Rating: 
Summary: A Joy to Read
Review: After a slow start, the intensity of this fine novel builds. Miss Balogh has taken the Pride and Prejudice plot with widow Christine Derrick somewhat like Elizabeth Bennett and the Duke of Bewcastle expanding on Mr. Darcy's character. It is in Balogh's crafting of the duke that she dazzles. Ever consistent, the duke is portrayed as icy and isolated while at the same time obsessed over Mrs. Derrick. The plot builds to a crescendo that will have readers bubbling with warm fuzzies. Another fabulous read from one of the genre's best.
Rating:
Summary: The thawing of an iceberg
Review: At the end of Mary Balogh's Summer to Remember, a very haughty family rode up on horseback. They had ancient British names ( Freja, Alleyne, Rannulf) and I suspected that the author may introduce these folks in later books.
Well, they got a whole series to themselves! The "Slightly" series concludes with eldest brother Wulfric's story in Slightly Dangerous. Other reviewers have seemed disappointed with lack of passion and a buoyant "silly" heroine but I disagree. This was a perfect ending to an excellent set of stories about the filthy rich, arrogant Bedwyn family. At age 17, Wulfric Bedwyn took on the responsibility of raising 3 younger brothers and 2 sisters when his father died. He was a very strict taskmaster who rarely showed emotion and never smiled. His icy manner terrified most of London's 'ton' and even his own family tread very carefully when close to him. Balogh introduced a totally opposite female personality to soften the hard-edged Wulfric. Widowed Christine Derrick was a sunny, childlike, loving woman whose overly exuberant ways had often been mistaken for immaturity and flirtatiousness. She is what we hope to be on our good days: always smiling, laughing and UP! Christine and Wulfric immediately acknowledged and acted upon their physical attraction but it took most of the book for them to discover that they "suited." Balogh writes some classic lines in this book. When Wulfric realized he loved Christine, he thought:"...he was in love, damn it all. He disliked her, he resented her, he disapproved...yet he was head over heels in love with her...He was not amused." Christine was equally annoyed:"...She was horribly in love with him. Horribly, she supposed, being the operative word. Ignominiously might be even better." Slowly Wulfric and Christine revealed parts of their lives to each other; they began to to trust each other and finally realized no one else would do but the other.
All the Bedwyns reappeared including many offspring ( whose names I soon lost track of, but it didn't matter). It was great seeing and hearing all of them again. So I highly recommend the finale to the "Slightly" series - Wulfric finds someone to melt his icy heart and accept him for what he is. Warm, loving Christine Derrick makes him smile and laugh for the first time in 20 years.
Rating: 
Summary: Unappealing!
Review: Dear readers, if Mary Balogh was trying to make readers feel that Wulfric was A cold and unappealing man, she certainly succeded! No one liked this poor fellow. Other women weren't even attracted to him! All I felt for this poor hero was pity! The beginning of the book was pretty good. I loved the sexual tension between Wulfic and Christine, and it seemed that Wulfric was going to be A hard hero to get. I like it when the hero does not fall in love and chase the heroine right away. In this book the heroine was the one who was hard to get. Wulfric had to chase Christine so much that it got frustrating. Maybe I could have gotten past that, if Christine was A likable character, but she was so mean and nasty to Wulfric that I found myself dislikeing her. She humiliated him every chance she got. At one point she just came straight out and told him why she would not marry him , "I would be consumed by you, you would sap all the energy and all the joy from me. You would put out all the fire of my vitality." To say the least Christine was a bit harsh! I also did not see what all the fuss was about, when Wulfric asked Christine to be his mistress in the begining. Give me A break! For once I would like to read about A heroine who doesn't think it so horrible to be A man's mistress! Mary Balough does have A book about A heroine like that, [More Than A Mistress], but to my disapointment the hero in that book was not even handsome, and I could not finish the book after that bit of information! Don't get me wrong I think Mary Balough is a good writer. I just think some of her characters in her books are unappealing.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely Conclusion to Bedwyn Series
Review: For some time now readers have followed the saga of the highly aristocratic Bedwyn siblings finding love in some of the most unexpected places. The tone of the "Slightly" series has ranged from raucous ("Slightly Wicked") to tragic ("Slightly Married") and in each book the powerful presence of Wulfric Bewyn has been felt. He is the icy, rigidly controlled Duke of Bewcastle who took on the heavy mantle of the title and responsibility for his five younger brothers and sisters at the tender age of 17.In this book, Wulfric is thirty-six years old. His siblings have all married and started families. His mistress of ten years has died. Thus, one of the most compelling Regency heroes to come along in years is at loose ends and uncharacteristically accepts
an invitation to a two-week house party. There he meets and reluctantly falls in love with Mrs. Christine Derrick, a vivacious but impoverished widow with roots in the lower gentry. Wulfric's and Christine's coming together is more than just an "opposites attract" story. It's a deep and moving exploration of the transforming power of love. Neither Wulfric nor Christine are looking for love or marriage. Wulfric doubts that he is even capable of love. Christine has suffered terribly as a result of her early love, her marriage, and the repercussions of her husband's death. Although they fight their mutual attraction and make many mistakes along the way they are hopelessly drawn to one another. While there are some very amusing clashes between the penultimate toplofty aristocrat and the luminous free spirit who simply "doesn't know how to behave" this novel is at its heart a serious and deep love story. It has some of the most romantic scenes you'll ever encounter (Wulfric's and Christine's first walz, the scene in the dovecote). It's rich and subtle. It was well worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb ending to a very lovely series
Review: I also couldn't wait to see how Ms. Balogh was going to 'defrost' some of Wulfric's ice and show us the real man behind the frosty duke. I was not disappointed in the least! As I was reading, I couldn't help but feel so sad for Wulf because he was so lonely. He always set himself apart from everyone else. He felt always on the outside looking in. Christine was perfect for Wulfric. Complete opposites. I enjoyed watching them interact together and laughed along with her antics, especially the times when Wulf had to save her from disgrace. He was so out of his element, I got such a kick out of watching his reactions to her predicaments. I got misty-eyed when, finally, the haughty and icey Duke of Bewcastle let out a laugh and actually smiled! This was pure, unadulterated romance at it's best! Brava, Ms. Balogh, for a truly wonderful story and for giving us a glimpse into a loveable and entertaing family, the Bedwyns. I loved it!
Rating: 
Summary: slightly not as good as her other books
Review: I enjoy reading Ms.Balogh's books and was quite excited to see the last Bedwyn shot by cupid's arrow. This book had some good parts like the almost instant energy between Christine and Wulfric. Christine is a widow and has been for a while when the story starts. Wulfric's long time mistress had recently died leaving him alone and uncertain as what to do next with himself. For the most part the book had no suprises to it and I always knew what was going to happen before it did. You meet Justin who is a family member of Christine's late husband and while his character ends up playing a huge role in the plot I saw it coming for a long time. I felt like this book was rushed and did not live up to what I have come to expect from a novel by Ms. Balogh. I had a hard time with Wulfric being this man who is cold and duty bound that suddenly just changes. Christine is a headstrong woman that embarrasses herself in public on a regular basis and refuses a duke's marriage offer;yet he still wants her even though she goes against everything he believes, it was not the strongest plot for a book. I did enjoy parts of this book and just had to read Wulfric story no matter what I did and did not like about it.
Rating:
Summary: Wendy from VA Bch
Review: I have been reading books ever since I was a child over 40 years. Slightly Dangerous was outstanding. This is the first book I have read by Balogh. I did not know any of the characters from previous books. I felt she did an outstanding job describing the characters and the scenes. I loved reading the verbal exchanges between the main characters. Her book was a nice fresh break, so much description, I felt very much like I was there. This book was very hard to put down. It is a great lesson in Love, read this book and feel good afterwards.!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect ending to the series
Review: I have read many series romances, and am very critical of the last book in them because I fear the author will slack off just to tie up loose ends. And in some series, that has happened. But not in the Slightlys - Wulfric's story is my favorite of the bunch! I read the review where the readers didn't care for Christine, but I liked her very much. I liked that she was older, I liked that she was always herself no matter what, and I liked that she didn't give a hoot to marrying a title. I LOVED that she was brave enough to refuse Wulfric even though it broke her heart, because she knew he wasn't what she needed for the long haul. He needed someone to finally tell him that he had to stop acting like he thought others expected him to, and Christine was perfect for that. And, hello people, the first sex scene was short and rather cold to make a point - that's all that Wulf was capable of then. The eventual LOVE scene is that much more special, because it reflected his changed outlook. It's called contrast - did no one pay attention in high school lit. class? And romance novels so rarely make me cry, but the Epilogue to this one did. I won't give anything away, but it is so very touching. I'm glad Balogh is done with the Slightly series, because I don't think she could top this one. It's a keeper for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Very Satisfied
Review: I rushed it the first time I read it because I wanted to know the story. I enjoyed it but was not completely satisfied ... didn't know if I agreed with the 4 stars reviews though so I waited a few weeks and read it again, slowly this time, and found it to be VERY satisfying. The characters and story developed better (now that I'm reading every line). I loved the book and would recommend it ... Wulfric is still aloof and arrogant but then he is shown to have emotions after all. Christine is perfect for him and she's not accident prone as described by the Editor's Review. This book and Slightly Scandalous are my favorites of the series (the chemistry between Freyja and Josh in Scandalous was great ... wish Josh was real!) Other Mary Balogh books to consider are Indiscreet and Temporary Wife but you would have to buy them used.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: I've so enjoyed each of the "Slightly" books and love all the Bedwyn's so much-- but reserved the most special place for the cold and austere Duke of Bewcastle. His story was well worth the wait. It was so good to see him paired with such a warm and generous woman, perfectly designed to bring out the boy in Bewcastle. It's a wonderful story and watching Wulfric thaw out slowly as he woos her was such a treat. Well done Wulfric and Mary B!
|
