delightful book - historical fiction ( )

This book is my favorite in the Huxtables series. If it is possible, I have falen in love with Stephen's character. This is the fourth book in the series. It is not necessary to read the previous three, but it will enlighten on his sisters' love life and how scandalous thier own marriages were. In this book, Cassandra has an eye out for Stephen, and plans to seduce him into becoming his mistress for a salary in order to provide for her friends as well as for her self. Stephen, belives her seduction is purely lust and is not aware of the motive behind Cassandra's intention. She is a widow, whose reputation has been stained by the rumor that she murdered her husband with an axe. Stephen aware of this rumor belives that it may not be the whole truth. Alas, he has agreed to make her his mistress, but is determined to know her and allows this relationship to proceed under his rules. Cassandra sees him as an angel due to the way he handles her and himself. They quickly begin to know each other better: she confides in him her secrets and he is falls in love with her. His feelings leads him into another scandal, but is more concerned about Cassandra's reputation and her suituation. His solution leads him to court Casandra and to convince her that she should spend the rest of her life with him. This book has more comedy and of course, more of Stephen's brothers-in-law as well as Con. ( )

Honestly, I understand that women were legally considered possessions in this time period, but this book strikes me as just a bit much. Particularly as it follows immediately after Margaret's story, which has a subplot of a similar evil, wife-beating husband. Balogh apparently thought that subplot wasn't enough and expanded it into an entire novel.

I eventually resorted to just skimming through the book, and it seem that every scene I dipped into dealt with the heroine's memories of her first husband. 'Horrible abuse', 'constant state of fear', 'family members deserted her', I get it, Balogh. Strangely, there appears to be very few scenes of the hero and heroine actually falling in love -- or at least, they never lept out at me. This wasn't what I'd been looking to read in a romance novel.

Also, I would have liked the heroine much better if she really had done her first husband in with an axe. ( )

I enjoyed Vanessa's story and Kate's. I somehow missed Meg's but plan to read it very soon. This is Stephen's. I always enjoyed Stephen from the moment Elliott came to tell him he was the new Earl of Merton. But the heroine, Cassie, annoyed me terribly at first, with her "mask" of a seductress. At that time I felt she wasn't good enough for the noble Stephen but I warmed to her as we became fully aware of her situation. The reason this book did not get a lot of stars was the ending. The story had been building but then it seemed as if someone let all the air out of the balloon - what a flat ending!!!Phhhsssssstt....done.
Oh well I still have Meg's story to look forward to and of course, Con's. ( )

Lady Paget, an impoverished widow, is widely believed to have killed her husband with an axe. Determined to become a courtesan to support herself and her dependents, she sets her sights on Stephen, Lord Merton, who is young and looks like an angel. He responds to her plight by deciding to make her fashionable again, a project that his sisters enter into with enthusiasm.

A worthy end to Balogh's Huxtable series. ( )