#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to the quintessential question of what family means to a Cynster in this tale of the last unmarried member of the Cynster Next Generation and the final mission that opens his eyes.
Toby Cynster is not amused when informed that his new mission is to be his last in the shadowy service of Drake, Marquess of Winchelsea. Courtesy of Toby being the last unmarried Cynster of his generation and the consequent martial obsession of his female relatives, he will be given no more excuses to avoid society and, instead, expected to devote himself to finding a suitable bride. But Toby sees no point in marrying-thanks to his siblings, he has plenty of nephews and nieces with whom to play favorite uncle, and he has no thoughts of establishing a family of his own.
But then the mission takes an unexpected turn, leaving Toby to escort the irritatingly fascinating Diana Locke plus the three young children of a dying Englishman from Vienna to England.
Diana is no more enthused about their journey than Toby, but needs must, and forever practical, she bows to events and makes the best of things for her godchildren's sakes. She's determined to see them to safety in England and does her best to ignore her nonsensical and annoying awareness of Toby.
But then their journey becomes a flight from deadly pursuit, and their most effective disguise is to pass themselves off as a family-the sort of family Toby had been certain he would never want. Through a succession of fraught adventures, Toby, Diana, and the children lean on each other and grow and mature while furthering their ultimate aim of reaching England safely, and along the way, Toby and Diana both learn what having a family actually means to them, individually and together, and each discovers the until-then-missing foundation stone of their future lives.
A classic historical adventure romance that sprawls across Europe to end in the leafy depths of the English countryside. A Cynster Next Generation novel. A full-length historical romance of 108,000 words.
Industry Reviews
"Romance readers who can't get enough nineteenth-century European ambience should enjoy this story of people falling in love and forming a nonbiological family while on the run across the continent." Virge B., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing
"Bachelor Toby Cynster is assigned his final mission on behalf of the British empire and is forced to consider his future. Tasked with locating a doctor and his daughter in Vienna and escorting them back to England, he doesn't count on also having to escort three young children through sometimes dangerous waters. Challenged then enchanted by the doctor's strong-willed daughter, Diana, Toby begins his most adventurous journey yet. Regency fans will adore this heartwarming tale." Angela M., Copy Editor, Red Adept Editing
"In Victorian Vienna, British spy Toby Cynster is charged with getting valuable people and papers back to England before the Prussians get their hands on them. To throw pursuers off his scent, he enlists the capable-and distractingly beautiful-Diana Locke and a friend's children to travel incognito as a family. Toby finds his priorities shifting as the cozy ruse awakens all-too-real longings he didn't realize he'd harbored. But he'll never get a chance to explore them if he doesn't get everyone safely home before their enemies catch up to them." Kim H., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing
