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A review by kblincoln
Slightly Married by Mary Balogh
5.0
Introducing the aristocratic and arrogant Bedwyns...Slightly Married is a marriage of convenience for 2nd brother, Aidan, just returned from Napoleonic Wars with a mission from a dying comrade to protect his sister.
Only the sister is more or less okay-- she's got an inherited estate, adopted children, beloved aunt, and a menagerie of servants no one else would hire. Except that she's hiding a secret from Aidan: if she doesn't marry within a week she'll lose her estate forever.
Aidan and Eve begin with a marriage they think will require play acting for a few days-- and they days stretch into weeks and soon Eve is in London playing the part of a Bedwyn wife in high society.
I gave this a 5 because Balogh is pretty skilled at creating angsty alpha males with inner thoughts about duty and honor and all the while you can read between the lines about how much they crave love and comfort. There's a scene between Aidan and his older brother where quite calmly the brother tells Aidan that Eve questioned the brother's love. He goes through actions he took that on the outside seem punitive and dictatorial "did i not buy your military commission despite your pleading? Did I not keep Freyja from marrying the undesirable neighbor" but artfully shows him both affronted anyone would question his devotion and also himself questioning his choices.
Pretty awesome. So this is a trope-heavy old skool romance with the alpha hero basically rescuing the heroine, but in turn she manages to rescue him. There's misunderstandings and love that could have been resolved quickly if one of them had made any kind of overture--but I forgive the author because of the lovely, Austen-esque dialogue and believable independence of the heroine Eve.
This is romance comfort reading with an added dash of literary sensibility (although it does have some steaminess to it). Definitely will go on to read about the other Bedwyns!
Only the sister is more or less okay-- she's got an inherited estate, adopted children, beloved aunt, and a menagerie of servants no one else would hire. Except that she's hiding a secret from Aidan: if she doesn't marry within a week she'll lose her estate forever.
Aidan and Eve begin with a marriage they think will require play acting for a few days-- and they days stretch into weeks and soon Eve is in London playing the part of a Bedwyn wife in high society.
I gave this a 5 because Balogh is pretty skilled at creating angsty alpha males with inner thoughts about duty and honor and all the while you can read between the lines about how much they crave love and comfort. There's a scene between Aidan and his older brother where quite calmly the brother tells Aidan that Eve questioned the brother's love. He goes through actions he took that on the outside seem punitive and dictatorial "did i not buy your military commission despite your pleading? Did I not keep Freyja from marrying the undesirable neighbor" but artfully shows him both affronted anyone would question his devotion and also himself questioning his choices.
Pretty awesome. So this is a trope-heavy old skool romance with the alpha hero basically rescuing the heroine, but in turn she manages to rescue him. There's misunderstandings and love that could have been resolved quickly if one of them had made any kind of overture--but I forgive the author because of the lovely, Austen-esque dialogue and believable independence of the heroine Eve.
This is romance comfort reading with an added dash of literary sensibility (although it does have some steaminess to it). Definitely will go on to read about the other Bedwyns!