Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking Story, Stunning Characterization
Review: This is one of my favorite Baloghs, a real red-eye special that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. I won't repeat the plot because others have done so, but the one comment I want to make is that this book endures. It bears up extraordinarily well under the acid test: re-reading. I have read this book 4 times since it came out, and each time it is just as electrifying and emotionally satisfying as the first. The only other author I can say that about is Georgette Heyer.
Rating:
Summary: I'm hooked on Balogh!
Review: This was the first Balogh romance that I read and it's still one of my favorites. Balogh's authenticity and captivating love stories make anything that she writes better than most any other romance novelist. You won't go wrong with this one!
Rating:
Summary: A Delicious Treat.
Review: What, if anything, could be better than a Regency romance by Mary Balogh? To be sure, it could only be a LONGER, more in-depth Regency romance by Mary Balogh. This was the first in a new series from Berkley as just such a lavish, extremely fulfilling treat. It is NOT a historical disguised as a Regency, but the very real thing. From her first greeting to Viscount Rawleigh, Catherine Winters finds herself annoyingly attracted to the man, whom she had initially taken for his twin-brother and her near neighbor, Mr. Adams. The Viscount, on the other hand, makes erroneous suppositions about the lovely widow, and during the whole of this long and lovely book, sparks fly between these two strong and independent characters. Against his better judgment, the Viscount accompanies his brother back to Bodley-on-the-water, for a change of scenery. His brother's wife is determined to make a match between her younger sister and the handsome Rex, refusing to believe he is not interested in the untried chit. He is equally determined to avoid her snares, protecting his heart from further damage, it having been broken once already. Catherine is obviously a lady, or at least with some pretensions toward gentility, if a bit young to be a widow at the age of five-and-twenty. Content with her current existence, she has a dog for companionship, and enjoys the society (although knowing it for exactly the condescension that it is) of the occupants of the small village, from the Viscount's brother to the garrulous rector. Of course, Rawleigh believes the toothsome widow to be eminently beddable, based on little more than a smile or two, and pursues his goal with admirable intent. She must certainly be interested in him, for how else could she so readily tell him apart from his identical brother? No one else ever could! No matter how impregnable any woman believes her fortress to be, the gates may nearly always be opened by the right key. He inadvertently compromises her; they must marry, and all the long-held secrets come tumbling out. As usual, Mary Balogh does not disappoint the reader; this is truly (to borrow a word coined by her original publisher) a SUPER Regency!
Rating:
Summary: A Delicious Treat.
Review: What, if anything, could be better than a Regency romance by Mary Balogh? To be sure, it could only be a LONGER, more in-depth Regency romance by Mary Balogh. This was the first in a new series from Berkley as just such a lavish, extremely fulfilling treat. It is NOT a historical disguised as a Regency, but the very real thing. From her first greeting to Viscount Rawleigh, Catherine Winters finds herself annoyingly attracted to the man, whom she had initially taken for his twin-brother and her near neighbor, Mr. Adams. The Viscount, on the other hand, makes erroneous suppositions about the lovely widow, and during the whole of this long and lovely book, sparks fly between these two strong and independent characters. Against his better judgment, the Viscount accompanies his brother back to Bodley-on-the-water, for a change of scenery. His brother's wife is determined to make a match between her younger sister and the handsome Rex, refusing to believe he is not interested in the untried chit. He is equally determined to avoid her snares, protecting his heart from further damage, it having been broken once already. Catherine is obviously a lady, or at least with some pretensions toward gentility, if a bit young to be a widow at the age of five-and-twenty. Content with her current existence, she has a dog for companionship, and enjoys the society (although knowing it for exactly the condescension that it is) of the occupants of the small village, from the Viscount's brother to the garrulous rector. Of course, Rawleigh believes the toothsome widow to be eminently beddable, based on little more than a smile or two, and pursues his goal with admirable intent. She must certainly be interested in him, for how else could she so readily tell him apart from his identical brother? No one else ever could! No matter how impregnable any woman believes her fortress to be, the gates may nearly always be opened by the right key. He inadvertently compromises her; they must marry, and all the long-held secrets come tumbling out. As usual, Mary Balogh does not disappoint the reader; this is truly (to borrow a word coined by her original publisher) a SUPER Regency!
Rating:
Summary: Gloriously Drawn, Gloriously Savored !!
Review: When Mary Balogh is good, she is very, very good, and here she excels. This love story is wonderfully written and wonderfully enjoyed. Balogh pulls the reader into her passionate story with her usual flare. This is the tale of the mysterious Catherine Winters, and the overpowering, bored Rex Adams, the Viscount Rawleigh. Catherine is a compassionate woman living in the rural setting of Bodley-on-the-Water. She fills her peaceful days giving music lessons, baking for the sick, and reading to the elderly. Her only companion, in life, is a little terrier dog. Viscount Rawleigh is visiting his twin brother's country estate; he is titled, rich, handsome, blasé, and mistakes an innocent smile for a sexual invitation. What is the story's true success? Mary Balogh does not allow our lovers to dwell in confrontation. Instead she chooses to tantalize her reader with the mystery surrounding Catherine Winters' past life. The author controls this intrigue with captivating skill, and when it comes to captivation, Balogh is in her element. The result? The reader is unable to put down the book. Catherine's story is heartbreaking and her confession draws the reader to the edge of sadness. Viscount Rawleigh is the ultimate in a romance hero; he stands by his bride, and proceeds to rectify the injustice. Balogh wrote an incredible ending, with satisfying results. The villain got his just reward. A rating of 5 stars, to me, suggests the book is perfect; however, I felt there was one stumbling block. In the end, was Catherine's father truly in her corner or not? And, if he was, why not the heartfelt begging of her forgiveness? It may not be a perfect story, but it does come close! Oh, how I love a good book and this is a good book. Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.
Rating:
Summary: Great book full of sexual tension
Review: You really feel for the main character she doesn't want to be attrached to the Viscount and is almost ruined by him. I am not much on romance novels but this is a winner
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