The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh
A Historical Romance
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4.1 • 9 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
Bold and clever, THE CAVANAUGHS are unlike any other family in early Victorian England. #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens continues to explore the enthralling world of these dynamic siblings in the eagerly anticipated second volume in her captivating series.
A Gentleman of Means
One of the most eligible bachelors in London, Lord Christopher “Kit” Cavanaugh has discovered his true path and it doesn’t include the expected society marriage. Kit is all business and has chosen the bustling port of Bristol to launch his passion—Cavanaugh Yachts.
A Woman of Character
Miss Sylvia Buckleberry’s passion is her school for impoverished children. When a new business venture forces the school out of its building, she must act quickly. But confronting Kit Cavanaugh is a daunting task made even more difficult by their first and only previous meeting, when, believing she’d never see him again, she’d treated him dismissively. Still, Sylvia is determined to be persuasive.
An Unstoppable Duo
But it quickly becomes clear there are others who want the school—and Cavanaugh Yachts—closed. Working side by side, Kit and Sylvia fight to secure her school and to expose the blackguard trying to sabotage his business. Yet an even more dastardly villain lurks, one who threatens the future both discover they now hold dear.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this lackluster second Cavanaughs historical romance (after The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh), Laurens brings together two individuals who are, unusually, passionate about something other than elite society or each other. Lord Christopher "Kit" Cavanaugh has moved to Bristol to launch a yacht building business, which will improve the economy by hiring men displaced by the advent of steamships. Embittered by the long-ago schemes of his mother, Kit had painted himself as a rake to avoid a loveless marriage, but now he is surprisingly open to the right woman. When his business accidentally displaces the school for indigent boys, he's reunited with its founder, Sylvia Buckleberry, a vicar's daughter committed to social justice whom he met at his brother's wedding. Back then, Sylvia hid her interest behind disdain, but when they're thrown together again, the attraction is mutual. They must overcome their initial clash and work together to defeat various enemies and obstacles. Though the setting is appealing, the plot and characters are unconvincing and do not deliver Laurens's customary sparkle and satisfaction.
Customer Reviews
The romance was a slow build
After watching the way the connection starts at the end of Rand and Felicia’s book, I was looking forward to seeing where Kit’s story would take us. And I’m happy to report that I quite enjoyed it. Kit is very much like his brother in that he’s very aware of the ways his mother’s actions have scarred him. Yet Sylvia’s contrary nature intrigues him to the point he’s willing to overcome his past history. I was a little concerned by Sylvia when we first see her striding into the fray like an avenging harpy. I was worried that she was going to turn out to be one of those overbearing, managing heroines I thoroughly dislike. Thankfully, that fear was unfounded. The romance was a slow build as we followed our leading couple through their days. I appreciate the amount of research that has obviously gone into this book but, like its predecessor, it goes way too far into the minutiae of Kit and Sylvia’s passions. For myself, I didn’t need to know about the building of tool racks or schoolboys’ lessons or many of the other tidbits peppered throughout the story. The intrigues come from many varied sources and successfully kept me guessing all the way to the end. Partly, I suspect, because there’s no real clues provided that would have allowed me to predict most of them beforehand.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.
3.75 stars—well written, slow burning romance
3.75 stars--THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH is the second instalment in Stephanie Laurens’ THE CAVANAUGHS historical romance series, a spin off from the author’s Cynster/Cynster Sisters Duo. This is twenty-nine year old, Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh, and Miss Sylvia Buckleberry’s story line. THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Kit and Sylvia) THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH follows the slow building relationship between twenty-nine year old, Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh, and Miss Sylvia Buckleberry. Hoping for a successful upstart to his new Cavanaugh Yacht building business, Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh finds himself in a predicament when the new lease on his warehouse forces a charity school, for impoverished children, onto the streets with nowhere to go. Enter Miss Sylvia Buckleberry, the school’s director and administrator, and the woman with whom Kit will fall in love. Hoping to make right his ill-timed business venture, Kit helps Sylvia find a new place for her school, but a place that doesn’t sit well with some of the locals. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Kit and Sylvia, and the potential fall-out as both Kit and Sylvia are targeted for who they are, and what they do.
Sylvia Buckleberry, the daughter of a preacher, knows that someone is following. From the destruction at Kit’s Cavanaugh Yacht building, to the numerous attempts to break and enter, Kit and Sylvia are unsure from where the threats are coming.
The relationship between Kit and Sylvia is slow to develop having previously met at Lord Randolph’s wedding (THE DESIGNS OF LORD RANDOLPH CAVANAUGH
#1). Sylvia struggles with her attraction to a man whose reputation as a rake precedes his introduction to their small ton but Kit has no idea as to the cold indifference aimed in his direction. The lone $ex scene is passionate but mostly implied.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters many of whom struggle to survive the streets of 1843 Bristol, England. From destruction to thievery, desperation and loss, the number of locals hoping for a job increases as our hero gives everyone a second chance. We are reintroduced to Kit’s siblings Rand and his wife Felicia, as well as Eustacia aka Stacie, Godfrey and Ryder.
THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH is an entertaining and engaging story; a well-written, slow burning romance between two people who battle not only their attraction to one another but an unknown force that is trying to destroy everything they love. The premise is captivating; the romance is sweet and tender; the characters are edgy and intelligent.