Then Comes Seduction by Mary Balogh

Then Come Seduction by Mary Balogh. BantamDell Publication. April 2009. ISBN #: 9780440244233. pb. 419 pp.

Mary Balogh does have a gift for writing engaging love stories with believable heroines and redeemable bad boys. Then Comes Seduction is the second novel in Mary Balogh's newest series featuring the Huxtable family. While each of the four novels will stand on its own, those who prefer to read a series in order should start with the first book in the series, First Comes Marriage, as it sets the stage for the Huxtable family's change in circumstances and subsequent entry into the ton . The second book in this series is just as entertaining as the first and follows the youngest sister, Katherine as she is launched on her first London Season and finds that beneath the genteel appearance of society there are dangers that her past has not prepared her to handle.

Katherine Huxtable has never had a shortage of admirers or proposals, even when she had no dowry as the impoverished daughter of the village vicar. As the sister of the new Earl of Merton, Katherine is enjoying a successful first Season and it seems only a matter of time before she makes an advantageous match. Despite a number of worthy suitors, Katherine fears that true love may not be in the cards for her. None of the men she has met has caught her attention like the one she has been warned away from. She knows he is dangerous, she knows she should avoid him at all costs, but there is something about him that draws her in and leads her to the brink of ruin.

Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, is a rake and proud of his standing as the ton's most disreputable and dangerous one. Jasper's never made a wager he couldn't win, so when the seduction of Katherine Huxtable is the objective of a drunken challenge, Japer can't resist. The lovely and innocent Katherine has not escaped his notice and Jasper puts a plan in motion to pursue and seduce her. His plan is flawless and success is within sight, but there is just one thing he hadn't counted on; namely his heart.

Both Jasper and Katherine retreat from London and try to forget their encounter. Three years later, fate throws them together again. Much as she wants to hate the man who once carelessly wagered on her virtue and nearly ruined her reputation, Katherine still feels a strong attraction to him. For his part, Jasper has never been able to put her far from his mind, or his heart. As the London Season whirls around them, they find themselves thrown together frequently. It seems as though, older and wiser, they may have a second chance until they find themselves in the way of someone else's plans.

As the threat of scandal surrounds them, Jasper and Katherine find that all bets are off when love enters the picture.

Mary Balogh has done it again. Then Comes Seduction , is an entertaining read and she does a marvelous job painting Jasper Finley as just enough of an anti-hero to fulfill the bad boy fantasy of any reader. If one is looking for a good romance to snuggle up with, don't miss this one.

Reviewed by Mairead Walpole.

Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh

Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh. BantamDell Publication. June 2009. ISBN #: 97803853. pb. 325 pp.

The story of the Huxtable siblings is completed with Seducing an Angel . Readers who began with the first book in this series have seen Stephen Huxtable grow from a seventeen year old with no future prospects higher than becoming someone's secretary or perhaps a vicar, into the Earl of Merton and head of the Huxtable family. This final installment in the Huxtable series introduces us to Stephen Huxtable as a man, and the most eligible bachelor of the Season.

As the Earl of Merton, and at the ripe age of twenty-five, Stephen Huxtable knows that it is time for him to think about taking a bride and setting up a nursery. His guardian, his second cousin, and his brothers-in-law have all schooled him in avoiding the most obvious of man-traps that the matchmaking mamas and their charges might lay for him. He has looked over the Season's crop of young ladies and has seen one or two who might be worthy of becoming his wife, but he would like to find the sort of love that has blessed his sisters. Unfortunately, none of the sweet young things he has met has stirred anything of that nature within his heart.

Cassandra Belmont, the notorious widowed Lady Paget, has her eye on Stephen. He seems exactly what she needs to provide a way out of her current situation. He appears to be innocently harmless, almost angelic, and if she must take on a lover to keep her financially sound, then he is her choice. She brazenly attends the one ball she thinks she has a chance of not being turned away from without an invitation in order to make his acquaintance. The Earl and Countess of Sheringford are no strangers to scandal and welcome Cassandra, much to her surprise. It appears that Cassandra's plan will succeed when Stephen agrees to set her up as his mistress.

Stephen is not quite the innocent that Cassandra believed. He has quickly seen through the mask she wears to the woman hiding behind it. Determined to help her clear her name and reclaim her place within polite society, he decides to become her friend rather than her lover. In doing so, he finds himself falling in love with her and becomes determined to win her love. Cassandra is falling for her Angel, as she has taken to thinking of him, but believes he deserves better than a woman tainted by scandal.

Cassandra's reputation is gradually being restored and it seems that Stephen has worked miracles in her life as she becomes reconciled with what remains of her family and finds friendship among the ton . Everything they worked towards is threatened in a careless moment when their growing feelings for one another are revealed. Stephen's actions to save what remains of her reputation could destroy the fragile thing growing between them for marriage is a state Cassandra never wishes to enter into again. To change her mind, Stephen must face the dark secrets that are hidden beneath the civility of some ton marriages and win not only Cassandra's heart, but most importantly, her trust.

In the fourth book of Huxtable family, Mary Balogh has taken the traditional formula for a romance and turned it around to create an engaging story of love and redemption. A woman left with few choices due to circumstances, Cassandra Belmont is not a traditional heroine. She is, if anything, an anti-heroine and a lovely one at that. When paired with the character of Stephen Huxtable as the quintessential hero this delightful reversal of roles makes for a love story that you will want to read with some tissues nearby.

Reviewed by Mairead Walpole.

First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh. BantamDell. March 2009.ISBN #: 9780440244226. pb. 388 pp.

Fans of Mary Balogh's will delight in her latest series that chronicles the lives – and loves - of the Huxtable family. This close knit family living in genteel poverty has no forewarning of the changes that await them when a Viscount and his secretary come to their small village on business. The series opens with Vanessa's story in First Comes Marriage and will be continued each month through June 2009 with the tale of how love comes to each of the Huxtables.

Vanessa “Nessie” Dew, nee Huxtable is no beauty. Compared to her siblings, she is quite ordinary, if not plain on first notice. While on the outside she may appear unexceptional, Vanessa has a gift for making people happy and spreading joy wherever she goes. To those who know and love her, her inner beauty is on par with the outward beauty of her siblings. When the arrogant, aristocratic, and stunningly handsome Elliot Wallace, Viscount Lyngate, is maneuvered into dancing with her by her father-in-law, Vanessa is determined not to allow him to intimidate her. Widowed over a year previously, this village assembly is her first entry back into what passes for society in the countryside. For his part, Elliot finds himself strangely intrigued by this woman who is without question the antithesis of all he finds physically enticing.

When the Viscount's business turns out to be Stephen Huxtable's inheritance of a title, properties, and the money to back them up, the Huxtables find themselves in a whirlwind of change. Swept away from their humble home to a grand estate and with the daunting task of becoming ready for entry into London 's society circles within mere months, Vanessa and her siblings are taken under the wing of Elliot's mother, Viscountess Lyngate. Launching the family into the ton would be easier if Elliot were to marry one of the Huxtable girls and he reluctantly sets out to ask the eldest, Margaret to be his wife. Vanessa, knowing that Margaret's heart belongs to another, decides that her sister has sacrificed enough for their family and proposes to Elliot first. Shocked at first by Vanessa's actions, Elliot surprises himself, and Vanessa, by making a formal declaration for her hand.

What Elliot and Vanessa discover in their marriage of convenience is that there is more to beauty – and to love – than what is on the surface.

This is a touching love story that breaks the traditional romance novel formula by featuring a heroine who isn't the breathtaking beauty desired by all. Vanessa is a woman readers can all identify with. She feels insecure about her looks, but she doesn't let it hold her back. She cares for those she loves and does all within her power to bring happiness and joy to their lives. Readers will fall in love with her as Elliot finds himself doing and for many of the same reasons. Ms. Balogh also weaves in the beginnings of the other Huxtable stories in such a way that enhances Vanessa's story and makes the reader eagerly anticipate the release dates for the next three novels.

Reviewed by Mairead Walpole.

At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh

At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh. Dell Historical Romance - BantamDell. May 2009. ISBN #: 9780440244240. pb. 386 pp. Book provided by courtesy of bestreviews.com.

Fans of Mary Balogh will not be disappointed with the third novel in her series around the Huxtable siblings. Whether one has recently discovered Ms. Balogh's writing or has already dedicated a shelf to hold these novels, At Last Comes Love will soon become a favorite.

The eldest Huxtable, Margaret, has put her dreams of love, marriage, and motherhood aside to see her siblings raised to adulthood and settled, even though she is not that much older than they when their father dies. Although still a great beauty at thirty when her promise is done, Margaret Huxtable fears she has waited too long and may face a future as Aunt Margaret to her nieces and nephews, always dependent on the charity of her siblings. She decides to go to London for the Season with the express purpose of soliciting and accepting a proposal. Despite her age, Margaret's beauty, poise, and respectability as the sister of the Earl of Merton has always drawn a number of admirers to her side, as well as a few offers each Season.

Arriving in London , she finds that Crispin Dew, the man she loved from the age of eighteen until he betrayed her by marrying another, has returned to England as a widower and expects to pick up where they left off twelve years previously, without benefit of any kind of understanding. Hurt and offended, she declines his offer of company under the pretense that her fiancé will not approve. Swearing Dew to secrecy, she explains that her betrothal has yet to be announced. Margaret feels sure that the lie will become truth once her most ardent admirer realizes she is in town. Unfortunately, Margaret discovers that a man can only be turned down a certain number of times before he seeks someone else who will have him. Horrified by the predicament she finds herself in; Margaret is desperate for a miracle.

Duncan Pennethorne, Earl of Sheringford, has also arrived in London with a mission to carry out. To keep from being cut off from his inheritance, he must woo and wed, within fifteen days, a respectable female of excellent breeding, and willing to align herself with him. A daunting task since the Earl is tainted by a scandal so dark that he is not received by any but those on the absolute fringes of the ton With nothing to lose and all to gain, when he collides with Margaret at a crowded ball, he makes her an extraordinary offer that may solve both their dilemmas.

Before Margaret and Duncan can devise a plan, she is betrayed yet again by Crispin when he breaks his vow and news of the betrothal is spread throughout the ton by the next morning. Her reputation at risk whether she accepts Duncan 's offer or not, she soon learns that there is more to Duncan 's situation than the loss of his inheritance. Some betrayals are worse than others and the truth is not always best revealed.

In this novel, Ms. Balogh takes up a theme explored in some of her previous novels - romance can and does occur for women older than twenty. Margaret Huxtable is thirty, an age that is not typical for the heroine of most historical romances. By choosing an older heroine, Balogh has added a certain depth to Margaret's character and as a result there is more complexity to this story than either of the first two novels in the series. It is a wonderful story and well worth making some time to read it.

Reviewed by Mairead Walpole