Lord Christopher 'Kit' Cavanaugh has been playing the rake in London but now he has an opportunity in Bristol to crate a life for himself building yachts but when he finds a suitable workshop he finds that he's dieplacing Sylvia Buckleberry's school for the local boys. He helps her find a new site and lends her his name to help. Still they both find that there are those who would work to stop both of them from succeeding and while they battle enemies they find companions within each other.
There's a bit too much drama going on here for one book but it was a fun ride. ( )

The Pursuits of Lord Kit Cavanaugh is a story that has some adventure, romance and lots of giving. It takes place in Victorian England in a port city where many dreams have died where a savior like Lord Kit Cavanaugh is needed. The book drags on too long and for this reason only receives three and one half stars. ( )

Kit Cavanaugh has come to Bristol to found a shipyard that will build yachts. He immediately runs into a roadblock when the warehouse he wants is used as a school by Sylvia Buckleberry. He and Sylvia know each other from the wedding of his brother and it wasn't an auspicious meeting. Still, they work things out and Kit finds excuses to spend more time with Sylvia as well as getting his business going.
This was an okay romance. The story was more about shipbuilding and life in Victorian Bristol than the interactions between Sylvia and Kit who mostly run errands together. The villain in the end (not to give anything away) turned out to be a bit silly with a real Snidely Whiplash vibe. I'm kind of hit or miss with Ms. Laurens and this one leans more toward a miss. ( )

Delightful read that builds!

Lord Christopher “Kit” Cavanaugh has a dream. To establish an exclusive top of the range yacht building business in Bristol.
Miss Sylvia Buckleberry has a dream. To establish a school for the poorer children of Bristol, particularly those whose parents are employed (or unemployed) on and around the wharves of Bristol.
That these two dreams clashed goes without saying! But the redoubtable Kit managed to bring about a satisfactory solution for both dreams. His hiring tactics are masterful. Unfortunately others are not so easily persuaded.
I must say though it was the young boys of the school who stole my heart. Their protectiveness towards Sylvia is brilliantly portrayed. Kit's easy interaction with them is delightful.
All in all, true love, a couple of mysterious incidents, a chase and a loving resolution made this a pleasing read.

A HARLEQUIN - Romance ARC via NetGalley ( )

Terrific book. Now that his brother's wedding was over, Kit was ready to head for Bristol and get his dream of Cavanaugh Yachts launched. All he needed was the right location and the craftsmen with the right skills, and he would be set. The site was quickly found; all he needed to do was wait for the charity using it to vacate the premises.

Daughter of a vicar, Sylvia found her calling in providing education for the sons of Bristol dockworkers. She and her team worked hard for the last two years and had just started seeing real progress in their efforts when she found out that they were losing their building.

I loved both Kit and Sylvia, both of whom made brief appearances in the previous book, The Designs of Lord Randolph Cavanaugh. Kit had quite the reputation around London as a rake. What no one knew was that it was a carefully cultivated reputation, designed to discourage his manipulative mother's matchmaking aspirations. Having been a witness to his parents' marriage, Kit had no desire to marry. In reality, Kit was an honorable, kind, and hardworking man. Sylvia gave up on the idea of marriage for herself long ago, after she endured one season of the glitz and glamour. She is intelligent, determined, and kind. Both of them have dreams that they are passionate about.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Kit and Sylvia. Their first encounter was at Rand's wedding, where they were partnered during the wedding celebration. Kit was intrigued by Sylvia, but she treated him coldly, so he tried to put her out of his mind. Sylvia struggled to maintain her distance from the rake she was inexplicably drawn to and had crushed on two years earlier. She never expected to see him again and was dismayed to find he had leased the building that housed her school. I loved their next meeting, as Sylvia burst into Kit's office and harangued him about dislocating her school. Kit was stunned by the difference in Sylvia and intrigued all over again. I loved how he took the wind out of her sails by merely agreeing to help her find a new spot for her school. As they spent time together looking for a new location, both Kit and Sylvia discovered that their previous beliefs about each other were all wrong. I enjoyed seeing them get to know and respect who the other is, and the realization of how much alike they are. I liked Kit's move into courting Sylvia, though it took a bit for her to realize what he was doing. As the trouble that stalked them heated up, I loved Kit's protectiveness of Sylvia, which added to his growing feelings for her. Sylvia was also protective of Kit, and I enjoyed how she did things that would help him. But it took the danger at the end for them to realize just how deep their feelings for each other were.

The suspense in the story was good. There were attacks on the business, attacks on the school, and Sylvia's persistent feelings of being watched. Were these incidents related, or were they separate issues? There were multiple twists and turns as each event was dealt with, revealing some interesting motivations and solutions. The final confrontation had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over.

The secondary characters gave added depth to the story, helping both Kit and Sylvia shine. The boys that Sylvia teaches, and their families, showed another side of Victorian England. The advances in the technology of boat building changed the economy of Bristol, and this book showed the effects on the ordinary people. The struggles to take care of their families was vividly portrayed. I liked Sylvia's compassion and practical ways of helping and dealing with problems. Her connection with her students and their families also played a big part in helping Kit get his business started. I loved Kit's practical methods of running his business, and his hands-on approach. It was especially fun to see the variety of reactions. I loved the assorted boys and their parts in the book. Each one has a unique personality and history. There were some pretty funny situations that they got involved in, but they also played a huge part in the final confrontation. I liked the appearances of the previous couples in the series and their roles in moving the relationship along. ( )