Where the Heart Leads (Cynster Series) » (~)

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career. Her novels set in Regency England have captivated readers around the globe, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors. She currently has 42 books in print, with the last 24 of those becoming New York Times bestsellers. Laurens lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and two daughters.

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens knows the world of Regency London . . . especially the exclusive enclave of luxury in which the aristocracy lived in wealth and comfort. But outside that glittering circle lay another world . . . and Laurens pulls back the curtain that has hidden it from us until now. Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's younger sister, has grown up with every advantage wealth, position, and beauty. Yet Penelope is anything but a pretty face in a satin gown forceful, willful, and blunt to a fault, she has for years devoted her considerable energy and intelligence to caring for the forgotten orphans of London's sooty and seamier streets. But now her charges are mysteriously disappearing. Desperate, Penelope turns to the one man she knows who might help her Barnaby Adair. Handsome scion of a noble house, Adair has made a name for himself in certain circles where his powers of observation and deduction have seen him solve several serious and...

Publishers Weekly

The latest installment to Laurens's Cynster series (The Truth About Love; The Taste of Innocence) takes readers back to the 19th-century London of private investigator Barnaby Adair for a satisfying blend of mystery and romance. When attractive society belle Penelope Ashford enlists Barnaby's help in finding four kidnapped orphan boys, Barnaby is as intrigued by Penelope as he is by the case; her reputation as "something of a firebrand" and her dedication to her work at Foundling House far outstrip her desire to conform to society's wishes-a worldview not unlike Barnaby's. Penelope insists on accompanying Barnaby through every step of his investigation, and with some input from an old friend at Scotland Yard, the pair begins navigating the slums of London's East End in search of a "burglary school." As the orphans' fate begins to slide into focus, so, too, does Barnaby and Penelope's attraction for one another. That attraction, palpable from their first meeting, slowly builds to a gratifying crescendo without overpowering the story, which, though light on plot twists, clips along at a fast pace with enough charm to delight both fans and new readers. (Feb.)