A Christmas Bride/Christmas Beau by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Christmas Romances Where Christmas is Integral to the Stories

These are two full length Regentcy romances where Christmas is important to the story. Sometimes there is only a tenuous relationship between the story and Christmas. Here, Christmas is important to the story. That is true especially in the second novel where a significant portion of the novel takes place at Christmas.

A CHRISTMAS BRIDE: Edgar Downes is thirty six and it is time for him to marry. He promised his father that he would have a bride by Christmas. Edgar is a lawyer turned businessman and he has created his own fortune. He is wealthy enough and has enough familiar connections to find a lady to marry. He comes to London to find his bride. That night he meets Helena, Lady Stapleton, a widow and the two end up in bed. Helena then rejects Edgar because she is punishing herself for her attempts to seduce her stepson 13 years ago. Despite the fact that neither is what the other is looking for, the two are continually drawn together. This book was a fine coda to the Stapleton-Downes series. It resolves some lingering storylines and brings many of the main characters together again. Helena was the villain in her stepson’s book but her motivations are explained here. I appreciated that there was no attempt to excuse her behaviour merely a greater understanding of what motivated her. I am such a fan of how Balogh can bring such emotion and understanding to complex situations and characters. Helena has been punishing herself and any possibility of happiness has to be rejected because she feels she doesn’t deserve it. Helena’s coldness and icy veneer make her a difficult character to get to know and like but I liked how Balogh worked through the difficult issues in Helena’s life. Rating; 4 stars.

A CHRISTMAS BEAU: Max, Marquess of Denbigh finally has his chance for revenge. Eight years ago, he was jilted a month before his wedding. His betrothed ran off with another man without even speaking with him. He had loved Judith and he has never recovered from the pain she inflicted. Judith is now a widow with two small children. Max intends on making her fall in love with him and then jilting her. It is Christmas and love and hate war within Max. Max was a character that I loved even as I could see him going down the wrong path. He is reserved and unsure how to show his feelings to Judith. That is one of the reasons that he lost her years ago. He feels very deeply and the pain and love within him tear him apart. One of the best parts of this book is the total integration of the Christmas season. The theme of lightness and darkness mirrors the battle going on within Max. The deliberate and measured pace of the story adds depth and complexity to the relationship. I loved how their relationship developed but I think Max was the best part of the story. Rating: 4.5 stars.

The Famous Heroine/The Plumed Bonnet by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Duo of Regency Romances

This book contains two books from the Stanton-Downes series. The books can be read as standalones even though they are books 5 and 6 in the series.

THE FAMOUS HEROINE: Cora Downes is the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Exuberant and without polish, Cora is too physical for refined society. Because she rescued the grandson of a duchess, Cora has been brought to London to find a husband. Francis Kneller is nursing a broken heart. For years he courted Lady Samantha who ended up marrying someone else (book number 4). When Cora meets Francis, she is comfortable in his presence because his foppish appearance relaxes her. She knows that he cannot be interested in her. When the two are accidentally caught in a compromising situation, marriage is the only solution. Cora, however, is surprised to find out that Francis is not the effeminate peacock she thought him to be. This book is incredibly funny as Cora keeps getting into scrapes as she performs “rescues” that might actually be causing more problems than they solve. I love how Balogh creates these slow, intense emotional dramas that are all about the heart of the characters rather than a superficial plot. The deliberate pacing of this book allows these characters to build a relationship between them so that once the marriage is required, they are ready to actually have emotional intimacy. The humor of this book is pitch perfect. Cora is sometimes silly in her assumptions, but this book never makes fun of her instead showing readers her good nature and caring for others that leads her into misadventures. Rating: 4 stars.

THE PLUMED BONNET: Alistair Munro, Duke of Bridgwater is a former romantic who has made himself cynical to protect himself. He is now at an age where he realizes he might need to marry. While traveling, he comes upon a woman in a gaudy hat and cloak walking along the road. Because she pierces his ennui, he agrees to take her in his carriage while she tells him a tale of being a governess turned heiress who was robbed. He doesn’t believe her but is amused enough by her story to agree to take her to her destination. He figures that once they arrive, he will make her his mistress. What he doesn’t know is that everything that Stephanie Gray is telling him is true. I loved this book. Balogh can write such complex emotional stories. Alistair is playing with Stephanie but she believes him a hero. Her desire to be worthy of his good deeds toward her make her miserable. I loved how these two slowly have to work through their new relationship. These are two decent people who have to learn to deal with one another and build a relationship. Complex and with deep emotional overtones, this is my favorite of the series. Rating: 4.5 stars.

Dark Angel/Lord Carew’s Bride by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liked the Heroes but the Heroines Drove Me Crazy

This book contains two novels from the Stapleston-Downes series (number 3 and 4 in the series).

DARK ANGEL: Jennifer Winwood has been unofficially engaged to Lord Lionel Kersey for five years. Finally, her dream of marrying Lionel is coming true. They are to be married within months. Jennifer knows Lionel is honorable and she has loved him for years. Just when things seems to be going right for her, she meets Gabriel Fisher, Earl of Thornhill, a rake and known to be dishonorable. I liked how the romance between Jennifer and Gabriel developed. Jennifer believes herself in love but is still drawn to Gabriel. I believed how their emotional attachment developed and I ended up liking both of these characters even though Jennifer’s behavior annoyed me for much of the book. I liked Gabriel much more as a character even as he had bad motives for pursuing Jennifer. I love the complicated nature of Balogh’s romances. Thoughtful and romantic. Rating: 4 stars.

LORD CAREWS BRIDE: Samantha Newman (cousin to the heroine in DARK ANGEL) fell in love with Lord Kersey while her cousin was engaged to him. She realized that he had used her and has hated him for six years. When Kersey returns to England, she fears that she will fall into his arms again, so she seeks safety with Hartley Wade, a disabled gardener that she met in the country. Unknown to her, however, he is actually the Marquess of Carew and Kersey’s cousin. I want to say that I absolutely adored Hartley. He is one of my all time favorite heroes. He fails to tell Samantha the truth about his identity, but he is constantly wanting to please her and he doesn’t hide his love for her. He is very self-conscious about his disabilities and he sees their romance as a type of beauty and the beast story. On the other hand, Samantha drove me crazy. She is so determined to cling to her past with Kersey that she hurts Hartley greatly. Her thinking is muddled and annoyed me. Despite this, however, my appreciation for Hartley and the resolution of the story saved the book for me. Rating: 4 stars.

A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prostitute Heroine and a Beta Hero

“And if she was a whore, then he was a man who found it necessary to employ whores because he was no good at real relationships.”

FINAL DECISION: Complex and nuanced, A PRECIOUS JEWEL takes a difficult situation and goes deep within the relationship in order to build toward a happy ending. The story is slow and detailed, but every moment is necessary to make the progression feel real.

THE STORY: Sir Gerald Stapleton is a confirmed bachelor with a distrust of marriage. He wants uncomplicated sex so he goes to a brothel for his pleasure. There he meets, Priss, a prostitute. He ends up deciding to take her as his mistress. The two grow closer which worries Gerald. His uncomplicated world is shaken when Priss tells him that she is leaving him to marry another man. Priscilla Wentworth grew up a gentlewoman, but falling on hard times, she makes the decision to sell herself. She begins to fall for Gerald even as she knows that a prostitute doesn’t have a future with a client.

OPINION: This is the story of a prostitute finding love, but there is no magical solution to the fact that Priss has sold herself to many men. This is not a book where the “prostitute” heroine is really a virgin, or pretending to sell herself. Priss is a working prostitute when she meets Gerald, who is a client. Balogh never turns away from difficult premises for her stories. This story is deep and complex and takes a long time to wind through the journey of these characters. The book’s action takes place over more than a year’s time and the characters have many challenges to face.

Priss is a likeable heroine. She is down to earth and practical. She ends up falling in love with Gerald despite knowing that there can be no happy ending for them. Gerald is a beta hero. He is quiet and more uncertain about himself than might be expected. But he and Priss are such a great combination.

I loved how these two connected and navigated this difficult situation.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book takes place at the same time as the events in THE IDEAL WIFE.

CONNECTED BOOKS: A PRECIOUS JEWEL is the second book in the Stapleton-Downes series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Soft, Sweet Unusual

THE SECRET MISTRESS is the this book in the Mistress Trilogy. It is actually a prequel to the other two novels but I didn’t mind reading it last. It is the story of Lady Angeline Dudley, the sister of the Duke of Tresham, who travels to London for her coming out. on the way, she ends up in the same inn public room as Edward Ailsbury, the Earl of Heyward. Heyward is the consummate gentleman who rescues her from the attentions of a rake.

I absolutely loved this book. It is not a flashy story, but rather a sweet story about falling in love between two opposites. Balogh does a great job with difficult characters. Heyward, we already have learned is a bit stuffy and uptight. Balogh makes him sympathetic and romantic without sacrificing his character. He is who he is presented to be but he is also more. She masterfully weaves the story of the unlikely pair such that by the end I had no doubt that these two were meant for one another.

There is also a secondary romance mirroring the main one that made me smile.

This book also contains some extras from the entire series. I enjoyed those as well. They are really extras and not a short story. The epilogue that wraps up the entire series was nice because readers get an update on all the important characters in the series.

I’d rate this one a 4.5.

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More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’d Rate This Book a 4.5

MORE THAN A MISTRESS is the first book in the Mistress trilogy. It is the story of Jane Ingleby who is on the way to work as a milliner’s assistant when she comes across a duel being fight. She attempts to stop the fuel but instead ends up getting Jocelyn Dudley, the Duke of Tresham, shot. Tresham demands that she assist him which ends up making Jane late and getting her fired. Jane comes to Tresham and demands that he help her. He offers her a job nursing him. The two are fascinating together. Jane challenges Jocelyn at every turn. But both of these people have pain and secrets that these two people possess.

I loved Jane and Jocelyn. The two of them have a difficult road to travel. There is so much pain in Jocelyn’s life and he is always anticipating betrayal that he assumes the worst about Jane. Yet he cannot give her up. I loved how Balogh reveals the soft sensitive side of Jocelyn and yet allows him to remain the strong man that he is.

My only negative comment is that I think the story is better with the missing chapters that Balogh released in NOW A BRIDE. Those the chapters give an emotional conclusion because Jocelyn finally gives voice to his feelings for Jane. For me the book ends to abruptly without those chapters.

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The Secret Pearl by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lots of Angst, Beautiful Story

THE SECRET PEARL is the story of Fleur Bradshaw who has become so desperate that she resorts to prostitution. Her first client is Adam Kent, the Duke of Ridgeway. Adam is trapped in a loveless marriage and feels a pull toward the desperate Fleur. After their encounter, Adam finds Fleur work as his daughter’s governess. The two have a long path to happiness. Fleur is in danger from her past and Adam’s marriage are obstacles.

This book is simply amazing. The book has an incredibly dark beginning with a sexual encounter that leaves both Adam and Fleur unhappy. This is a book with severely scarred people, both inside and out. What I loved about it is the beauty that comes from that darkness. These two are noble people. They do the right thing even when it hurts them. I cried during parts of this book and sighed with happiness at the end. This is a powerful, romantic tale.

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No Man’s Mistress by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I Wanted to Like It More Than I Did

NO MAN’S MISTRESS is the second book in the Mistress Trilogy. It is the story of Lord Ferdinand Dudley who wins an estate in a card game only to find out that it is already inhabited by Viola Thornhill, who insists that the estate is hers. The two match series over the estate. Viola, however, harbors dark secrets and a painful past that leaves her alone.

I really wanted to like this book, but I never really liked Viola. She was too much of an enigma throughout the book. Her past was too painful and sordid and I never felt that the resolution of her personal journey was set out in a way that made her sympathetic. Unlike most Balogh novels there were times that I didn’t know if I would be able to finish the book.

I’m not a great fan of the ex-prostitute story so perhaps I judge them more harshly than other tropes. This book just didn’t feel deep or dark enough to compensate for the serious story of Viola’s life.

This book was my least favorite in the trilogy even though I enjoyed revisiting the other members of the Dudley family.

I’d rate this book 3.5.

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