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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I haven't read this book in many, many years. I know a lot of people will hate some of the themes here, but it was a beautiful, forbidden love story of two hurt people. Now I have to go back and read more of Mary Balogh's early books. Maybe a Bedwyn series reboot?
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
From the opening chapter this book was so incredibly compelling.
I couldn’t put it down!!
The way Balogh wove together the mystery and romance was exquisite.
I love the POV shifts we get in old-school romance.
I wish more modern day romance novels featured POVs of the side characters and villains.
Perhaps a new favorite Balogh?? It was pretty perfect.
I couldn’t put it down!!
The way Balogh wove together the mystery and romance was exquisite.
I love the POV shifts we get in old-school romance.
I wish more modern day romance novels featured POVs of the side characters and villains.
Perhaps a new favorite Balogh?? It was pretty perfect.
I wished I had ignored the 3 star review, and picked this up sooner. This was an amazing book, granted, I can see that the drama was a little soap opera like, and the hero a little too perfect. The best parts were the story was wonderful both original and classic at the same time. What really stood out, for me, was the writing, some of the passages were just so beautifully written that I'll have to go back and read them over and over again.
There is a bit of controversy over this book, and rightfully so.
This book includes -- a scarring sexual experience (not really rape, but just as brutal), infidelity, mental abuse.
Story goes something along the lines of :
Young debutante under relations roof after losing her parents years prior, relation is a grown male that wants to take his affections out on said debutante. When he goes in for the goods, she fights back and kills his assistant. Fleeing the safety of relations roofs after discovering assistant dead, debutante hides out in London, fearful of being hanged for murder.
Starving and scared, she no longer can survive without food, turning to the only profession where you don't need money to make money, debutante gives away her "flower" to a harsh, emotionless gentlemen. Gentlemen buys her food and walks her home after transaction.
Days later, he cannot forget how lost of will she was and turns his "man" to searching for her AND offering her the position of governess to his daughter.
*This would be the point of no return for some readers out there.*
After days of looking they find ruined debutante and take her in, where she accepts and travels away from London to mansion where she is to work. Debutante doesn't even know whose daughter she is looking after until weeks later....the rest is history.
1. Our hero has a wife at the beginning of the book
2. Hero has sex with debutante, under the assumption she is a prostitute.
3. Wife is a complete bitch, who has liaisons on the side continuously.
4. Despite that, this is not an eye for an eye type of situation.
5. Sex outside of marriage occurs TWICE.
Eh I think those are all the things that could possibly turn people away from this book.
My one and only point for defending this book is this : the characters actually fell in love due to conversations, hobbies, talents and similar interests. It had nothing to do with her bosom or his rippling muscles. This is very rare to find in books.
I would be hesitant to recommend this book, but I would if I knew the person would be okay with the above points.
This book includes -- a scarring sexual experience (not really rape, but just as brutal), infidelity, mental abuse.
Story goes something along the lines of :
Young debutante under relations roof after losing her parents years prior, relation is a grown male that wants to take his affections out on said debutante. When he goes in for the goods, she fights back and kills his assistant. Fleeing the safety of relations roofs after discovering assistant dead, debutante hides out in London, fearful of being hanged for murder.
Starving and scared, she no longer can survive without food, turning to the only profession where you don't need money to make money, debutante gives away her "flower" to a harsh, emotionless gentlemen. Gentlemen buys her food and walks her home after transaction.
Days later, he cannot forget how lost of will she was and turns his "man" to searching for her AND offering her the position of governess to his daughter.
*This would be the point of no return for some readers out there.*
After days of looking they find ruined debutante and take her in, where she accepts and travels away from London to mansion where she is to work. Debutante doesn't even know whose daughter she is looking after until weeks later....the rest is history.
1. Our hero has a wife at the beginning of the book
2. Hero has sex with debutante, under the assumption she is a prostitute.
3. Wife is a complete bitch, who has liaisons on the side continuously.
4. Despite that, this is not an eye for an eye type of situation.
5. Sex outside of marriage occurs TWICE.
Eh I think those are all the things that could possibly turn people away from this book.
My one and only point for defending this book is this : the characters actually fell in love due to conversations, hobbies, talents and similar interests. It had nothing to do with her bosom or his rippling muscles. This is very rare to find in books.
I would be hesitant to recommend this book, but I would if I knew the person would be okay with the above points.
This has been the most beautiful book I have ever read. I have never cried so much. Balogh is fantastic.
I've been wondering about how to review this book because the premise is a bit controversial. He's married and not to the heroine. That alone would make this book a non-starter for a lot of romance readers. And then he meets the heroine when he picks her up as a prostitute outside the theatre, takes her back to an inn, and discovers a few very significant seconds too late that she was a virgin.
And this is where the story starts, so I'm not even spoiling anything. That's the first few pages. So, blood on the sheets, what does he do? And that's where his character starts revealing itself.
Okay, so once you get through the whole book and you find the whole horrible situation he's been dealing with, you can't help but feel some sympathy for him. An unfaithful wife that hates him, an unconsummated marriage, he's raising his half-brother's child as his own, and he hasn't turned into a burning ball of hate? I'm impressed.
And yes, he was stupid to send the heroine to his house as governess - and as for the people who are hating on Lady Pamela? Hello, a child raised as a pawn in her mother's cruel games and with a father who hates being at the house? Yeah, she's gonna be a brat. She was written correctly. - And he was probably stupid to let his wife think he had forced his brother away out of jealousy, even though it doesn't matter in the end. He's a true hero, because when faced with the choice of breaking his word and revealing his daughter as a bastard and getting to be happy, or keeping his word, never letting his daughter know the horrible truth of her parentage which she never would have been able to escape for the rest of her life and having to turn his back on his personal happiness, he chooses to put his daughter's happiness and his own integrity first. And for that I love him. Especially in the Regency era, when it would have been acceptable on so many levels for him to put his wife away, or to keep a mistress, he chose to treat both his wife and his love with respect and integrity.
And for the people saying she just needed to get over her freaking out about being near Adam, she had fled one sexual assault that involved her killing a man to get away, and then was coerced by economic realities into submitting to what was basically another assault. And this is a Regency era lady. Sex outside of marriage destroyed her entire view of herself and everyone else's as well. So you go ahead, sweetie, and take all the time you need to get comfortable.
So, all that said, I enjoyed this story. It was unique and emotional and heartbreaking and lovely.
And this is where the story starts, so I'm not even spoiling anything. That's the first few pages. So, blood on the sheets, what does he do? And that's where his character starts revealing itself.
Spoiler
Okay, so once you get through the whole book and you find the whole horrible situation he's been dealing with, you can't help but feel some sympathy for him. An unfaithful wife that hates him, an unconsummated marriage, he's raising his half-brother's child as his own, and he hasn't turned into a burning ball of hate? I'm impressed.
And yes, he was stupid to send the heroine to his house as governess - and as for the people who are hating on Lady Pamela? Hello, a child raised as a pawn in her mother's cruel games and with a father who hates being at the house? Yeah, she's gonna be a brat. She was written correctly. - And he was probably stupid to let his wife think he had forced his brother away out of jealousy, even though it doesn't matter in the end. He's a true hero, because when faced with the choice of breaking his word and revealing his daughter as a bastard and getting to be happy, or keeping his word, never letting his daughter know the horrible truth of her parentage which she never would have been able to escape for the rest of her life and having to turn his back on his personal happiness, he chooses to put his daughter's happiness and his own integrity first. And for that I love him. Especially in the Regency era, when it would have been acceptable on so many levels for him to put his wife away, or to keep a mistress, he chose to treat both his wife and his love with respect and integrity.
And for the people saying she just needed to get over her freaking out about being near Adam, she had fled one sexual assault that involved her killing a man to get away, and then was coerced by economic realities into submitting to what was basically another assault. And this is a Regency era lady. Sex outside of marriage destroyed her entire view of herself and everyone else's as well. So you go ahead, sweetie, and take all the time you need to get comfortable.
So, all that said, I enjoyed this story. It was unique and emotional and heartbreaking and lovely.
✅
- Very atmospheric story
- Very sweet ending
❌
- Understood that most of attention from the Hero is from guilt, but not sure how that turns to love? Especially since the heroine is pretty cold consistently
✨
lilan ♥ |
- Very atmospheric story
- Very sweet ending
❌
- Understood that most of attention from the Hero is from guilt, but not sure how that turns to love? Especially since the heroine is pretty cold consistently
✨
lilan ♥ |