by Boomert - Mastered by Love by Stephanie Laurens 06 Jan 2010

This is the last book of Laurens’ Bastion Club series. Laurens’ writing style delights as always, better than any other Regency period romance writer and rivalling Georgette Heyer when it comes to rich, lush text that simply sweeps you along. Royce ‘Dalziel’ Wolverstone is the only son and heir of Lord Wolverstone. Descended from the marcher Lord’s, both men’s tempers, stubbornness and tenacity are legendary. Royce’s father publicly disowns him in a fit of temper and they never reconcile, which leave Royce angry, hurt and believing that he can never love. The bright, beautiful Minerva was a penniless child when taken in by Royce’s parents, so she takes a no-nonsense approach to the seething maelstrom under his calm exterior. Something about her tells Royce she can’t be bullied, but something else in her eyes makes him imagine it’s possible someone does care for him. He finds out she is the only one who can soothe him, that Minerva has loved him since she was a little girl, but needs to hear the ‘L’ word before she’ll even consider marriage. In true Laurens style, it takes plenty of sneaky manoeuvring by the Bastion Club wives to get him to admit his feelings...

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (October 2009, Vol 89, No. 3) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.