This book was provided for review by NetGalley. Thank you!

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.

Trigger warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of stalking, some violence

I do not often read nor review romance novels mainly because, at least for me, they tend to blur together after a while. There are only so many ways for characters to meet and interact and fall in love and the romance genre has been around for a very long time.

Now this is only my personal opinion because when the chance to read Stephanie Laurens’ newest romance came up on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance. Of the romance authors I have read, she is one I consistently come back to. Her characters are engaging and somehow she brings a breath of fresh air to a sometimes stale genre.

Like with most of Ms. Laurens’ series novels, we are first introduced to Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh and Miss Sylvia Buckleberry (love that name!) in the first novel – The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh. It is something I have come to associate with her books as it gives the reader a sneak peek of who she will be writing about next. This holds true with this book as well because at the end we were introduced to Lady Eustacia Cavanaugh, sister to Randolph and Christopher and subject of the third novel of the series.

As with many of her other historical romance novels, Ms. Laurens has a way of staying somewhat true to the time period while bending the rules a bit. She doesn’t break the rules of propriety outright but she does give them a hearty bend at times. I personally find it adds to the enjoyment of the story though I know there are more rigid historical purists out there who would disagree.

The only part of the novel that I didn’t like and thought felt forced was Sylvia’s kidnapping and Kit’s subsequent rescue. Before this, she had mentioned the feeling of being watched only in passing and then suddenly a person with a beef against her father (who again was mentioned only briefly) shows up. I will not go too much further in to what happens next only to say that the whole sequence of events felt completely out of place in regards to the novel. It felt more like something out of a bad B-movie.

On the whole, I enjoyed The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh. The overall story flowed quite well despite a few minor bumps. While it isn’t necessary to read the first book in the series, readers might want to just to get a better feel for the family dynamic that is common to Ms. Laurens’ books and to receive a proper introduction to the characters. This author has long been a personal favorite and I will continue to look forward to her new writings.