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larilaridictionari's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A good, middle of the road historical romance. The two leads are a sweet couple and I appreciate how their relationship developed, but I found them to be a bit more boring than I'd have liked.
The constant musings of how the Vanesssa was so plain started to get grating, especially since her husband constantly thought about it until he started to fall in love with her. The conflicts that the couple experienced were more mild, but I enjoyed how they never got blown out of proportion and were resolved after honest conversations. I might pick up the next book in the series since I'm interested to see how the rest of the family fares, especially Meg, if other books in my TBR don't pull my attention first.
annmaries's review against another edition
4.0
Technically, what follows could be considered spoilers, since I do talk about the plot, but only in the most general of ways.
I liked this book immensely because the main couple were NOT plagued by a Terrible Secret that one of them was hiding from the other for far longer than is believable. There were no Evil Mamas, or any other relation, trying to keep them apart. Neither person was unsuitable, or ineligible, or pretending to be something they weren't, or irrationally preoccupied with someone else. And best of all, neither of them stubbornly refused to either talk about or listen to the other person talk about the obstacles to their happiness...for too long, anyway.
TL;DR Not a lot of drama, mostly focused on each person overcoming their internal hangups, which is very refreshing in this genre.
I liked this book immensely because the main couple were NOT plagued by a Terrible Secret that one of them was hiding from the other for far longer than is believable. There were no Evil Mamas, or any other relation, trying to keep them apart. Neither person was unsuitable, or ineligible, or pretending to be something they weren't, or irrationally preoccupied with someone else. And best of all, neither of them stubbornly refused to either talk about or listen to the other person talk about the obstacles to their happiness...for too long, anyway.
TL;DR Not a lot of drama, mostly focused on each person overcoming their internal hangups, which is very refreshing in this genre.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy Balogh's books. I like the fact that she takes several characters, whether friends or family and shows us their lives through several books. This seems to be a pattern for many romance writers, but I especially like Balogh's style and humor in her series.
First Comes Marriage is the first Huxtable romance. We are introduced to the family when Stephen becomes the new Earl of Merton. This sets up lots of great opportunities for Balogh's writing to shine. She teaches the Huxtables (and her readers) about proper behavior for the gentry, how the Ton works and what love is all about.
If you like romantic series set in the Regency era with a bit of humor, start this series with First Comes Marriage. I, for one, enjoyed this story enough that I will be reading the next volume soon.
First Comes Marriage is the first Huxtable romance. We are introduced to the family when Stephen becomes the new Earl of Merton. This sets up lots of great opportunities for Balogh's writing to shine. She teaches the Huxtables (and her readers) about proper behavior for the gentry, how the Ton works and what love is all about.
If you like romantic series set in the Regency era with a bit of humor, start this series with First Comes Marriage. I, for one, enjoyed this story enough that I will be reading the next volume soon.
quillandkindle's review against another edition
1.0
First Comes Marriage is basically a retelling of Austen's Pride and Prejudice only without a fascinating, witty heroine and any sparks between the two main characters. I suppose that this book does have potential if I judged it from the storyline alone but the combination of a Mary Sue type of heroine, an unlikeable, cold, arrogant hero and a rather repetitive writing just didn't cut it for me. As the first book in a series, it surely is off to a poor start.
rcstewa's review against another edition
3.0
A cute book, but not up to the standard set by Julia Quinn or Lisa Kleypas, who this was obviously modeled after. I did enjoy that almost all of the characters were nice people, so it wasn't hard to cheer for them, and it makes me look forward to reading the other books in the series.
just_ordinary_bookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katdid's review against another edition
3.0
This was v wholesome compared to my recent reads (well, except Heyer) and the sex was v tame. Which was fine, I'm just sayin'. Altho Vanessa's sexy party trick was to "pulse her teeth" (?!) against whatever appendage. And her brother Stephen had an irritating habit of beginning every sentence with, "I say!" I'd most like to know about Meg's story but her book is the third one in the series and I generally avoid reading out of turn.
penandpencil's review against another edition
1.0
One of the most unlikeable and uninteresting male protagonists I have every come across in this genre. After about 365498746569 mentions, I think the reader was pretty clear on the fact that the heroine was not 'pretty', whatever that means.