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Bedwyn Saga #5
Slightly Sinful
As the fires of war raged around him, Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was thrown from his horse and left for dead—only to awaken in the bedchamber of a ladies' brothel. Suddenly the dark, handsome diplomat has no memory of who he is or how he got there—yet of one thing he is certain: The angel who nurses him back to health is the woman he vows to make his own.
But like him, Rachel York is not who she seems. A lovely young woman caught up in a desperate circumstance, she must devise a scheme to regain her stolen fortune. The dashing soldier she rescued from near-death could be her savior in disguise. There is just one condition: she must pose as his wife—a masquerade that will embroil them in a sinful scandal, where a man and a woman court impropriety with each daring step... with every taboo kiss that can turn passionate strangers into the truest of lovers.
400 pages, Library Binding
First published April 27, 2004
About the author
Mary Balogh
193 books6,436 followersMary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 762 reviews
March 22, 2012
Okay, let's get it out in the open: the premise of this book didn't sound very appealing to me at first. I mean, there's amnesia, deception, and another fake marriage - the fourth fake marriage/bethrotal in the Slightly series, and the fifth if you add A Summer to Remember, which is a prequel to the series. It should have been too much to take, right? Wrong! Somehow Ms. Balogh made it all work by making me fall in love with the H/h, and the rest is history...
The events in Slightly Sinful and Slightly Tempted, the previous book in the series, take place concurrently so it's a good idea to read both books back to back. I did, on the advice of my friends Beanbag Love and BJ Rose, and I had a lot of fun realizing how things could have been completely different if "this or that" happened. What's Romancelandia, if not a place full of what-ifs? ;)
Lord Alleyne Bedwyn, who's just embarked upon a career as a diplomat, has been sent to the front of the Battle of Waterloo to deliver a letter to the Duke of Wellington. On his way back to Brussels, Alleyne is shot, falls from his horse and suffers a head injury. Unconscious and defenseless, he's robbed, stripped naked by looters, and left to die in the forest.
Rachel York was working as a ladies' companion in Brussels when she fell prey to the so-called Reverend Nigel Crawley, who was actually a con artist and managed to steal all her meager funds. He's also robbed the life savings of four whores (I don't like using this term, but that's how Ms. Balogh calls them in the book) who are friends with Rachel, so now she finds herself having to live in a brothel with these "painted ladies" while they plot how to track down the conniving "Reverend" and get their money back. But they need money to afford this chase, and the quickest way to get some at the moment is to loot the dead from the Battle of Waterloo. So off they go to the battlefield, but Rachel decides to stay behind in the forest...
As fate would have it, the first "dead" body Rachel finds is Alleyne's, and when she realizes he isn't really dead, she cries for help. This is one of the what-ifs I mentioned above,
Anyway, Rachel takes the nearly dead Alleyne to the brothel with the assistance of Sergeant William Strickland, the man who rushed to her help in the forest. While nursing both men to health - Sergeant Strickland was also injured in Waterloo -, Rachel develops a special "connection" with Alleyne and, between moments of blessed darkness oblivion and painful consciousness, he becomes infatuated with her. He knows that he's feverish and at least partially delirious, but what red-blooded male wouldn't fall in love with such an angel? The problem is, when this red-blooded male finally awakes from his brush with death, he's got amnesia and doesn't know who he is.
Slightly afraid of facing his new reality alone and hoping to buy some time until he recovers his memory, Alleyne decides to join Rachel and her friends in their quest to recover their lost money. So off they go back to England, where Rachel is to deceive her estranged uncle and convince him she's married to a nice gentleman (aka Jonathan Smith aka Alleyne) so she can get her hands on her inheritance. Once in posession of the jewels her mother has left her, Rachel can sell some of them and finance the chase after the dastardly "Reverend". But when they arrive at her uncle's estate, things get a little tricky, and Alleyne and Rachel are forced to spend more time together than they've planned. Pretending to be happy newlyweds in love for a month for her uncle's sake is due to take its toll, isn't it? And what will happen when Alleyne recovers his memory? Will he be back to being the haughty Lord Alleyne Bedwyn and forget about the group of misfits he met in Brussels?
As I said in the first paragraph of this review, I loved Alleyne and Rachel. They were great together, and I could easily see why each fell in love with the other. There was a small misunderstanding in the beginning of their relationship, and Alleyne was aware of it and could have cleared it sooner than he did, but it wasn't bad enough to ruin the progress of the story. In fact, I understood why he chose to keep his silence and let Rachel keep her misconception about his feelings. It was just the way he found to resist his attraction to her.
I also loved Rachel's relationship with her uncle and her friends. Granted, those four "painted ladies" were unbelievably nice and kind-hearted - I could have bought one, maybe two "whores with a heart of gold", but four at once was too much - and I had to suspend disbelief with their antics at Rachel's uncle's home, but they made me laugh so they didn't really bother me overall.
As for the plot, I was okay with the amnesia and the deception in the beginning, but they lasted a bit too long. I got really nervous near the end of the story, Trust Ms. Balogh to turn my fears to dust! The ending was just perfect, and I admit that
Okay, I'd better stop now because this is no longer a review, but a rave from a die-hard Balogh fan, LOL. When it comes to her books, I just can't stop gushing about them. I. Just. Love. Her. Writing!
The events in Slightly Sinful and Slightly Tempted, the previous book in the series, take place concurrently so it's a good idea to read both books back to back. I did, on the advice of my friends Beanbag Love and BJ Rose, and I had a lot of fun realizing how things could have been completely different if "this or that" happened. What's Romancelandia, if not a place full of what-ifs? ;)
Lord Alleyne Bedwyn, who's just embarked upon a career as a diplomat, has been sent to the front of the Battle of Waterloo to deliver a letter to the Duke of Wellington. On his way back to Brussels, Alleyne is shot, falls from his horse and suffers a head injury. Unconscious and defenseless, he's robbed, stripped naked by looters, and left to die in the forest.
Rachel York was working as a ladies' companion in Brussels when she fell prey to the so-called Reverend Nigel Crawley, who was actually a con artist and managed to steal all her meager funds. He's also robbed the life savings of four whores (I don't like using this term, but that's how Ms. Balogh calls them in the book) who are friends with Rachel, so now she finds herself having to live in a brothel with these "painted ladies" while they plot how to track down the conniving "Reverend" and get their money back. But they need money to afford this chase, and the quickest way to get some at the moment is to loot the dead from the Battle of Waterloo. So off they go to the battlefield, but Rachel decides to stay behind in the forest...
As fate would have it, the first "dead" body Rachel finds is Alleyne's, and when she realizes he isn't really dead, she cries for help. This is one of the what-ifs I mentioned above,
Anyway, Rachel takes the nearly dead Alleyne to the brothel with the assistance of Sergeant William Strickland, the man who rushed to her help in the forest. While nursing both men to health - Sergeant Strickland was also injured in Waterloo -, Rachel develops a special "connection" with Alleyne and, between moments of blessed darkness oblivion and painful consciousness, he becomes infatuated with her. He knows that he's feverish and at least partially delirious, but what red-blooded male wouldn't fall in love with such an angel? The problem is, when this red-blooded male finally awakes from his brush with death, he's got amnesia and doesn't know who he is.
Slightly afraid of facing his new reality alone and hoping to buy some time until he recovers his memory, Alleyne decides to join Rachel and her friends in their quest to recover their lost money. So off they go back to England, where Rachel is to deceive her estranged uncle and convince him she's married to a nice gentleman (aka Jonathan Smith aka Alleyne) so she can get her hands on her inheritance. Once in posession of the jewels her mother has left her, Rachel can sell some of them and finance the chase after the dastardly "Reverend". But when they arrive at her uncle's estate, things get a little tricky, and Alleyne and Rachel are forced to spend more time together than they've planned. Pretending to be happy newlyweds in love for a month for her uncle's sake is due to take its toll, isn't it? And what will happen when Alleyne recovers his memory? Will he be back to being the haughty Lord Alleyne Bedwyn and forget about the group of misfits he met in Brussels?
As I said in the first paragraph of this review, I loved Alleyne and Rachel. They were great together, and I could easily see why each fell in love with the other. There was a small misunderstanding in the beginning of their relationship, and Alleyne was aware of it and could have cleared it sooner than he did, but it wasn't bad enough to ruin the progress of the story. In fact, I understood why he chose to keep his silence and let Rachel keep her misconception about his feelings. It was just the way he found to resist his attraction to her.
I also loved Rachel's relationship with her uncle and her friends. Granted, those four "painted ladies" were unbelievably nice and kind-hearted - I could have bought one, maybe two "whores with a heart of gold", but four at once was too much - and I had to suspend disbelief with their antics at Rachel's uncle's home, but they made me laugh so they didn't really bother me overall.
As for the plot, I was okay with the amnesia and the deception in the beginning, but they lasted a bit too long. I got really nervous near the end of the story, Trust Ms. Balogh to turn my fears to dust! The ending was just perfect, and I admit that
Okay, I'd better stop now because this is no longer a review, but a rave from a die-hard Balogh fan, LOL. When it comes to her books, I just can't stop gushing about them. I. Just. Love. Her. Writing!
November 23, 2025
3.5 stars. With some reservations, on another reread I still enjoyed Alleyne and Rachel's story. Alleyne is seriously wounded at the Battle of Waterloo, left for dead, and robbed of all belongings. Rachel stumbles across his naked body (yup!) and realises he is still alive. With the help of others she rescues him and saves his life. But he has no idea who he is...... His family in England believe he has perished and they hold a memorial service and grieve for him.
Yeah, the story's a little far-fetched in parts, especially the bits about the brothel and the wh*res with hearts of gold. And they're all a bit OTT when they are in England. But Rachel and Alleyne do form a real relationship, and their love is allowed to gently grow and develop. Lovely HEA, of course.
Overall it's another enjoyable and readable addition to this series, even though it's probably my least fav of the series due to the far-fetched aspects. But if you just go with it, it is enjoyable, and makes a fine addition to the overarching Bedwyns' story. Great setup for the final book, too, Wulf's story, Slightly Dangerous, which happens to be my personal fav 😀
Yeah, the story's a little far-fetched in parts, especially the bits about the brothel and the wh*res with hearts of gold. And they're all a bit OTT when they are in England. But Rachel and Alleyne do form a real relationship, and their love is allowed to gently grow and develop. Lovely HEA, of course.
Overall it's another enjoyable and readable addition to this series, even though it's probably my least fav of the series due to the far-fetched aspects. But if you just go with it, it is enjoyable, and makes a fine addition to the overarching Bedwyns' story. Great setup for the final book, too, Wulf's story, Slightly Dangerous, which happens to be my personal fav 😀
November 17, 2023
Alleyne’s book aka Slightly Disappointed.
I’m not a fan of the memory loss trope, it makes characters look like helpless idiots, sorry not sorry. It was dragging so much, I wanted him to remember already! So frustrating 😫
However, I’ve had a soft spot for Alleyne ever since the first book where he was the only one who didn’t shun Eve. So the thing is, Alleyne can do no wrong. That’s what I reminded myself about when he was being an idiot or a dick. (There was a lot of reminding needed.)
The reunion scene was beautiful 🥹 (I know, I read it 17 times already), even though I was hoping for it to be longer.
3,75 stars
One more book to go. Wulfric and his Quizzing Glass, so I guess Slightly Blurry? 🤷🏻♀️
——-
I enjoyed it because Alleyne is still my favorite Bedwyn, but parts of this book were awful. However since it’s a book about memory loss I will quickly forget those parts. Done, I forgot!!
Full RTC
I’m not a fan of the memory loss trope, it makes characters look like helpless idiots, sorry not sorry. It was dragging so much, I wanted him to remember already! So frustrating 😫
However, I’ve had a soft spot for Alleyne ever since the first book where he was the only one who didn’t shun Eve. So the thing is, Alleyne can do no wrong. That’s what I reminded myself about when he was being an idiot or a dick. (There was a lot of reminding needed.)
The reunion scene was beautiful 🥹 (I know, I read it 17 times already), even though I was hoping for it to be longer.
3,75 stars
One more book to go. Wulfric and his Quizzing Glass, so I guess Slightly Blurry? 🤷🏻♀️
——-
I enjoyed it because Alleyne is still my favorite Bedwyn, but parts of this book were awful. However since it’s a book about memory loss I will quickly forget those parts. Done, I forgot!!
Full RTC
November 7, 2019
OMG!!
No puedo con una de las últimas escenas yo no suelo llorar y me sacó un par de lágrimas.
Este libro me gustó mucho y Alleyne me sorprendió más de la cuenta y para bien si pensé que era alegre y coqueto pero ver ese lado tierno me gustó.
La historia tiene otro fake romance que disfruto bastante.
La protagonista me cayó muy bien aunque hubo un par de veces que no tanto y más cuando se puso histérica.
Si es verdad que todo se resolvió muy rápido y muy fácil igual me gustó.
Por cierto me encantaron las amigas de ella eran bien divertidas y Will también.
Ahora sí nadie quien me detenga para leer a mi Wulf amado precioso.
No puedo con una de las últimas escenas yo no suelo llorar y me sacó un par de lágrimas.
Este libro me gustó mucho y Alleyne me sorprendió más de la cuenta y para bien si pensé que era alegre y coqueto pero ver ese lado tierno me gustó.
La historia tiene otro fake romance que disfruto bastante.
La protagonista me cayó muy bien aunque hubo un par de veces que no tanto y más cuando se puso histérica.
Si es verdad que todo se resolvió muy rápido y muy fácil igual me gustó.
Por cierto me encantaron las amigas de ella eran bien divertidas y Will también.
Ahora sí nadie quien me detenga para leer a mi Wulf amado precioso.
Read
September 15, 2021This book is nearly insufferable. It's just a bad combination of terrible inner monologue, silly, tough to care about relationship. Totally not for me.
July 12, 2025
This is Alleyne Bedwyn's story. In the previous book, Alleyne goes missing. Before departing Brussels to deliver a message to Wellington and bring back Wellington's response, he tells his younger sister Morgan that he will come back and escort her back to England and their brother, the Duke of Bewcastle. Morgan has stayed behind to help nurse the wounded and becomes involved with the Earl of Rosthorn. After several days and no sign of Alleyne, Morgan allows Rosthorn to hire a personal maid and he escorts them both back to England. At the very end of Morgan's book, as she's approaching Lindsey Hall on her wedding day, she sees a lone man standing outside. Readers will immediately know who this character is.
MMC Alleyne's story begins when he's returning from Duke Wellington during the Waterloo battle with the General's message. He's anxious to deliver the response and find his sister. While in route, he's shot in the leg and thrown from his horse and loses consciousness. He's found later by FMC Rachel York. He's been stripped of everything in the forest where she finds him - including his memory. In an effort to gain aid in moving him to get medical assistance, she tells another soldier that Alleyne is her husband. The soldier that helps Rachel is Sergeant Will Strickland and he becomes one of the main supporting characters in the book.
For more than 75% of the story, Alleyne's true identity is a mystery because of his amnesia. Rachel and her friends begin calling him Jonathan Smith and it sticks. I felt sorry for the MMC because he fell in love with Rachel, knew he could never marry her until his own past was revealed. Was he already married? Did he have children? The reader will already know the answers to this if they've read the previous books in the series.
I found the FMC a bit fickle. She eventually falls in love with Alleyne, but also knows nothing can come of it until his true identity is discovered. In the meantime, she and her friends have been swindled out of their savings in Brussels by a con artist prior to finding Alleyne in the forest. After Alleyne recovers enough, they devise a plan to attempt to convince Rachel's Uncle Richard to give her the jewelry her mother left in his care. Rachel is determined to pay her friends back the money they lost to Crawley. This involves being in a fake marriage with Jonathan. Alleyne wants to do this for Rachel because she nursed him back to health and he feels he owes her his life. Even though it's a life he knows nothing about. It's a charade that will be challenging for both of them.
For most of the book, Rachel's feelings about her Uncle are not good based upon assumptions she has made regarding her past. But all eventually becomes clear after they arrive at Chesbury and Rachel learns things from her Uncle Richard that she wasn't made aware of previously. Her father kept a lot of things from her before he died that she didn't know about. (Because he was a gambling addict and in debt a lot during Rachel's formative years.)
It's a good story but there were parts I found to be a bit unbelievable. My original rating was 3.5 stars rounded down. Decided to round it up to 4 stars after reconsidering a few things. One is that Alleyne discovers what he wants to do with his life before he even learns his real identity. Once he does, he's afraid to face his family (the Bedwyns) alone and seeks Rachel out:
It had taken him five days to remember, and even now there were gaps and blanks in his memory that puzzled him and kept him struggling for total recall. He tells Rachel,
"But what I am missing the most, is feelings, if that's the right word. I know all these things about myself and my family and my life dispassionately, rather as if they are things I have learned about someone else. I have a feeling of disconnection, as if I do not quite belong to it all. I feel almost embarrassed about going back, as if I will need to apologize for not having died after all."
Before his fall, Alleyne was trying to find direction and what he wanted to do with his life by becoming attached to the embassy under Sir Charles Stuart. He was throughout the book, an inherently good man. But it took losing his memory to truly find what he loved and wanted to accomplish with his life.
MMC Alleyne's story begins when he's returning from Duke Wellington during the Waterloo battle with the General's message. He's anxious to deliver the response and find his sister. While in route, he's shot in the leg and thrown from his horse and loses consciousness. He's found later by FMC Rachel York. He's been stripped of everything in the forest where she finds him - including his memory. In an effort to gain aid in moving him to get medical assistance, she tells another soldier that Alleyne is her husband. The soldier that helps Rachel is Sergeant Will Strickland and he becomes one of the main supporting characters in the book.
For more than 75% of the story, Alleyne's true identity is a mystery because of his amnesia. Rachel and her friends begin calling him Jonathan Smith and it sticks. I felt sorry for the MMC because he fell in love with Rachel, knew he could never marry her until his own past was revealed. Was he already married? Did he have children? The reader will already know the answers to this if they've read the previous books in the series.
I found the FMC a bit fickle. She eventually falls in love with Alleyne, but also knows nothing can come of it until his true identity is discovered. In the meantime, she and her friends have been swindled out of their savings in Brussels by a con artist prior to finding Alleyne in the forest. After Alleyne recovers enough, they devise a plan to attempt to convince Rachel's Uncle Richard to give her the jewelry her mother left in his care. Rachel is determined to pay her friends back the money they lost to Crawley. This involves being in a fake marriage with Jonathan. Alleyne wants to do this for Rachel because she nursed him back to health and he feels he owes her his life. Even though it's a life he knows nothing about. It's a charade that will be challenging for both of them.
For most of the book, Rachel's feelings about her Uncle are not good based upon assumptions she has made regarding her past. But all eventually becomes clear after they arrive at Chesbury and Rachel learns things from her Uncle Richard that she wasn't made aware of previously. Her father kept a lot of things from her before he died that she didn't know about. (Because he was a gambling addict and in debt a lot during Rachel's formative years.)
It's a good story but there were parts I found to be a bit unbelievable. My original rating was 3.5 stars rounded down. Decided to round it up to 4 stars after reconsidering a few things. One is that Alleyne discovers what he wants to do with his life before he even learns his real identity. Once he does, he's afraid to face his family (the Bedwyns) alone and seeks Rachel out:
It had taken him five days to remember, and even now there were gaps and blanks in his memory that puzzled him and kept him struggling for total recall. He tells Rachel,
"But what I am missing the most, is feelings, if that's the right word. I know all these things about myself and my family and my life dispassionately, rather as if they are things I have learned about someone else. I have a feeling of disconnection, as if I do not quite belong to it all. I feel almost embarrassed about going back, as if I will need to apologize for not having died after all."
Before his fall, Alleyne was trying to find direction and what he wanted to do with his life by becoming attached to the embassy under Sir Charles Stuart. He was throughout the book, an inherently good man. But it took losing his memory to truly find what he loved and wanted to accomplish with his life.
January 9, 2022
An incredibly unique set up with our injured war hero, left on the battlefield for dead, and our Lady heroine living in a whole house with a bunch of prostitutes who decide to go grave robbing to recoup their lost money. Thus our on death's door hero is rescued by our unlikely heroine. Hero has amnesia and they fall in love as she nurses him back to health and he tries to remember who he was.
Loved it so much.
Loved it so much.
April 18, 2025
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ (I feel like this book sadly had no tension for me – maybe it was the quick-ish jump into sex, but I didn’t feel it here)
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (I don’t love Balogh’s language for her intimate scenes. It’s more emotional and poetic than explicit but also a bit more...clinical feeling to me than actually grabbing? This is just subjective to me!)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 (maybe 2-3 – they are pretty short)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It doesn’t take too long – about 9%, chapter 3 of 23
Cliffhanger: No, this is a happily ever after for the mains
Epilogue: No
Format: listened to an audiobook from the library (Hoopla)
Why I chose this book: I started the series years ago and never finished – I am trying to finish some of the series I have started.
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This one stands alone pretty well (the mains are on page together for most of the book without the family – but the series is very nice in order and I think it would be pleasant to do so and get to know the whole family.)
Basic plot:
Rachel and her 4 brothel working friends come across a naked and injured man. As he recovers and has no memory, he agrees to help Rachel gain her inheritance from her uncle with a fake marriage.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (my assumption)
- diplomat/soldier hero
- she nurses him back to health
- fake marriage
- delicious side characters
- surprise virgin
- hero teaches her how to ride a horse and how to swim
- amnesia – hero loses his memory at the beginning of the story
- lower steam – 2ish full scenes that I counted but they are light and vague and on the short side
Ages:
- hero is about 25 and I think heroine is 22
First line:
Having spent almost all of his twenty-five years in England, and therefore isolated from most of the hostilities that had ravaged the rest of Europe since the rise to power of Napolean Boneparte, Lord Alleyne Bedwyn, third brother of the Duke of Bewcastle, had no personal experience of pitched battles.
My thoughts:
Okay I will admit it – I like Mary Balogh but I don’t love her. And I felt the same about this one. I still have lots to read so I’m sure I’ll find more that I do really like. Slightly Scandalous so far is the only book I really enjoyed and would come back to.
There was a lot that I liked about it – I did like the plot even though amnesia can be a bit...awkward...the side characters in this one were SO amazing. The 4 brothel worker female friends were just the highlight of this story for me. They were delightful and hilarious and fun. I did like the mains too. And I liked the plot – I enjoy fake relationship and this one was really well done and very immersive.
I think Balogh can be really, really romantic in her writing and feelings. But there were some things in this book I found really unromantic too. I didn’t like how the hero repeatedly tells the heroine after being intimate with her (and continuing to be intimate with her) that he might have a wife and family and children but he just can’t remember. We as readers know it is fine (that’s why we read romance right???) but it just felt icky to me and tainted their relationship.
I also just really dislike Balogh’s sex. At least in this novel. I know I’m never going to get super hot and explicit scenes, but there was just something here that didn’t grab me at all. But I’m sure that’s just me being picky. And I was like totally not ready for them to be intimate in this book when they were. It felt so out of place to me and it really destroyed any tension I was starting to feel.
So, those things brought it down for me a bit but I did enjoy listening to it overall. It’s not a fave of the series, but there were others I have liked less for sure.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 11
Average rating: 3.63 stars
Favorite book: Slightly Scandalous
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡ (I feel like this book sadly had no tension for me – maybe it was the quick-ish jump into sex, but I didn’t feel it here)
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (I don’t love Balogh’s language for her intimate scenes. It’s more emotional and poetic than explicit but also a bit more...clinical feeling to me than actually grabbing? This is just subjective to me!)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 (maybe 2-3 – they are pretty short)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It doesn’t take too long – about 9%, chapter 3 of 23
Cliffhanger: No, this is a happily ever after for the mains
Epilogue: No
Format: listened to an audiobook from the library (Hoopla)
Why I chose this book: I started the series years ago and never finished – I am trying to finish some of the series I have started.
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This one stands alone pretty well (the mains are on page together for most of the book without the family – but the series is very nice in order and I think it would be pleasant to do so and get to know the whole family.)
Basic plot:
Rachel and her 4 brothel working friends come across a naked and injured man. As he recovers and has no memory, he agrees to help Rachel gain her inheritance from her uncle with a fake marriage.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (my assumption)
- diplomat/soldier hero
- she nurses him back to health
- fake marriage
- delicious side characters
- surprise virgin
- hero teaches her how to ride a horse and how to swim
- amnesia – hero loses his memory at the beginning of the story
- lower steam – 2ish full scenes that I counted but they are light and vague and on the short side
Ages:
- hero is about 25 and I think heroine is 22
First line:
Having spent almost all of his twenty-five years in England, and therefore isolated from most of the hostilities that had ravaged the rest of Europe since the rise to power of Napolean Boneparte, Lord Alleyne Bedwyn, third brother of the Duke of Bewcastle, had no personal experience of pitched battles.
My thoughts:
Okay I will admit it – I like Mary Balogh but I don’t love her. And I felt the same about this one. I still have lots to read so I’m sure I’ll find more that I do really like. Slightly Scandalous so far is the only book I really enjoyed and would come back to.
There was a lot that I liked about it – I did like the plot even though amnesia can be a bit...awkward...the side characters in this one were SO amazing. The 4 brothel worker female friends were just the highlight of this story for me. They were delightful and hilarious and fun. I did like the mains too. And I liked the plot – I enjoy fake relationship and this one was really well done and very immersive.
I think Balogh can be really, really romantic in her writing and feelings. But there were some things in this book I found really unromantic too. I didn’t like how the hero repeatedly tells the heroine after being intimate with her (and continuing to be intimate with her) that he might have a wife and family and children but he just can’t remember. We as readers know it is fine (that’s why we read romance right???) but it just felt icky to me and tainted their relationship.
I also just really dislike Balogh’s sex. At least in this novel. I know I’m never going to get super hot and explicit scenes, but there was just something here that didn’t grab me at all. But I’m sure that’s just me being picky. And I was like totally not ready for them to be intimate in this book when they were. It felt so out of place to me and it really destroyed any tension I was starting to feel.
So, those things brought it down for me a bit but I did enjoy listening to it overall. It’s not a fave of the series, but there were others I have liked less for sure.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 11
Average rating: 3.63 stars
Favorite book: Slightly Scandalous
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
February 17, 2017
Oh, Mary Balogh - always with the really good stuff, be it excellent use of cliches or exploration of interesting themes within the context of historical romance, but always undermined by some really dodgy stuff.
Yes, yes, this is dress-up-doll historical romance - they've all got their teeth, the women are always surprisingly independent - but you don't get to handwave away the things you don't like (bad dental hygiene, extremely limited spheres of influence for the vast majority of women, the actual number of dukes at any given time in what is now the UK, etc.) and keep things that are in fact problematic just for humor. To wit, two thumbs up for acknowledging that women who are forced by circumstance to become prostitutes are, in fact, human, too, but two thumbs down for then perpetuating "and they were born to be servants!" thing, not to mention the fact that Our Heroine could, of course, never whore herself out like her it's-a-valid-lifestyle-choice prostitute protectors for no other reason than because Our Heroine was born a lady.
You don't get to have your cake and eat it, too. You don't get to pull an "it's okay for them; they're just born low class" and have it not completely yank me out of the romance.
Don't get me wrong, I do love me some good amnesia!fic, and I adore pretend-to-be-married stories, but this one combined them in slightly awkward ways that didn't really work for me. Our Heroine came off a little irrational and over-the-top self-centered, even when she was supposed to be this angel. We didn't know enough about Our Hero pre-head injury to be amazed at any particular change in behavior. There were some delightfully wacky set-ups and over-the-top characters that were relatively well-played, but my lingering impression from this book is just generally feeling sympathetic towards Our Heroine's much-beleagured uncle.
Yes, yes, this is dress-up-doll historical romance - they've all got their teeth, the women are always surprisingly independent - but you don't get to handwave away the things you don't like (bad dental hygiene, extremely limited spheres of influence for the vast majority of women, the actual number of dukes at any given time in what is now the UK, etc.) and keep things that are in fact problematic just for humor. To wit, two thumbs up for acknowledging that women who are forced by circumstance to become prostitutes are, in fact, human, too, but two thumbs down for then perpetuating "and they were born to be servants!" thing, not to mention the fact that Our Heroine could, of course, never whore herself out like her it's-a-valid-lifestyle-choice prostitute protectors for no other reason than because Our Heroine was born a lady.
You don't get to have your cake and eat it, too. You don't get to pull an "it's okay for them; they're just born low class" and have it not completely yank me out of the romance.
Don't get me wrong, I do love me some good amnesia!fic, and I adore pretend-to-be-married stories, but this one combined them in slightly awkward ways that didn't really work for me. Our Heroine came off a little irrational and over-the-top self-centered, even when she was supposed to be this angel. We didn't know enough about Our Hero pre-head injury to be amazed at any particular change in behavior. There were some delightfully wacky set-ups and over-the-top characters that were relatively well-played, but my lingering impression from this book is just generally feeling sympathetic towards Our Heroine's much-beleagured uncle.
July 12, 2023
I can't believe that after 3 years I have finally finished this series. A moment of silence while I be proud of my accomplishment. Hehehe. I am going to read the last book again as it was by far my favorite, but I wouldn’t say I liked this series overmuch.
I hated Feya and thought Morgan's story the worst of them all. The first book was lukewarm, the second I was outraged but ended with a heart full, the third was Feya's story which I remember hating her, the forth was the worst of them all and then here we are, in the firth book.
I gotta be honest and say that this was not half bad, and that comes from someone that truly runs away when she sees that it is an amnesia trope. I thought the heroine's friends amazing, full of life and laughter even through hard times. Some things were downright from a fantasy mind, but let's pretend people would accept all that happened here back then.
Anyhow, I think I had such low expectation that I was pleasantly surprised that this book was not so bad.
I hated Feya and thought Morgan's story the worst of them all. The first book was lukewarm, the second I was outraged but ended with a heart full, the third was Feya's story which I remember hating her, the forth was the worst of them all and then here we are, in the firth book.
I gotta be honest and say that this was not half bad, and that comes from someone that truly runs away when she sees that it is an amnesia trope. I thought the heroine's friends amazing, full of life and laughter even through hard times. Some things were downright from a fantasy mind, but let's pretend people would accept all that happened here back then.
Anyhow, I think I had such low expectation that I was pleasantly surprised that this book was not so bad.
December 14, 2025
I enjoyed it more than the previous book
but that's not a very high bar...
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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but that's not a very high bar...
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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January 31, 2018
Otro claro ejemplo de mal momento lector y por eso no le he disfrutado. ...ainsssss espero que solo sea un bache
October 3, 2015
I had low expectations for this book because I haven't really much liked Alleyne. He's aloof, cynical, and just a tad out of his depth. Maybe my expectations were simply low, but this book blew them out of the water and I am so happy. The amnesia thing is such a cliché that I was a bit surprised to see Balogh using it. She's better than that, I thought. Fortunately, she really is better than that and used that cliché to pull off a really interesting character arc.
I have no idea what real amnesia might do or how realistic Alleyne's reaction was, but Balogh used it in this story as a way to distill down his essential character and strip it of his emotional background. Interestingly, this both worked really well as a device and served up an Alleyne I found easy to fall for. It turns out that the essential Alleyne is a rogue, but a kind-hearted, intelligent, easily pleased rogue who wants nothing better than to provide for his friends' happiness. Add in the essential uncertainty of a man who doesn't know his kin, his past, or his place in the world and you have someone immediately engaging for me.
And I found Rachel equally engaging on her side. Mostly. She, too, is kind. Also loyal and brave and in desperate circumstances. Her willingness to figure out ways to help her friends was endearing and I enjoyed her interactions with Alleyne and their growing relationship. Building that relationship took a good deal of bravery all on its own as neither of them knew if he had circumstances that would turn their love into a great tragedy—after all, he could have a wife and children buried in the past he couldn't recall.
I even liked the side characters, even though they were somewhat broadly drawn. I enjoyed their enthusiasms and determination to make the best they could with whatever life threw at them. They each had deeply silly moments, but they also balanced each other such that they ended up going in helpful directions (or at least, non-harmful ones). As is standard with Balogh, all the important people were extremely broad minded, but I kind of counted on that because it was really the only way things could work out in the end.
The only real fly in the ointment came early in the novel. It provided a good deal of friction in the story and took a long enough time to work its way out to steal the five stars the book might otherwise have earned.
But that annoyance faded fast once they got over themselves and Alleyne's handling of it turned out to be a good emotional moment, so I got over it lighter than I might otherwise have done. Which makes this my favorite of the series, thus far, edging Freyja by a nose (a Bedwyn nose! Hahahahah)
A note about Steamy: Standard for the series. Two explicit sex scenes and some glossed-over bits and kissing put this in the middle of my steam range. I kind of hated the first, though it was a decent portrayal of the (painful) circumstances.
I have no idea what real amnesia might do or how realistic Alleyne's reaction was, but Balogh used it in this story as a way to distill down his essential character and strip it of his emotional background. Interestingly, this both worked really well as a device and served up an Alleyne I found easy to fall for. It turns out that the essential Alleyne is a rogue, but a kind-hearted, intelligent, easily pleased rogue who wants nothing better than to provide for his friends' happiness. Add in the essential uncertainty of a man who doesn't know his kin, his past, or his place in the world and you have someone immediately engaging for me.
And I found Rachel equally engaging on her side. Mostly. She, too, is kind. Also loyal and brave and in desperate circumstances. Her willingness to figure out ways to help her friends was endearing and I enjoyed her interactions with Alleyne and their growing relationship. Building that relationship took a good deal of bravery all on its own as neither of them knew if he had circumstances that would turn their love into a great tragedy—after all, he could have a wife and children buried in the past he couldn't recall.
I even liked the side characters, even though they were somewhat broadly drawn. I enjoyed their enthusiasms and determination to make the best they could with whatever life threw at them. They each had deeply silly moments, but they also balanced each other such that they ended up going in helpful directions (or at least, non-harmful ones). As is standard with Balogh, all the important people were extremely broad minded, but I kind of counted on that because it was really the only way things could work out in the end.
The only real fly in the ointment came early in the novel. It provided a good deal of friction in the story and took a long enough time to work its way out to steal the five stars the book might otherwise have earned.
But that annoyance faded fast once they got over themselves and Alleyne's handling of it turned out to be a good emotional moment, so I got over it lighter than I might otherwise have done. Which makes this my favorite of the series, thus far, edging Freyja by a nose (a Bedwyn nose! Hahahahah)
A note about Steamy: Standard for the series. Two explicit sex scenes and some glossed-over bits and kissing put this in the middle of my steam range. I kind of hated the first, though it was a decent portrayal of the (painful) circumstances.
February 10, 2022
4.5 stars! One of my favorites in the Bedwyn series. So much happens in this 5th book of the series and I really enjoyed it!
Lord Alleyne Bedwyn lost his memory after the Battle of Waterloo and is found and taken in by the heroine Rachel. Rachel brings Alleyne with her to a brothel, where she is currently living while trying to help her friends, 4 of the ladies who work at the brothel. Rachel feels responsible after accidentally introducing a man into their lives who ended up stealing all of their life’s savings. She plans to help them recover their savings by getting her hands on the jewels she will inherit when she turns 25. To inherit them she also needs to be married and needs a husband fast! Alleyne is wanting to gain his memory back but in the meantime can’t help but be drawn to Rachel and her plight to help her friends, so he decides to get involved and be her fake husband.
This book had it all…starts out in Brussels, injured war hero, amnesia, rescued by the heroine, fake marriage, intrigue, theft, scandal, fantastic friend group amongst the side characters/ladies, family ties, forgiveness, and even a bit of humor!
Lord Alleyne Bedwyn lost his memory after the Battle of Waterloo and is found and taken in by the heroine Rachel. Rachel brings Alleyne with her to a brothel, where she is currently living while trying to help her friends, 4 of the ladies who work at the brothel. Rachel feels responsible after accidentally introducing a man into their lives who ended up stealing all of their life’s savings. She plans to help them recover their savings by getting her hands on the jewels she will inherit when she turns 25. To inherit them she also needs to be married and needs a husband fast! Alleyne is wanting to gain his memory back but in the meantime can’t help but be drawn to Rachel and her plight to help her friends, so he decides to get involved and be her fake husband.
This book had it all…starts out in Brussels, injured war hero, amnesia, rescued by the heroine, fake marriage, intrigue, theft, scandal, fantastic friend group amongst the side characters/ladies, family ties, forgiveness, and even a bit of humor!
May 20, 2019
After the events in the last book that left me dying to know what came of Alleyne, I dove in and put my fears to rest. He's a Bedwyn. Even an epic battle couldn't end him. Though, in all seriousness, it was war and a stray bullet did nearly end him save a generous, determined woman and a broken soldier saving Alleyne's life. This was my favorite entry in the series since Aidan's story in book one.
Slightly Sinful is the fifth in the Bedwyn saga and would work fine standalone if necessary. That said, it works best when read in order as the series is about a family of siblings getting their romances.
Alleyne is the youngest of the Bedwyn brothers and feeling somewhat at loose ends. He takes up a diplomatic job as assistant to Sir Charles Stewart on the eve of Waterloo. He is given the task of delivering a message from Stewart to the Duke of Wellington on the raging battlefield. He completes the task and sets out with the reply only to be hit in the thigh by a bullet. His horse spooks, throws him and he hits his head only to wake up in a brothel with no memories. He's being cared for by a handful of entertaining ladies of the night and a young woman who is not what she seems and tries to put on a brave front though she's been battered about and now is at a loss. Can a man with no personal memories still manage to know when a good thing is right in front of him?.
Rachel York is full of guilt and remorse for naively trusting a scoundrel with her friends' life savings, her own nest egg, and stupidly thinking they were engaged when he runs off with it all. She and her friends who sell themselves to make ends meet are stuck in Brussels with little money and a burning desire to get their money back and a bit of revenge from Crawley. Now, she's burdened them with the handsome wounded man they decide to call Jonathan Smith who has amnesia and a gruff sergeant who was wounded in war and dismissed from the only thing he'd ever known. Mr. Smith and the others have a devilish scheme to get her jewels from her tightfisted uncle so she can sell them and restore everyone's money. She can go along with the plan of deception, but she must guard her heart from falling in love with a man who could be anyone.
If this book had a theme, it's there's more than meets the eye when it comes to people and situations. It also blends heavier themes with lightheartedness to create a romping adventure when a group of people set out to catch up with a crook and shake him down for their money and do a scheme of deception of their own to help Rachel be put in possession of her rightful fortune. I'm always up for a good misfits tale and there is nothing more misfit than four middle-aged prostitutes, a one-eyed former army sergeant, an amnesic gentleman and a naive young lady.
Rachel possesses beauty, generosity, loyalty, and determination, but she was hampered in the beginning by sheltered naivete and a need to be wanted and loved after her parents are dead, her father gambled away a comfortable income, and her sole remaining relation has turned his back on her. I felt sorry for her because her past had left her not just lonely and needing family, but desperate for it which was why she was easily duped by a conman and now gets all growly when Alleyne identifies her as a lady and not with her prostitute friends. She even goes so far as to lie to him and say she is a prostitute before she attempts to seduce him because she has the mistaken notion that losing her virginity will identify her more closely with her friends and take away her naivete. She can't even see just how she wronged him by the lie or the future repercussions on herself- a baby? a venereal disease? a hard and desperate life as a woman who is always being used and used up to survive?
Alleyne's story is interesting after seeing him as a side character throughout the series. He's lighthearted and takes very little seriously. He's loyal and helpful when his family needs him, but is restless and trying to figure out his place in life like his older siblings. Then, here he is with a clean slate. His personality is unaltered and of course he questions and fears the unknown that is his past, but he puts this aside to help Rachel secure her future before trying to figure out his own. It was interesting seeing how his character grew and became a part of a makeshift family even though he was also part of another family.
The romance is a blend of fake mates and friends to lovers. Attraction is there, but the deeper feelings develop over the long haul. I felt that the romance wasn't always front and center though it was always there even when Rachel learns the truth of her past and gets that family she was always craving, while the group worked to take down the shyster who took their money, and then when its Alleyne's turn to face his past.
There was so much going on in this one that I know I haven't done it justice. I really enjoyed how the author wove it all together and brought out all the emotions in me. I think I liked this one precisely for all the elements equally balanced instead of the romance filling up the middle and marginalizing the rest. This was a solid outing in the series and leaves me buzzing with need for the most highly anticipated book in the series with the romance of the icy, utterly controlled, and powerful Wulfric. This is a solid historical romance series that I can definitely recommend particularly if you like the tie of family.
Slightly Sinful is the fifth in the Bedwyn saga and would work fine standalone if necessary. That said, it works best when read in order as the series is about a family of siblings getting their romances.
Alleyne is the youngest of the Bedwyn brothers and feeling somewhat at loose ends. He takes up a diplomatic job as assistant to Sir Charles Stewart on the eve of Waterloo. He is given the task of delivering a message from Stewart to the Duke of Wellington on the raging battlefield. He completes the task and sets out with the reply only to be hit in the thigh by a bullet. His horse spooks, throws him and he hits his head only to wake up in a brothel with no memories. He's being cared for by a handful of entertaining ladies of the night and a young woman who is not what she seems and tries to put on a brave front though she's been battered about and now is at a loss. Can a man with no personal memories still manage to know when a good thing is right in front of him?.
Rachel York is full of guilt and remorse for naively trusting a scoundrel with her friends' life savings, her own nest egg, and stupidly thinking they were engaged when he runs off with it all. She and her friends who sell themselves to make ends meet are stuck in Brussels with little money and a burning desire to get their money back and a bit of revenge from Crawley. Now, she's burdened them with the handsome wounded man they decide to call Jonathan Smith who has amnesia and a gruff sergeant who was wounded in war and dismissed from the only thing he'd ever known. Mr. Smith and the others have a devilish scheme to get her jewels from her tightfisted uncle so she can sell them and restore everyone's money. She can go along with the plan of deception, but she must guard her heart from falling in love with a man who could be anyone.
If this book had a theme, it's there's more than meets the eye when it comes to people and situations. It also blends heavier themes with lightheartedness to create a romping adventure when a group of people set out to catch up with a crook and shake him down for their money and do a scheme of deception of their own to help Rachel be put in possession of her rightful fortune. I'm always up for a good misfits tale and there is nothing more misfit than four middle-aged prostitutes, a one-eyed former army sergeant, an amnesic gentleman and a naive young lady.
Rachel possesses beauty, generosity, loyalty, and determination, but she was hampered in the beginning by sheltered naivete and a need to be wanted and loved after her parents are dead, her father gambled away a comfortable income, and her sole remaining relation has turned his back on her. I felt sorry for her because her past had left her not just lonely and needing family, but desperate for it which was why she was easily duped by a conman and now gets all growly when Alleyne identifies her as a lady and not with her prostitute friends. She even goes so far as to lie to him and say she is a prostitute before she attempts to seduce him because she has the mistaken notion that losing her virginity will identify her more closely with her friends and take away her naivete. She can't even see just how she wronged him by the lie or the future repercussions on herself- a baby? a venereal disease? a hard and desperate life as a woman who is always being used and used up to survive?
Alleyne's story is interesting after seeing him as a side character throughout the series. He's lighthearted and takes very little seriously. He's loyal and helpful when his family needs him, but is restless and trying to figure out his place in life like his older siblings. Then, here he is with a clean slate. His personality is unaltered and of course he questions and fears the unknown that is his past, but he puts this aside to help Rachel secure her future before trying to figure out his own. It was interesting seeing how his character grew and became a part of a makeshift family even though he was also part of another family.
The romance is a blend of fake mates and friends to lovers. Attraction is there, but the deeper feelings develop over the long haul. I felt that the romance wasn't always front and center though it was always there even when Rachel learns the truth of her past and gets that family she was always craving, while the group worked to take down the shyster who took their money, and then when its Alleyne's turn to face his past.
There was so much going on in this one that I know I haven't done it justice. I really enjoyed how the author wove it all together and brought out all the emotions in me. I think I liked this one precisely for all the elements equally balanced instead of the romance filling up the middle and marginalizing the rest. This was a solid outing in the series and leaves me buzzing with need for the most highly anticipated book in the series with the romance of the icy, utterly controlled, and powerful Wulfric. This is a solid historical romance series that I can definitely recommend particularly if you like the tie of family.
November 15, 2017
4,5 estrellas.
Hasta ahora, uno de los mejores libros que he leído de la serie. También es cierto que venía de dos bastante flojillos en cuanto a personajes femeninos. Pero este ha tenido todos los ingredientes para que disfrutara página por página de los periplos de Ayllene y Rachel.
La historia comienza de manera bastante original en una novela de este género, y la cosa solo mejora cuando entran en escena las mujers del burdel y William, un comandante que, tras la batalla de Waterloo ha perdido un ojo y no puede regresar con su regimiento. Su papel será muy importante porque es gracias a él que Rachel es capaz de salvar a Ayllene y llevárselo al burdel para curarlo.
Una vez que éste despierta nos encontramos con un protagonista sin recuerdos ni pasado, lo que hace que su mundo solo se reduzca a las 5 mujeres que viven en ese burdel y a William. No pasará mucho hasta que se sienta atraido por Rachel y ambos empiecen una amistad mutua mezclada con un deseo bastante peligroso.
Cuando Ayllene se entera de las dificultades de las mujeres (fueron estafadas por el ex-prometido de Rachel) y del deseo de Rachel de recuperar su fortuna, dejará de lado buscar su identidad para ayudarla en todo lo posible.
Y aquí es cuando comienza la verdadera trama del libro. A saltos entre el romance de los portagonistas, nos encontramos con escenas hilarantes y muy bien llevadas gracias a los personajes secundarios. Desde las mujeres del burdel hasta el tío de Rachel hacen que un libro que tiene partes duras, sensibles y románticas, se añada un poco de humor que hace que la historia sea más ligera y no puedas parar de leer.
La única pega es que la situación del tío era muy obvia y todo se soluciona demasiado rápido, pero ese final ha hecho que no me haya dado igual que algunas cosas fueran muy precipitadas.
A falta de acabar el de Wulfric, del que ya tengo ganas tras ver su evolución en todos los libros, solo puedo clasificar a esta serie de una de las mejores del género que he tenido el placer de leer este año.
Hasta ahora, uno de los mejores libros que he leído de la serie. También es cierto que venía de dos bastante flojillos en cuanto a personajes femeninos. Pero este ha tenido todos los ingredientes para que disfrutara página por página de los periplos de Ayllene y Rachel.
La historia comienza de manera bastante original en una novela de este género, y la cosa solo mejora cuando entran en escena las mujers del burdel y William, un comandante que, tras la batalla de Waterloo ha perdido un ojo y no puede regresar con su regimiento. Su papel será muy importante porque es gracias a él que Rachel es capaz de salvar a Ayllene y llevárselo al burdel para curarlo.
Una vez que éste despierta nos encontramos con un protagonista sin recuerdos ni pasado, lo que hace que su mundo solo se reduzca a las 5 mujeres que viven en ese burdel y a William. No pasará mucho hasta que se sienta atraido por Rachel y ambos empiecen una amistad mutua mezclada con un deseo bastante peligroso.
Cuando Ayllene se entera de las dificultades de las mujeres (fueron estafadas por el ex-prometido de Rachel) y del deseo de Rachel de recuperar su fortuna, dejará de lado buscar su identidad para ayudarla en todo lo posible.
Y aquí es cuando comienza la verdadera trama del libro. A saltos entre el romance de los portagonistas, nos encontramos con escenas hilarantes y muy bien llevadas gracias a los personajes secundarios. Desde las mujeres del burdel hasta el tío de Rachel hacen que un libro que tiene partes duras, sensibles y románticas, se añada un poco de humor que hace que la historia sea más ligera y no puedas parar de leer.
La única pega es que la situación del tío era muy obvia y todo se soluciona demasiado rápido, pero ese final ha hecho que no me haya dado igual que algunas cosas fueran muy precipitadas.
A falta de acabar el de Wulfric, del que ya tengo ganas tras ver su evolución en todos los libros, solo puedo clasificar a esta serie de una de las mejores del género que he tenido el placer de leer este año.
October 31, 2019
En mi ranking es el 4 qué más me gustó jajaja pero no es malo.
Siento que su relación no fue tan profunda y todo se resuelve muy rápido.
3.5
Siento que su relación no fue tan profunda y todo se resuelve muy rápido.
3.5
June 27, 2024
Slightly Sinful
2 Stars
In the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo, Lord Alleyn Bedwyn is left for dead until a desperate young woman stumbles across his body and saves his life. Alleyn awakens to discover not only that he is suffering from amnesia, but he is recuperating in a brothel. Upon learning that the English 4 prostitutes and his "angel", Miss Rachel York, have lost their life's savings to a swindler, Alleyn cannot resist coming to their aid and proposes masquerading as Rachel's husband, so that she can gain her inheritance and help her friends. Now if only he can remember that this is a marriage in name only...
Series note: The events of this book overlap with Morgan's story (book 4).
Oy! The other Bedwyns were sorely missed in this installment, which can only be described as absurd and boring.
***Warning - spoilers ahead***
The book begins well with the description of Alleyn's narrow escape from death on the battlefield, but rapidly deteriorates once he awakens in the brothel. This setting is the focus of the first half as the kindhearted prostitutes, the one-eyed sergeant, the impoverished lady's companion, and the amnesiac (this sounds like the beginning of a "go into a bar" joke) join forces to locate the pilfering pastor. This is all described in tedious and repetitive detail and has to be one of the most ridiculous storylines ever to disgrace the pages of a historical romance novel.
The idiocy continues in the second half where Rachel and Alleyn (aka Sir Jonathan Smith) arrive in Wiltshire with their entourage masquerading as respectable women to confront the dastardly uncle withholding Rachel's inheritance only to discover a sickly curmudgeon. At which time, they proceed to take over the running of his mansion.
Suffice it to say that Rachel and Alleyn's romance is as absurd as the rest of the plot. What little chemistry they have is soon lost in the aftermath of the , when they both behave badly. The relationship deteriorates from there and never manages to recover.
The only highlight is the reunion between the Bedwyn siblings.
Overall, a disappointing read. Wulfric's book is next and it will hopefully be better.
2 Stars
In the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo, Lord Alleyn Bedwyn is left for dead until a desperate young woman stumbles across his body and saves his life. Alleyn awakens to discover not only that he is suffering from amnesia, but he is recuperating in a brothel. Upon learning that the English 4 prostitutes and his "angel", Miss Rachel York, have lost their life's savings to a swindler, Alleyn cannot resist coming to their aid and proposes masquerading as Rachel's husband, so that she can gain her inheritance and help her friends. Now if only he can remember that this is a marriage in name only...
Series note: The events of this book overlap with Morgan's story (book 4).
Oy! The other Bedwyns were sorely missed in this installment, which can only be described as absurd and boring.
***Warning - spoilers ahead***
The book begins well with the description of Alleyn's narrow escape from death on the battlefield, but rapidly deteriorates once he awakens in the brothel. This setting is the focus of the first half as the kindhearted prostitutes, the one-eyed sergeant, the impoverished lady's companion, and the amnesiac (this sounds like the beginning of a "go into a bar" joke) join forces to locate the pilfering pastor. This is all described in tedious and repetitive detail and has to be one of the most ridiculous storylines ever to disgrace the pages of a historical romance novel.
The idiocy continues in the second half where Rachel and Alleyn (aka Sir Jonathan Smith) arrive in Wiltshire with their entourage masquerading as respectable women to confront the dastardly uncle withholding Rachel's inheritance only to discover a sickly curmudgeon. At which time, they proceed to take over the running of his mansion.
Suffice it to say that Rachel and Alleyn's romance is as absurd as the rest of the plot. What little chemistry they have is soon lost in the aftermath of the , when they both behave badly. The relationship deteriorates from there and never manages to recover.
The only highlight is the reunion between the Bedwyn siblings.
Overall, a disappointing read. Wulfric's book is next and it will hopefully be better.
January 13, 2012
Throughout the Bedwyn Saga Alleyne Bedwyn has been one of my favorite characters. He is a jolly fellow, quick to laugh and even quicker to help his siblings out with the most recent scrap they've gotten themselves into. In his own book he is no different, despite the fact that he is suffering from amnesia and has no idea who he is.
I had moments when I liked the heroine, Rachel, and other times when she annoyed me. But overall I thought she was a good match for Alleyne.
This book had an introduction of a lot of knew supporting characters- four of them whores, who were hilarious, and a Sergeant recently dismissed from the military because he lost his eye in battle. He became Alleyne's gentleman's gentleman.... as he liked to call it. :)
As I come to the end of this series, with only the dukes book remaining (which I am highly looking forward to), I can say that I am so glad I read these books! I highly recommend them. :)
I had moments when I liked the heroine, Rachel, and other times when she annoyed me. But overall I thought she was a good match for Alleyne.
This book had an introduction of a lot of knew supporting characters- four of them whores, who were hilarious, and a Sergeant recently dismissed from the military because he lost his eye in battle. He became Alleyne's gentleman's gentleman.... as he liked to call it. :)
As I come to the end of this series, with only the dukes book remaining (which I am highly looking forward to), I can say that I am so glad I read these books! I highly recommend them. :)
April 13, 2022
Reread 04/2022
Still/again having some issues with Alleyne and Rachel's book. Both characters were not very likeable to me for big parts of the book. 3 stars.
The best thing about this book is in my opinion the fact that it's the last installment before Slightly Dangerous 😀
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Review 07/2020
Sadly I didn't love Alleyne's story as much as the other Bedwyn-books. I liked it, but didn't feel the strong connection between h and H as in the rest of the series. Nevertheless a great book. 4 stars.
Still/again having some issues with Alleyne and Rachel's book. Both characters were not very likeable to me for big parts of the book. 3 stars.
The best thing about this book is in my opinion the fact that it's the last installment before Slightly Dangerous 😀
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Review 07/2020
Sadly I didn't love Alleyne's story as much as the other Bedwyn-books. I liked it, but didn't feel the strong connection between h and H as in the rest of the series. Nevertheless a great book. 4 stars.
October 10, 2020
This series has been a win for me but this is my least favorite. Everything in this amnesia trope is far fetched. It’s not bad and I do like the characters, it’s just a not very believable storyline.
August 14, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was fine, but I wanted more
With Alleyne “back from the dead,” I was expecting a bigger emotional punch and maybe a touch more drama. The setup is fun Rachel’s mad dash to find a husband to secure her inheritance and help her friends, plus Alleyne waking up in a brothel with no memory but the execution felt a bit lighter than I hoped for. The banter and Bedwyn charm are there, and the premise has plenty of intrigue, but the pacing and stakes didn’t quite deliver on the promise. Enjoyable enough for a quick read, just not the knockout I imagined for Alleyne’s grand return.
I loved him as a side character in this series.
🎶“Smooth” Santana feat. Rob Thomas
🎶“Lovefool” The Cardigans
It was fine, but I wanted more
With Alleyne “back from the dead,” I was expecting a bigger emotional punch and maybe a touch more drama. The setup is fun Rachel’s mad dash to find a husband to secure her inheritance and help her friends, plus Alleyne waking up in a brothel with no memory but the execution felt a bit lighter than I hoped for. The banter and Bedwyn charm are there, and the premise has plenty of intrigue, but the pacing and stakes didn’t quite deliver on the promise. Enjoyable enough for a quick read, just not the knockout I imagined for Alleyne’s grand return.
I loved him as a side character in this series.
🎶“Smooth” Santana feat. Rob Thomas
🎶“Lovefool” The Cardigans
September 5, 2012
In Slightly Tempted, the aristocratic Bedwyn family is rocked by news of Lord Alleyne Bedwyn's death at Waterloo. While searching the battle's casualties for saleables, Rachel York (a well-born woman left penniless by her father's gambling&drinking) comes across Alleyne's body, already stripped by other scavengers. But he is not dead, just gravely injured. Rachel carts his limp body back to the brothel where her old nurse works, and she and the whores nurse him back to health. But Alleyne, alas, has lost his memory completely, and is afraid that even if he were to meet his own family he wouldn't feel anything for them anymore. Rachel and the whores, meanwhile, gave all their money to a clergyman who proved to be a conman, and are torn between getting back to business and getting revenge on him. Alleyne comes up with a plan to both postpone his own search for his identity and solve the women's money problems: he and Rachel will pose as man&wife to finagle Rachel's uncle into giving them her late mother's jewels. The whores pose as gentlewomen and servants in order to accompany them, and they all set off for England.
But when they reach Rachel's uncle's estate, their hare-brained scheme turns even more complicated. Rachel's uncle is very ill, and he asks that Rachel and her companions stay with him for a month. While the whores and Sergeant Strickland get the uncle's estate into order, Rachel and "Jonathan Smith" have to maintain their masquerade as husband&wife. A masquerade that is all too easy to perform in public--and all too tempting in private.
The first few chapters are a fun intro to Rachel and the whores, who have a lot of personality to start with and then fade into the background for much of the novel. The last few chapters are a triumphant confrontation with the conman/clergyman (in which the whores shine like crazy vindictive diamonds) and FINALLY the reunion of the Bedwyn siblings. The reunion was all I could have hoped, particularly in regard to my favorite two Bedwyns, Freyja and Wulf. But most of the novel is just basic Balogh fare: a few hurtful misunderstandings heightened by lack of communication between the love interests, the standard sex scenes, several realizations of how important family members have been in the past, and of course, a waltz at the ball. I wish Rachel and Jonathan/Alleyne had more personality, because even though I just finished the book a few hours ago I've already half-forgotten them.
But when they reach Rachel's uncle's estate, their hare-brained scheme turns even more complicated. Rachel's uncle is very ill, and he asks that Rachel and her companions stay with him for a month. While the whores and Sergeant Strickland get the uncle's estate into order, Rachel and "Jonathan Smith" have to maintain their masquerade as husband&wife. A masquerade that is all too easy to perform in public--and all too tempting in private.
The first few chapters are a fun intro to Rachel and the whores, who have a lot of personality to start with and then fade into the background for much of the novel. The last few chapters are a triumphant confrontation with the conman/clergyman (in which the whores shine like crazy vindictive diamonds) and FINALLY the reunion of the Bedwyn siblings. The reunion was all I could have hoped, particularly in regard to my favorite two Bedwyns, Freyja and Wulf. But most of the novel is just basic Balogh fare: a few hurtful misunderstandings heightened by lack of communication between the love interests, the standard sex scenes, several realizations of how important family members have been in the past, and of course, a waltz at the ball. I wish Rachel and Jonathan/Alleyne had more personality, because even though I just finished the book a few hours ago I've already half-forgotten them.
October 7, 2017
3.5 stars
What to say about this audio-book? Of course, the story was nicely read by Rosalyn Landor. Her different voices and accents for the women were particularly good.
I just didn't love the story.
For example, the constant reference to whores (with hearts of gold, who actually LOVED their profession enough to lust after men and even do it for free- yeah, right, in which universe?) bothered me, and it was a case of protesting too much about how the MC's didn't care that the women were "whores", that it didn't matter, that one shouldn't judge them etc. etc. Clearly, it did.
And while the H was a nice enough fellow, I have never known a man who spends every second of a sexual encounter minutely analysing every aspect and intellectualising/rationalising the act the way he did. For goodness sake, just enjoy it and make sure your partner does! I did actually ask a young man I know (OK, my 22 year-old son) whether he does that and he burst out laughing. Maybe an older man might, but I doubt it. It is this tendency of MB that I just don't like. They are quite cerebral MC's and the passion just seems artificial.
The amnesia trope is one that can be great if done well (A Lady's Code of Misconduct but that is not always the case. Here, I thought the agony of not being able to commit to a relationship because nobody knew whether the H was already married, or had children, let alone what his name was, was clearly expressed and I did feel the MC's frustration and misery. The heroine showed great strength of character, prepared to risk her heart knowing it might be broken, but having the courage to do it anyway. It was also wonderful that she was able to reconnect with family and find somewhere she belonged. To see the hero finally discover his purpose in life and find some meaning to his existence, something aristocratic younger sons often struggled with in those days of strict rules of succession, was terrific.
So a solid 3.5 stars, but I can't give more to a romance that, in the end, kind of misses out on the "romance" for me.
What to say about this audio-book? Of course, the story was nicely read by Rosalyn Landor. Her different voices and accents for the women were particularly good.
I just didn't love the story.
For example, the constant reference to whores (with hearts of gold, who actually LOVED their profession enough to lust after men and even do it for free- yeah, right, in which universe?) bothered me, and it was a case of protesting too much about how the MC's didn't care that the women were "whores", that it didn't matter, that one shouldn't judge them etc. etc. Clearly, it did.
And while the H was a nice enough fellow, I have never known a man who spends every second of a sexual encounter minutely analysing every aspect and intellectualising/rationalising the act the way he did. For goodness sake, just enjoy it and make sure your partner does! I did actually ask a young man I know (OK, my 22 year-old son) whether he does that and he burst out laughing. Maybe an older man might, but I doubt it. It is this tendency of MB that I just don't like. They are quite cerebral MC's and the passion just seems artificial.
The amnesia trope is one that can be great if done well (A Lady's Code of Misconduct but that is not always the case. Here, I thought the agony of not being able to commit to a relationship because nobody knew whether the H was already married, or had children, let alone what his name was, was clearly expressed and I did feel the MC's frustration and misery. The heroine showed great strength of character, prepared to risk her heart knowing it might be broken, but having the courage to do it anyway. It was also wonderful that she was able to reconnect with family and find somewhere she belonged. To see the hero finally discover his purpose in life and find some meaning to his existence, something aristocratic younger sons often struggled with in those days of strict rules of succession, was terrific.
So a solid 3.5 stars, but I can't give more to a romance that, in the end, kind of misses out on the "romance" for me.
May 22, 2022
I liked Alleyne and wanted so much more for his story. This has been my least favorite. There were so many filler scenes, and focus was not where it should have been. I never really got into the plot line, and the story just dragged on for me. The banter between the working women was over the top and forced, and I really did not care about all these side characters.
The entire time I just wanted to find out when Alleyne would get his memory back and get to that reunion with his siblings. I was excited for the reunion to play out, but when it finally happened, it was just a big disappointment. We don’t get any witty banter between the siblings. No dialogue with funny explanations. The reunion felt rushed and anticlimactic. It left me wanting more. I wanted to know Alleyne explained everything to his siblings, and what each one had to say about the incredible journey he had been on. I wanted to hear the actual dialogue about the woman who saved his life, as Alleyne explained it to his brothers and sisters. It was all glossed over, after all the hugs. Because for me entire focus of these books has been the Bedwyn dynamic and their love for each other. We got very little of that.
The entire romance itself was tepid at best. At some parts the heroine was petty and immature towards Alleyne, so I just didn’t care for her. It’s Alleyne that makes the entire story redeemable.
The entire time I just wanted to find out when Alleyne would get his memory back and get to that reunion with his siblings. I was excited for the reunion to play out, but when it finally happened, it was just a big disappointment. We don’t get any witty banter between the siblings. No dialogue with funny explanations. The reunion felt rushed and anticlimactic. It left me wanting more. I wanted to know Alleyne explained everything to his siblings, and what each one had to say about the incredible journey he had been on. I wanted to hear the actual dialogue about the woman who saved his life, as Alleyne explained it to his brothers and sisters. It was all glossed over, after all the hugs. Because for me entire focus of these books has been the Bedwyn dynamic and their love for each other. We got very little of that.
The entire romance itself was tepid at best. At some parts the heroine was petty and immature towards Alleyne, so I just didn’t care for her. It’s Alleyne that makes the entire story redeemable.
April 22, 2018
Lord Alleyne Bedwyn
Rachel York
Rachel York
July 24, 2017
Great, great read - Rachel and Alleyne are wonderful, and the secondary characters extremely colorful
SUMMARY (Bedwyn Family, Book 5):
Slightly Sinful overlaps significantly (chronologically speaking) with the previous book in the Bedwyn series, Slightly Tempted (Morgan and Gervase's story). Lord Alleyne Bedwyn (26), working as a British diplomat in Brussels, is sent to deliver a letter to the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo. He receives a reply letter to deliver and heads back to Brussels, though he is in pain from being shot in the leg. When his horse throws him from the saddle, he hits his head and is knocked unconscious.
When we meet Miss Rachel York (22), she is practically all alone in the world, with an estranged uncle as her only remaining relative. She has recently split with her betrothed, who was a relatively new acquaintance made while she was a companion to an elderly woman in Brussels. After entrusting her pretty meager funds to him and convincing four other women to do the same, she overhears him and his sister talking and realizes that they are not the charitable Christians they appear to be (he's posing as a reverend) but are in fact con artists. They had been departing Belgium and heading for England, but she makes a quick getaway and returns to Brussels and the four women, whom she feels honor-bound to tell the truth to and in some way recompense.
The four women (fantastic characters! - they had me laughing throughout the book) are Flossie Streat, Geraldine Ness, Phyllis Leavey, and Bridget Clover, the latter of whom was Rachel's nurse for six years in her youth. They are prostitutes and have been running a brothel for the past four years, saving up money so that they can return to England and retire.
I tend to be long-winded in these descriptions, so I'll try to cut it down to the basics (and fail horribly): Rachel comes across Alleyne and the women take him in, nursing him back to health. Due to his fall, he has amnesia and unfortunately remembers nothing, including his own name; he is given a new one in the meantime - "Jonathan Smith." They also pick up Sergeant William Strickland (another wonderful secondary character), a soldier who lost one of his eyes at the Battle of Waterloo. They all head to England after deciding to visit Rachel's uncle, Baron Weston, in order to deceive him into thinking that Rachel and "Jonathan" are betrothed so that she can secure the jewels her mother left her. They will then be able to track down the evil con artists and get back their money. Of course, things don't go exactly as planned - nothing in life is ever that simple - but everything ends well and there are happy/deserved endings all around (who would expect otherwise?!).
REACTION:
I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it was a real treat, especially after having been somewhat disappointed by Slightly Tempted I've looked through some of the Amazon.com reviews and have seen many of the same complaints. The first is that people are tired of Balogh's repeated use of the same plot devices: fake/will-be-broken-off betrothals; in this case she goes past a fake engagement to a fake marriage (my question is, has anyone else also noticed how there is *always* a lake with a small island that the main characters row to and make love on?!?). The second complaint is that this book's plot leaned to the implausible.
My response to the first would be that I agree, but that Balogh is such a good writer that when she is able to succeed in all other ways (good writing, great chemistry, wonderful characters) I frankly don't care, but that's personal preference. To the second, I really have to protest - do we actually read these books because they are based on reality and believability? No, we read it for the romance and the chemistry, for the wonderful if-only-they-were-real-and-waiting-outside-my-door heroes and the great, strong heroines whom we can (let's face it) either imagine to be us in another life and alternate universe or a dear, dear friend, so we can share in the happiness.
CHARACTERS (main and secondary):
The book is brimming with wonderful characters. It's nice for a change to read about a Bedwyn who doesn't carry himself with haughtiness and arrogance, but instead has an easy grin and is good-humored (even before he falls in love!). Alleyne definitely changes from how we've seen him in past stories (somewhat shallow and aimless) to how he is by the end of the book (responsible, with a sense of purpose), and I think the development rings true and is well-done. I thought Rachel was a great heroine (and what a great change to have the heroine save the hero - literally). She's a strong young woman who has had a painful childhood and youth, but is hard-working and tries to be positive. I especially liked that she was friends with the wonderful female-quartet and was slightly protective of them, refusing to look down on them because of their profession (though I don't think Balogh should have had her call them "whores" in her thoughts as often as she does at the beginning).
Not only are the hero and heroine wonderful, but all of the secondary characters are well-written and add much laughter and tenderness to the story. The reunion that Alleyne has with his family is very emotional if you've read the other Bedwyn books, though I'll concede it occurs later in the book than I had expected. I also agree with the other reviewer who said that Balogh was brave in having the first romantic encounter not be wonderfully successful so that we can see the characters work through it; adds a certain reality to the story which is otherwise blissfully far too perfect to be real. I loved this book and think it is definitely one of the best ones of the series (ranks up there with Slightly Married and Slightly Dangerous, IMO).
SUMMARY (Bedwyn Family, Book 5):
Slightly Sinful overlaps significantly (chronologically speaking) with the previous book in the Bedwyn series, Slightly Tempted (Morgan and Gervase's story). Lord Alleyne Bedwyn (26), working as a British diplomat in Brussels, is sent to deliver a letter to the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo. He receives a reply letter to deliver and heads back to Brussels, though he is in pain from being shot in the leg. When his horse throws him from the saddle, he hits his head and is knocked unconscious.
When we meet Miss Rachel York (22), she is practically all alone in the world, with an estranged uncle as her only remaining relative. She has recently split with her betrothed, who was a relatively new acquaintance made while she was a companion to an elderly woman in Brussels. After entrusting her pretty meager funds to him and convincing four other women to do the same, she overhears him and his sister talking and realizes that they are not the charitable Christians they appear to be (he's posing as a reverend) but are in fact con artists. They had been departing Belgium and heading for England, but she makes a quick getaway and returns to Brussels and the four women, whom she feels honor-bound to tell the truth to and in some way recompense.
The four women (fantastic characters! - they had me laughing throughout the book) are Flossie Streat, Geraldine Ness, Phyllis Leavey, and Bridget Clover, the latter of whom was Rachel's nurse for six years in her youth. They are prostitutes and have been running a brothel for the past four years, saving up money so that they can return to England and retire.
I tend to be long-winded in these descriptions, so I'll try to cut it down to the basics (and fail horribly): Rachel comes across Alleyne and the women take him in, nursing him back to health. Due to his fall, he has amnesia and unfortunately remembers nothing, including his own name; he is given a new one in the meantime - "Jonathan Smith." They also pick up Sergeant William Strickland (another wonderful secondary character), a soldier who lost one of his eyes at the Battle of Waterloo. They all head to England after deciding to visit Rachel's uncle, Baron Weston, in order to deceive him into thinking that Rachel and "Jonathan" are betrothed so that she can secure the jewels her mother left her. They will then be able to track down the evil con artists and get back their money. Of course, things don't go exactly as planned - nothing in life is ever that simple - but everything ends well and there are happy/deserved endings all around (who would expect otherwise?!).
REACTION:
I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it was a real treat, especially after having been somewhat disappointed by Slightly Tempted I've looked through some of the Amazon.com reviews and have seen many of the same complaints. The first is that people are tired of Balogh's repeated use of the same plot devices: fake/will-be-broken-off betrothals; in this case she goes past a fake engagement to a fake marriage (my question is, has anyone else also noticed how there is *always* a lake with a small island that the main characters row to and make love on?!?). The second complaint is that this book's plot leaned to the implausible.
My response to the first would be that I agree, but that Balogh is such a good writer that when she is able to succeed in all other ways (good writing, great chemistry, wonderful characters) I frankly don't care, but that's personal preference. To the second, I really have to protest - do we actually read these books because they are based on reality and believability? No, we read it for the romance and the chemistry, for the wonderful if-only-they-were-real-and-waiting-outside-my-door heroes and the great, strong heroines whom we can (let's face it) either imagine to be us in another life and alternate universe or a dear, dear friend, so we can share in the happiness.
CHARACTERS (main and secondary):
The book is brimming with wonderful characters. It's nice for a change to read about a Bedwyn who doesn't carry himself with haughtiness and arrogance, but instead has an easy grin and is good-humored (even before he falls in love!). Alleyne definitely changes from how we've seen him in past stories (somewhat shallow and aimless) to how he is by the end of the book (responsible, with a sense of purpose), and I think the development rings true and is well-done. I thought Rachel was a great heroine (and what a great change to have the heroine save the hero - literally). She's a strong young woman who has had a painful childhood and youth, but is hard-working and tries to be positive. I especially liked that she was friends with the wonderful female-quartet and was slightly protective of them, refusing to look down on them because of their profession (though I don't think Balogh should have had her call them "whores" in her thoughts as often as she does at the beginning).
Not only are the hero and heroine wonderful, but all of the secondary characters are well-written and add much laughter and tenderness to the story. The reunion that Alleyne has with his family is very emotional if you've read the other Bedwyn books, though I'll concede it occurs later in the book than I had expected. I also agree with the other reviewer who said that Balogh was brave in having the first romantic encounter not be wonderfully successful so that we can see the characters work through it; adds a certain reality to the story which is otherwise blissfully far too perfect to be real. I loved this book and think it is definitely one of the best ones of the series (ranks up there with Slightly Married and Slightly Dangerous, IMO).
July 31, 2020
3.5 stars Rachel and Alleyne. I liked this, but some things did irk me. For example, the 4 sweet aging whores. Loved them as side characters, but did not enjoy reading that one of them was portrayed as being noble because she was going to "teach" a young guy how to show his bride a good time in bed. Yuck, to me, that is cheating on your love one and who knows what std (even lovable people get std's) he might also be sharing with his new bride in the fall because of his adventure with the prostitute. Now granted she was just doing her job, but still was not a nice thing to do to his bride to be.
Also, Alleyne and Rachel's first sexual time together was so tainted by him thinking that she was a prostitute. I really disliked him making her feel that she was so gauche at sex for her first time.
The plot line was not as solid this time and I really was tired of really about those jewels that one day would help Rachel out.
My final thought was that Frejya (the physical violent one) really needs to stop punching people unless it is in self defense. I did not find it endearing when she punched Alleyne hard in the jaw. Not cute.
Also, Alleyne and Rachel's first sexual time together was so tainted by him thinking that she was a prostitute. I really disliked him making her feel that she was so gauche at sex for her first time.
The plot line was not as solid this time and I really was tired of really about those jewels that one day would help Rachel out.
My final thought was that Frejya (the physical violent one) really needs to stop punching people unless it is in self defense. I did not find it endearing when she punched Alleyne hard in the jaw. Not cute.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2017
Rosalyn Landor's audio version of this Mary Balogh classic really tickled my funnybone. In Brussels, right before Waterloo, the heroine innocently gets mixed up with four jolly prostitutes, and they take in a wounded Alleyne Bedwyn, who has lost his memory. Also a crusty sergeant who has lost an eye and been dismissed from the army. The seven of them set out for England -- the ladies in pursuit of a charlatan posing as a minister who has stolen their life savings, Alleyne hoping to find somebody in London who recognizes him, the heroine to demand that her uncle release her fortune to her, and the sergeant as the self-appointed bodyguard and valet to Alleyne.
Hijinks ensue, and while the written book is quite humorous, Landor's performance makes the whole adventure utterly hilarious. If you liked the book, do give the audio a try. I guarantee it will make you smile. And the reunion of Alleyne with his brother the Duke of Bewcastle may bring a tear to your eye.
Hijinks ensue, and while the written book is quite humorous, Landor's performance makes the whole adventure utterly hilarious. If you liked the book, do give the audio a try. I guarantee it will make you smile. And the reunion of Alleyne with his brother the Duke of Bewcastle may bring a tear to your eye.
September 12, 2021
Well, it was bound to happen at some point. Mary Balogh has finally let me down. Slightly Sinful was just too silly for me. There's an amnesia plot and a troop of whores out for revenge and just...ach. What I tend to love most about this author is how down-to-earth and honest her narratives are. This book, however, was more like a silly romcom than a realistic look at what it takes to make a relationship work. And that's fine, just not the content I'm here for.
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