When I asked to be given this ARC, I promised to give a fair and honest review in return. The "romance" portion of this book is not near as prevalent as the scientific/inventing side. It was well written and if you are interested in the history of inventing and the side of it that brings in people who do not want it to succeed then you will really enjoy this.

Ran is an entrepreneur that loves investing in inventions. When he travels to Buckinghamshire to review a recent investment, he discovers a lady who is just as determined to have nothing to do with inventing.

For years Felicia has had to figure out how to keep her family afloat. First, her father and now her brother are consumed by inventions. Their finances are close to nothing and being penniless depends on her brother being able to finish the invention her father started..

As Rand and Felicia work together, Felicia learns she may not be so aloof from inventing after all..

It has been awhile since I have read a Stephanie Laurens book - and now I don't know why I haven't kept up. Thoroughly enjoyed this romantic story. I am going to have to look and back and see what others of hers I missed. I'd forgotten what wonderful characters she writes!

I had a problem with the whole premise of this book. Lord Randolph is a leader of a syndicate of investors who have staked an investment in an inventor’s attempt to design a horseless carriage. It is in the 1840s. Everything rides on the success, the monetary success of this invention: Randolph’s success as an inventor; the fortunes of the Throgmorton family whose father and now son are obsessed with the invention to the point of spending all their money funding it; and the future of Felicia Throgmorton, the sister of the inventor who may have to become a governess if her brother’s invention fails and they lose their estate. So that’s all very important as the Throgmortons and Lord Randolph race to finish the invention and ward off sabotage in order to show the invention off at an exhibition where Prince Albert will appear.

But we know that no such invention was made in the mid-19th century and the tinkerers who were trying to develop such a horseless carriage weren’t making their fortunes on their inventions. They certainly weren’t developing a prototype that could drive across the roads of England.

I don’t know why Stephanie Laurens picked such an fantastical invention to set in that time period and make it the key element of the book. Even if they had invented such a thing, they wouldn’t have made the sums of money we’re told that everyone involved needs to earn from it in order to survive financially and see their futures assured. I just couldn’t suspend disbelief for that fact and it detracted from my ability to enjoy the romance between Randolph and Felicia, one which I normally would enjoy because of the depiction of Felicia as an intelligent woman with a preternatural talent for invention and physics despite not having had anything to do with such matters since the age of 12.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was a good, solid romance! Loved the unusual and eclectic characters and how the main female character was strong and opinionated. I'll look forward to reading more by this author!

4.5 stars
I truly enjoy everything I read from this amazing author, the characters were well developed and I didn't deel any missing holes, we sweet and just a tad of intrigue.

2.5 stars

I’m shocked at my own reading experience with this book considering that I have such love for Stephanie Lauren’s Cynster series. THE DESIGNS OF LORD RANDOLPH CAVANAUGH is the start of a new series and I launched at it with great enthusiasm and expectation.

I have to say, I started off interested and open-minded but by 35%, I was having difficulty with the book for a few reasons. Firstly, this might have well been a rookie’s guide to steam engines for all the technical information and description and sadly it had me very bored. This issue perpetuated throughout the book with much discussion of pistons, valves and boilers (I don’t mean those phrases as a double entendre either). My second issue was around the main characters themselves. Both characters, Felicia and Rand were basically pleasant characters but they had no chemistry. Their supposed connection came out of nowhere and it’s just wasn’t believable for me. It was everything instalove and I was turned off.

This is the least romantic book I’ve read from Stephanie Laurens, with slow burn of chemistry and I must admit I was desperate for some romantic connection earlier. Maybe I was just ‘over it’ when it did come. My rating and value for this book are given for the main characters themselves, I liked them each as people, just not together, so clearly this missed the spot with me.

I feel you’ve not read Stephanie Laurens, don’t start here. Start with Devil’s Bride.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

One notable thing about this novel - and about Laurens' recent work in general - is that the romance was secondary to the plot. The driving force of this novel was the creation of a steam-powered engine for a horseless carriage. Will the heroes get the engine to work in time for the exhibition? Will they be able to put a stop to potential sabotuers?

On one hand, I rather enjoy romance novels that are just about two people falling in love, without a lot of conflict or drama. It feels more realistic. On the other hand, Laurens wields a deft hand - this novel was well-paced and interesting.