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Christmas Beau
His Vengeance Was Sweet
Judith Easton knew that even the spirit of Christmas wouldn't stop the Marquess of Denhigh from settling the score with her. For the beautiful young widow had injured Denhigh's rigid pride years ago by jilting him for another man.
Now that Judith was free from her nightmare marriage to that other man, the bold and handsome Marquess made no secret that he had her in his sights and wanted her in his arms.
But how could she trust the tender words on his lips when she could sense the hardness of his heart? And after she had made so grievous a mistake in love once, how could she ever trust her own heart's desire again?
Judith Easton knew that even the spirit of Christmas wouldn't stop the Marquess of Denhigh from settling the score with her. For the beautiful young widow had injured Denhigh's rigid pride years ago by jilting him for another man.
Now that Judith was free from her nightmare marriage to that other man, the bold and handsome Marquess made no secret that he had her in his sights and wanted her in his arms.
But how could she trust the tender words on his lips when she could sense the hardness of his heart? And after she had made so grievous a mistake in love once, how could she ever trust her own heart's desire again?
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 3, 1991
3 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
195 books6,368 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 64 reviews
November 25, 2015
Silent, morose Maxwell: a gentleman. Young, naive woman Judith: a lady. An arranged betrothal. But things were not as they seemed.....
Abandoning him, she married a man she barely knew. Jilted, he was heartbroken. The marriage soured but she was blessed with two children. Her husband died eight years later. And they become reacquainted. It was planned......
He is a much older but quiet man. She is no longer naive. Anger simmers below the surface. His plans move forward for the sweetest revenge....
Scared, she appears cold and harsh, tense and unnerved. He situates himself among family members and consumes their time together. Oh, so slowly. Churning, unreal moments......
The tables are tipped. He was falling in love all over again. Or had he ever really stopped? She had seen her folly and learns the meaning of what love really is.....
Compassion and trust are finally earned. The only thing that would have improved this bittersweet romance would have been an epilogue. If you love Ms. Balogh's THE TEMPORARY WIFE you should love this story.
Abandoning him, she married a man she barely knew. Jilted, he was heartbroken. The marriage soured but she was blessed with two children. Her husband died eight years later. And they become reacquainted. It was planned......
He is a much older but quiet man. She is no longer naive. Anger simmers below the surface. His plans move forward for the sweetest revenge....
Scared, she appears cold and harsh, tense and unnerved. He situates himself among family members and consumes their time together. Oh, so slowly. Churning, unreal moments......
The tables are tipped. He was falling in love all over again. Or had he ever really stopped? She had seen her folly and learns the meaning of what love really is.....
Compassion and trust are finally earned. The only thing that would have improved this bittersweet romance would have been an epilogue. If you love Ms. Balogh's THE TEMPORARY WIFE you should love this story.
January 7, 2019
The book should’ve been named Christmas Pie - oscillates between well done, underdone and certainly overdone!
The premise is good. The h, at 18, dumps her stodgy, silent arranged-match-fiancé (yes, the H) for a shiny object rake. Now she’s a widow with two kids and is back on the social scene. She meets the H again – and feels the same ‘revulsion’ that she did earlier.
She hated him. All the old revulsion and fear had been intensified into hatred. He was playing a game with her and for the time she seemed quite powerless to fight him.
He did not know quite when love had turned to hatred. Not for several months after her desertion, anyway. Disbelief had quickly turned to panic and a wild flight, first to the Lake District, and then to Scotland. Panic had turned to numbness, and numbness had finally given way to a deeply painful, almost debilitating heartbreak.
The rejected and seething for years H is bent on revenge – the kind best served cold. So, he stalks-woos her through her kids and her spinster sister-in-law/companion into spending the Christmas at his estate.
This first part is decidedly dragged out, but still a tension exists.
Now the middle part – beginning with the Christmas revelries at his estate - where the author is hell bent on establishing the H’s credentials as a bleeding-heart philanthropist, is most definitely a big yawn. Such noble, hearty fare!
And then finally – the big revenge – okay, wow. I’m glad he went ahead with it despite doubts and belated misgivings because I wanted some drama and angst after all the boring build up. But kaput, he gives in precipitately and we have a bended knee grovel the next day. Beau indeed!
‘Light over darkness’ message finally penetrates for our H.
And the Christmas spirit prevails.
The premise is good. The h, at 18, dumps her stodgy, silent arranged-match-fiancé (yes, the H) for a shiny object rake. Now she’s a widow with two kids and is back on the social scene. She meets the H again – and feels the same ‘revulsion’ that she did earlier.
She hated him. All the old revulsion and fear had been intensified into hatred. He was playing a game with her and for the time she seemed quite powerless to fight him.
He did not know quite when love had turned to hatred. Not for several months after her desertion, anyway. Disbelief had quickly turned to panic and a wild flight, first to the Lake District, and then to Scotland. Panic had turned to numbness, and numbness had finally given way to a deeply painful, almost debilitating heartbreak.
The rejected and seething for years H is bent on revenge – the kind best served cold. So, he stalks-woos her through her kids and her spinster sister-in-law/companion into spending the Christmas at his estate.
This first part is decidedly dragged out, but still a tension exists.
Now the middle part – beginning with the Christmas revelries at his estate - where the author is hell bent on establishing the H’s credentials as a bleeding-heart philanthropist, is most definitely a big yawn. Such noble, hearty fare!
And then finally – the big revenge – okay, wow. I’m glad he went ahead with it despite doubts and belated misgivings because I wanted some drama and angst after all the boring build up. But kaput, he gives in precipitately and we have a bended knee grovel the next day. Beau indeed!
‘Light over darkness’ message finally penetrates for our H.
And the Christmas spirit prevails.
September 17, 2016
Read Kris' review. Only, do yourself a favor and, unlike me, remember that you have before you go and read this complete waste of paper. Because let me tell you, spending a whole book trying to convince yourself that, surely, Max isn't the complete slugbutt he appears to be and Balogh will turn him around in the end is complete bunkum. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy the ending. He is cruel and calculated and every hint otherwise (he's good with kids!) is just smokescreen for the inner slimeweasel that is at his heart. By the end, I was skimming past the other crap just to get to the part where he'd turn out not to be such a complete waste of oxygen. Only. Turns out. He really is a complete waste of oxygen.
Oh, and Judith? I don't buy her, either. I'm sorry, but . So yeah, not buying that, either.
Do yourself a favor: avoid this one. Nobody deserves Max. He's the kind of jerk that other jerks despise because they only wish they could be that jerky and, hey, they're jerks.
A note about Steamy: There's a single sex scene. Only it's completely awful and goes on way way too long. And then Max happens and it sucks to even remember that it exists because slimebutts ruin beautiful things by being slimy and butty on them.
Oh, and Judith? I don't buy her, either. I'm sorry, but . So yeah, not buying that, either.
Do yourself a favor: avoid this one. Nobody deserves Max. He's the kind of jerk that other jerks despise because they only wish they could be that jerky and, hey, they're jerks.
A note about Steamy: There's a single sex scene. Only it's completely awful and goes on way way too long. And then Max happens and it sucks to even remember that it exists because slimebutts ruin beautiful things by being slimy and butty on them.
October 28, 2018
I have some THOUGHTS. But basically, this book is bullshit.
8 years ago, Judith dumped Max and married Andrew. Now Andrew is dead. Max has spent the last 8 years hating Judith and wishing he could get revenge. (Real mature.) So he lures Judith and her two young children to his house for Christmas, and then acts all nice with her and spoils her kids and then Judith falls in love with him. And then Max stomps all over her heart because REVENGE. Two pages later, he apologizes, and then it's all happily ever after.
WHERE WAS THE GROVELING??!?!?! WHERE.
8 years ago, Judith dumped Max and married Andrew. Now Andrew is dead. Max has spent the last 8 years hating Judith and wishing he could get revenge. (Real mature.) So he lures Judith and her two young children to his house for Christmas, and then acts all nice with her and spoils her kids and then Judith falls in love with him. And then Max stomps all over her heart because REVENGE. Two pages later, he apologizes, and then it's all happily ever after.
WHERE WAS THE GROVELING??!?!?! WHERE.
November 11, 2019
A surprising gem of the genre. Why a gem?
1. An original hero. - Yes, you can see in him many known traits of Regency heroes, but I have found here also a novelty.
2. A heroine with her own children and many other children. - They added joy and sweetness to the novel.
3. There were strong trust issues that resulted from the social rules of the era (don't show emotions, be always polite - how someone can be sure what other person feels in such cases?). I think I liked it the most - this idea for the story.
4. Amy - a thirty-six-year-old spinster with a big heart.
I adored the glimpses of gentle humour and of sweet love for children.
It was one of the best charming love stories with second chances.
PS Many readers wrote that Max was too cruel and that he didn't deserve HEA (or to be a hero of a romance). I don't agree. To me, he behaved more like a hurt puppy (watching for an approval), a shy desperately in love man, that was convincing himself that he was revenging (and not simply trying to be near beloved woman). I think he was too insecure to woo in a normal way. In the (twisted) way he hid his feelings behind the revenge plan.
1. An original hero. - Yes, you can see in him many known traits of Regency heroes, but I have found here also a novelty.
2. A heroine with her own children and many other children. - They added joy and sweetness to the novel.
3. There were strong trust issues that resulted from the social rules of the era (don't show emotions, be always polite - how someone can be sure what other person feels in such cases?). I think I liked it the most - this idea for the story.
4. Amy - a thirty-six-year-old spinster with a big heart.
I adored the glimpses of gentle humour and of sweet love for children.
It was one of the best charming love stories with second chances.
PS Many readers wrote that Max was too cruel and that he didn't deserve HEA (or to be a hero of a romance). I don't agree. To me, he behaved more like a hurt puppy (watching for an approval), a shy desperately in love man, that was convincing himself that he was revenging (and not simply trying to be near beloved woman). I think he was too insecure to woo in a normal way. In the (twisted) way he hid his feelings behind the revenge plan.
December 18, 2018
Revenge is not one of my favorite tropes. I enjoyed the theme of forgiveness, but the hero was too much of a baby for me.
December 12, 2013
I really liked the premises of the story: a 18-years-old débutante jilted her very proper and cold fiancé for a charming rake with whom life is not what she expected and love did not last. Meanwhile the very proper and very cold fiancé turned out to have been mostly super shy and in love with the coquette. Once she was widowed, he decided to exact his vengeance.
The heroine character was interesting and quite realistic. She remained however totally blind to the hero's shyness for a very long while and thus did not try to understand how he could have felt. Everything she did seemed quite right.
The hero, on the other hand, was more difficult to apprehend: his quest for vengeance sometimes seemed childish and overall his all behaviour when he had been fiancé and jilted by Judith was not really that of a 26 years-old, even sheltered, but rather that of someone younger. Outside of his vengeance, I found him to be too much of a do-gooder to really interest me.
The heroine's sister-in-law was an interesting and rather unusual character. I really liked her and she brought something to the Christmas spirit, which was very strong in this book and not only a time-setting.
However the ending really disappointed me. In a matter of minutes, all conflicts were solved and everyone was on its way to his HEA. I could not buy it and felt cheated of deeper explanations.
The heroine character was interesting and quite realistic. She remained however totally blind to the hero's shyness for a very long while and thus did not try to understand how he could have felt. Everything she did seemed quite right.
The hero, on the other hand, was more difficult to apprehend: his quest for vengeance sometimes seemed childish and overall his all behaviour when he had been fiancé and jilted by Judith was not really that of a 26 years-old, even sheltered, but rather that of someone younger. Outside of his vengeance, I found him to be too much of a do-gooder to really interest me.
The heroine's sister-in-law was an interesting and rather unusual character. I really liked her and she brought something to the Christmas spirit, which was very strong in this book and not only a time-setting.
However the ending really disappointed me. In a matter of minutes, all conflicts were solved and everyone was on its way to his HEA. I could not buy it and felt cheated of deeper explanations.
December 20, 2018
Flawed characters, loss, heartache, grief, and a poignant love story with a happy ending...I loved it. I think Max is probably a complicated character to relate to but I did ohhh I did. I felt his heartbreak, his loneliness, his sense of duty and goodness. I loved the way Balogh wrote the story.....through Max's thoughts and feelings. His need to convince himself that he waited 8 years just for revenge, that he filled every single moment of his day with her thoughts because of his hatred for her. That he couldn't even wait more the one year of her mourning to seek her out....that sought her and listened for news about her all the time. It was so beautiful and human to see him be terrified of another heartbreak so he justified his obsession with her as revenge. His need to be with her as part of his plan....it was so obvious to everyone including the reader except Max that he was wildly in love with her and would do anything to be with her. Beautiful love story!
September 4, 2014
8 years ago, Judith jilted Max a mere month before they were to wed (try saying that three times fast). Thinking herself in love with a sketch-y rake character, she left her father a note and didn't look back. Now she's single with two kids! REVENGE IS A SWEET DISH BEST SERVED COLD! LIKE CHRISTMAS! WHICH THIS BOOK IS ABOUT!!
1. I really hate reading about assholes seeking revenge on one another? I had thought Max would come to his damn sense before actually going through with it, which is why I bothered reading the damn thing. EXCEPT JK, HE'S ACTUALLY AN ASSHOLE AND IT'S IN THE LAST 10 PAGES THAT ANYTHING GETS RESOLVED!!
2. Asshole heroes are such assholes.
3. I wish Judith would have trusted her instincts a bit more!
1. I really hate reading about assholes seeking revenge on one another? I had thought Max would come to his damn sense before actually going through with it, which is why I bothered reading the damn thing. EXCEPT JK, HE'S ACTUALLY AN ASSHOLE AND IT'S IN THE LAST 10 PAGES THAT ANYTHING GETS RESOLVED!!
2. Asshole heroes are such assholes.
3. I wish Judith would have trusted her instincts a bit more!
December 4, 2022
4 stars.
I've now reads three christmas - novel in a row from Mary Balogh, all of them are earlier books (25-30 years old).
I loved A CHRISTMAS PROMISE so so much, felt okay about A CHRISTMAS BRIDE, and CHRISTMAS BEAU is right in the middle.
I was drawn into the story and enjoyed were the author chose to take her couples, but I wasn't totally sold that in the end between the two main characters there truly was deep affection, trust and love.
I've now reads three christmas - novel in a row from Mary Balogh, all of them are earlier books (25-30 years old).
I loved A CHRISTMAS PROMISE so so much, felt okay about A CHRISTMAS BRIDE, and CHRISTMAS BEAU is right in the middle.
I was drawn into the story and enjoyed were the author chose to take her couples, but I wasn't totally sold that in the end between the two main characters there truly was deep affection, trust and love.
January 4, 2025
Absolutely wonderful story.
Mary Balogh is the HR queen.
Mary Balogh is the HR queen.
November 11, 2022
2022 Fall Bingo (#FallInLoveBingo🍂): Waltz
Find someone who loves you as much as Mary Balogh loves a quizzing glass. Read via library.
Find someone who loves you as much as Mary Balogh loves a quizzing glass. Read via library.
November 26, 2009
There's nothing better to start my Christmas reading this year that picking up one of Balogh's wonderful Christmas novels. Christmas Beau is a revenge story but it is also a story about healing and love.
Eight years ago Judith, then betrothed to Viscount Evendon who she thought was cold and feeling, eloped with Andrew Easton who she thought was charming and passionate. Unfortunately her husband soon revealed himself as rake and a gambler and now that she is a widow Judith feels her two children were the best thing of her marriage.
Max is now the Marquess of Denbigh, eight years ago he had been much in love with Judith although too shy to tell her. He was devastated with her elopement and now that she is a widow and back in town he is decided to get his revenge.
Max and Judith meet each other at several social functions. While seems charming enough Judith senses that all is not as it should be and would prefer to stay away from him. Unfortunately for her Max charms her children and her sister in law and soon she finds herself accepting an invitation to spend the holiday season at his home in the country.
Max is a lonely man who has managed to assemble around him other lonely people to spend Christmas and so spend a happy holiday. Not only that but Judith finds that he is funding the upbringing of a number of young girls and boys rescued from the London slums that a friend of his is trying to educate so they can have a better future.
It's easy to see how Judith's opinion changes and she starts falling in love with Max, and it's sad to see how he is actually a good man but he can't let go of the past and of how hurt by her he was. Eventually Max does follow through with his plans but Christmas is a season for healing, for understanding and for forgiveness and they both end up speaking of the past and accepting their feelings.
A lovely story very evocative of all the good feelings of the season and with interesting characters including the secondary ones. There's also a very nice secondary romance that also enhances the spirit of the season.
Grade: 4.5/5
Eight years ago Judith, then betrothed to Viscount Evendon who she thought was cold and feeling, eloped with Andrew Easton who she thought was charming and passionate. Unfortunately her husband soon revealed himself as rake and a gambler and now that she is a widow Judith feels her two children were the best thing of her marriage.
Max is now the Marquess of Denbigh, eight years ago he had been much in love with Judith although too shy to tell her. He was devastated with her elopement and now that she is a widow and back in town he is decided to get his revenge.
Max and Judith meet each other at several social functions. While seems charming enough Judith senses that all is not as it should be and would prefer to stay away from him. Unfortunately for her Max charms her children and her sister in law and soon she finds herself accepting an invitation to spend the holiday season at his home in the country.
Max is a lonely man who has managed to assemble around him other lonely people to spend Christmas and so spend a happy holiday. Not only that but Judith finds that he is funding the upbringing of a number of young girls and boys rescued from the London slums that a friend of his is trying to educate so they can have a better future.
It's easy to see how Judith's opinion changes and she starts falling in love with Max, and it's sad to see how he is actually a good man but he can't let go of the past and of how hurt by her he was. Eventually Max does follow through with his plans but Christmas is a season for healing, for understanding and for forgiveness and they both end up speaking of the past and accepting their feelings.
A lovely story very evocative of all the good feelings of the season and with interesting characters including the secondary ones. There's also a very nice secondary romance that also enhances the spirit of the season.
Grade: 4.5/5
December 2, 2014
the book had great potential but the seduction dragged till the end. max got judith into bed only in the last pages and the matter was resolved the next day itself. boring and lacked angst and spice!
August 23, 2022
very good. Immaculate christmas vibes. melted my icy little heart
December 22, 2017
I know holiday romances tend to be a love-it-or-hate-it phenomenon with lots of readers. Personally, I love to sink myself in Christmas and other holiday romances. This year just hasn’t felt as festive, so I have to admit that I haven’t read as many as usual. However, the TBR Challenge was the perfect excuse to dust off an old Mary Balogh regency from my bookshelves and give it a whirl. Christmas Beau (now available in a collection together with A Christmas Bride) is not her very best, but there is a certain charm to the story that made me enjoy it.
I love second chance at love stories, and that’s really what lies at the heart of this book. As a young girl, Judith Easton’s parents arranged a marriage for her with Maxwell, later to become the Marquess of Denbigh. Silent and moody Max found himself quietly falling in love with Judith and he was devastated when Judith broke the betrothal and eloped with another. For her part, Judith had misinterpreted Max’s reserve for coldness and a lack of feeling but now, eight years later, Judith is a widow and she finds herself back in Max’s orbit.
At 26, Judith Easton is a widow with two children and after living through a disillusioning marriage, she is rather wiser than during her first London Season. Upon her return to town following her scandalous elopement, she goes out for the first time only to run into her former betrothed quite by chance. We soon learn that this meeting has given Max an idea to plan revenge on Judith for the heartbreak of years earlier. Given the level of pain that her actions caused Max, I could understand his anger at first.
This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/deck-hall...
I love second chance at love stories, and that’s really what lies at the heart of this book. As a young girl, Judith Easton’s parents arranged a marriage for her with Maxwell, later to become the Marquess of Denbigh. Silent and moody Max found himself quietly falling in love with Judith and he was devastated when Judith broke the betrothal and eloped with another. For her part, Judith had misinterpreted Max’s reserve for coldness and a lack of feeling but now, eight years later, Judith is a widow and she finds herself back in Max’s orbit.
At 26, Judith Easton is a widow with two children and after living through a disillusioning marriage, she is rather wiser than during her first London Season. Upon her return to town following her scandalous elopement, she goes out for the first time only to run into her former betrothed quite by chance. We soon learn that this meeting has given Max an idea to plan revenge on Judith for the heartbreak of years earlier. Given the level of pain that her actions caused Max, I could understand his anger at first.
This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/deck-hall...
January 7, 2020
http://www.unbrindelecture.com/2020/0...
Une romance historique alliée à la magie de Noël, je ne pouvais passer à côté de cette lecture d'autant plus quand elle est écrite par le grande Mary Balogh. C'est terriblement bien écrit, plein de bonnes manières et d'émotions, quelques passages font même monter la température... que demander de plus ?
Une romance historique alliée à la magie de Noël, je ne pouvais passer à côté de cette lecture d'autant plus quand elle est écrite par le grande Mary Balogh. C'est terriblement bien écrit, plein de bonnes manières et d'émotions, quelques passages font même monter la température... que demander de plus ?
December 24, 2015
I cheesed almost the entire time I read this story.
Maxwell and Judith have really made a muddle-headed mess of their love lives. Judith was too young to recognize the desire that Maxwell felt for her in their youth, and Maxwell took Judith's feelings about their engagement for granted. Thus it's years later and they are back in each other's company. Max thinks that he can fix his broken heart by seeking revenge on newly widowed Judith, and Judith feeling ashamed of how she acted in her youth allows him to falsely woo her.
The emotional journeys that the characters undergo are extremely well written. The shame that Max begins feeling for wanting to seek revenge on Judith and the confusion Judith feels when she begins falling in love with Max are executed flawlessly. As I said earlier, I cheesed the entire time. I knew they were still in love with each other way before they realized it.
Mary Balogh has found herself a new fan.
Maxwell and Judith have really made a muddle-headed mess of their love lives. Judith was too young to recognize the desire that Maxwell felt for her in their youth, and Maxwell took Judith's feelings about their engagement for granted. Thus it's years later and they are back in each other's company. Max thinks that he can fix his broken heart by seeking revenge on newly widowed Judith, and Judith feeling ashamed of how she acted in her youth allows him to falsely woo her.
The emotional journeys that the characters undergo are extremely well written. The shame that Max begins feeling for wanting to seek revenge on Judith and the confusion Judith feels when she begins falling in love with Max are executed flawlessly. As I said earlier, I cheesed the entire time. I knew they were still in love with each other way before they realized it.
Mary Balogh has found herself a new fan.
January 12, 2014
This one was...alright. A good story, good characters. I enjoyed that Christmas was truly the main focus of the novel, rather than just the background. But there was definitely something lacking. I think it was the hastily wrapped up ending of the book. There was turmoil, betrayal, wrong-doing...and all righted in the span of perhaps...10 pages? And then no epilogue. This book NEEDED an epilogue, badly. It needed to see a glimpse into the main characters' futures as well as the secondary romance in the novel, which was my favorite part of the book. I wanted to see more of Amy and Spencer, the secondary couple. The main couple was rather...flat. Not bad, just...not all that interesting.
December 1, 2019
Mary Balogh never disappoints. A story of hate and revenge at Christmas? It works, because Christmas is a time of redemption too. And I loved the secondary romance between an older woman scarred by smallpox in her youth, and the hero's friend.
December 20, 2024
This is a true-to-form historical romance novella. The trope is second chances.
A parental contractual betrothal between an established gentleman and a naive, inexperienced girl who knew nothing of one another or their families, other than what is necessary, good blood and refined upbringing.
During the brief betrothal period, the marquess acts in every way as expected of a gentleman towards a soon-to-be bride, respectful and reserved.
Judith, a frightened, innocent girl just out of the schoolroom, is looking for comfort and the love found in the romance novels of the day.
When a 110% libertine makes a bet with his friends, he can steal the innocent girl from under the nose of the lofty marquess; her downfall is set. The libertine smoothly talks and humors her, making her laugh and feel comfortable.
Believing the marquess has no affection for her nor cares one way or the other, and without giving thought to propriety or any form of proper courtesy to her family or the marquess, runs away with the deadbeat gentleman to Gretna Green. Believing a life couldn't be any worse with sun loving Andrew, at least he made her laugh. She was wrong.
Sadly, it was only a game for Andrew, and the libertine dumps her at his country estate, where he occasionally visits to begat himself an heir. He, of course, spends his time in London with his mistresses, in the gaming hells and drinking heavily with his friends.
After 8 years of a nightmarish marriage, she is set free when the libertine is killed in a barroom brawl in London.
Judith is finally free, and she and her 2 small children remove themselves to London, along with a sister-in-law, who has been misused and mistreated by this family.
Of course, The Marquess hasn't forgotten the pain the young and immature Judith caused him. He had actually fallen deeply in love with her and had looked forward to gently teaching her what to expect from a marriage. So distraught, he spent an entire year on a walking tour roaming the English countryside trying to forget her. After that failure, he threw himself into his ancestral estate. He did not return to London either.
Of course, when he learns she has returned, his overwhelming desire to inflict the same hurt she carelessly caused and without thought caused him, he too returns for his revenge. He wants her to know that same hurt.
He intends to use whatever means necessary to get close to her, including her children and sister-in-law. It is the typical and powerful battle between good and evil, which many of us fight.
Of course, as well-laid plans go, the first time he sees her, the old love thought buried begins to surface. He even finds he begins to care for and love her children and sister-in-law.
Judith is confident it is revenge he seeks, but even she begins to see cracks in his armour of hate. She also begins to see the true man behind the mask and realizes she did hurt him and just how horrid her behaviour had indeed been.
The battle rages within the marquess seeking the release from the hold she has had on him for 8 years, and although he struggles with it, he finally follows through with his plan, hoping to find redemption, but finds revenge is far from relief.
This was one of those stories of yesteryear where authors did not include epilogues, and the stories ended far too abruptly. This one yearns for more at the end. It would have been better as a full novel; I believe both characters would have been better served. I love the historical accuracy and the bend to reach the happily ever after in the genre. And nobody does it better these days than Mary Balogh.
A parental contractual betrothal between an established gentleman and a naive, inexperienced girl who knew nothing of one another or their families, other than what is necessary, good blood and refined upbringing.
During the brief betrothal period, the marquess acts in every way as expected of a gentleman towards a soon-to-be bride, respectful and reserved.
Judith, a frightened, innocent girl just out of the schoolroom, is looking for comfort and the love found in the romance novels of the day.
When a 110% libertine makes a bet with his friends, he can steal the innocent girl from under the nose of the lofty marquess; her downfall is set. The libertine smoothly talks and humors her, making her laugh and feel comfortable.
Believing the marquess has no affection for her nor cares one way or the other, and without giving thought to propriety or any form of proper courtesy to her family or the marquess, runs away with the deadbeat gentleman to Gretna Green. Believing a life couldn't be any worse with sun loving Andrew, at least he made her laugh. She was wrong.
Sadly, it was only a game for Andrew, and the libertine dumps her at his country estate, where he occasionally visits to begat himself an heir. He, of course, spends his time in London with his mistresses, in the gaming hells and drinking heavily with his friends.
After 8 years of a nightmarish marriage, she is set free when the libertine is killed in a barroom brawl in London.
Judith is finally free, and she and her 2 small children remove themselves to London, along with a sister-in-law, who has been misused and mistreated by this family.
Of course, The Marquess hasn't forgotten the pain the young and immature Judith caused him. He had actually fallen deeply in love with her and had looked forward to gently teaching her what to expect from a marriage. So distraught, he spent an entire year on a walking tour roaming the English countryside trying to forget her. After that failure, he threw himself into his ancestral estate. He did not return to London either.
Of course, when he learns she has returned, his overwhelming desire to inflict the same hurt she carelessly caused and without thought caused him, he too returns for his revenge. He wants her to know that same hurt.
He intends to use whatever means necessary to get close to her, including her children and sister-in-law. It is the typical and powerful battle between good and evil, which many of us fight.
Of course, as well-laid plans go, the first time he sees her, the old love thought buried begins to surface. He even finds he begins to care for and love her children and sister-in-law.
Judith is confident it is revenge he seeks, but even she begins to see cracks in his armour of hate. She also begins to see the true man behind the mask and realizes she did hurt him and just how horrid her behaviour had indeed been.
The battle rages within the marquess seeking the release from the hold she has had on him for 8 years, and although he struggles with it, he finally follows through with his plan, hoping to find redemption, but finds revenge is far from relief.
This was one of those stories of yesteryear where authors did not include epilogues, and the stories ended far too abruptly. This one yearns for more at the end. It would have been better as a full novel; I believe both characters would have been better served. I love the historical accuracy and the bend to reach the happily ever after in the genre. And nobody does it better these days than Mary Balogh.
May 19, 2024
Una Balogh davvero dolce per questa vendetta.
Quando lui la ama tanto da sbagliare tutto
Dalla vostra Lyanne Quay di "Un Conte per Tiranno"!
Dunque , ennesimo Balogh nel mio carniere, romanzo con molti difetti per lo meno per i miei gusti, complice il fatto che ho letto di fretta rubando tempo alla scrittura. Ma in realtà mi ha incatenato alla pagina e mi ha mostrato l’osso, il mio limite.
Questa storia parte dalla messa a fuoco di una sensazione che ho sperimentato da bambina e cui ho cercato di dar corpo né Un Barone per Fantasma, ci ho girato intorno e l’ho spiegata ma non sono riuscita a essere efficace come la Balogh con un paio di parole: “disgusto” e “attrazione sessuale”.
Mi riferisco agli svenimenti della mia Susanna che dalla comparsa del Barone già nel romanzo del Marchese gli sveniva davanti sopraffatta. Sopraffatta, sì… ma da cosa?
Avevo in mente l’isitinto a rintanarmi quando sopraggiungeva mio cugino in campagna. Avevo meno di dieci anni. Una sensazione mista di vergogna e d’impulso a scappare, fischio nelle orecchie, paura… Ho cercato poi nel Barone nel finale di far spiegare a Susanna quella sensazione e poi invece, ben meglio di Susanna, lo fa Justine in questo romanzo.
Dice la Balogh, la parafraso: quella paura, quel disgusto al semplice sfiorarsi delle mani, era una sommergente attrazione sessuale che la giovane Justin non riusciva a decifrare come tale e che la spaventava.
Ecco la Balogh sulla psicologia ha le idee molto più chiare delle mie, e con questo limite dovrò fare i conti.
Questo romanzo è la storia di un personaggio meraviglioso, un uomo che ama troppo. Gli viene appioppata una fidanzata per un matrimonio combinato, gli viene fatta conoscere e lui appena la vede sviluppa un’adesione totalizzante… perché sarà sua, perché è dolcissima e bella ed elegante, perché si sente subito investito della missione di proteggerla e farla felice e perché subito tutto il suo corpo di giovane maschio la desidera. Solitario, con un passato di figlio unico, senza frequentazioni femminili alle spalle, Max, il conte, ha un solo modo per cercare di essere all’altezza di questo sentimento totalizzante, comportarsi in modo irreprensibile, e tuttavia tutto di lui tradisce l’intensità del desiderio, della passione, dell’amore. E Justine ne viene atterrita, speventata al punto da fuggire con un altro e piantare Max davanti all’altare.
Questa premessa fa da sfondo al romanzo dove a otto anni di distanza si disveleranno due personaggi alle prese con un amore reciproco tanto grande da risultare ancora una volta spaventoso.
Al netto di molti difetti, – bambini, coralità e Natale, tutto un insieme che un po' nella Balogh è ripetitivo, – la dinamica relazionale di Justin e Max è un vero gioiello.
Cinque stelle ma ne meriterebbe cento.
Quando lui la ama tanto da sbagliare tutto
Dalla vostra Lyanne Quay di "Un Conte per Tiranno"!
Dunque , ennesimo Balogh nel mio carniere, romanzo con molti difetti per lo meno per i miei gusti, complice il fatto che ho letto di fretta rubando tempo alla scrittura. Ma in realtà mi ha incatenato alla pagina e mi ha mostrato l’osso, il mio limite.
Questa storia parte dalla messa a fuoco di una sensazione che ho sperimentato da bambina e cui ho cercato di dar corpo né Un Barone per Fantasma, ci ho girato intorno e l’ho spiegata ma non sono riuscita a essere efficace come la Balogh con un paio di parole: “disgusto” e “attrazione sessuale”.
Mi riferisco agli svenimenti della mia Susanna che dalla comparsa del Barone già nel romanzo del Marchese gli sveniva davanti sopraffatta. Sopraffatta, sì… ma da cosa?
Avevo in mente l’isitinto a rintanarmi quando sopraggiungeva mio cugino in campagna. Avevo meno di dieci anni. Una sensazione mista di vergogna e d’impulso a scappare, fischio nelle orecchie, paura… Ho cercato poi nel Barone nel finale di far spiegare a Susanna quella sensazione e poi invece, ben meglio di Susanna, lo fa Justine in questo romanzo.
Dice la Balogh, la parafraso: quella paura, quel disgusto al semplice sfiorarsi delle mani, era una sommergente attrazione sessuale che la giovane Justin non riusciva a decifrare come tale e che la spaventava.
Ecco la Balogh sulla psicologia ha le idee molto più chiare delle mie, e con questo limite dovrò fare i conti.
Questo romanzo è la storia di un personaggio meraviglioso, un uomo che ama troppo. Gli viene appioppata una fidanzata per un matrimonio combinato, gli viene fatta conoscere e lui appena la vede sviluppa un’adesione totalizzante… perché sarà sua, perché è dolcissima e bella ed elegante, perché si sente subito investito della missione di proteggerla e farla felice e perché subito tutto il suo corpo di giovane maschio la desidera. Solitario, con un passato di figlio unico, senza frequentazioni femminili alle spalle, Max, il conte, ha un solo modo per cercare di essere all’altezza di questo sentimento totalizzante, comportarsi in modo irreprensibile, e tuttavia tutto di lui tradisce l’intensità del desiderio, della passione, dell’amore. E Justine ne viene atterrita, speventata al punto da fuggire con un altro e piantare Max davanti all’altare.
Questa premessa fa da sfondo al romanzo dove a otto anni di distanza si disveleranno due personaggi alle prese con un amore reciproco tanto grande da risultare ancora una volta spaventoso.
Al netto di molti difetti, – bambini, coralità e Natale, tutto un insieme che un po' nella Balogh è ripetitivo, – la dinamica relazionale di Justin e Max è un vero gioiello.
Cinque stelle ma ne meriterebbe cento.
December 28, 2019
Technically, this book had two love stories in it.
The main love story is Judith is now widowed, she has two children, and her sister-in-law, Amy, lives in London. She eloped with her first husband, leaving the man she was engaged to, Max, who was told by her father that she had run away; and he has plans to make her feel the same hurt that she inflicted on him.
She believed that Max's feelings were not involved in the engagement as he was stern-faced and austere in public. Max is warned by a fortune-teller that the darkness in him could overwhelm the light in him - and he finds this true as he succeeds in his revenge and Judith is hurt.
Meanwhile, Amy has been sheltered and made to feel ashamed of her appearance in public because she had (chicken?) pox and scars on her face. Judith and Amy are told that orphans and other children will be at the Christmas party because Max is financing their housing and education. Amy meets the headmaster of the school, Mr. Stanley Cornwell, and though they develop feelings towards each other over the Christmas holiday, Stanley believes Amy is beyond his reach as she is from a different class - and Amy is devastated by his view of reality.
Rather than allow Stanley to have the last word, before she and Judith leave for London, Amy determines she will ask the headmaster to marry her. He meets her and bowing to "propriety", he requests her to marry him. Yay happy ending here! No red flags! 5 stars for this story.
Max and Judith on the other hand, have MAJOR red flags. Judith ignores her intuition that Max is bound for revenge, and Max continually manipulates her family to put pressure on her to do what he wants: coming to his country estate for Christmas and other things that eventually lead up to marrying him.
A concerning thing regarding Max was that he was told by Judith that her husband fulfilled a bet to seduce her away from him and while acknowledging that her deceased husband was an accomplished rake, who seduced multiple women prior to her and even after marrying her, and she was an inexperienced teen on the marriage mart - rather than showing mercy, he followed through on his revenge: playing with her feelings and then acting as if it was just a fling. 1 star, maybe 2, for this red-flag romance.
There's at least one or two sexual scenes between Judith and Max; none between Amy and Stanley.
The only reason this story gets 4 stars from me are Amy and Stanley as well as the descriptions and scenes about the Christmas story. Any quotes I would put are in chapter 12 of this story.
The main love story is Judith is now widowed, she has two children, and her sister-in-law, Amy, lives in London. She eloped with her first husband, leaving the man she was engaged to, Max, who was told by her father that she had run away; and he has plans to make her feel the same hurt that she inflicted on him.
She believed that Max's feelings were not involved in the engagement as he was stern-faced and austere in public. Max is warned by a fortune-teller that the darkness in him could overwhelm the light in him - and he finds this true as he succeeds in his revenge and Judith is hurt.
Meanwhile, Amy has been sheltered and made to feel ashamed of her appearance in public because she had (chicken?) pox and scars on her face. Judith and Amy are told that orphans and other children will be at the Christmas party because Max is financing their housing and education. Amy meets the headmaster of the school, Mr. Stanley Cornwell, and though they develop feelings towards each other over the Christmas holiday, Stanley believes Amy is beyond his reach as she is from a different class - and Amy is devastated by his view of reality.
Rather than allow Stanley to have the last word, before she and Judith leave for London, Amy determines she will ask the headmaster to marry her. He meets her and bowing to "propriety", he requests her to marry him. Yay happy ending here! No red flags! 5 stars for this story.
Max and Judith on the other hand, have MAJOR red flags. Judith ignores her intuition that Max is bound for revenge, and Max continually manipulates her family to put pressure on her to do what he wants: coming to his country estate for Christmas and other things that eventually lead up to marrying him.
A concerning thing regarding Max was that he was told by Judith that her husband fulfilled a bet to seduce her away from him and while acknowledging that her deceased husband was an accomplished rake, who seduced multiple women prior to her and even after marrying her, and she was an inexperienced teen on the marriage mart - rather than showing mercy, he followed through on his revenge: playing with her feelings and then acting as if it was just a fling. 1 star, maybe 2, for this red-flag romance.
There's at least one or two sexual scenes between Judith and Max; none between Amy and Stanley.
The only reason this story gets 4 stars from me are Amy and Stanley as well as the descriptions and scenes about the Christmas story. Any quotes I would put are in chapter 12 of this story.
February 1, 2018
Unfortunately, this book probably never had a chance for me. I really don't like revenge romances. A big reason for that is these plots have so much sadness and impending doom hanging over them, I just can't enjoy them. I knew I shouldn't read this to begin with, but it was part of a book I already had, so I couldn't not read it.
But in addition to all that, I just don't buy it. The man we come to know throughout this book would not think this way. This kind of hatred isn't compatible with love. The story doesn't hold water.
I will say that the last section of the book almost saved it in one of Balogh's typically brilliant endings. (See comment in spoiler below about Judith.) But I was lost way before that.
Max builds up so much bad feeling as we see what he is up to that it is nearly impossible to come back and like him. For one thing, he's a liar and dishonest. You want to like Judith, but she comes off as so weak and indecisive that it's hard to like her. But Now Amy. Amy is a peach.
If you know what you are getting in terms of a revenge romance, and can live with that, you will probably really like this book. Balogh lays the foundation for a theme of forgiveness, Christmas forgiveness, and then brings it off.
Parental warning - yes there's sex in a somewhat extended scene.
1.6 out of 5
But in addition to all that, I just don't buy it. The man we come to know throughout this book would not think this way. This kind of hatred isn't compatible with love. The story doesn't hold water.
I will say that the last section of the book almost saved it in one of Balogh's typically brilliant endings. (See comment in spoiler below about Judith.) But I was lost way before that.
Max builds up so much bad feeling as we see what he is up to that it is nearly impossible to come back and like him. For one thing, he's a liar and dishonest. You want to like Judith, but she comes off as so weak and indecisive that it's hard to like her. But Now Amy. Amy is a peach.
If you know what you are getting in terms of a revenge romance, and can live with that, you will probably really like this book. Balogh lays the foundation for a theme of forgiveness, Christmas forgiveness, and then brings it off.
Parental warning - yes there's sex in a somewhat extended scene.
1.6 out of 5
April 12, 2021
I have mixed feelings about this story. I liked the heroine, Judith, and the side characters. The hero did have some redeeming qualities, but for most of the story he was a bit of an ass. The fact that he had a revenge plot for something the heroine had done as a green girl, and then continued the revenge plot even after he had learned about her perception of him at the time, and that she been essentially seduced, did not reflect well on him at all. The heroine was a lot more forgiving than I would have been. Also, I feel like this is one of those novels where much angst could have been avoided if the couple had just sat down and had a long discussion about what had happened in the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2024
Voila une romance historique sur le thème de Noel, déjà assez rare en soi dans ce style, plutôt bien sympathique à lire.
C'est l'histoire d'une vengeance amoureuse qui va se retrouver dans un sens contrariée par la magie de Noel. Un héros qui se révèle bien différent de la première impression mais enfermé dans son désir de vengeance malgré ses sentiments. Mais qui en fait est un homme pleins de surprises et dont l'héroïne finira par découvrir sa vraie valeur au-delà de ses préjugés.
C'est une romance douce et pleine de rires et de tendresse. Le seul bémol, c'est la fin trop abrupte. Un épilogue aurait été bienvenu.
C'est l'histoire d'une vengeance amoureuse qui va se retrouver dans un sens contrariée par la magie de Noel. Un héros qui se révèle bien différent de la première impression mais enfermé dans son désir de vengeance malgré ses sentiments. Mais qui en fait est un homme pleins de surprises et dont l'héroïne finira par découvrir sa vraie valeur au-delà de ses préjugés.
C'est une romance douce et pleine de rires et de tendresse. Le seul bémol, c'est la fin trop abrupte. Un épilogue aurait été bienvenu.
December 26, 2019
Malgré une héroïne que je n'ai trouvé franchement sympathique, cette histoire est très plaisante. Elle célèbre Noël, et on a droit à un Noël à la Dickens, ce qui est très plaisant. Le personnage masculin est le plus intéressant, de même que plusieurs personnages secondaires dont les histoires sont hyper touchantes (notamment celle d'Amy).
Ce n'est pas vraiment un coup de cœur, mais j'ai quand même passé un bon moment de lecture.
Ce n'est pas vraiment un coup de cœur, mais j'ai quand même passé un bon moment de lecture.
did-not-finish
December 27, 2022Dnf.
Couldn't stomach it. The heroine is too much of a pushover and sees clearly that the hero has bad intentions yet she let's herself and her family be coerced into spending time with him because she's too spineless to say no. The hero is a big baby and uses the heroine's children to lure her into his trap. This just made me mad and I will no longer put myself through frustrating books.
Couldn't stomach it. The heroine is too much of a pushover and sees clearly that the hero has bad intentions yet she let's herself and her family be coerced into spending time with him because she's too spineless to say no. The hero is a big baby and uses the heroine's children to lure her into his trap. This just made me mad and I will no longer put myself through frustrating books.
August 18, 2020
It deserves more time from the confession of revenge to the end. And more apologizing on behalf of the hero. I did like that the heroine figured out what and why he had done it sooner than later, but the story need more time.
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