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Una dolce conquista
Miss Georgiana Burton è una giovane lady, vivace e talvolta impertinente, che adora la vita mondana. Ralph, conte di Chartleigh, è bello e gentile, ma anche schivo e insicuro. Mai persone più diverse si sono ritrovate a condividere il letto coniugale. E infatti, nonostante il desiderio e l'attrazione che provano l'uno per l'altra, il matrimonio nato sotto i migliori auspici inizia ben presto a deteriorarsi. Finché Georgiana decide di prendere il destino nelle proprie mani, e ideare un piano audace per sedurre il marito...
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1987
93 people are currently reading
689 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
200 books6,357 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
June 13, 2011
This book supposedly had no cheating in it.
And that is true,…in a way.
It was a book about a silly young girl that hides behind her loud personality and a inexperienced 20 something man that fears women.
It was to be very cute book, almost light in it’s seriousness, and exploration of young love.
But somehow, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Following a series of silly fights and wrongly finished personal encounters the hero has no idea what to do with the heroine, whom he is in love with.
His cousin who dribbles in the middle of this by his connections to the hero, friendship with the heroine and courtship with the heroine’s sister decides to help everybody by arranging a mistress for the hero. The hero is appalled by the little dancer but after a big fight with his wife in which she calls him incompetent he decides to embark on an affair.
The cousin lets all of this slip to the heroine who decides to take the place of the mistress, and become her husband’s lover.
Very…complicated. And a bit over the top, was it not?
This could have been a nice story about understanding without this silly (to not say stupid) plot device.
The hero has sex with her, and likes her body.
How nice for him, eh?
He goes of to his home thinking how he loves his wife bog -Oh,Gods!- he does not feel guilty.
A bit creepy, is it not?
I know it is not considered cheating because it was really the heroine with a veil over her face but still…sheeesh.
The hero and heroine continue to be lovers.
The author tries very hard to make us believe that the hero would have never cared for the real Miss Shaw aka the little dancer that was to be his mistress in the first place. We have the scene where he is in the theatre again and has the creeps form the real Miss Shaw that smiles at him shark like. We read about him thinking that he likes , maybe loves his mistress because she cuddles with him at night. Sometimes he imagines his wife. Sometime he thinks about loving both women but is not sure how. Sometimes even I am confused when reading about the way his mind works.
There are many misunderstanding about their affair between other members of their family and all of this results in a big mess where the hero confesses all, tells his wife that he wants their marriage to work ,that he will leave his mistress and that he would claim her child even thou he know she had a lover.
And yeee Gods the lover was him! And it is his kid!
What a happy ever after!
Not so much in my book.
I guess the ending did satisfy me, and I could see them as happy in the future. Sure. That much was all right.
But the fact that he did not know that that was her under the veil, that he fancied himself in love with two women , even thou he did not understand what his body knew (that they were one and the same) it all puts a permanent dumper on their first time and generally on all their lovemaking. It just seems wrong for him to enjoy all that without knowing it was her. And in my eyes, that way, enjoying it all with somebody else! The hero was a very spineless beta hero (lets be real, he is sensitive and shy but mostly he is juts very dull) and I felt really sick to my teeth by his actions. By him not wanting to leave his ‘mistress’. By his need to have sex twice all the time. By all that he shared with the mistress. I know I was supposed to magically transfer all this in to the ‘nice and good’ section as soon as he realized what his wife was telling him-that she was his mistress and he her lover. I know I was supposed to fall at his feet because he loved her enough to keep another mans child even with the option that it would be his successor if it was a son. But just… I don’t know! Maybe I am just strange. But the whole thing bugged me to no ends. The fact that she was the mistress under the veil does not make any of his actions right. Again the author tries to make us see all this in a different light trough the heroine-she states that she is in love with the husband she has at home but she also loves her lover that is a different person. But she knows it’s him! She knows, ok!!!? He does not! At that, my friends, makes him a sleazebag.
Also we have a very stupid romance between Vera and Roger that seems to have the sole purpose to tie up all the characters in this play in their very own happy endings. Roger is the person that wanted the opera dancer in the first place. So how was he in love with Vera five pages later and is openly telling her he would never have any other women if she marries him? So very…confusing. This whole book is so twisted in little circles that I felt like having a epileptic seizure after reading it. It’s not that it was a badly written thing. It still had the charm all the novels from this author have. But it was missing something. Maybe it was just some sense.
And that is true,…in a way.
It was a book about a silly young girl that hides behind her loud personality and a inexperienced 20 something man that fears women.
It was to be very cute book, almost light in it’s seriousness, and exploration of young love.
But somehow, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Following a series of silly fights and wrongly finished personal encounters the hero has no idea what to do with the heroine, whom he is in love with.
His cousin who dribbles in the middle of this by his connections to the hero, friendship with the heroine and courtship with the heroine’s sister decides to help everybody by arranging a mistress for the hero. The hero is appalled by the little dancer but after a big fight with his wife in which she calls him incompetent he decides to embark on an affair.
The cousin lets all of this slip to the heroine who decides to take the place of the mistress, and become her husband’s lover.
Very…complicated. And a bit over the top, was it not?
This could have been a nice story about understanding without this silly (to not say stupid) plot device.
The hero has sex with her, and likes her body.
How nice for him, eh?
He goes of to his home thinking how he loves his wife bog -Oh,Gods!- he does not feel guilty.
A bit creepy, is it not?
I know it is not considered cheating because it was really the heroine with a veil over her face but still…sheeesh.
The hero and heroine continue to be lovers.
The author tries very hard to make us believe that the hero would have never cared for the real Miss Shaw aka the little dancer that was to be his mistress in the first place. We have the scene where he is in the theatre again and has the creeps form the real Miss Shaw that smiles at him shark like. We read about him thinking that he likes , maybe loves his mistress because she cuddles with him at night. Sometimes he imagines his wife. Sometime he thinks about loving both women but is not sure how. Sometimes even I am confused when reading about the way his mind works.
There are many misunderstanding about their affair between other members of their family and all of this results in a big mess where the hero confesses all, tells his wife that he wants their marriage to work ,that he will leave his mistress and that he would claim her child even thou he know she had a lover.
And yeee Gods the lover was him! And it is his kid!
What a happy ever after!
Not so much in my book.
I guess the ending did satisfy me, and I could see them as happy in the future. Sure. That much was all right.
But the fact that he did not know that that was her under the veil, that he fancied himself in love with two women , even thou he did not understand what his body knew (that they were one and the same) it all puts a permanent dumper on their first time and generally on all their lovemaking. It just seems wrong for him to enjoy all that without knowing it was her. And in my eyes, that way, enjoying it all with somebody else! The hero was a very spineless beta hero (lets be real, he is sensitive and shy but mostly he is juts very dull) and I felt really sick to my teeth by his actions. By him not wanting to leave his ‘mistress’. By his need to have sex twice all the time. By all that he shared with the mistress. I know I was supposed to magically transfer all this in to the ‘nice and good’ section as soon as he realized what his wife was telling him-that she was his mistress and he her lover. I know I was supposed to fall at his feet because he loved her enough to keep another mans child even with the option that it would be his successor if it was a son. But just… I don’t know! Maybe I am just strange. But the whole thing bugged me to no ends. The fact that she was the mistress under the veil does not make any of his actions right. Again the author tries to make us see all this in a different light trough the heroine-she states that she is in love with the husband she has at home but she also loves her lover that is a different person. But she knows it’s him! She knows, ok!!!? He does not! At that, my friends, makes him a sleazebag.
Also we have a very stupid romance between Vera and Roger that seems to have the sole purpose to tie up all the characters in this play in their very own happy endings. Roger is the person that wanted the opera dancer in the first place. So how was he in love with Vera five pages later and is openly telling her he would never have any other women if she marries him? So very…confusing. This whole book is so twisted in little circles that I felt like having a epileptic seizure after reading it. It’s not that it was a badly written thing. It still had the charm all the novels from this author have. But it was missing something. Maybe it was just some sense.
May 17, 2024
A regency romance by the famous Mary Balogh.
Here's why I didn't like it and I don't recommend you spend ( waste ) your time reading it.
THE PLOT IN BRIEF __ Ralph, Earl of Chartleigh, is only 21 years old and has no experience of the world or even with women. However, he has a kind heart, good manners and no malice in his thoughts, always smiling and condescending to everyone, always ready to see the good side of people.
Georgiana Burton, the young 18-year-old bride that his mother found for him, is a smart girl, with several flirtations behind her and with a peppery character, but who in the first dates with Ralph will show herself shy and sweet, as ordered by her father.
Ralph falls in love immediately, however the wedding night is not consummated, due to his inexperience and because of the mocking comments of his young wife.
The result is a misunderstanding that will not be resolved for a long time and will result in actions that will confuse the situation even more.
___________________
The premise of the story interested me a lot because the hero of the story is different from the usual rakes and libertines who suddenly come to their senses thanks to the encounter with special and fantastic women in every way.
The latter is in fact a cliché that may suit women who are passionate about regency love stories, but I am not an avid reader of romances and I find it tiring to always read the same type of story, just with different names.
For almost all my life I disdained romances, especially regency ones, because I found them dull and flat, until a couple of years ago I discovered that some are really funny and full of humor and other romances, which include a little mystery, are intriguing and full of suspense and twists (the dramatic ones, however, I discard out of hand because they make me sad).
---> Well, this book is exactly what I have always avoided: a boring, flat story, without plot twists, without jokes and humorous scenes, without any suspense and without interesting protagonists!!!
Throughout the first half of the book, the author tells the thoughts of the two spouses in the third person: THE BRIDE initially considers her new husband weak, inexperienced and with none of the male "skills" (gambling, go hunting, be a scoundrel full of women... ), too physically beautiful to be considered charming, as if for her beauty made him effeminate.
You will understand that I could not love this girl.
I understand that the rich man's lifestyle back then was to go to the club and play cards and be a complete asshole, BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ADMIRED THIS IN A MAN! To me she was a complete idiot!
After the failed wedding night, she finally realizes that she has behaved badly and understands that she has inhibited her husband even more.
Little by little she begins to appreciate his kind ways and his generosity towards everyone... the character therefore improves, but throughout the first half of the book I always had to read the same things: first contempt and then repentance... nothing else interesting.
Again throughout the first half of the book, in addition to the same phrases, continually repeated in her head, the reader has to put up with his mental ruminations: THE GROOM, in his naivety and lack of malice, does not feel angry at all with the bride, but he thinks he has scared her and is afraid of "hurting her" because she is a virgin.
The author really exaggerates in describing him as good and altruistic and this becomes far-fetched and tiring.
Furthermore, at a certain point one comes to think that he really is an idiot, since he desires his wife, but no longer makes any attempt to consummate the marriage with her.
However, he tries ABSURD ... I understand the writer's intent, but she wrote everything in an absurd and implausible way not even for that time.
I understand that at the time there was embarrassment in talking about sex so why not talk about it with her husband?
And he,
In the second part with the arrival of the rogue cousin, I thought that finally there would be some movement in the story, because he interferes in the affairs of the two spouses, bringing havoc to the family due to his reputation.
BUT NO: WE STILL HAVE A FLAT STORY.
This would have been an interesting character because
amidst all the boredom of the story, he manages to say a few slightly witty lines, but the character isn't developed enough to bring joy to the reader.
Don't even think that you can read something interesting about misunderstandings, because even family arguments are boring.
The icing on the cake of boredom is that "the good boy"
I would like to explain the spoiler of the ending more, but I feel like I have already wasted too much time both in reading this book and in reviewing it.
Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my faulty English, it's not my native language.
Here's why I didn't like it and I don't recommend you spend ( waste ) your time reading it.
THE PLOT IN BRIEF __ Ralph, Earl of Chartleigh, is only 21 years old and has no experience of the world or even with women. However, he has a kind heart, good manners and no malice in his thoughts, always smiling and condescending to everyone, always ready to see the good side of people.
Georgiana Burton, the young 18-year-old bride that his mother found for him, is a smart girl, with several flirtations behind her and with a peppery character, but who in the first dates with Ralph will show herself shy and sweet, as ordered by her father.
Ralph falls in love immediately, however the wedding night is not consummated, due to his inexperience and because of the mocking comments of his young wife.
The result is a misunderstanding that will not be resolved for a long time and will result in actions that will confuse the situation even more.
___________________
The premise of the story interested me a lot because the hero of the story is different from the usual rakes and libertines who suddenly come to their senses thanks to the encounter with special and fantastic women in every way.
The latter is in fact a cliché that may suit women who are passionate about regency love stories, but I am not an avid reader of romances and I find it tiring to always read the same type of story, just with different names.
For almost all my life I disdained romances, especially regency ones, because I found them dull and flat, until a couple of years ago I discovered that some are really funny and full of humor and other romances, which include a little mystery, are intriguing and full of suspense and twists (the dramatic ones, however, I discard out of hand because they make me sad).
---> Well, this book is exactly what I have always avoided: a boring, flat story, without plot twists, without jokes and humorous scenes, without any suspense and without interesting protagonists!!!
Throughout the first half of the book, the author tells the thoughts of the two spouses in the third person: THE BRIDE initially considers her new husband weak, inexperienced and with none of the male "skills" (gambling, go hunting, be a scoundrel full of women... ), too physically beautiful to be considered charming, as if for her beauty made him effeminate.
You will understand that I could not love this girl.
I understand that the rich man's lifestyle back then was to go to the club and play cards and be a complete asshole, BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ADMIRED THIS IN A MAN! To me she was a complete idiot!
After the failed wedding night, she finally realizes that she has behaved badly and understands that she has inhibited her husband even more.
Little by little she begins to appreciate his kind ways and his generosity towards everyone... the character therefore improves, but throughout the first half of the book I always had to read the same things: first contempt and then repentance... nothing else interesting.
Again throughout the first half of the book, in addition to the same phrases, continually repeated in her head, the reader has to put up with his mental ruminations: THE GROOM, in his naivety and lack of malice, does not feel angry at all with the bride, but he thinks he has scared her and is afraid of "hurting her" because she is a virgin.
The author really exaggerates in describing him as good and altruistic and this becomes far-fetched and tiring.
Furthermore, at a certain point one comes to think that he really is an idiot, since he desires his wife, but no longer makes any attempt to consummate the marriage with her.
However, he tries ABSURD ... I understand the writer's intent, but she wrote everything in an absurd and implausible way not even for that time.
I understand that at the time there was embarrassment in talking about sex so why not talk about it with her husband?
And he,
In the second part with the arrival of the rogue cousin, I thought that finally there would be some movement in the story, because he interferes in the affairs of the two spouses, bringing havoc to the family due to his reputation.
BUT NO: WE STILL HAVE A FLAT STORY.
This would have been an interesting character because
amidst all the boredom of the story, he manages to say a few slightly witty lines, but the character isn't developed enough to bring joy to the reader.
Don't even think that you can read something interesting about misunderstandings, because even family arguments are boring.
The icing on the cake of boredom is that "the good boy"
I would like to explain the spoiler of the ending more, but I feel like I have already wasted too much time both in reading this book and in reviewing it.
Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my faulty English, it's not my native language.
avoid
June 20, 2022Self note
Avoid. Cheating
The H and h have a fight. They are married. So he decides to go have sex with another woman. His wife, pretends to be the ow and have sex with the hub, in the ow place. The hub thinks the h is ow.
He thinks the Ow (h) has a great body..enjoys the sex. Goes home, not feeling guilty..thinks about how much he loves the h.
Still cheating to me, since he had no idea it was h, his wife.
Avoid. Cheating
The H and h have a fight. They are married. So he decides to go have sex with another woman. His wife, pretends to be the ow and have sex with the hub, in the ow place. The hub thinks the h is ow.
He thinks the Ow (h) has a great body..enjoys the sex. Goes home, not feeling guilty..thinks about how much he loves the h.
Still cheating to me, since he had no idea it was h, his wife.
June 7, 2018
I can't believe this is a Balogh...the only thing I enjoyed in this book was the hero's internal dialogue when it comes to prostitution and being unfaithful and society's double standards for men and women....that was accumulatively one chapter...the rest was all crap.
July 30, 2020
I'm not sure what it is about early Balogh that makes everyone so mad as I find her beta male heros quite likeable, and even some of the more alpha ones. They are usually much more varied in the introspection of their feelings than a lot of more modern ones, and I appreciate the lack of large muscles, hairy chests, and references to big penises, as though that's the only thing attractive about men in romance novels... And again with the infidelity complaints. This is the best infidelity as it isn at all. But that is a fantasy of some women and it doesn't bother me in historical novels the way it would in modern ones, so for me it's a non issue that has no relevance on a rating.
I liked Ralph. A lot.
I liked Ralph. A lot.
November 9, 2010
Another Balogh oldie (yes I read quite a few last month) and one that I started worrying about once I was introduced to the heroine. She seemed the ultimate shallow girl, marrying because her parents so decided but determined to make fun of her husband. The husband was intelligent, honourable, charming even although a bit shy with his bride. He fell head over heels in love with at first sight and seemed unable to utter more than a couple of words in her presence. Georgiana pretends to also be shy and delicate while she is being courted but while Ralph never even kissed a girl she has already been kissed by a couple of her friends and sees nothing wrong with a light flirtation.
Ralph's inexperience and Georgiana’s behaviour lead them to an awkward situation on their wedding night and they do not consummate it. Instead Ralph decided to wait till they get to know each other better. He is quite surprised by the vivacious girl she becomes after the wedding and feels even more enchanted by her. Although seems as shallow as in the beginning we can see that she doesn't have a bad heart and would like to make a go of her marriage. She is a bit impulsive and sometimes her actions really are a bit too much but she is the kind who learns from her mistakes.
They eventually return to London and the ton's social life. Georgiana meets her old friends and makes the acquaintance of one of Ralph's cousins. The more she gets to know her husband the more she wants their marriage to be consummated, you can see her growing up, appreciating her husband as she should and he deserves. But Ralph doesn't seem in any hurry to do the deed. With the help of her husband's cousin she eventually comes up with a plan to seduce him, but since he feels intimidated by her she pretends to be someone else.
I must admit that Georgiana's crazy plan was quite funny. Because of that I could suspend my disbelief regarding the fact that Ralph slept with his wife believing her to be a stranger and never realising it. But I could see a mile away that someone would eventually believe Georgiana to be carrying on an affair and that might have some trouble explaining what she had been up to. How she was found out and how Ralph dealt with the situation was also quite funny.
Despite what I would think to be a crazy plot if I had just read about it I think the story worked very well, showing two young people (18 and 21) getting to know each other and falling in love while still showing some adolescent behaviour. While this isn't one of my favourite Balogh's it was still a very nice read.
The secondary romance was also a nice touch.
Grade: 4/5
Ralph's inexperience and Georgiana’s behaviour lead them to an awkward situation on their wedding night and they do not consummate it. Instead Ralph decided to wait till they get to know each other better. He is quite surprised by the vivacious girl she becomes after the wedding and feels even more enchanted by her. Although seems as shallow as in the beginning we can see that she doesn't have a bad heart and would like to make a go of her marriage. She is a bit impulsive and sometimes her actions really are a bit too much but she is the kind who learns from her mistakes.
They eventually return to London and the ton's social life. Georgiana meets her old friends and makes the acquaintance of one of Ralph's cousins. The more she gets to know her husband the more she wants their marriage to be consummated, you can see her growing up, appreciating her husband as she should and he deserves. But Ralph doesn't seem in any hurry to do the deed. With the help of her husband's cousin she eventually comes up with a plan to seduce him, but since he feels intimidated by her she pretends to be someone else.
I must admit that Georgiana's crazy plan was quite funny. Because of that I could suspend my disbelief regarding the fact that Ralph slept with his wife believing her to be a stranger and never realising it. But I could see a mile away that someone would eventually believe Georgiana to be carrying on an affair and that might have some trouble explaining what she had been up to. How she was found out and how Ralph dealt with the situation was also quite funny.
Despite what I would think to be a crazy plot if I had just read about it I think the story worked very well, showing two young people (18 and 21) getting to know each other and falling in love while still showing some adolescent behaviour. While this isn't one of my favourite Balogh's it was still a very nice read.
The secondary romance was also a nice touch.
Grade: 4/5
October 1, 2020
An unusual Regency romance, with a gentle, shy 21-year-old male protagonist and an 18-year-old practical joker hoyden female protagonist who end up in an arranged marriage early in the story. A marriage that is unconsummated because gentle Ralph is unable to inflict pain on Georgiana, his new wife. Turns out that brave Georgie is a little more afraid of losing her virginity than she originally thought. But after the wedding night that wasn't, Georgie is more embarrassed about still being a virgin than she is afraid of sex, and wants to try again. But Ralph is determined to keep his physical distance until he's won Georgiana's trust. And neither can summon the courage to talk openly about their predicament—at least with one another. Thus scrape-prone Georgie, with the help of Ralph's cousin, must come up with a plan to help Ralph get over what she assumes is his "impotence." A light comedy rather than the drama more common in many of Balogh's other books, and interesting for its unconventional leads, especially kindly Ralph.
Interesting that this one has not been republished in e-book format; due to the cheating in thought if not in actual deed? As a shy person who had a lot of trouble talking with my partner about sex when we were Georgie and Ralph's age, I could relate to how tongue-tied the two protagonists were with each other, and thus had far less of a problem with Ralph's "affair" than many readers seem to do.
Had to purchase a used paperback copy in order to read it...
Interesting that this one has not been republished in e-book format; due to the cheating in thought if not in actual deed? As a shy person who had a lot of trouble talking with my partner about sex when we were Georgie and Ralph's age, I could relate to how tongue-tied the two protagonists were with each other, and thus had far less of a problem with Ralph's "affair" than many readers seem to do.
Had to purchase a used paperback copy in order to read it...
March 10, 2025
Heroine: Georgiana Burton, 18. Nickname: Georgie. Daughter of Viscount Lansbury.
Hero: Ralph Middleton, 21. Earl of Chartleigh.
Date: unknown
How they meet: Georgie and Ralph first meet after their parents have arranged a marriage. Georgie’s parents are hoping a husband will temper her wild ways and Ralph’s mother thinks he needs a wife to make him more of a man. They agree to a marriage after two meetings.
What happens: Georgie is mainly interested in getting out from underneath her father’s thumb. She is immature and decides she doesn’t like Ralph before meeting him. Then she notices that Ralph is rather shy and reserved---the total opposite of herself. She decides to trick Ralph by acting shy herself, then will surprise him with what she’s really like after the marriage.
Verdict: I liked that the plot of this book was a bit unusual. The heroine starts out as unlikeable and immature in contrast to the hero who is a gentle soul with a kind heart. The marriage struggles because the hero and heroine are too much in their own heads rather than communicating, but strangely they do gradually form a friendship if not a passionate romantic attachment. A bit of deceit is used to try to solve their intimacy issues, which is successful in some ways but not in others. A bit of drama caused by the assumptions of family members finally brings everything to a head. The book gives both their perspectives, but is weighted a bit more towards the heroine’s point of view. She experiences the most personal growth over the course of the story, so that makes sense. I felt like the major miscommunication between the two went on a little too long and I wish we’d seen more of their story after everything was reconciled between them. This is a standalone story.
Steam level: some steam and mildly explicit
Rating: 4 stars
Hero: Ralph Middleton, 21. Earl of Chartleigh.
Date: unknown
How they meet: Georgie and Ralph first meet after their parents have arranged a marriage. Georgie’s parents are hoping a husband will temper her wild ways and Ralph’s mother thinks he needs a wife to make him more of a man. They agree to a marriage after two meetings.
What happens: Georgie is mainly interested in getting out from underneath her father’s thumb. She is immature and decides she doesn’t like Ralph before meeting him. Then she notices that Ralph is rather shy and reserved---the total opposite of herself. She decides to trick Ralph by acting shy herself, then will surprise him with what she’s really like after the marriage.
Verdict: I liked that the plot of this book was a bit unusual. The heroine starts out as unlikeable and immature in contrast to the hero who is a gentle soul with a kind heart. The marriage struggles because the hero and heroine are too much in their own heads rather than communicating, but strangely they do gradually form a friendship if not a passionate romantic attachment. A bit of deceit is used to try to solve their intimacy issues, which is successful in some ways but not in others. A bit of drama caused by the assumptions of family members finally brings everything to a head. The book gives both their perspectives, but is weighted a bit more towards the heroine’s point of view. She experiences the most personal growth over the course of the story, so that makes sense. I felt like the major miscommunication between the two went on a little too long and I wish we’d seen more of their story after everything was reconciled between them. This is a standalone story.
Steam level: some steam and mildly explicit
Rating: 4 stars
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November 16, 2024This is one of Balogh's early novels, published in the 1980s. I loved the main characters. Initially, they seem like an unlikely match, but it gradually becomes clear that their strengths and personalities complement each other.
A lot of the novel frustrated me, though, because there were many times I wanted to (metaphorically) bang the MCs heads together and tell them to TALK TO EACH OTHER!! I'm usually a supporter of the miscommunication trope, but this plot could have been completely avoided if Ralph and Georgie had had a conversation the day after their wedding. If Georgie had even once said "Ralph, I'm attracted to you and I wish you would spend the night with me," this would have been a short story rather than a novel. Instead, each character drew false assumptions about the other's behavior, and both of them blamed themselves.
On the other hand, the novel also contains a great beta romance. I would have happily read an entire novel about the beta couple, because they were such a good rake x wallflower pairing. I would have loved to see inside the wallflower character's head to know how she really felt about the love interest. (The rake's feelings were more obvious.)
Overall, I can't decide what star rating I'd give this novel, because there were things I loved and things that annoyed me. Vintage romance readers or die-hard Balogh fans might enjoy this, but I suspect for a lot of other readers, it's a pass.
A lot of the novel frustrated me, though, because there were many times I wanted to (metaphorically) bang the MCs heads together and tell them to TALK TO EACH OTHER!! I'm usually a supporter of the miscommunication trope, but this plot could have been completely avoided if Ralph and Georgie had had a conversation the day after their wedding. If Georgie had even once said "Ralph, I'm attracted to you and I wish you would spend the night with me," this would have been a short story rather than a novel. Instead, each character drew false assumptions about the other's behavior, and both of them blamed themselves.
On the other hand, the novel also contains a great beta romance. I would have happily read an entire novel about the beta couple, because they were such a good rake x wallflower pairing. I would have loved to see inside the wallflower character's head to know how she really felt about the love interest. (The rake's feelings were more obvious.)
Overall, I can't decide what star rating I'd give this novel, because there were things I loved and things that annoyed me. Vintage romance readers or die-hard Balogh fans might enjoy this, but I suspect for a lot of other readers, it's a pass.
November 12, 2022
1.5 stars
The premise: Both Lord Ralph Chartleigh and Georgiana Burton have been arranged into a marriage by their respective parents. Ralph's mother hopes that the marriage will force shy, gentle Ralph to become "more of a man", while Georgiana's father hopes that the marriage will settle the girl out of her hoyden ways.
Miscellaneous notes: This is a prime example of a Big Misunderstanding that is so utterly ridiculous as to ruin the entire plot.
Georgiana is so angry about this marriage, that she pretends to be a shy, quiet, biddable female during her first meetings with Ralph. Her intention is to surprise him after the wedding and show off her wild ways. She, at first, despises Ralph because he is not her ideal of a real man. He doesn't gamble, hunt, and has never kissed a woman, let alone have relations with one.
Ralph falls in love with this "demure" woman on their second meeting. Even after the wedding when Georgiana's personality proves to be quite different, Ralph is nothing but a loving, giving man who encourages her to be exactly who she is. Even when she is openly a bitch and threatens to take on a lover because he is not enough man for her, he blames himself.
Now, the Big Misunderstanding: on their wedding night, during the consummation of the marriage, nervous Georgiana begins prattling and tells him to "Have a care, Ralph! You're hurting me!" This startles him and his...er...manhood, and he cannot complete the act. As they progress with their marriage, Ralph feels she is afraid for him to touch her and Georgiana feels she has offended his sense of manhood and he is therefore afraid to attempt sex with her again. There are numerous times when she tells herself to confront Ralph, but she always weasels out of it, making the misunderstanding that much worse.
What makes this story even worse is that Ralph lets his cousin talk him into taking on a mistress in order to learn how to make love without hurting his bride.
wait
WHAT?!?!?!
This is SO out of character for this man. Never mind the fact that the mistress is really Georgiana in disguise. And, when the cat is let out of the bag, he simply calls her a scamp and has a good laugh.
wait
WHAT?!?!?!
This book is one big bungle from the get-go. I would never recommend it to anyone. It made me physically ill to read it. That is not to say that the actual writing itself is bad, but Ms. Balogh, do have a care. You're hurting me!
The premise: Both Lord Ralph Chartleigh and Georgiana Burton have been arranged into a marriage by their respective parents. Ralph's mother hopes that the marriage will force shy, gentle Ralph to become "more of a man", while Georgiana's father hopes that the marriage will settle the girl out of her hoyden ways.
Miscellaneous notes: This is a prime example of a Big Misunderstanding that is so utterly ridiculous as to ruin the entire plot.
Georgiana is so angry about this marriage, that she pretends to be a shy, quiet, biddable female during her first meetings with Ralph. Her intention is to surprise him after the wedding and show off her wild ways. She, at first, despises Ralph because he is not her ideal of a real man. He doesn't gamble, hunt, and has never kissed a woman, let alone have relations with one.
Ralph falls in love with this "demure" woman on their second meeting. Even after the wedding when Georgiana's personality proves to be quite different, Ralph is nothing but a loving, giving man who encourages her to be exactly who she is. Even when she is openly a bitch and threatens to take on a lover because he is not enough man for her, he blames himself.
Now, the Big Misunderstanding: on their wedding night, during the consummation of the marriage, nervous Georgiana begins prattling and tells him to "Have a care, Ralph! You're hurting me!" This startles him and his...er...manhood, and he cannot complete the act. As they progress with their marriage, Ralph feels she is afraid for him to touch her and Georgiana feels she has offended his sense of manhood and he is therefore afraid to attempt sex with her again. There are numerous times when she tells herself to confront Ralph, but she always weasels out of it, making the misunderstanding that much worse.
What makes this story even worse is that Ralph lets his cousin talk him into taking on a mistress in order to learn how to make love without hurting his bride.
wait
WHAT?!?!?!
This is SO out of character for this man. Never mind the fact that the mistress is really Georgiana in disguise. And, when the cat is let out of the bag, he simply calls her a scamp and has a good laugh.
wait
WHAT?!?!?!
This book is one big bungle from the get-go. I would never recommend it to anyone. It made me physically ill to read it. That is not to say that the actual writing itself is bad, but Ms. Balogh, do have a care. You're hurting me!
October 10, 2012
I'm a sucker for gentle heroes and romances that are developed not from having sex. I find that in most romance its the sex and initial attraction that drives the romance and I've gotten tired of it. in this romance, while the guy falls in love very early, I found it enjoyable to read about how the heroine falls in love with the hero. It was quite fascinating to read how the heroine was inadvertently "tamed" by the hero's goodness. Many times, the utter goodness of the hero shames the heroine to realizing her wrongs.
However the premise of the husband 'cheating' even if it was for the sake of his wife was quite uncomfortable. It did somewhat feel better to know that he pretended that his mistress was his wife. but what I can't get over is the fact that the wife didn't even think to feel hurt that her husband was essentially cheating on her. it doesn't really matter that she was the mistress since she knows that her husband doesn't know that. As I am writing this review, however, I realized that it kind of makes sense because the author did keep emphasizing how young the heroine was at 18 and is still in many ways immature. The author also made it a point to emphasize that the heroine rarely thought about her actions. All that made it more gratifying to see her mature through her love of her husband.
The hero is really the nicest character that I have ever read in a romance novel. some readers might be put off and think he is a doormat. But honestly, I admire that he seeks and sees the good in people and in his wife. He isn't blind to her faults but he sees the underlying goodness and sweetness. He is not quick to condemn and looks to his own actions to see if he was at fault in any way. He inspires me to be that kind of person too.
there were a few graphic scenes, about 2 paragraphs, and about 2 instances. fyi for those who are wary of that
However the premise of the husband 'cheating' even if it was for the sake of his wife was quite uncomfortable. It did somewhat feel better to know that he pretended that his mistress was his wife. but what I can't get over is the fact that the wife didn't even think to feel hurt that her husband was essentially cheating on her. it doesn't really matter that she was the mistress since she knows that her husband doesn't know that. As I am writing this review, however, I realized that it kind of makes sense because the author did keep emphasizing how young the heroine was at 18 and is still in many ways immature. The author also made it a point to emphasize that the heroine rarely thought about her actions. All that made it more gratifying to see her mature through her love of her husband.
The hero is really the nicest character that I have ever read in a romance novel. some readers might be put off and think he is a doormat. But honestly, I admire that he seeks and sees the good in people and in his wife. He isn't blind to her faults but he sees the underlying goodness and sweetness. He is not quick to condemn and looks to his own actions to see if he was at fault in any way. He inspires me to be that kind of person too.
there were a few graphic scenes, about 2 paragraphs, and about 2 instances. fyi for those who are wary of that
March 26, 2016
I have to admit the story is silly.... though amusing :p Balogh has used this plot in A Masked Deception, but Gentle Conquest did better in providing ground for i-don't-know-i-slept-with-my-own-wife twist. If you perceive this more as a light comedy than drama, I think you might be enjoying this.
The heroine comes as shallow at first, even belittling the hero during their early courting days. The hero is a nice guy, and SHY, probably due to his age. So shy that he could not finish what he started in his wedding night. It's cute to see how their courtship develop after their marriage. The heroine is gradually smitten by the hero's kindness. The hero - while still shy - did a good job as the head of the family and at times I think he could steer his wife to the direction he wanted - very smoothly.
When I got tired of all those alpha males (or rakes, as we'd like to address them), the hero feels like refreshing touch: A nice guy with touch of youthful shyness but an idealist for his account nonetheless. What suit him more than a not-so-innocent girl who would awaken the passion inside him... also in not-so-innoceht way? For that amusement, I give this book 4 stars :-)
The heroine comes as shallow at first, even belittling the hero during their early courting days. The hero is a nice guy, and SHY, probably due to his age. So shy that he could not finish what he started in his wedding night. It's cute to see how their courtship develop after their marriage. The heroine is gradually smitten by the hero's kindness. The hero - while still shy - did a good job as the head of the family and at times I think he could steer his wife to the direction he wanted - very smoothly.
When I got tired of all those alpha males (or rakes, as we'd like to address them), the hero feels like refreshing touch: A nice guy with touch of youthful shyness but an idealist for his account nonetheless. What suit him more than a not-so-innocent girl who would awaken the passion inside him... also in not-so-innoceht way? For that amusement, I give this book 4 stars :-)
September 29, 2013
This must be the only Regency book I have read that has a 21 and 19 year old hero and heroine. It deals with the misunderstandings which arise between two young people newly married and beset with his and her own insecurities and imagined failings. Ms. Balogh writes in her usual calm and quiescent style. The story progresses tranquilly and the denouement is equally halcyon. Truly a classic Balogh book. 4 stars. :)
November 20, 2015
very original one, though it was ludicrous dat Ralph had sex wid his own wife without knowing ! how funny ! i absolutely loved this book though as he fell in love wid her very early on. he was an absolute darling ! Georgiana's thoughts were really mean but as the book progressed, i learned dat she was gud at heart, just a little immature !
April 24, 2016
Too gentle for me. It bordered on boring. I thought I would never say this about one of her books. This was one of Mary Balogh's earlier books-1987. All I can say is that her later books are not boring. In fact, I count her among one of my favorite authors. Recommend her later books.
June 25, 2009
This was one of the first regency books I ever read. I actually didn't realize that Mary Balogh wrote it until I found it on Goodreads. This was also one of my favorite books of all time.
March 21, 2010
Finally! A real five.
May 23, 2025
Pessimo. E la Mondadori lo mette all’interno della collana ‘Le Perle’? Mi spiace scrivere così di Mary Balogh, una delle firme più note ed amate del romance internazionale (ha più di cinquanta libri all’attivo) perché è un’autrice che solitamente mi piace (anche se inserisce troppo spesso scene di sesso audaci). Tuttavia questo romanzo, una delle sue prime opere (è scritto nel 1987 ma è arrivato a noi solo nel 2014) non ha davvero nulla, tanto da domandarsi come sia possibile che l’allora sconosciuta Balogh abbia trovato un editore. E’ solo una serie di scene senza senso che si inseguono, tra sesso, volgarità e linguaggio improponibile tra aristocratici dell’età della Reggenza.
E’ mai possibile che sia impossibile trovare un romance che non diventi un susseguirsi di scene banali e dettagliate di sesso? Non scendo nei dettagli, perché è nauseante.
Tengo, tuttavia, a sottolineare questo tema per due motivi.
Primo. Non dite che il genere romance è così perché è così che i lettori lo vogliono o perché così è nato. BUGIARDI. Il romance affonda le sue radici nei romanzi arguti di Miss Jane Austen, e nei suoi successori. Nel Novecento ha avuto come maestra d’eccezione Georgette Heyer, a cui sono seguite varie autrici tra cui mi piace ricordare Clare Darcy e Sylvia Thorpe (quest’ultima, per intenderci, ha presieduto la Romantic Novelists’ Association tra il 1965 e il 1967). I loro romanzi ricamano storie delicate dell’Ottocento inglese e raccontano in punta di forchetta l’aristocrazia inglese dell’epoca.
Perché mai ora si vuole trasformare tutte le protagoniste dei romance in femministe post-sessanttottine? La prima regola per un romanzo normale in generale, e storico in particolare, è immedesimarsi nei protagonisti che si descrivono. Ebbene un uomo, per quanto libertino sia, non parlerebbe mai di sesso con la rispettabile moglie del cugino (né ella si addentrerebbe in questi argomenti) né si azzarderebbe di parlare di parti intime mentre conversa privatamente con una nubile di nobili origini. Punto. Questo è un dato di fatto nudo e crudo. Far adoperare quel linguaggio lascivo è in primo luogo IMPROPONIBILE STORICAMENTE, oltre che dissonante e molto fastidioso.
Secondo. Questi romanzi, sempre più spesso devono difendersi dall’accusa di essere ‘libri porno per signore’. Perché questa barricata quasi incomprensibile nel negare una tendenza che sta diventando sempre più invadente nel mondo dell’editoria dal momento che, a quanto assicurano gli editori, “il sesso vende”? E perché gli editori da una parte costringono spesso gli scrittori a scrivere scene di sesso mentre dall’altra lo negano strenuamente? Che senso ha?
Ha un senso validissimo e molto economico. Perché se da una parte non è detto che il sesso venda veramente (chi lo ha deciso, quali statistiche lo dimostrano?), è verissimo d’altro canto che se si ammettesse che queste opere sono opere incentrate su questo argomento verrebbero tolte loro tutte le agevolazioni economiche indirizzate alle opere letterarie (leggasi l’Iva che torna al 22% anziché al 4%).
E’ bene ripetere. Iva al 22% anziché al 4%.
In un Paese in cui nuove tasse sono all’orizzonte ogni giorno, però di questo argomento non si parla mai. Perché?
Dicono fa bene ripetere.
Lo ripeto.
L’iva al 22% anziché al 4%. In tutti i passi della filiera, aggiungo (acquisto dei materiali tipo carta o inchiostro, tipografia, imballaggio, spedizione, etc.).
C’è molto da meditare.
Ripeto un’ultima volta.
L’Iva al 22% anziché al 4%.
Su questo libro non c’è molto da aggiungere, se non che il vocabolario utilizzato è molto scarno e ci sono degli errori di battitura. I personaggi sono stereotipati e senza un minimo di sfaccettatura.
La trama praticamente inesistente.
E’ mai possibile che sia impossibile trovare un romance che non diventi un susseguirsi di scene banali e dettagliate di sesso? Non scendo nei dettagli, perché è nauseante.
Tengo, tuttavia, a sottolineare questo tema per due motivi.
Primo. Non dite che il genere romance è così perché è così che i lettori lo vogliono o perché così è nato. BUGIARDI. Il romance affonda le sue radici nei romanzi arguti di Miss Jane Austen, e nei suoi successori. Nel Novecento ha avuto come maestra d’eccezione Georgette Heyer, a cui sono seguite varie autrici tra cui mi piace ricordare Clare Darcy e Sylvia Thorpe (quest’ultima, per intenderci, ha presieduto la Romantic Novelists’ Association tra il 1965 e il 1967). I loro romanzi ricamano storie delicate dell’Ottocento inglese e raccontano in punta di forchetta l’aristocrazia inglese dell’epoca.
Perché mai ora si vuole trasformare tutte le protagoniste dei romance in femministe post-sessanttottine? La prima regola per un romanzo normale in generale, e storico in particolare, è immedesimarsi nei protagonisti che si descrivono. Ebbene un uomo, per quanto libertino sia, non parlerebbe mai di sesso con la rispettabile moglie del cugino (né ella si addentrerebbe in questi argomenti) né si azzarderebbe di parlare di parti intime mentre conversa privatamente con una nubile di nobili origini. Punto. Questo è un dato di fatto nudo e crudo. Far adoperare quel linguaggio lascivo è in primo luogo IMPROPONIBILE STORICAMENTE, oltre che dissonante e molto fastidioso.
Secondo. Questi romanzi, sempre più spesso devono difendersi dall’accusa di essere ‘libri porno per signore’. Perché questa barricata quasi incomprensibile nel negare una tendenza che sta diventando sempre più invadente nel mondo dell’editoria dal momento che, a quanto assicurano gli editori, “il sesso vende”? E perché gli editori da una parte costringono spesso gli scrittori a scrivere scene di sesso mentre dall’altra lo negano strenuamente? Che senso ha?
Ha un senso validissimo e molto economico. Perché se da una parte non è detto che il sesso venda veramente (chi lo ha deciso, quali statistiche lo dimostrano?), è verissimo d’altro canto che se si ammettesse che queste opere sono opere incentrate su questo argomento verrebbero tolte loro tutte le agevolazioni economiche indirizzate alle opere letterarie (leggasi l’Iva che torna al 22% anziché al 4%).
E’ bene ripetere. Iva al 22% anziché al 4%.
In un Paese in cui nuove tasse sono all’orizzonte ogni giorno, però di questo argomento non si parla mai. Perché?
Dicono fa bene ripetere.
Lo ripeto.
L’iva al 22% anziché al 4%. In tutti i passi della filiera, aggiungo (acquisto dei materiali tipo carta o inchiostro, tipografia, imballaggio, spedizione, etc.).
C’è molto da meditare.
Ripeto un’ultima volta.
L’Iva al 22% anziché al 4%.
Su questo libro non c’è molto da aggiungere, se non che il vocabolario utilizzato è molto scarno e ci sono degli errori di battitura. I personaggi sono stereotipati e senza un minimo di sfaccettatura.
La trama praticamente inesistente.
July 18, 2025
This novel feels like a thought experiment from Balogh. It was like she asked herself, "What if the hero in The Masked Deception (her first novel) was less of an asshole? Would the story work better if I didn't make him so terrible that all my readers detested having to read about him for 200+ pages?" The answer is, "No." The story still sucked. Sorry, Balogh. You really tried. And the reason it sucked this time is because she made a wonderfully kind, idealistic hero into a cheater. He went completely against his stated morals for the sake of giving this story a plot. And while I am glad that Balogh did eventually learn this method of story telling doesn't work (plot before character), I was sad to see such a likable male lead turn into someone that I would never be able to respect in real life. I wish Balogh had learned earlier that character should drive the story and not the other way around, but I do take comfort in the fact that she did eventually get there.
There are some cute laughs here (unlike in A Masked Deception), but it wasn't enough to save the story overall.
There are some cute laughs here (unlike in A Masked Deception), but it wasn't enough to save the story overall.
October 10, 2023
There was much I liked about the premise and the characters and their dilemma in the book and yet I did not enjoy it as much as I usually do books by this author. Gentleness is a byword in her romances and I like that a lot. I think she took that characteristic too far when the hero is able to understand and accept everything about his wife up to and including her possible infidelity. I appreciate a man who takes responsibility for his part of a relationship but could he really take all the blame for that?
This is the last of the old titles rereleased and so I am out of new material until she writes a new one. I feel a little bit like when I read my last Jane Austen novel for the first time. I can reread them sure, and I certainly do. But there will never be a first reading again.
This is the last of the old titles rereleased and so I am out of new material until she writes a new one. I feel a little bit like when I read my last Jane Austen novel for the first time. I can reread them sure, and I certainly do. But there will never be a first reading again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2019
The best part of this novel is when the hero has internal monologue. his reflection on prostitution and society's double standard.
The very headstrong always enthusiastic girl and a very shy boy and their marriage is all this story is about.
The story also reveals that sometimes it is not better to judge a book by it's cover. The criticism may come to them only in the end or in some way they have lost the most important person of their life.
Yet the idea of cheating was not the very idea I would like even though the mistress was his wife because she was virtually a stranger to him.
But sometimes young foolish minds makes their mistakes. But life has to go on with some mistakes and with some achievements.
The very headstrong always enthusiastic girl and a very shy boy and their marriage is all this story is about.
The story also reveals that sometimes it is not better to judge a book by it's cover. The criticism may come to them only in the end or in some way they have lost the most important person of their life.
Yet the idea of cheating was not the very idea I would like even though the mistress was his wife because she was virtually a stranger to him.
But sometimes young foolish minds makes their mistakes. But life has to go on with some mistakes and with some achievements.
September 8, 2023
I pretty much auto-buy Mary Balogh books; this is an older one that has just been reissued. I very much enjoyed both the H and h, as you don't often get two young protagonists in historical romance. Georgie and Ralph are adorable, though Georgie can sometimes be a bit bratty.
Most of the story is fine and much in Ms. Balogh's style. Then we got to a trope that I really hate, and it didn't fare much better here. It's where the heroine disguises herself (a costume ball, a dark room, etc) so the hero doesn't know who he's having sex with. I didn't realize this was in the book, but my stomach sank when the story revealed this was happening. I find it very unrealistic, and it's even worse when the hero is cheating, so my lower rating is based solely on that.
Most of the story is fine and much in Ms. Balogh's style. Then we got to a trope that I really hate, and it didn't fare much better here. It's where the heroine disguises herself (a costume ball, a dark room, etc) so the hero doesn't know who he's having sex with. I didn't realize this was in the book, but my stomach sank when the story revealed this was happening. I find it very unrealistic, and it's even worse when the hero is cheating, so my lower rating is based solely on that.
November 17, 2022
The H is 21, inexperienced, clueless about women, and the h is a supposedly spirited young woman of 18. They get hitched in an arranged marriage of sorts, and it all goes downhill from there.
I didn't feel this one from the start, probably because of the H's age. I don't mind MMCs in their twenties, but Ralph was an underwhelming character. Sure, he was gentle and kind etc,. but I couldnt get past the lack of any relationship experience and the susbequent lack of communication in the marriage. This could have been sweet for some, I guess, but didn't work for me at all.
I didn't feel this one from the start, probably because of the H's age. I don't mind MMCs in their twenties, but Ralph was an underwhelming character. Sure, he was gentle and kind etc,. but I couldnt get past the lack of any relationship experience and the susbequent lack of communication in the marriage. This could have been sweet for some, I guess, but didn't work for me at all.
September 10, 2023
My feelings are a bit confused
I really disliked the selfish, immature main character. Her transformation in a few short months was staggering. She started as a shallow eighteen year old. By the end of the book she matured both intellectually and emotionally. I was surprised and not truly convinced.
Mary Balogh is the only romance writer who could create such a changed character from the beginning of the story to the end and had me finish it in one night. Oh wait, it is one am. So that is one night and a morning.
I really disliked the selfish, immature main character. Her transformation in a few short months was staggering. She started as a shallow eighteen year old. By the end of the book she matured both intellectually and emotionally. I was surprised and not truly convinced.
Mary Balogh is the only romance writer who could create such a changed character from the beginning of the story to the end and had me finish it in one night. Oh wait, it is one am. So that is one night and a morning.
April 3, 2024
Great fun in early Mary Balogh books. The misunderstanding went on for a bit too long, just talk to each other guys! True to his characters all this while, the hero was pleasantly surprised and not at all incensed. Georgie is so silly and for all his bookishness, the hero seems made for her. He's naive in his own way. I loved their moments of introspection, their thoughts are just Mary Balogh weaving some magic as we get to see them fall in love with each other. Besides misunderstanding the other person's intentions of course.
March 20, 2024
Refreshing loveable romance.
This was really a lovely and funny romance between a married couple with a husband who went out of his way to make his new wife happy and a wife who was mischievous and came up with a rather creative way to consummate her marriage. Misunderstandings occur on both sides and this just makes this a very pleasant story.it was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it.
This was really a lovely and funny romance between a married couple with a husband who went out of his way to make his new wife happy and a wife who was mischievous and came up with a rather creative way to consummate her marriage. Misunderstandings occur on both sides and this just makes this a very pleasant story.it was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it.
December 12, 2025
It’s an arranged marriage story with lots of yearning and angst but the plot is wild and the FMC is quite unhinged for a regency woman 😆
And the MMC is the sweetest and kindest - also only the 2nd regency romance I've seen with a virgin MMC, its such a nice change from the typical regency rake.
There’s also a secondary couple where the guy is a funny rake, quite like Michael in many fics and has some great one liners.
Overall I really liked it.
And the MMC is the sweetest and kindest - also only the 2nd regency romance I've seen with a virgin MMC, its such a nice change from the typical regency rake.
There’s also a secondary couple where the guy is a funny rake, quite like Michael in many fics and has some great one liners.
Overall I really liked it.
December 13, 2021
As I reread Mary Balogh I find books I own but didn't review. This is one, I prefer Balogh's older heroines. In this book, Georgie is a young hellion who faces an arranged marriage to Ralph. He is quiet but from the start adores Georgie mistakenly thinking she is sweet and shy. You end up rooting for this awkward couple.
June 23, 2024
Disappointing
There is far too much hand-wringing, navel gazing, and repetitive angst by and between Ralph and Georgiana.
Too much exposition and description, and swathes of trite dialogue.
I found the plot ridiculous in the end, and couldn’t connect with either Ralph or Georgiana, two rather bland, 2D characters.
Mary Balogh can write much better than this.
There is far too much hand-wringing, navel gazing, and repetitive angst by and between Ralph and Georgiana.
Too much exposition and description, and swathes of trite dialogue.
I found the plot ridiculous in the end, and couldn’t connect with either Ralph or Georgiana, two rather bland, 2D characters.
Mary Balogh can write much better than this.
May 29, 2025
I have loved every book that Mary Balog has written including this one. I don’t insist that authors write the way I want them to, Balogh is so skilled, I always give her literary license to tell her story.
I very much enjoyed this one, folks can read the reviews and decide for themselves. My five star rating speaks for itself.
I very much enjoyed this one, folks can read the reviews and decide for themselves. My five star rating speaks for itself.
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