Wednesday, March 25, 2015

2015 book 73

Mary Balogh's Slightly Married
I have really been enjoying Balogh's books, and the first in her Bedwyn series (about a bunch of siblings, children of a Duke) was no exception. It centers on stern and grumpy second son Aidan, an army officer, who makes a dying officer a promise to protect the dying man's sister. And she is pretty great--the sort who adopts orphans, and hires ruined governesses and cooks, and has a three-legged one-eyed dog, and so on. BUT because her brother is dead and her dad was a jerk, she is now going to lose her property to a horrible cousin--unless she marries. So Aidan proposes a marriage of convenience--she'll save her land and all her friends/employees/orphans/elderly aunts, and he'll go back off to war, and they'll never see each other again. But circumstances, elderly aunts, and intimidating older brothers will interfere, and soon they find things not going quite according to plan. Interestingly, there is no attraction at first sight here--he's interested in a General's daughter, and she's in love with a guy she hasn't seen or heard from in over a year. I like a slow building romance, and this one feels really organic. And everything is just so funny and charming and CUTE. I really loved this one. A-.

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