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amlibera's review
3.0
Rereading Baloghs that I read years ago to see how they hold up. This one hmm.... it's all over the place for me. I liked it less this time than I did the first. The premise - that she has money and power over him and is marrying him for his beauty (and he needs her money) has some heft but it doesn't really play out that way. The logic of Freddie's addictions, self loathing etc feels inconsistent - not to mention a straight up logic issue - when Julia is reintroduced, she tells Freddy that she'll never forgive him and then later says that she forgave him almost immediately. Also, "Clara is handicapped but not really" doesn't really track once you think about it.
mothgirlie's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crystald14's review
2.0
So, Freddie's life is blighted after Julia ends up choosing Daniel in [b:Courting Julia|690071|Courting Julia (Sullivan, #1)|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387744494s/690071.jpg|676420] and he needs funds to pay off his creditors and narrowed it to Clara Danford, who cannot walk. He fakes love for her and marries her. She marries him because she knows no one else will ask her and Freddie is a handsome man. Fair enough.
They have a blissful honeymoon where they grow to like the other and Freddie vows to never be a wastrel. And then Clara tells him to stop his BS and fake flattery, and Freddie is shamed because SHE KNOWS HE IS LYING. And that's when I want to hurl the book at the wall.
I abhor adultery as a topic. And I hate men who take their wives for granted I bore it in [b:The Obedient Bride|969586|The Obedient Bride|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387734640s/969586.jpg|954483] and hated Alex in [b:The First Snowdrop|690070|The First Snowdrop (Frazer, #1)|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387663664s/690070.jpg|676419] and Freddie joins that category. He goes back to his life : gambling, whoring, drinking. His one redeeming fact is that he helps Clara on the process to heal. But he is such an idiot.
Almost till the end of the book, he is the same wastrel and self loather. And Clara forgives him and takes him back. She says that she will always love him, no matter what he does. Geez.
I didnt hate the book, but this is definitely not one of my favourites. The next book [b:Tempting Harriet|690063|Tempting Harriet (Sullivan, #3)|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392091258s/690063.jpg|676412] is so much better!
Takeaway : None.
They have a blissful honeymoon where they grow to like the other and Freddie vows to never be a wastrel. And then Clara tells him to stop his BS and fake flattery, and Freddie is shamed because SHE KNOWS HE IS LYING. And that's when I want to hurl the book at the wall.
I abhor adultery as a topic. And I hate men who take their wives for granted I bore it in [b:The Obedient Bride|969586|The Obedient Bride|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387734640s/969586.jpg|954483] and hated Alex in [b:The First Snowdrop|690070|The First Snowdrop (Frazer, #1)|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387663664s/690070.jpg|676419] and Freddie joins that category. He goes back to his life : gambling, whoring, drinking. His one redeeming fact is that he helps Clara on the process to heal. But he is such an idiot.
Almost till the end of the book, he is the same wastrel and self loather. And Clara forgives him and takes him back. She says that she will always love him, no matter what he does. Geez.
I didnt hate the book, but this is definitely not one of my favourites. The next book [b:Tempting Harriet|690063|Tempting Harriet (Sullivan, #3)|Mary Balogh|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392091258s/690063.jpg|676412] is so much better!
Takeaway : None.
reading_historical_romance's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.75
amyiw's review
4.0
3 1/2
I thought I was going to end up really being disappointed, as we were getting to the end and the guy is just irredeemable. But the end is all about forgiveness and the benefits to forgiveness. Yet, we don't get to see Freddie truly turn around. So if you are offended by the rake, gambler, drinker, not mending his ways because of a good women, you are not going to be happy here. I thought I was not going to be happy either but the ending was a start, and a perhaps. Still, I don't know if I could forgive or trust him So I was hopeful at the end but not happy as it wasn't yet a HEA.
I loved the beginning of this right after they get married. Yes, it is all based on lies but they mesh so nicely. Then his self loathing comes and he lashes out, really at himself. And then it looks like again that it is starting to become good again, they are really starting to care for one another and again, his self loathing comes to the front and he lashes out at her and himself again. He has the addictive personality and Balogh has it to the T here. He recognizes it and that is the start. I was just hoping for more.
I thought I was going to end up really being disappointed, as we were getting to the end and the guy is just irredeemable. But the end is all about forgiveness and the benefits to forgiveness. Yet, we don't get to see Freddie truly turn around. So if you are offended by the rake, gambler, drinker, not mending his ways because of a good women, you are not going to be happy here. I thought I was not going to be happy either but the ending was a start, and a perhaps. Still, I don't know if I could forgive or trust him
Spoiler
especially about bringing home diseases. The whole time I was so sorry for Clara because it was/is a disaster waiting to happen.I loved the beginning of this right after they get married. Yes, it is all based on lies but they mesh so nicely. Then his self loathing comes and he lashes out, really at himself. And then it looks like again that it is starting to become good again, they are really starting to care for one another and again, his self loathing comes to the front and he lashes out at her and himself again. He has the addictive personality and Balogh has it to the T here. He recognizes it and that is the start. I was just hoping for more.
nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
Reread 2017: I think I liked this more the second time around. However, I read it first back in the 90s, so it is hard to say. It is definitely not a traditional romance, rather I find it more of a character study of a quite flawed individual. Freddie is not all bad, but he is pretty bad. And the frustrating thing is that he couldn't help himself, would then hate himself, and then not help himself again. It was a vicious cycle. That being said, this was a compelling read, and I found myself interested in both Clara and Freddie's struggles. I might have rated it higher if the final chapter (and the reunion) had been more developed.
tita_noir's review
5.0
Freddie Sullivan is quite desperate. He has run up gambling bills so high that he is to the point where he can't pay them and may have to be sent to debtor's prison. He is ashamed to ask his father to bail him out yet another time so he heads to Bath to find a rich bride. There are three possibles and he settles on Clara Danvers -- the richest and the one who doesn't have a guardian or father to scuttle his chances.
Clara is struck by Freddie's beauty and charm. She is under no illusions about him. She knows he needs a rich wife and she is certainly rich. But she is not beautiful and because of a childhood illness in India she can't walk.
She accepts his proposal and the two marry and embark upon a marriage that is at times wonderful, painful, and revelatory.
Over the years, I had heard a lot about this book. Most people either love it or hate it. The people who hate it are those who point to Freddie's adultery as a deal breaker. He is a terrible hero and thus this is a terrible story and not worthy of being labeled a romance. I disagree. I think anyone who focuses solely on that one aspect of Freddie really misses out on the larger, largely wonderful and moving story.
Freddie isn't simply an adulterer. He is a charming, beautiful man who has two evils: he has a gambling addiction and he hates himself. The two things feed on each other quite destructively. And he does things to constantly punish himself. Before he married Clara, he justified it as the life of a merry bachelor. But after Clara, guilt is added to the stew and his demons gnaw at him in newer ways.
This is not to say this book is a downer or even heavy. No, Balogh uses a very light, deft touch with these issues. Freddie is after all charming and wonderful. Everything is delivered with a smile and bedroom eyes.
I have to admit that when I was reading the early chapters after Freddie proposes to Clara, I despised him. His inner dialogue lets the reader know that he does not find Clara at all attractive and yet is constantly telling her how he has fallen instantly in love and he loves her. It is quite sickening. I mentally kept calling him an asshole and a jerk (well as this is a Regency probably cur, rake, scoundrel or roue would be more apropos).
But my distaste did not last. Freddie is, under it all, a decent person and he takes pains to try to make Clara happy. He respects her and begins to see her as a person. And most of all, he begins to reverse the damaging effects that her father's coddling has wrought for years.
Clara for her part is under no illusions about Freddie. She marries him because, as she puts it, she wants his beauty for herself. She is a pragmatic woman who deals very much in reality. There is one point where Freddie is having the mother of all pity parties and Clara very nicely calls him on his crap and tells him they don't have time for him to feel sorry for himself anymore.
What I found so incredibly gratifying about this story is how these two people actually do grow in love in a way that feels to me to be very grounded in realism to me.
I am absolutely loving my foray into Mary Balogh's early regencies. And this one tops the list.
Clara is struck by Freddie's beauty and charm. She is under no illusions about him. She knows he needs a rich wife and she is certainly rich. But she is not beautiful and because of a childhood illness in India she can't walk.
She accepts his proposal and the two marry and embark upon a marriage that is at times wonderful, painful, and revelatory.
Over the years, I had heard a lot about this book. Most people either love it or hate it. The people who hate it are those who point to Freddie's adultery as a deal breaker. He is a terrible hero and thus this is a terrible story and not worthy of being labeled a romance. I disagree. I think anyone who focuses solely on that one aspect of Freddie really misses out on the larger, largely wonderful and moving story.
Freddie isn't simply an adulterer. He is a charming, beautiful man who has two evils: he has a gambling addiction and he hates himself. The two things feed on each other quite destructively. And he does things to constantly punish himself. Before he married Clara, he justified it as the life of a merry bachelor. But after Clara, guilt is added to the stew and his demons gnaw at him in newer ways.
This is not to say this book is a downer or even heavy. No, Balogh uses a very light, deft touch with these issues. Freddie is after all charming and wonderful. Everything is delivered with a smile and bedroom eyes.
I have to admit that when I was reading the early chapters after Freddie proposes to Clara, I despised him. His inner dialogue lets the reader know that he does not find Clara at all attractive and yet is constantly telling her how he has fallen instantly in love and he loves her. It is quite sickening. I mentally kept calling him an asshole and a jerk (well as this is a Regency probably cur, rake, scoundrel or roue would be more apropos).
But my distaste did not last. Freddie is, under it all, a decent person and he takes pains to try to make Clara happy. He respects her and begins to see her as a person. And most of all, he begins to reverse the damaging effects that her father's coddling has wrought for years.
Clara for her part is under no illusions about Freddie. She marries him because, as she puts it, she wants his beauty for herself. She is a pragmatic woman who deals very much in reality. There is one point where Freddie is having the mother of all pity parties and Clara very nicely calls him on his crap and tells him they don't have time for him to feel sorry for himself anymore.
What I found so incredibly gratifying about this story is how these two people actually do grow in love in a way that feels to me to be very grounded in realism to me.
I am absolutely loving my foray into Mary Balogh's early regencies. And this one tops the list.
taisie22's review
5.0
Ms. Balogh's earlier books can be hit or miss, but this one from her back catalog is a delight. Freddie Sullivan is a gambler and needs a rich wife desperately. The trouble is all the heiresses and their mamas are onto him. Clara Danforth is wheelchair-bound due to a wasting disease and cynically decides to marry Freddie; she's rich enough to afford him and wants a handsome husband.
It's a thoroughly enjoyable read. Freddie does have some good qualities and Clara learns to trust her rapscallion husband and herself a bit too. It's not your typical Regency romance which makes it all the better in my opinion.
It's a thoroughly enjoyable read. Freddie does have some good qualities and Clara learns to trust her rapscallion husband and herself a bit too. It's not your typical Regency romance which makes it all the better in my opinion.