A Happy Ending

I'll admit, I skipped Alleyne's book altogether. I flipped through it, and read the last couple of chapters where Alleyne was reunited with his family, but the story just didn't appeal to me, and I didn't want to waste my time on it. (Besides my aversion to Alleyne's return, I'd also heard too much online about "Disney whores", and my quick skim of the first section of the book didn't do anything to persuade me to keep reading.) Thankfully skipping this book didn't affect my enjoyment of the last book in the series.

Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
(2004, Regency Historical) 7/14/2007
Grade: 4.5

Wulfric Bedwyn, the Duke of Bewcastle, was taught to hold himself above others and suppress his emotions. With his family all married and gone, he’s unexpectedly lonely, but can’t imagine marrying. But when he meets Christine - boisterous, sociable and joyful- he is attracted despite himself. Can a Duke allow an imperfect love into his life?

Definitely the best book in the series. It’s always difficult to find a believable match for the “repressed head of the family” character, but I think Balogh succeeds in creating a heroine who would horrify a Duke but would also attract him. Their relationship is believable without compromising the character of Bewcastle that’s been created in the previous books. And they definitely have chemistry together. The book is a little too stuffed with other family members (I felt like I needed a chart to keep track of all the relatives) and the side plot about Justin didn’t quite work for me, but overall, it ended the series exceptionally well. (Although I didn’t like several of the books in the series, this book wouldn’t have worked as well if Bewcastle hadn’t been developed during the other books so the reader knew him to some extent before the book began.)

Definitely back on form for Mary Balogh, which makes me happy. Although it didn't reach the heights of her best books, it was satisfying and enjoyable. I wasn't sure quite how to grade it, but since I stayed up until 4 am finishing it, I had to give it an extra boost in my rating.

Now, I need to find something completely different, after my somewhat frustrating Balogh binge. Harry Potter doesn't come out for another week, so I'll need something to read in the meantime...