THE LADY'S COMMAND is the first book in the Adventurers
Quartet by Stephanie Laurens. Unlike other books by
Stephanie Laurens, THE LADY'S COMMAND opens with a newly
married couple. THE LADY'S COMMAND doesn't skimp on
passion, but rather than the twists and turns of
courtship, the focus is on the adventure and mystery
Declan and Edwina find in West Africa. Once again
Stephanie Laurens gives readers a heroine who charts her
own course and defies convention, navigating through both
high society and tropical coast towns, using her
intelligence and bravery.
I love how Stephanie Laurens breaks convention in THE
LADY'S COMMAND. In other historical romances by different
authors, the main source of conflict in a story like THE
LADY'S COMMAND would be the struggle between the hero and
heroine over her involving herself too much in her
husband's business affairs. Not so in a Stephanie Laurens
book. While surprising at first, Edwina's enlightened
views on marriage and her strength attract, rather than
repel, Declan. The passion in THE LADY'S COMMAND burns
brighter because of the way Declan and Edwina end up
working as a team against an unseen enemy. My favorite
romances are those, like this one, in which the conflict
doesn't stem from the romance itself but is instead
something that draws the hero and heroine closer
together.
The mystery of the disappearing spies and soldiers, which
first leads the newlyweds to investigate, gains in
complexity as the story progresses. As more suspects and
victims are introduced, things become more exciting and
you can't help but become more invested in the outcome.
Stephanie Laurens goes into exquisite detail making the
environment and the supporting characters very real. The
tension and paranoia in THE LADY'S COMMAND comes from not
knowing who to trust and what is safe makes this such a
thrilling story.
THE LADY'S COMMAND is a thrill-a-minute story full of
danger in exotic locales that tempts and excites.
Stephanie Laurens leaves enough clues and sprinkles in
enough odd and intriguing characters to draw you in and
make you anxious to find out what happens next. I will be
on tenterhooks waiting and wondering what will happen in
the next installment of this cloak and dagger adventure
series.
How does marriage work? If convention is set aside and is no
longer there to guide...what then?
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens
brings you THE ADVENTURERS QUARTET, a riveting blend of
Regency-era high seas adventure, a mystery shrouded in the
heat of tropical jungles, and the passionate romances of
four couples and their unexpected journeys into love.
The instant Captain Declan Frobisher laid eyes on Lady
Edwina Delbraith, he knew she was the lady he wanted as his
wife. The scion of a seafaring dynasty accustomed to
success, he discovered that wooing Edwina was surprisingly
straightforward—not least because she made it plain that she
wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Declan's vision of marriage was of a gently-reared wife to
grace his arm, to manage his household, and to bear his
children. He assumed that household, children, and wife
would remain safely in England while he continued his life
as an explorer sailing the high seas.
Declan got his wish—up to a point. He and Edwina were wed.
As for the rest—his vision of marriage…
Aunt of the young Duke of Ridgware and sister of the
mysterious man known as Neville Roscoe, London's gambling
king, even before the knot was tied Edwina shattered the
illusion that her character is as delicate, ethereal, and
fragile as her appearance suggests. Far from adhering to
orthodox mores, she and her ducal family are even more
unconventional than the Frobishers.
Beneath her fairy-princess exterior, Edwina possesses a
spine of steel—one that might bend, but will never break.
Born to the purple—born to rule—she's determined to rule her
life. With Declan's ring on her finger, that means forging a
marriage that meets her needs as well as his.
But bare weeks into their honeymoon, Declan is required to
sail to West Africa. Edwina decides she must accompany him.
A secret mission with unknown villains flings unexpected
dangers into their path as Declan and Edwina discover that
meeting the challenge of making an unconventional marriage
work requires something they both possess—bold and
adventurous hearts.
The first voyage is one of exploration, the second one of
discovery. The third journey brings maturity, while the
fourth is a voyage of second chances.
Start the journey here and follow the adventure, the
mystery, and the romances to the cataclysmic end.