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Red Rose
The handsome, high-handed Earl of Raymore sets out to marry off his ward, Rosalind Dacey, despite that young lady's iron-clad determination to remain single
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 1986
257 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 82 reviews
August 28, 2017
Worst antagonists-to-lovers plot I have ever read. It's as if the middle part, you know the whole "to" part, was totally skipped over. There was absolutely no transition.
He's a misogynist who insults her person and her character (with the rather anachronistic word "Slut" at that).
She has self esteem issues, a limp and the rather incidental talent of being musically inclined (he's conveniently a patron of the arts).
He creepily stalks her as she plays, they fight, he grabs and molests her a few times (despite her being his ward), she passionately gives in, he insults her virtue, kisses her some more, wonders if she's a whore for not resisting him, they fight some more, passionate embrace part II... rinse and repeat.
They have never had a non-argumentative conversation. They have, literally, never even had a positive interaction except for the one time that he noticed her leg was aching, and honestly, that's no reason to fall for a man.
Anyway, suddenly they both realize their undying love (and I mean Suddenly, because this came out of nowhere).
Broken engagement and dramatic chase scenes ensue and they both live happily ever after in their borderline abusive relationship.
Or not happily, as the case may eventually be; the poor girl won't even be able to run from him in that scenario, what with her leg and all.
Conclusion, save yourself the trouble of reading this.
He's a misogynist who insults her person and her character (with the rather anachronistic word "Slut" at that).
She has self esteem issues, a limp and the rather incidental talent of being musically inclined (he's conveniently a patron of the arts).
He creepily stalks her as she plays, they fight, he grabs and molests her a few times (despite her being his ward), she passionately gives in, he insults her virtue, kisses her some more, wonders if she's a whore for not resisting him, they fight some more, passionate embrace part II... rinse and repeat.
They have never had a non-argumentative conversation. They have, literally, never even had a positive interaction except for the one time that he noticed her leg was aching, and honestly, that's no reason to fall for a man.
Anyway, suddenly they both realize their undying love (and I mean Suddenly, because this came out of nowhere).
Broken engagement and dramatic chase scenes ensue and they both live happily ever after in their borderline abusive relationship.
Or not happily, as the case may eventually be; the poor girl won't even be able to run from him in that scenario, what with her leg and all.
Conclusion, save yourself the trouble of reading this.
February 12, 2016
Sometimes there is a thin line between love and hate…
Edward, Earl of Raymore, is a self-proclaimed hater of women. His mother, his stepmother, his former fiancée, definitely made sure of it. When to his great chagrin he became a guardian of two young ladies, his plan was to get rid of them as soon as possible by marrying them off. Finding a husband for one of the girls, Sylvia, would not be a problem at all (or so he thinks). She is very pretty with biddable personality and nice dowry. The other one, Rosalind, is a different matter. There is her disability to consider. Rosalind walks with a distinct limp as the result of a childhood accident. Her looks are just average but it’s her personality that drives him crazy. From the moment they met, Edward and Rosalind developed a strong dislike of each other. These two couldn’t be together without quarreling but oh-so-gradually it changed.
The first bridge was their mutual love of music. How this bridge was built and how the road to love was paved is why I love Mary Balogh. Only few authors can claim a better grasp on character development and emotional buildup than Ms. Balogh.
This story is one of the batch re-release of her earlier works in e-format. It’s enjoyable but definitely not her best.
Edward is a very difficult hero to like at the beginning. He reminds me of these insensitive, misogynistic, autocratic boors that were common in 1980s romances. (I guess no surprise here as the book was written in 1986). Edward’s transformation is gradual and believable. But still… The heroine is another matter. Her insecurities aside, Rosalind is admirable, strong woman who wouldn’t be bullied. The tension between these two was palpable, their mutual attraction, their resistance to it was beautifully portrayed. I wish the ending was not so rushed and the resolution was not so conveniently presented.
Definitely recommended for all Mary Balogh fans.
August 28, 2017
I'm so glad my library had a copy of this one. If I had purchased it, I would be pulling my hair out. MB is my second most read author, but if I had started with this story, I would never have read another.
This book should definitely be left buried in the past. It's nice to see an author evolve with their writing. I just would have preferred to discover it another way. This story was wrong on so many levels.
The hero was so deeply rooted in his misogyny that he could never change. There was nothing to like and admire about him, let alone love him. He was unnecessarily cruel to both women (cousin and heroine) and there were times I actually had to grit my teeth at his antics. He sexually molested the heroine on several occasions, and when she tried to break free he blamed her for his actions. I had issues with him as a person, let alone as hero material.
Barely 2 stars. The cousin and her secondary romance actually salvaged the book.
This book should definitely be left buried in the past. It's nice to see an author evolve with their writing. I just would have preferred to discover it another way. This story was wrong on so many levels.
The hero was so deeply rooted in his misogyny that he could never change. There was nothing to like and admire about him, let alone love him. He was unnecessarily cruel to both women (cousin and heroine) and there were times I actually had to grit my teeth at his antics. He sexually molested the heroine on several occasions, and when she tried to break free he blamed her for his actions. I had issues with him as a person, let alone as hero material.
Barely 2 stars. The cousin and her secondary romance actually salvaged the book.
September 21, 2023
Read: 9/21/23
Oh, MB, what happened? This was a very disappointing book!
Positives:
1. MB can write a good structure story.
2. Her writing got me out of my slump, even if I didn't like the story. The book got an extra star for that.
3. The cousin's second romance was sweet. It was such a better story than the MC.
Negative:
1. The H was so unlikable! He hates women bc mommy didn't love him. Later, two other women betrayed him (cue the tiny violen). This woman hated trope has been done a dozen times.
2. The h wasn't much likable either. She has a limp and is not commonly beautiful. In case you forget, she'll remind you she's ugly MANY times.
3. These two did nothing but fight, and then all of a sudden, they're in love. That's just lazy writing. I need something to make me root for this couple.
4. I could list so many more things that were wrong in this book.
Personally, I would recommend skipping this book and trying one of her other books instead.
Oh, MB, what happened? This was a very disappointing book!
Positives:
1. MB can write a good structure story.
2. Her writing got me out of my slump, even if I didn't like the story. The book got an extra star for that.
3. The cousin's second romance was sweet. It was such a better story than the MC.
Negative:
1. The H was so unlikable! He hates women bc mommy didn't love him. Later, two other women betrayed him (cue the tiny violen). This woman hated trope has been done a dozen times.
2. The h wasn't much likable either. She has a limp and is not commonly beautiful. In case you forget, she'll remind you she's ugly MANY times.
3. These two did nothing but fight, and then all of a sudden, they're in love. That's just lazy writing. I need something to make me root for this couple.
4. I could list so many more things that were wrong in this book.
Personally, I would recommend skipping this book and trying one of her other books instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2016
The hero is so committed in his antipathy towards young women (and for pretty much the same silly reasons any misogynist hero is misogynist) that it's hard both to believe that he'd ever have a good relationship and to even want him to. Not sure why the heroine would ever have anything much to do with him. This is not one of Balogh's best.
September 12, 2017
"Red Rose" is a beautiful written novel with unforgettable characters,described beauty in nature,and the natural passionate love between the Hero and Heroine.
A very amazing story.It has no instalove,nor attraction on first sight.But a natural flowing love that comes when they get to know each other,but not before they hate each other intensely at first.
Edward was the one person who captured my interest and heart almost the second i read about him.He is so cold,so bitter and hateful against women and an true arrogant bastard from the start.
But oh,how that changes.Edward Edward,he hides an passion inside of himself,a vulnerability that only grows when he falls in love with her.His love were so sweet and heart-breaking and i just wanted to cry for his pain of thinking that she doesn`t love him back.
Rosalind is a very admirable heroine too and i wished her to realise her feelings sooner.
The romance between Rosalinds cousin Sylvie and her friend Nigel were also very sweet.
A truly enjoyable read i sooner will forget.
A very amazing story.It has no instalove,nor attraction on first sight.But a natural flowing love that comes when they get to know each other,but not before they hate each other intensely at first.
Edward was the one person who captured my interest and heart almost the second i read about him.He is so cold,so bitter and hateful against women and an true arrogant bastard from the start.
But oh,how that changes.Edward Edward,he hides an passion inside of himself,a vulnerability that only grows when he falls in love with her.His love were so sweet and heart-breaking and i just wanted to cry for his pain of thinking that she doesn`t love him back.
Rosalind is a very admirable heroine too and i wished her to realise her feelings sooner.
The romance between Rosalinds cousin Sylvie and her friend Nigel were also very sweet.
A truly enjoyable read i sooner will forget.
August 25, 2019
I love this book. This would be the third time I’ve read it! Raymore is such an ass and I love every bit of it.
November 16, 2013
The hero, the Earl of Raymore, is possibly one of Balogh's most disconcerting characters as portrayed in this early traditional Signet regency. In the beginning, he is a cold and cynical misogynist, and behaves with brutish insensitivity to the heroine who has a crippled leg, He describes her as embarrassing, unattractive, and deformed. Balogh probably wishes she could go back and rewrite some of these uncomfortable scenes. However, Raymore is also portrayed as deeply sensitive to the beauty of art, and especially music. A mutual and profound love of music is the healing force that enables Raymore to ultimately embrace his growing love of the heroine. It is a beautifully written and emotional story, and no one writes of feelings better than Mary Balogh.
April 2, 2019
Balogh takes hate to love, my favorite trope, too far for me to really enjoy. It's a shame because I do love the heroine, who is strong, full of self-doubt, intelligent, stubborn, and has a permanent limp from a childhood riding accident.
The problem with this book is the hero, Edward, who is a literal misogynist. He hates all women because his stepmother and his one-time intended both were unfaithful. His attitudes at the start are so offensive even his best friend is disgusted by them. There was no overcoming that for me. Balogh tries, but the book's too short to truly manage that sort of massive emotional change. As such, his character arc is unconvincing, with too much change in too little time. It feels like he's been fixed simply by love, and it really didn't work for me. Had he not been an avowed woman-hater, I think I would have quite liked this, but that had me on edge from the very start.
Rosalind deserves so much better, but she, and her cousin Sylvia's cute romance, save the book from being one I thoroughly disliked. I'm impressed that this romance has a heroine with a disability, something which is still rare to see thirty years later, and it's handled with great respect. That's what I love so much about Balogh. In most every novel, she has hero and/or heroine in some way greatly defy common romance stereotypes, and they are the better for it.
It's not a bad book, and I still read it in one sitting, but I do wish Edward had not been quite so hateful.
The problem with this book is the hero, Edward, who is a literal misogynist. He hates all women because his stepmother and his one-time intended both were unfaithful. His attitudes at the start are so offensive even his best friend is disgusted by them. There was no overcoming that for me. Balogh tries, but the book's too short to truly manage that sort of massive emotional change. As such, his character arc is unconvincing, with too much change in too little time. It feels like he's been fixed simply by love, and it really didn't work for me. Had he not been an avowed woman-hater, I think I would have quite liked this, but that had me on edge from the very start.
Rosalind deserves so much better, but she, and her cousin Sylvia's cute romance, save the book from being one I thoroughly disliked. I'm impressed that this romance has a heroine with a disability, something which is still rare to see thirty years later, and it's handled with great respect. That's what I love so much about Balogh. In most every novel, she has hero and/or heroine in some way greatly defy common romance stereotypes, and they are the better for it.
It's not a bad book, and I still read it in one sitting, but I do wish Edward had not been quite so hateful.
November 6, 2011
One of Balogh's early books and not one of her best.
The hero hates women and when he inherits the guardianship of two young female relatives, he determines to marry them off.
The Earl of Raymore is presented as just unpleasant from the outset.
Rosalind has a limp and she and Edward get off to a terrible start.
They really hate each other. They quarrel. They get so angry that their passion rises and they end up in compromising situations. They hate each other etc This goes on for most of the book.
Rosalind gets engaged to another man, who seems to spend his time trying to convince her to sleep with him before marriage.
Raymore realises he loves her and then we have further angst about whether she will go through with the marriage. Rosalind hates Raymore almost to the end of the book.
The only thing they have in common is a love of music. The romance was almost non existent and I really wasn't convinced.
Ms Balogh's style has significantly improved since writing this.
I liked this least of all the books that I have read by her and found myself skim reading toward the end.
Not my cup of tea.
The hero hates women and when he inherits the guardianship of two young female relatives, he determines to marry them off.
The Earl of Raymore is presented as just unpleasant from the outset.
Rosalind has a limp and she and Edward get off to a terrible start.
They really hate each other. They quarrel. They get so angry that their passion rises and they end up in compromising situations. They hate each other etc This goes on for most of the book.
Rosalind gets engaged to another man, who seems to spend his time trying to convince her to sleep with him before marriage.
Raymore realises he loves her and then we have further angst about whether she will go through with the marriage. Rosalind hates Raymore almost to the end of the book.
The only thing they have in common is a love of music. The romance was almost non existent and I really wasn't convinced.
Ms Balogh's style has significantly improved since writing this.
I liked this least of all the books that I have read by her and found myself skim reading toward the end.
Not my cup of tea.
January 21, 2017
2.5 stars
I couldn't stand him. He was a miserable sun of a bit**, no offense to female dogs. He was very young when his mother died but he was a happy child because he was very close to his governor. His father married his governor and he found her having sex with the groom shortly after. He fired the groom the day his father died. His step mother married the groom a week later. was betrothed to get married and when he suggested they didn't have to wait to have sex, he found out not only his fiancee wasn't a virgin but she wanted to have an open marriage. He canceled the marriage contract.
He treated Rosalind like she was a Who**.
I couldn't stand him. He was a miserable sun of a bit**, no offense to female dogs. He was very young when his mother died but he was a happy child because he was very close to his governor. His father married his governor and he found her having sex with the groom shortly after. He fired the groom the day his father died. His step mother married the groom a week later. was betrothed to get married and when he suggested they didn't have to wait to have sex, he found out not only his fiancee wasn't a virgin but she wanted to have an open marriage. He canceled the marriage contract.
He treated Rosalind like she was a Who**.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2025
Rosalind Edward Hate to love trope. Edward becomes a guardian to two marriage age wards. Sylvie (beautiful) and Rosalind. Rosalind has a limp and is dark hair with half Italian heritage which means she is not considered beautiful to the culture she lives in.
Note: I marked this a cheater hero because while they technically were not a couple he has a mistress until almost the end.
Note: I marked this a cheater hero because while they technically were not a couple he has a mistress until almost the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2017
Conde Raymore ficou com a tutelagem indesejada de duas garotas, Rosalind e Sylvia. Era um homem bem vivido, misógino, por conta do passado dele, visto que fora traído por todas as mulheres de seu passado. Sua atração por sua pupila Rosalind e atração dela por ele, só o faz lembrar de sua noiva e, com isso ele a maltrata tratando-a com rudeza e tenta casar as duas para se livrar do encargo... Apesar dos sentimentos e da atração que ela exerce sobre ele...Quando Rosalind retorna seus beijos ele a considera indigna de confiança.
Rosalind tem uma série de complexos, se julga alta demais, feia e ainda por cima coxea por ter uma perna mais curta do que a outra e acha que jamais se casará. Ela, sonhou sempre com um homem, que por acaso, tem o mesmo aspecto de Edward.
Seus encontros sempre acabam em discussão. O que faz com que ela acabe por noivar com outro, que tenta tirar proveito dela. No entanto, eles não percebem que tanto ódio, significa que o amor se faz presente.
Uma boa leitura.
Rosalind tem uma série de complexos, se julga alta demais, feia e ainda por cima coxea por ter uma perna mais curta do que a outra e acha que jamais se casará. Ela, sonhou sempre com um homem, que por acaso, tem o mesmo aspecto de Edward.
Seus encontros sempre acabam em discussão. O que faz com que ela acabe por noivar com outro, que tenta tirar proveito dela. No entanto, eles não percebem que tanto ódio, significa que o amor se faz presente.
Uma boa leitura.
August 11, 2016
The male love interest is horrid except for brief bouts of kindness that in no way make up for how cruel he was to Rosalind in the beginning. I can't help but think that the identity of the love interest was mixed up; Sir Bernard would have been perfect with a little tweaking to the narrative. He talked with Rosalind, didn't think less of her for being disabled, etc.
The only reason this got an extra star was because I loved Rosalind's character.
The only reason this got an extra star was because I loved Rosalind's character.
April 29, 2016
Whoa! Love/Hate? So much anger and vile words spewed about. Not a favorite.
December 17, 2021
3.75 stars
Under ordinary circumstances, this would have been a 3 stars at best, but I've been in the mood for escapist HR crap, with illogical plots as long as they end in a clinch, so 3.75 stars it is.
This is typical vintage Balogh, but there were several problems with the plot. The MCs too were not as likable as so many of Balogh's MCs are. The H is a misogynist, who hates women because his fiancee jilted him or some such nonsense, but there you go. The h is a disabled, independent and spirited woman who wants to remain a spinster, rather than marry anyone the H - who also happens to be her guardian - would like to hitch her to.
This is classic enemies- to - lovers, but the H's switch from "I -hate- you -and can't - wait - to get - rid - of you- by- marrying- you- off -to -the- first- old -lech- who -offers"" to "My rose, My red rose!!" happened overnight with no warning or even a hint of his changing feelings for her. The H is also cruel in many of his early interactions with the h, and I would have liked to see more groveling for all his asshole-ry ways.
Still, I am a die hard Balogh fan and would recommend it if you like old fashioned plots and characters.
Under ordinary circumstances, this would have been a 3 stars at best, but I've been in the mood for escapist HR crap, with illogical plots as long as they end in a clinch, so 3.75 stars it is.
This is typical vintage Balogh, but there were several problems with the plot. The MCs too were not as likable as so many of Balogh's MCs are. The H is a misogynist, who hates women because his fiancee jilted him or some such nonsense, but there you go. The h is a disabled, independent and spirited woman who wants to remain a spinster, rather than marry anyone the H - who also happens to be her guardian - would like to hitch her to.
This is classic enemies- to - lovers, but the H's switch from "I -hate- you -and can't - wait - to get - rid - of you- by- marrying- you- off -to -the- first- old -lech- who -offers"" to "My rose, My red rose!!" happened overnight with no warning or even a hint of his changing feelings for her. The H is also cruel in many of his early interactions with the h, and I would have liked to see more groveling for all his asshole-ry ways.
Still, I am a die hard Balogh fan and would recommend it if you like old fashioned plots and characters.
January 6, 2015
absolutely loved how hero fell for plain jane heroine! we can see him falling for herself not her stunning looks! edward loved her despite himself. he thought she had nthg in terms of feminine assets. yet he was insanely attracted, the chemistry was palpable between him and rosalind. the secondary characters only added spice to the book instead of being irritable. i minused 2 stars bcoz at first i did not like edward at all! i hated his guts, his attitude towards women. he wud assess them as if he was inspecting a merchandise. he was arrogant and nasty. when he first met rosalind, he found her so lacking he even thought of sending her back to the country. he also wanted to marry her off to an unworthy spinster wid kids. he told her clearly dat she cud do no better than dat.
September 12, 2016
I can't believe I DNF a Mary Balogh book. The hero is HORRIBLE. He just properly hates women and is disgusting towards them. I didn't even want him to be redeemed because I wouldn't have believed it. Even his reasons for being this way weren't relatable (or believable) to me. And the heroine was quite interesting until she suddenly turned extremely childish. Sad sad sad.
March 16, 2017
Almost too tortured of a hero, never really liked him.
May 11, 2016
This was one of Balogh's earliest books. It was recently re-released, thankfully with an updated cover from what is shown here. Most of my complaints are technical and simply stem from this being a very early work that is not indicative of her actual skill.
This book was very frustrating and really not much like Balogh's more recent books. She is partial to writing about broken characters, manifested physically mentally, or emotionally or even combinations of them, but this was clearly written before she really had a handle on good character driven stories.
The characters were inconsistent, impractical, and I was constantly confused over what possible motivations would drive any of the characters. I hated her main male MC: he was a selfish, misogynistic asshole who was very Jekyll/Mr. Hyde-esque. The passion came out of NO WHERE; it feel forced. You couldn't even claim it was lust-driven since he mentioned MULTIPLE TIMES that she wasn't his type/he didn't like her looks/etc.
Balogh's writing was very unschooled and unstructured. I was constantly frustrated that I, as the reader, would be RIGHT THERE when a conversation or event happened, but then would have to endure the characters reliving and explaining their emotional reaction to said event. It was very tedious.
Some authors need quite a few trial runs to really get it right; Mary Balogh was one of them.
This book was very frustrating and really not much like Balogh's more recent books. She is partial to writing about broken characters, manifested physically mentally, or emotionally or even combinations of them, but this was clearly written before she really had a handle on good character driven stories.
The characters were inconsistent, impractical, and I was constantly confused over what possible motivations would drive any of the characters. I hated her main male MC: he was a selfish, misogynistic asshole who was very Jekyll/Mr. Hyde-esque. The passion came out of NO WHERE; it feel forced. You couldn't even claim it was lust-driven since he mentioned MULTIPLE TIMES that she wasn't his type/he didn't like her looks/etc.
Balogh's writing was very unschooled and unstructured. I was constantly frustrated that I, as the reader, would be RIGHT THERE when a conversation or event happened, but then would have to endure the characters reliving and explaining their emotional reaction to said event. It was very tedious.
Some authors need quite a few trial runs to really get it right; Mary Balogh was one of them.
March 25, 2019
Good story of two girls, cousins, of marriageable age who become wards of the Earl of Raymore on the death of the previous earl, the father of one girl and the uncle of the other. After their mourning period ends, he orders them to London, where he plans to marry them to suitable gentlemen as soon as possible.
One girl is just 18 and beautiful. The other is 22 and walks with a bad limp after breaking her leg, which was not properly set, when she was five. The younger girl falls in and out of love regularly; the older one believes she is ugly and unmarriageable, but enjoys music, painting, reading, and riding.
The older girl is resentful and wishes to return to the country, which the earl refuses to allow. During the Season, she and her guardian clash several times, and she receives two proposals, accepting the second.
But the road to love is not smooth for either girl...
One girl is just 18 and beautiful. The other is 22 and walks with a bad limp after breaking her leg, which was not properly set, when she was five. The younger girl falls in and out of love regularly; the older one believes she is ugly and unmarriageable, but enjoys music, painting, reading, and riding.
The older girl is resentful and wishes to return to the country, which the earl refuses to allow. During the Season, she and her guardian clash several times, and she receives two proposals, accepting the second.
But the road to love is not smooth for either girl...
April 30, 2025
Not Her Best
Several plot errors. Two most glaring are:
1) describing Rosalind as a dark, foreign-looking, Italian-looking woman, only later to describe her as pale-skinned. Almost black hair & pale skin would not make her foreign looking.
2) saying that after being found in a compromising situation and a wedding insisted upon, said wedding was conducted the NEXT DAY. No it wasn’t & couldn’t be. One of the following would be required; banns read, Common Licence, Special Licence, none of which could happen in less than 24 hours!
Raymore was despicable for most of the book. Not enough space was given to his character’s redemption.
Rosalind was a fine character, but a couple of times her reactions were surprisingly immature.
I wish more time had been given to their change of opinions, attitudes, and emotions.
As it is, it’s worth reading.
Several plot errors. Two most glaring are:
1) describing Rosalind as a dark, foreign-looking, Italian-looking woman, only later to describe her as pale-skinned. Almost black hair & pale skin would not make her foreign looking.
2) saying that after being found in a compromising situation and a wedding insisted upon, said wedding was conducted the NEXT DAY. No it wasn’t & couldn’t be. One of the following would be required; banns read, Common Licence, Special Licence, none of which could happen in less than 24 hours!
Raymore was despicable for most of the book. Not enough space was given to his character’s redemption.
Rosalind was a fine character, but a couple of times her reactions were surprisingly immature.
I wish more time had been given to their change of opinions, attitudes, and emotions.
As it is, it’s worth reading.
February 29, 2016
Not as good as later works
This is one three of the latest re-published old works of Ms Balogh's. Honestly all three are not representatives of what I know of Ms Balogh's works today. The characters' actions and attitudes are confusing and the "falling in love" is so sudden and has no reason to happen. In other words there's no build up to the event. In all three of these old re-published books the main characters are either shallow or truly, truly foolish bordering on stupidity. I'm glad Ms Balogh's romances today are thousand times much improved and much more realistic.
This is one three of the latest re-published old works of Ms Balogh's. Honestly all three are not representatives of what I know of Ms Balogh's works today. The characters' actions and attitudes are confusing and the "falling in love" is so sudden and has no reason to happen. In other words there's no build up to the event. In all three of these old re-published books the main characters are either shallow or truly, truly foolish bordering on stupidity. I'm glad Ms Balogh's romances today are thousand times much improved and much more realistic.
March 20, 2017
As much as it pains me to give one star to a Mary Balogh book, the fact remains that I did not like it. Didn't like any of the characters, didn't like the triangles and there was very little left after that.
December 8, 2018
Oh boy! I don't even like hate-to-love romance all that well, but of course, I DO like Mary Balogh. This was a pretty good story, all around. And I appreciate that Balogh tends to write disabled characters with thoughtfulness and delicacy.
July 21, 2016
rereading balogh is proving to be a trial. it's not easy accepting that some of my previous favorites are letdowns. i loved this one - rosalind and i share some similarities so it was easy to immerse myself into her character. not anymore. the writing, one thing i always admired in balogh novels, is mediocre at best. i hate the first chapter with a passion. there's a reason they teach 'show, don't tell' to novice writers (yes it's not exactly a rule on dialogues but still) - it's the hallmark of novice writers to shove the whole backstory into lengthy, unnatural dialogues in an attempt to 'tell' us the entire history in the first chapter and be done with it. and the whole books sounds preachy, stuck somewhere between self help and feminism. bad writing affects characters, too. rosalind, a talented,beautiful woman with insecurity issues. edward, a misogynist with abandonment issues. balogh failed to bring these two cookie cutters to life. or it could be said maybe they were all too real because their weaknesses couldn't be glamorized. actually the stuffy lord standen held more potential to be a great lead - he was annoying just enough. edward, although he redeemed a little later, was a jerk in the beginning and i never got around to fully liking him(and that's new.. usually it doesn't bother me when heroes are mean. maybe because they are usually smart and i can respect that. but edward sounded so... stupid and shallow, just in the way i expected lazy lords feigning ennui would do). but this again proves that balogh is talented, doesn't it? all the while i was moaning and bitching 'was balogh always this bad? had i been blind all this time?' but i finished it in one sitting.
February 18, 2017
Mediocre writing
I liked the idea of the characters and the plot but found the execution lacking. The writing was poor, the characters rather flat, and the history was unresearched.
I don't usually have a problem with misogyny in historical romance, because I usually take into account the time period. But this protagonist went from hating and thinking the worst of all women to falling in love and deciding that women were alright after all in the blink of an eye. There was nothing romantic about this book to me. Except for the secondary characters, they had a more believable love story.
I understand that this was an early work of Mary Balogh, but I wish she'd revised it a little. Also, I'd be wary of spending more than a dollar on any other early works of her's. I learned my lesson.
I liked the idea of the characters and the plot but found the execution lacking. The writing was poor, the characters rather flat, and the history was unresearched.
I don't usually have a problem with misogyny in historical romance, because I usually take into account the time period. But this protagonist went from hating and thinking the worst of all women to falling in love and deciding that women were alright after all in the blink of an eye. There was nothing romantic about this book to me. Except for the secondary characters, they had a more believable love story.
I understand that this was an early work of Mary Balogh, but I wish she'd revised it a little. Also, I'd be wary of spending more than a dollar on any other early works of her's. I learned my lesson.
February 16, 2016
So glad some of Balogh's backlist is being released digitally.
As others have mentioned Edward is a difficult hero to like. Even with his backstory explained close to the beginning. Whew.
Overall I enjoyed it even if I did occasionally want to shout at all the characters.
As others have mentioned Edward is a difficult hero to like. Even with his backstory explained close to the beginning. Whew.
Overall I enjoyed it even if I did occasionally want to shout at all the characters.
August 7, 2010
Altho a 2 from Balogh is prolly a 3 from someone else, I never re-read this so that says something :) Heroine a pianist. Balogh does do a passion for music well.
June 28, 2025
Although this was the third book of Balogh's to be published (back in 1986), it wouldn't surprise me if this was actually the first book she finished writing. Because, man...it reads like an author's first work, and it is BAD. Unlike some of Balogh's later novels, it's not even a badly done novel that's written well. The prose doesn't work, the story doesn't work, the characters are awful headspaces to be in, and they have no chemistry with each other. It's less than 300 pages and you can read it in one sitting, but it feels egregiously long.
And I wish I liked it because the reference of Red Rose turns out to be a reference to the Robert Burns poem, which I've always loved, but using it in this book just made me dislike it. Like, this book did not earn the right to use such a masterpiece of poetry.
Just...ugh. This is a Balogh I would not waste my time on at all. Thank God for libraries because I would be pissed if I had spent money to read this trash.
And I wish I liked it because the reference of Red Rose turns out to be a reference to the Robert Burns poem, which I've always loved, but using it in this book just made me dislike it. Like, this book did not earn the right to use such a masterpiece of poetry.
Just...ugh. This is a Balogh I would not waste my time on at all. Thank God for libraries because I would be pissed if I had spent money to read this trash.
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