Slightly Married

I haven't been able to tolerate historical romance for a while, but this was recommended in a recent AskMefi thread. So I put my trust in the wisdom of the hive, and picked this one up with a little less trepidation.

In the first chapter the scene unfurls as if in a movie. I am impatient with elaborate descriptions, and usually gloss over them, but this one had just enough for me to really get into it. It felt like a scene from Les Mis. You could hear the dull boom of canons in the distance, and smell the iron tang of spilled blood, and the smoke of gunpowder. Another reviewer commented that the author's writing has a quality that transports you into a vivid setting of England from the past, and this one successfully conjured up those show more images of a bloody battlefield, and in the next chapter, the warmth and tranquility in a small summer garden. I also found myself getting emotional in the first few chapters, when the heroine receives news of the death of her brother Percy. So the writing is definitely a step above the usual!

It's your basic marriage of convenient plot. The hero, Aidan, makes a promise to the dying Percy that he will protect the latter's sister, despite never having met her, "no matter what". He means to fulfill his vow, not just because it is a dying man's wish, but because Percy once saved his life in battle. I like how Aidan's physical appearance is not romanticized like that of a typical hero. None of that "his thick dark hair and broad shoulders, those muscular thighs" etc. In fact he sounds plain and almost unattractive, with that "hawk nose" and mouth in a thin harsh line. It reminds me of the hero one of my other favorite romance books, Loretta Chase's *Lord of Scoundrels*.

The convenience part comes because the heroine, Eve (get it? Aidan and Eve?), will be kicked out of her home because of a stipulation in her father's will that says the entire property will go to a repulsive cousin, unless Eve marries by a certain time, which happens to be in four days. Eve keeps this info to herself but Aidan learns of all of this at the inn he is staying at, because of the gossiping townspeople. (How convenient!) He also keeps a straight-face and pretends to agree with the said obsequious cousin, Cecil, to find out more about the plans, but Eve overhears and thinks Aidan is a typical stuck-up lord, like her cousin, so she starts to dislike him.

Aidan eventually presents his plan of the marriage to Eve, and Eve is initially hesitant because she's still hoping her secret lover, John, will come back and propose to her. But the urgency of the situation, and her concern over her "lame ducks", the group of distant relatives and staff living in her home that she's supported when no one else would, drives her into agreeing. Since she's selfless and all.

Okay so they get married, and Aidan planned to keep it a secret from his family, especially his eldest brother, the Duke. He plans to return to the army, leave Eve in her home, and both parties will be satisfied with the arrangement, and that is that. Of course that isn't how it works out, because one earl or somesuch that they bump into spreads the news about the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, so she has to be presented to the Queen and the ton or risk dragging down the good Bedwyn name (the family has to show that they're not ashamed of her). And who else better to perform this drab-to-duchess task than the intimidating but influential she-dragon Aunt Rochester.

I don't know why I'm paraphrasing the entire book. Maybe because I really liked it and it's the kind of things you want to tell your friends about, however clumsy your retelling is. Will just focus on what I liked and disliked about it then.

Liked:
- it isn't love or even animal attraction at first sight, but their relationship grows because of realizing how kind and good-hearted the other person is. I really like that the lust is secondary.

- I like when one side or the other has a family of strong and likable characters, such as the Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family, or Jude Deveraux's Montgomery and Taggerts. So maybe it's a marketing strategy so you buy more books, but I grew up in a large family, and all the warm sibling interaction makes me feel cozy.

- the misunderstandings that are so typical in romance, to provide the necessary conflict, were also present here, but they didn't have me rolling my eyes or wanting to bash the hero and heroine's heads together. They seemed to make sense, developing naturally, and weren't more drawn out than they should have been.

- the hero is the first to say I Love You

- the hero has a deadpan kind of humor which takes a while to figure out because many think he's being completely serious. Most other heroes have a "he drawled sarcastically" plus "teasing eyes" kind of thing going on. So I liked this one, it was a little different.

- the heroine is defiant, but not to a point where she's making life harder for herself out of spite or just to prove a point. A lot of "spitfire hellions" have me going "You little fool!", but not this one. I like how the hero thinks of it as something like "Her presence seemed to say Here I am. Take me or leave me." She does get melodramatic at some point but it seems like for good reason.

- the language in the sex scenes weren't florid. No "his throbbing manroot" or "her quivering womanhood". Just plainly written, but you could feel the tenderness between them.

- the ending was lovely. The couple described Happily Ever After as something that had to be worked on daily, together, for the rest of their lives. This is possibly the most realistic, grounded HEA I've ever encountered. Good model for teens.

What I didn't like:

- ¯_(ツ)_/¯

- they might have had one too many of the little misunderstandings. First about what Aidan says about not wanting Eve in London, which is what pushes her to accept the challenge of transforming into the belle of the season. Then when Aidan overhears how Eve describes his "kindness" to John. Then later on when one of them feels hurt that the other person only feels gratitude, and nothing more. So it was a little frustrating how they were both pretending that it was nothing more than an arrangement, even when they were both falling in love, so it became a waiting game, because of their pride. I was relieved when one of them finally 'fessed up.

- I wish I knew if they eventually had a child of their own, but maybe this will be mentioned in the other books in the series.

In summary, my interest in the romance genre is restored, and I'll be checking out the rest of the books by this author. show less

Slightly Married by Mary Balogh held me total enthralled throughout the read and is a great start to her series about the Bedwyn Family. I found this story about a marriage-of-convenience to be both sweet and touching as wealthy coal miner’s daughter, Eve, and second son and heir to the title of Duke of Bewcastle, Aiden, enter into an arrangement whereby Eve can keep her property and wealth.

Eve has adopted a household of misfits that include a couple of young children. Aiden at first is taken aback at all of these “lame ducks” but eventually he come to admire Eve for her caring and loving nature. Of course they both fall in love with each other, but it takes most of the book before either one is confident enough to declare their show more love. I was in no hurry for this “happily-ever-after” ending as I was quite simply immersed in all the tiny details of the story.

This was my first Mary Balogh book but certainly won’t be my last. I have already picked up the rest of the Bedwyn family books and look forward to enjoying them at my leisure. Slightly Married moves at a leisurely pace as the two main characters slowly discover love, but the reader is rewarded with a lovely Regency period read. show less

This is the first full-length novel I’ve read by this author, and I’m definitely up for another. I might just have to skip to Wulf’s book and read the series out of order, because I loved him in this one. Aidan’s view of him was not wholly reliable, and I thought the author did a good job of conveying that. Wulf’s actions spoke for themselves, and his last scenes in the book made me smile really hard!

Eve was a fantastic heroine—definitely saintly beyond belief, but I loved her spirit and how she stood up for herself. I liked Aidan’s honesty and his devotion to his family. Both entered their marriage of convenience with a sense of loss rather than an imbalance of affection, and following them on their winding path to love show more was very satisfying. The angst maybe carried on a little longer than I wanted, but I’m also impatient about these things.

Adding the Bedwyn series to the pile! show less

I really enjoyed my first Mary Balogh book, although there were some aspects that I found a bit too shallow. I listened to this on audible and the narrator, Rosalyn Landor, was fantastic.
The first half of the book was a bit boring to me at times because the characters were too flat - Eve simply too good, Aidan simply too stiff. The story moved very slowly and felt too predictable, even for a Regency romance. I still enjoyed the narration, though, and the general atmosphere idea of it, as well as many of the dialogues.
In the second half, the story became better and better and I could not stop listening because I was so enthralled. I did enjoy the twists and turns, and the development of Aidan made me cry several times because it was so show more touching. I just did not want the story to end and at the same time wished to finally get to the end in order to see these characters receive their well-deserved happy ending.
I will definitely continue with this series! show less

This is the first book of the Bedwyn saga, following the love stories of a set of six noble siblings. It's a marriage of convenience story between the second son, a Colonel fighting for England in the Napoleonic wars, and the sister of a fallen comrade who he had promised to protect. For various legal reasons she needed to get married RIGHT NOW to avoid being dispossessed and unable to care for her dependents. The story follows the standard plot of how the MOC eventually morphs to a love match. It's a good story of its type, though it lacks the polish Ms. Balogh acquired with some of her later series (e.g. The Survivors Club and the The Westcotts). It's a reflection, I suspect, of what publishers were pushing at the time it was show more published (2003). I certainly will read more of Mary Balogh's books, but probably not more of this series. show less

I enjoyed reading this book, I did, and yet I have no desire to reread it or pass it along with "eek, you must read this!" Perfectly fine and sympathetic characters (though I have to admit I find the Bedwyns way more interesting as characters than Eve and her household, who are just all so freaking nice and earnest), not too much angst or people being mean to each other, mostly feminist-friendly (I do very much bridle at the repeated insistence that children neeeeed a father as well as a mother), just ... didn't knock my socks off, I guess.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for Mary Balogh's books.

After reading the last of this series first -- [b:Slightly Dangerous|71648|Slightly Dangerous (Bedwyn Saga, #6)|Mary Balogh|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320440392s/71648.jpg|69382] (because it was the highest rated on GR) -- I'm now going back to read the entire series. This family is that compelling.

And, this is not just another marriage-of-convenience story; there are external as well as personal pressures that lead the characters to find love with one another. Along the way, we're introduced to the entire Bedwyn family, and they are a handful, to say the least.

Balogh also creates an intriguing cast of secondary characters, in the heroine's cobbled together "family" of lame show more ducks. You can't help but love all of them.

Aidan is delicious. His transition from taciturn soldier concerned only with Duty to loving Papa is especially touching.

So, I'm off to explore the next chapter! show less