Four in Hand: A Regency Romance

I've read only four of Stephanie Lauren's books -- mostly the Cynster series. This genre tends to be predictable, but that's okay with me. I read them purely for entertainment. Not as steamy as some of her others, but that's okay, too. Four sisters come into a duke's life, and as the social season begins, there are some amusing situations that come up as the rakish duke and his friends are drawn into the webs of these sisters.

I won't describe the story, there is plenty of that here already. I read this book years ago (many times, I'm a serial re-reader) and still have the paperback. I just bought it for my Kindle, because I prefer reading on it these days. Anyway, for those of you looking for something light and fun without graphic descriptions of 'pulsating' and 'throbbing' body parts this is a good read. I saw a complaint that there was 'no sex' in this book and that is part of what I like. The sex scenes in these kinds of books are almost always ridiculous anyway, you know...throbbing, burgeoning, pulsating, heaving (Yeah it makes me want to heave, just not the same way...ha ha!). Anyhow, I'd just as soon skip that and read something funny and touching. Like this book. Maybe there are a few thin spots in the plot, but it's still a very enjoyable book.

I love Stephanie Laurens' books. I started in the middle of her original Cynster series (had to go back to start the series, of course) and have been hooked ever since. When this re-release of old novels came out, I had to buy it. Like many of the Mary Balogh re-releases Amazon has recently put out, Ms. Laurens' writing style had definitely evolved since these books were first written, but I still very much enjoyed them, and would highly recommend them to those who love her books..

There are way too many couples and romances in this one fairly short novel, and as a result, you never get to know more about the characters except the most simple/general things. Very little depth or emotions, which makes the characters seem idiotic at times. I knew that this was a very early book by Stephanie Laurens so I adjusted my expectations. It's almost like her books were too short when she was a new author, and her books are way too long now that she's an experienced author. I finished this one in a couple of hours, and don't think that I will have the urge to re-read it later.

Ms. Laurens is never a disappointment. She always finds the humor in any event happening in her stories. When you sit down to read a story by her, you truly lose yourself for a while, and love every minute of it. In this story, the main characters re charming, down to earth, and "real". They get themselves in trouble, and rectify the situation(s) with belly laughing ease. Enjoyable and warming.

The heroines are lively, the story engaging, and it is an entertaining read. However, I almost did not but the book because of the cover. The female in the cover is unappealing and in fact does not resemble any of the actual descriptions of the heroines in the book. None of them was blonde.

Historical romance with a sweet love story.Stephanie Laurens’ heroines are marvelous.She never fails to entertain and charm her readers with unforgettable characters.

An early book by Stephanie Laurens shows her wonderful promise as a historical romance writer. Lots of humor, fun glimpses of regency England, and the problems of 4 orphaned, beautiful girls at this time in history. She weaves a lovely story of the way the Ton operates and how debutantes are introduced into that society. The young women find love rather than being forced into marriages of convenience, which was also common at that time. I love a happy ending and this book delivers that.

I loved this book. There was, of course, the good writing style with no inappropriate Americanisms - which one expects from Ms Laurens. There was also the lovely characterization of the main participants. Max, Duke of Twyford, was suitably devious, and his friends and even his brother were not to be trusted with young ladies. However, the four Twinning sisters - fresh from successfully testing their wings in New York society - return to England to look for suitable husbands. On their father's death a couple of years previously, they had been in the somewhat lax guardianship of an old friend of their father. Following their year of mourning, they had gone to New York to visit some cousins, and their elderly guardian had agreed to arrange for their come out on their return.Unfortunately, unbeknown to the sisters, the elderly Duke of Twyford had died three months previously, and so it was into the portals of the new Duke's mansion that Miss Twinning innocently sauntered to introduce herself and make arrangements for the Season. Since he was a saturnine but successful rake of many years standing, and she was a beautiful and confident young woman, there was shock - and attrqaction - on both sides. The very entertaining book explores the relationship between Max, Caroline, her sisters, and Max's equally rogue-ish friends, as they negotiate the Season among the 'ton',I believe that this is an early book of Ms Laurens' but it shows all her expected skills. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who likes Regency Romances. I will certainly be acquiring the other three in this series.

This is one of the funniest regency romances that I have read.Max Rotherbridge, Viscount Delmere and, quote, "the most notorious rake in London", has recently and unexpectedly also inherited the title of Duke of Twyford. The poor condition of the Twyford estates prove something of an inconvenience.But this is as nothing to the shock which comes next - the new Duke finds that he has also inherited four beautiful sisters as his wards. The late Sir Thomas Twinning had been a friend of the previous Duke of Twyford, Max's uncle. So in his will, he appointed the Duke as the guardian of his four daughters - all heiresses and all exquisitely beautiful. Sir Thomas had apparently not considered the possibility that the Duke's early death might leave his four ravishing daughters under the protection of the sort of man that their Guardian would be expected to protect them from.Max sets out to find the girls good husbands as quickly as possible, guarding them from his fellow rakehells (most of them his own friends) and launching them into a vastly amused, and then fascinated, London society. Caroline, Sarah, Arabella, and Lizzie are all an immediate hit with the Ton, as London society was known. But while men who fly after them like moths after a flame, as the Duke soon tells his brother, "It's my belief that the Twinning girls eat rakes for breakfast."Many of the author's romances are part of the "Bar Cynster" or "Bastion Club" series, but this one is a stand-alone novel, and a very amusing one.Period research and detail is mostly very good, with one exception: the exact date of the events in the story is never given, but a comment made by Max's brother Martin, explaining why he has just sold his commission in Wellington's army, suggests a date at the end of the Napoleonic wars, e.g. 1814 or 1815. The problem with this is that the Twinning sisters have just returned to England after spending a year visiting family in New York. And Britain was at war with America from 1812 to 1815.It is difficult to reconcile Martin Rotherbridge's comments with a date for the events of the book which would not infer that the four heroines blithely sailed off to visit relatives in a country with which Britain was at war. A rather risky thing even for such adventurous young ladies as the Twinning sisters.This minor implausibility aside, this book is an excellent and entertaining regency romance and I recommend it.

Intriguing plot however poorly executed. Dar too many background romances which both distracted and took away from the plot. The mere scandal of a guardian and ward falling in love was more than interesting, unfortunately Laurens ruins what could have been a delicious story by adding multiple romances. Perhaps this should have been an anthology of Caroline and her siblings finding love under the care of their rakish guardian.

I bought this book because I really enjoyed Julia Quinn's books and this book kept coming up on my recommendation page. It is not as good as one of Quinn's books. There are far too many characters romancing one another in one novel, basically the story is about four sisters in the Regency era who become the wards of Max 'a young rake' who is attracted to the oldest sister. The sisters enter the season to find husbands.The characters are not fully developed and the story is simple with no real interesting plots, it is quite predictable. Therfore I ended up skim-reading the second half. Will definitely be donating it to my local charity shop.

one of laurens earlier books and it doesnt show. the main relationship is between max rotherbridge and caroline twinning who is his ward through a twist in fate. but she doesnt come alone as she has 3 younger sisters who are all in london for the season and to get a husband. as max tries to successfully gain caroline hand the 3 other sisters try to find their beaux but they also get involved in a scheme to save a friend which is hilarious and reminds me of some school stories i read as a child. a great read which kept your attention that you didnt want to put it down!!!!

I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed all the others.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Romantic fiction.I would like to read a tale about a heroine who was, despite our hero's god like abilities, slightly less inclined to allow them to take liberties with their person!I realise that girls were brought up to believe themselves to be commodities with no real rights over their own bodies but they surely didn't all go like lambs to the slaughter. There must have been cases whereby young women refused to allow themselves to be used in this way. Morals need not always fall by the wayside when passion rears it's delectable head surely? I am as susceptible as the next woman to tall, dark, handsome, brooding titled, rich, intelligent dreamboats but can we gave one who

I couldn't put this book down. It was fun from start to finish. I thought it would make a great tv series in the same genre as Jane Austen. I have never been disappointed with a Stephanie Laurens book and this book was no exception.Brilliant.

I loved this book in written form but was very disapointed with the reading of the same which I found boring and, in places, anoying which totally spoiled the story for me. I am sure that other listeners will disagree. Isn't it a good job that we all like diferent things? as an afterthought. Can Amazon sort out ther CD and MP3 versions a little better as, once again, I ended up with the CD version not the required MP3.

A very good read. Stephanie Lauren's doesn't let u down.always look forward to her books.

Love it

great book.

Well-written and typically Stephanie Laurens - interesting story about four sisters all looking for husbands and finding them all together

I always enjoy stephanie laurens regency novels

I always enjoy Stephanie's books, which present a variety of characters who come across as real people, with interesting quirks of personality. The plots are often unexpected, and always entertaining but believable.

Loved the book and great 2nd story