize what her feelings for him were until the growing attraction caused her to take a closer look at them. I enjoyed the building of that attraction, from the unexpected heat of their first kisses to the full expression of their attraction. I especially liked that they had already accepted that they were destined to be together before they took that step. As deeply as they felt, they also believed that getting through the exhibition had to come first. I loved the ending, as Rand and Felicia faced their future as true partners. For Rand "She offered him all he needed -- she anchored him and gave him the necessary insights to imbue his chosen life of investing with a wider, deeper purpose, transforming it into a more fulfilling, long-term endeavor. She was his future in every way." For Felicia that future "had come to her courtesy of the nobleman pacing by her side, the knight in shining armor who had swept into her life and slayed dragons left and right, then opened her eyes and shown her who she truly was. He'd released her true self to grow, then he'd taken her hand and encouraged her to be all she could be." The icing on the cake was a lovely epilogue, taking place at their wedding and showcasing their happiness for the next youngest Cavanaugh brother, and a nice lead-in for the next book in the series.<br /><br />A big part of the story was, of course, the steam-powered horseless carriage itself. I loved the descriptions of the efforts to overcome the various obstacles and the teamwork of William John, Rand, and Felicia as they raced the clock to have it ready for the exhibition. Also present was the person who wanted to ensure that the machine failed, thus cementing his interests at the exhibition. It was interesting to see his agent's attempts and get the feeling that his heart wasn't really in it. There were some terrific twists and turns at the exhibition with some truly heart-pounding moments before it was all over.<br /><br />Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Some parts were a little slow, but it always picked back up again. I am looking forward to the next book to see what Laurens has in store for Rand's brother Christopher.

2.5 Stars<br /><br />I debated on how to rate this as there are pros and cons I felt on the book. It’s been a while since I last read <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/9241.Stephanie_Laurens" title="Stephanie Laurens" rel="noopener">Stephanie Laurens</a> and her Cynsters (I really need to catch up on those) so I was excited to read her new series that set in the Cynsters universe. Only it turned out not as I expected and not totally in a good way.<br /><br />One of the things I like about this book is the heroine’s smartness and take charge nature. In an era when female still considered second-class citizens, Felicia’s adroitness - not only in taking over household management but later on involved in the process of ameliorating the invention - were rather refreshing; she wasn’t the typical lady of society. The love interest was also more than a wealthy, handsome young lord. He was independent, quick-witted, and shrewd in his dealing with inventions and inventors; not only that, he’s quite adept in giving hand to his financed inventors if necessary. That saying, the sparks between Rand and Felicia felt tame to this reader that the escalation to them practically married bar the ceremony didn’t sound convincing.<br /><br />Moving on to what galled me. After the prologue where the to-be-villains identity seemingly being disguised, the revelation quite early in the story - and without ceremony at that - was rather disappointing. Here I thought, it would lend the cloak and dagger aura to the story; instead, they added the meh factor to it.<br /><br />The other part that had me gritted my teeth was the switch of POVs. <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/36271537.The_Designs_of_Lord_Randolph_Cavanaugh" title="The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens" rel="noopener">The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh</a> is a multiple POVs in a third person account. Normally, I don’t have issue with this kind of storytelling. Heck, I’m one of those up-for-anything readers really. But the change of POVs between Rand and Felicia (and between the villains) were quite rampant and could happen every other paragraph, I found myself at times lost as to who’s telling what.<br /><br />In a nutshell, while I cheer for the MCs personalities, I was unimpressed with other aspects of the story. It’s disappointing as this is the first entry in a series and after this I’m not sure if I’d be jonesing for the rest of the installments. What a bummer. <br /><br /><br /><i>Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via <b><a> NetGalley</a></b> in exchange for an honest review.</i>