"Chip off the old Cynster block"

By 1825 everyone in the know believes that the future in Parliament is bright for rising luminary Lord Michael Anstruther-Wetherby. His sister's marriage to the influential Cynster clan only enhances his superstar status in politics and in the ballroom. Aristocratic mothers know Michael is quite a catch and his arrogant confident manner makes all the unmarried and a quite few with spouses desire him.

Michael understands that politics at the top tier in England requires the perfect wife to serve as an ornament. His sister's marriage to the Devil compels him to find a compliant pretty spouse who knows how to host galas, but passion and love are not perquisites for the position. His paragon is Elizabeth Mollston, but Michael finds his heart and other bodily parts rebel instead seeking his chosen one's Aunt Caroline, a diplomat's widow. Caro knows first hand the odious life of a politician's candy wife and wants love for her niece. She persuades Michael that an experienced woman would further his career more than a virgin would. Michael agrees as he wants Caro at his side in Parliament and more so in the boudoir, but she rejects the notion that happiness and politics are compatible bedfellows.

The latest Cynster tale uses the extended family of an in- law to continue the series. Though Michael is not a pureblood, he behaves in the same haughty compassionate manner as all Cynster males that DNA testing should be required. The concept of convenient relational marriages is cleverly drawn within the fiery romance between the delightful lead couple. Fans of the Cynster series will enjoy this entry as THE IDEAL BRIDE is a chip off the old block.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted February 15, 2004

Summary

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens has created some of romance's most unforgettable novels. Now she has created her most provocative love story -- and amazing hero -- to date. This is the book that dares to ask the question: Who is this man's ideal bride? Michael Anstruther-Wetherby is a rising member of Parliament -- a man destined for power. Aristocratic, elegant, and effortlessly charming, he is just arrogant enough to capture the interest of the ladies of the ton. And with his connections to the wealthy and influential Cynster family -- his sister is married to Devil Cynster, the Duke of St. Ives -- his future appears assured. Except that Michael lacks the single most important element of success: a wife. Political pressure sends him searching for his ideal bride, a gently bred, malleable young lady, preferably one with a political background. Michael discovers such a paragon but finds a formidable obstacle in his path -- the young lady's beautiful, strong-minded aunt -- Caroline Sutcliffe. One of London's foremost diplomatic hostesses, Caro has style and status but, having lived through an unhappy political marriage, wants nothing of the sort for her niece, who has already lost her heart to another. So Caro and the younger woman hatch a plot -- Caro will demonstrate why an inexperienced young lady is not the bride for Michael. She succeeds in convincing him that what he really needs is a lady of experience by his side. And the perfect candidate is right under his nose -- Caro herself. Then it is Michael's turn to be persuasive, a task that requires every ounce of his seductive charm as he tempts and tantalizes Caro, seeking to convince her that becoming his bride will bring her all her heart desires . . . and more. But then a series of mysterious, and dangerous, accidents befall Caro -- an assailant has stepped in with their own idea for Caro's future -- one that could involve murder. Before Caro can become Michael's ideal bride, they must race to uncover the unknown's identity before all hope of what they long for, and wish for, is destroyed.