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A review by falulatonks
A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh
4.0
I loooooved this. I had a very good review mostly written when I accidentally hit refresh and lost everything so! In summary:
a) I LOVED THESE LEADS. Hannah and Con are spectacular. Hannah in particular hits the ice-queen-outside-but-not-REALLY character-type that I have a fondness for when done well, but it's very rarely done well; it's very rarely about someone deciding they have appearances to keep, who wants to survive in an otherwise merciless society (I know, I know, I'm talking about the ton, but still). It's not about getting her to "thaw" because she's been so miserable being this one person she decides she must be - it's about her finding a friend she trusts will take it in the right spirit without getting schmoopy or silly about it, and I loved that very much.
b) I LOVED THESE LEADS TOGETHER! Hannah and Con are so lovely. They keep talking about how they're not even certain they're friends, because they're totally dense. they are friends, and the joy they get from talking to each other and settling things is so, so nice to see. so many parts of this book didn't even feel like I was seeing a romance happen: I was watching a relationship settle, something you know will work in the long haul. just wonderful. it was definitely rather fast, but I think there was something so smart about the way Balogh handled just how much they were on each other's level.
c) My one negative thing - the main reason this is 4 and not 5 stars - is how much this book felt like the last book of a series. not just because of plot- and other-relationship-heavy this book got by the last few chapters (not in a bad way, but definitely very conspicuously), but also because I felt like there were aspects of these characters that would've felt so much more satisfying with the context of a few books of "cold, aloof, and unbothered". It's obviously my fault for picking this book up without reading the others first, but it left me feeling like I wasn't getting the full effect of these characters' reveals. I was looking at other people's reviews, and one of them called Hannah and Con "so weirdly good", and I totally understand that - I don't have anything against good people, obviously, look at me; but it did seem like it was laid on a little thickly. I didn't need the scenes of their respective "secret lives". but I think people who've been keeping track of this series from the beginning would need those scenes, and I respect that.
I probably won't bother with the rest of this series, because I've heard they're not great, and I didn't really feel inclined towards any of the Huxtables I saw here.
I did really love this one, though. Hannah was the un-melodramatic "cold but secretly wonderful" story I've wanted to be seen told well for a long time.
a) I LOVED THESE LEADS. Hannah and Con are spectacular. Hannah in particular hits the ice-queen-outside-but-not-REALLY character-type that I have a fondness for when done well, but it's very rarely done well; it's very rarely about someone deciding they have appearances to keep, who wants to survive in an otherwise merciless society (I know, I know, I'm talking about the ton, but still). It's not about getting her to "thaw" because she's been so miserable being this one person she decides she must be - it's about her finding a friend she trusts will take it in the right spirit without getting schmoopy or silly about it, and I loved that very much.
b) I LOVED THESE LEADS TOGETHER! Hannah and Con are so lovely. They keep talking about how they're not even certain they're friends, because they're totally dense. they are friends, and the joy they get from talking to each other and settling things is so, so nice to see. so many parts of this book didn't even feel like I was seeing a romance happen: I was watching a relationship settle, something you know will work in the long haul. just wonderful. it was definitely rather fast, but I think there was something so smart about the way Balogh handled just how much they were on each other's level.
c) My one negative thing - the main reason this is 4 and not 5 stars - is how much this book felt like the last book of a series. not just because of plot- and other-relationship-heavy this book got by the last few chapters (not in a bad way, but definitely very conspicuously), but also because I felt like there were aspects of these characters that would've felt so much more satisfying with the context of a few books of "cold, aloof, and unbothered". It's obviously my fault for picking this book up without reading the others first, but it left me feeling like I wasn't getting the full effect of these characters' reveals. I was looking at other people's reviews, and one of them called Hannah and Con "so weirdly good", and I totally understand that - I don't have anything against good people, obviously, look at me; but it did seem like it was laid on a little thickly. I didn't need the scenes of their respective "secret lives". but I think people who've been keeping track of this series from the beginning would need those scenes, and I respect that.
I probably won't bother with the rest of this series, because I've heard they're not great, and I didn't really feel inclined towards any of the Huxtables I saw here.
I did really love this one, though. Hannah was the un-melodramatic "cold but secretly wonderful" story I've wanted to be seen told well for a long time.