Kit, the hero, is the not the typical character which plays out between the pages of a novel. He hides who he is, masquerading as a rake for many years. It was his way of protecting himself from the machinations of his mother. After his mother dies, he is free to become the man he wants to be.

He is quite an admiral character, when he sets out to be his own man, starting a business of yacht building. He is able to procure an old warehouse which hadn’t been used for years. With astuteness, he and his old friend from school days pull a team together of experienced and seasoned workers who had lost their jobs as businesses moved out of the town. Kit's dream, unfortunately, dashes another’s—Miss Sylvia Buckleberry’s.

Miss Sylvia Buckleberry realizes she is ‘on the shelf’. She is not one to let that stop her in being an active person in society. She decides to move out of London to a small town which can use her help. She starts a school for boys, particularly, those boys whose fathers have lost their jobs with little means to live. She’s given an old warehouse without rent for a place to teach, close to the boys’ homes. She has made great headway in the town—her school teaches 17 boys, employing two teachers and an old woman as their assistant. When the warehouse is taken from her, she no longer has the church’s support to teach the boys if she can’t procure another place to teach.

Sylvia met Lord Cavanaugh the previous month when her close friend married. They were paired together as part of the wedding party. Knowing his lordship’s reputation, she made sure to freeze every sentence uttered to him, even when her senses were mesmerized by his handsome physique. Lord Cavanaugh, in turn, thought she was a cold fish and even though he liked what he saw, she didn’t interest him.

Ousted out of the warehouse, she is frustrated and angry, and decides to confront the demon who did this to her—the rake who cares only for himself. Her anger, passionate appeal and beauty quite undo Kit. Getting off on the wrong foot has made it hard for Sylvia to see a different man than she imaged. He surprises her with his proposal to sponsor her school.

Kit surprises himself. He finds he enjoys helping people and when he can do a good turn for the folk of the town, he does.

I’ve got to love the way he handles Sylvia with kid gloves. She’s a clergy’s daughter, and must be wooed gently, not his usual method of enticing a woman, but then, Sylvia is not just a woman to him. He quickly becomes protective of her. Something or someone is afoot to destroy property. Who are they after? What are they trying to damage?

Author Laurens writes an entertaining story of mystery and suspense supported by spirited characters willing to fight for what they want or believe to be true.

3.75 stars--THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH is the second instalment in Stephanie Laurens’ THE CAVANAUGHS historical romance series, a spin off from the author’s Cynster/Cynster Sisters Duo. This is twenty-nine year old, Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh, and Miss Sylvia Buckleberry’s story line. THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Kit and Sylvia) THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH follows the slow building relationship between twenty-nine year old, Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh, and Miss Sylvia Buckleberry. Hoping for a successful upstart to his new Cavanaugh Yacht building business, Lord Christopher ‘Kit’ Cavanaugh finds himself in a predicament when the new lease on his warehouse forces a charity school, for impoverished children, onto the streets with nowhere to go. Enter Miss Sylvia Buckleberry, the school’s director and administrator, and the woman with whom Kit will fall in love. Hoping to make right his ill-timed business venture, Kit helps Sylvia find a new place for her school, but a place that doesn’t sit well with some of the locals. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Kit and Sylvia, and the potential fall-out as both Kit and Sylvia are targeted for who they are, and what they do.

Sylvia Buckleberry, the daughter of a preacher, knows that someone is following. From the destruction at Kit’s Cavanaugh Yacht building, to the numerous attempts to break and enter, Kit and Sylvia are unsure from where the threats are coming.

The relationship between Kit and Sylvia is slow to develop having previously met at Lord Randolph’s wedding (THE DESIGNS OF LORD RANDOLPH CAVANAUGH
#1). Sylvia struggles with her attraction to a man whose reputation as a rake precedes his introduction to their small ton but Kit has no idea as to the cold indifference aimed in his direction. The lone $ex scene is passionate but mostly implied.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters many of whom struggle to survive the streets of 1843 Bristol, England. From destruction to thievery, desperation and loss, the number of locals hoping for a job increases as our hero gives everyone a second chance. We are reintroduced to Kit’s siblings Rand and his wife Felicia, as well as Eustacia aka Stacie, Godfrey and Ryder.


THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH is an entertaining and engaging story; a well-written, slow burning romance between two people who battle not only their attraction to one another but an unknown force that is trying to destroy everything they love. The premise is captivating; the romance is sweet and tender; the characters are edgy and intelligent.

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3.5 stars rounded up

This book starts shortly after the ending of the previous book, The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh, Lord Kit Cavanaugh has moved to Bristol to start a new venture, Cavanaugh Yachts. He has rented a warehouse and plans to open shop immediately along with his friend and business partner Wayland. They want to take occupancy immediately, but learn a charity has been using in and they need a few days to vacate.

Sylvia Buckleberry learns from the officers of the Dock Company that they have rented the warehouse that she uses for a school and that she must vacate immediately. She knew that it was a possibly that they would lose the space, but with the decline in shipbuilding, she never really thought it would happen. She tries to find another space for the school, but as they haven't the money in the budget for rent, she is faced with the real possibility of having to close. She is upset and barges into Kit's office and rages at him. Kit is stunned and intrigued, the Sylvia he met at his brother Rand's wedding was an ice queen and nothing like this fiery woman. He waits until she is finished with her rant and offers to help find another place for the school - even offering to pay the rent. Sylvia is surprised, she has always harbored a secret crush for Kit, but his reputation was one of a rake and she refused to fall prey and kept her distance from him. But this Kit is nothing like the rumors she heard and she wonders if she misjudged him. They work together and find a place for the school and Kit goes about setting up his new business, but he is drawn to Sylvia and makes excuses to see her.

When the school is threatened, Kit immediately comes to her aid and when someone sabotages his workshop, he wonders if the events are related and vows to protect Sylvia. They again work together to find the villain or villains and a bond develops between them. Kit decides that Sylvia is the woman for him, but needs to take things slowly. Sylvia finds herself falling for Kit all over again, but doesn't know if he feels the same and is not sure if she can trust her instincts as they were so wrong before. But when Sylvia's life is in peril, nothing will stop Kit from saving the woman he loves and he will prove once and for all that she is meant for him.

The ending is fantastic and I like that Kit was determined to win Sylvia honorably, but a bit more steam would not have been amiss. This was a good story, but it was wordy, dragged a bit and some of it was down-right dull and boring, add to that the misuse of his honorific (which happened in the last book as well) and this was a fair to middling story at best, good but just not great. This is the second book in the Cavanaugh series, but it could easily be read as standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-arc that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

After watching the way the connection starts at the end of Rand and Felicia’s book, I was looking forward to seeing where Kit’s story would take us. And I’m happy to report that I quite enjoyed it. Kit is very much like his brother in that he’s very aware of the ways his mother’s actions have scarred him. Yet Sylvia’s contrary nature intrigues him to the point he’s willing to overcome his past history. I was a little concerned by Sylvia when we first see her striding into the fray like an avenging harpy. I was worried that she was going to turn out to be one of those overbearing, managing heroines I thoroughly dislike. Thankfully, that fear was unfounded. The romance was a slow build as we followed our leading couple through their days. I appreciate the amount of research that has obviously gone into this book but, like its predecessor, it goes way too far into the minutiae of Kit and Sylvia’s passions. For myself, I didn’t need to know about the building of tool racks or schoolboys’ lessons or many of the other tidbits peppered throughout the story. The intrigues come from many varied sources and successfully kept me guessing all the way to the end. Partly, I suspect, because there’s no real clues provided that would have allowed me to predict most of them beforehand.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book through NetGalley.

Stephanie Laurens introduces the second The Cavanaughs with The Pursuit of Kit Cavanaugh, a Victorian romance set in the port of Bristol. Lord Kit Cavanaugh has launched a yacht building industry and links up with Miss Sylvia Buckleberry, a vicar's daughter, to support her boy's school. Misadventures and romance ensue. Light rapid enjoyable reading.

A gentleman of the ton embarks on a career designing and building ocean-going yachts and a clergyman's daughter fights City Hall to provide a school for boys. It might not sound like these two worlds would ever meet, but they do and fireworks result. Lord Kit Cavanaugh can't wait to leave behind the society and memories of London's elite and settle in Bristol to find his passion in a new business venture. He played the rake in London and can now shed his mask and find himself. Sylvia Buckleberry thought she knew who she was and what she wanted- until Kit Cavanaugh arrives in Bristol!

Although Lauren's occasionally repetitive style of writing hasn't tightened over the years, she is an expert at plot pacing, description, and treading new ground. This is a lovely story of looking behind the masks people wear in public and discovering the person within. About second chances and learning that sometimes life gives them to you when and where you least expect them. And about looking within to discover who you truly are and what you truly want out of life, instead of what you thought you had to settle for.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this latest edition to the world of the Cynsters; they’re comforting and I love returning back to this world. However, this story was short and with less action. Also, quite repetitive; we get it Kit, you’re attracted to this spunky Sylvia! I feel like this would have been better suited as a short story so she could have cut it down quite a bit.

I decided to take a chance of this author who is new to me. I usually love historical romance, but this book was so boring. I don't care to read pages and pages about setting up a warehouse for a ship building business. The H/h have little interaction and at the 35% mark on my kindle, I just gave up. I found I didn't care about either character and won't spend any more time wading through so much text just to get the H/h in the same room together. Perhaps other readers will find this interesting, but sadly, I'm not one of them.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens is the second volume in her The Cavanaughs Series. It could be read as a standalone however some of the things that happen in the first book have bearing on this one. Miss Sylvia Buckleberry has found her calling running a school for dockworkers children in Bristol but she may be forced to close her school because the warehouse where they held classes has been rented out and they cannot afford to pay rent on another location. Lord Christopher (Kit) Cavanaugh met Sylvia at his brothers wedding recently when they were partnered in the wedding party and he is quite shocked to find that the ice maiden who would not give him the time of day is quite fiery when it comes to defending her school. Sylvia is surprised that the indolent rake whom she has had a secret crush on is perhaps not the person he has been portraying at all. I look upon Stephanie Laurens books as comfort food reading with interesting characters and storylines and this one is no exception. Mild Steam Publishing April 30, 2019 #NetGalley #ThePursuitsofLordKitCavanaugh #HarlequinRomance #MIRA #StephanieLaurens

This story had promise, but the author moves so slowly developing her characters and their interactions that it just became boring. I liked the idea of a son of anoble starting a yacht-building business in Victorian era Bristol. He meets up with a young woman who has founded a school for poor boys and helps her to find a new location for the school after his business displaced her school. The author details what seems like every moment of their actions as they look for a new location and face down some threats to the school and his business. We also get several repetitious passages as Lord Kit contemplates his attraction to Sylvia. This book would have been more enjoyable with some strong editing.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is Kit and Sylvia’s story. They were partnered at Rand’s wedding. She had heard of his reputation and dismissed him. He comes to Bristol to start a yacht building business. Unfortunately the town board rents him the warehouse where Sylvia has her charity school. She storms his office and tasks him with finding them another space for the school. He tells her he will sponsor the school. She starts to see him in a different light. He literally saves her. I loved this story and can’t wait for the next book in the series.

A pleasent surprise! Not only a fun bodice ripper, but an extremely well written, paced and developed one!

Kit Cavanaugh first met Miss Sylvia Buckleberry (I love her name) in the first book of the series, The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh and it was not an auspicious beginning for them. She treated him coldly and it seemed that she couldn’t wait to get away from him. So, while she intrigued him, he left his brother Rand’s wedding never expecting to see her again.

Kit spent some time with his older brother, Ryder, and his family and then left for Bristol where he is starting a yacht building business. He rented the perfect warehouse for building the yachts and all he had to do was to wait for the charity that was using the warehouse to vacate the premises. He wondered what sort of charity was using the warehouse.

The next day, an absolute force of nature in the guise of Miss Sylvia Buckleberry accosted Kit in his offices. She was quite different from the cold, aloof woman he met at Rand’s wedding. She demanded his help in relocating her charity school since he is the cause of them having to move. Kit had no idea it was a school he was dislocating and he was anxious to help with the relocation, the costs – whatever was needed. Sylvia couldn’t believe this was the same man whose reputation she had so much about before.

Kit and his partner, Wayland Cobworth, can hardly wait to begin work. Bristol’s shipbuilding industry is floundering since the invention of iron ships. Luckily for Kit and Wayland, that leaves the finest craftsmen available for hire. They are fortunate to put together a top-notch crew including a secretary that keeps it all together.

Kit and Sylvia spend more and more time together because of the school. Who knew that a charity school could have an enemy? But it does. Then again, who knew that a new business providing many jobs to an impoverished community would have enemies? But it does. Add to that – someone is watching Sylvia. Are they all related?

The road to romance is fairly smooth with each person coming to know and respect who the other really is. It is the danger to the school, the business, and Sylvia that moves the plot along. The mysteries are interesting and you won’t know who the villain is until the solution presents itself.

This is an excellently written book with interesting and compelling characters to whom you can totally relate. I really liked Kit who is not at all what his reputation makes him out to be. I also admired Sylvia who set a goal for her life and then went about making it happen. She’s quite an admirable heroine.

I definitely recommend this book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a lovely little story of a rector's daughter Sylvia Buckleberry and her romance with Lord Kit Cavanaugh. We encountered Sylvia and Kit both briefly in the previous book of this series. Sylvia soon sees through how badly she has misjudged Kit in the last book, and they quickly form a team to save both her school for disadvantaged boys and his new yacht building business from outside forces.

An enjoyable addition to Laurens growing family of books, this book works as a stand alone if you haven't read the series.

It's been awhile since I've read a Stephanie Laurens historical romance, and usually I LOVE her books. Unfortunately, The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh didn't quite hit the mark.

The storyline itself was solid, but I personally wanted more chemistry (physical and otherwise) between Sylvia and Kit.

That being said, I will definitely continue reading her works. Maybe I'll even go back and reread of few of my favorites.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

The story of Kit and Sylvia as they fight to overcome personal as well as professional obstacles in their search for love. Kit unknowingly has Sylvia’s school for boys moved for his new business venture in building luxury yachts. Once Sylvia enlists his help for her school they embark on a slow steady burn of a romance. Both the school and the yacht business are attacked and they must work together to figure out the culprits. During their time together they both come to recognise that the other is not who they originally believed them to be. Kit begins to overcome his fear of love and marriage and sees that Sylvia could be the salvation and anchor of his life. In the end they both realise, “family is the one thing that will give them the greatest purpose in their lives.” I have long sought out Stephanie Laurens’ books. She has a way of making you deeply connected to the characters and her attention to detail is unparalleled. I am never disappointed and I highly recommend her writing for its depth and descriptive dialogue. Harlequin has chosen an amazing author with her.

I will say this book was a pleasant surprise. When I originally requested it, I misread the title and thought it was from another series about a family with a similar name. Diving into this one without having read the first book however was no challenge. In fact, minus a few things here and there about the people and events from book one, this story stands entirely on its own.

I enjoyed the characters, even if they were a bit too "good" for my liking. They took the idea of "turn the other cheek" a bit too far, for example, the Yacht company offering a man a job after he specifically set out to sabotage their work. Or when Kit not only immediately offered to sponsor Slyvia's school, but then tying up his funds and personal time with it when he was trying to launch his business. I also would have expected a bit more "fight" from Sylvia was concerned rather than allowing Kit to do whatever he wanted. I will say that the romance between these two was enjoyable as well as believable. It was definitely one of those slow friends to romance stories that I like so much.

There was also a great deal of mystery and sabotage going on within this story, and while I definitely feel that it added to the romance, I feel there were just too many players involved. I feel like there could have been just one person involved as the mastermind, weaving more of a "Who is behind this" feel to the story rather than the back and forth, "we solved this problem, but not this problem" that made up this story. ''

Overall however, I do believe this story will appeal to those who enjoy well written historical romances with a dash of mystery thrown in. I would read more from this author!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

The Pursuits of Lord Cavanaugh by Stephanie Laurens is the second book in a new series about the Cavanaughs. Lord Christopher “Kit” Cavanaugh has found a new path for himself. No longer needing to spend so much time avoiding his mother’s mechanisms, he can move forward with what is important to him. He has decided that moving to Bristol, where there are large numbers of artisans with the ability to build wooden ships, to work for Cavanaugh Yachts. He is excited by the prospect and hopeful of finding his way. His first need to find a warehouse that meets his needs. That is when he finds her - Miss Sylvia Buckleberry.

Miss Sylvia Buckleberry has a passion for helping young boys get an education. She has founded a school - in a warehouse that she can no longer use - because of Cavanaugh Yachts. Kit helps Sylvia find a new and better place for her school and then becomes a patron of her school to help her. Both Kit and Sylvia have always believed that marriage and a family are not their paths, but now they have found each other.

The Pursuits of Lord Cavanaugh is a different kind of historical fiction novel. It moves slower and spends time with each of the main characters spends time (in their head) looking at the situations around them. The novel does do serious heat - but at the end. There are so situations that lead to “mysteries”, but each one is resolved in a satisfactory way as the characters move forward. The Pursuit of Lord Cavanaugh is good read with its focus on characters and people moving forward.

This is book 3 in the Cavanaugh series, the story of Kit Cavanaugh.
Kit and Sylvia meet at the end of book 2 at his brother's wedding. There is a spark there but each go their own way.
Kit decides to pursue starting a business building yachts. He decides to move to the seaport town of Bristow.
In searching for a building to build his ships, he finds the perfect one. But it is currently occupied by a charity, a school. The council that owns the building ask for a few days to allow them to notify the charity and give them time to relocate.
Sylvia is very proud of what she's been able to accomplish with her school. They have 17 students and it is growing.
When the council tells her she needs to relocate the school because the building had been rented, she is afraid she will lose the whole school. She decides to confront the lechnet of the new business and all for their help in finding a new location since they have taken the school's.
She comes face to face with Kit Cavanaugh. The sparks are still there. And from here the relationship grows and the adventures begin.
I enjoyed this book. I thought it started a little slow and got boring at times.
But Stephanie knows how to put a finish on her stories and set up the next one.
I look forward to Stacie's story.

Readers enjoying the escapades of the Cavanaugh family with love following the adventures of the intrepid Kit as he travels to Bristol, sets up his yacht-building business, and finds his life enmeshed with clergyman's daughter Sylvia Buckleberry, who runs the charity school he unintentionally displaces. There's no hurdle Kit can't overcome in his determination to make a success of his business--no problem his wealth & fortune can't instantly resolve, especially when he dangles economic opportunities in a depressed area--but will he be able to live up to the fantasies of Ms. Buckleberry, who's secretly held him as her ideal since her girlhood days? Laurens fans will like the sweet courtship and the easy resolutions of this quiet, charming romance that doesn't put anyone in too much danger for long.