By Stephanie Laurens, HarperCollins, January 2006

When New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens created the Cynsters, a phenomenon was born. Now, Stephanie Laurens has written her most romantic and powerful novel to date, one that dares tell The Truth About Love.

Gerrard Debbington is one of the chosen few -- the gentlemen who've learned their social and amorous skills at the feet of the masters. Handsome and wealthy, protégé and brother-in-law of Vane Cynster, Gerrard is part of the charmed Cynster family circle. Now Gerrard travels to Helleborn Hall, a dark and mysterious place. His lure-- unlimited access to sketch the Hall's famous but rarely seen gardens. But what seems like a simple exchange grows more and more complicated from the moment Gerrard meets Jacqueline, the beautiful daughter of the house. Determined to understand her , he tries to dig deeper into Jacqueline's identity, but she is shrouded and secretive. The gardens have been hidden from outside eyes for so long because they are hiding something themselves, and though Gerrard knows he should leave these secrets undisturbed, his developing passion for Jacqueline cannot be ignored, even as danger grows ever closer to them both.

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Book Description:

Bold, passionate and possessive, the Cynster men let nothing stand in their way when it comes to claiming the women of their hearts.

Gerrard Debbington, Vane Cynster's brother-in-law, is one of London's most eligible gentlemen. Uninterested in marriage, his driving passion is to paint the fabled gardens of Lord Tregonning's Hellebore Hall -- an opportunity that is now at hand...if Gerrard agrees to create an honest portrait of Tregonning's daughter as well.

Gerrard chafes at wasting his talents on some simpering miss, only to discover that Jacqueline Tregonning stirs him as no other. Certainly, she is beautiful, but it is her passionate nature that strikes sparks with Gerrard's own, igniting desire and sweeping them into each other's arms, convincing Gerrard that he has found his ideal soul mate -- the lady he must have as his wife.

But something is horribly wrong at Hellebore Hall. Evil and lies are reaching out to ensnare Jacqueline -- and Gerrard will have to move Heaven and Earth to protect the remarkable woman who, for him, personifies the truth about love...

From Publishers Weekly:

The latest in Laurens's beloved Cynster series takes a gothic turn, wrapping suspense and eroticism into a potent package. Dashing Gerrard Debbington is an acclaimed landscape painter, Lord Vane Cyster's protégé, and the ton's most eligible bachelor. All he lacks is the chance to paint the beautiful, unusual gardens at Hellebore Hall, the Cornwall home of reclusive Lord Tregonning. One day, the opportunity drops in his lap—so long as he agrees to also paint a portrait of Lord Tregonning's daughter. Reluctant to spend months in the company of a vapid society chit, Gerrard almost refuses, but the lure of the gardens proves too strong. At Hellebore Hall, Gerrard discovers that he's in deeper than he bargained for. Jacqueline, Lord Tregonning's daughter, is a remarkable young woman, and she inspires both his artistic passion and his love. She is also widely suspected to be the cause of two deaths: that of her former fiancé, who disappeared two years before, and her mother, who mysteriously fell to her death into the brooding Garden of Night. Lord Tregonning, convinced that a good portrait portrays the true nature of its subject, believes that Gerrard's depiction of Jacqueline will prove his daughter's innocence. So who is the real killer? The heat between Gerrard and Jacqueline sizzles and sparks, and the story consistently surprises in Laurens's best Regency yet. (Mar.)

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