Title: Slightly Wicked Series: Bedwyns #2
Author: Mary Balogh
Published: April 29, 2003
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 342
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:With his laughing eyes and wild, rakish good looks, Lord Rannulf Bedwyn is a hard man to resist. To Judith Law, a woman in need of rescue when her stagecoach overturns, Rannulf is simply her savior, a heroic stranger she will reward with one night of reckless passion before she must become a companion to her wealthy aunt. Imagine Judith's shock when the same stranger turns out to be among England's most eligible bachelors…and when he arrives at Harewood Grange to woo her cousin. Certainly, they had made no vows, no promises, but Rannulf never did forget his uninhibited lover…nor did she forget that one delicious night. And as scandal sets the household abuzz, Rannulf proposes a solution…but when Judith refuses to have him—in love or wedlock—Rannulf has only one choice: to wage a campaign of pure pleasure to capture the heart of the woman who has already won his.
Aside from one very unfortunate “horseback riding” scene, Mary Balogh has delivered yet another winner. I love her books (so far without exception), and Simply Wicked was great. With wonderful writing, fully-developed characters, and a plot unlike any I’ve found before in Regency romance, this book reminds me (again) of why historical romances are my #1 Fave.
The book starts off on a muddy, rainy day on the road somewhere in rural England. Judith Law is traveling to her aunt and uncle’s estate, where she’s destined to live life as a poor relation—a frumpy, forgotten unpaid servant, relegated to dowdy dresses and ugly bonnets. All of this is very distressing, so Judith entertains herself with a fantasy about being rescued by a handsome highwayman.
Moments before the stagecoach overturned, Judith Law was deeply immersed in a daydream that had effectively obliterated the unpleasant nature of the present reality.
So, the carriage crashses, and who should ride in out of the mist but Lord Rannulf Bedwyn, not quite a highwayman, but certainly the next-best thing.
Rannulf sees Judith, is instantly captivated by her almost inhuman beauty, and offers to escort her into the town where she can be safe and dry. Longing for adventure before she settles to live the rest of her life in spinsterly gloom, Judith accepts, and puts on an act, telling Rannful she’s a talented actress with some experience of the world. One thing follows another, and eventually they do the Deed. (There is also horsey sex.)
Judith, not at all regretting her actions, sneaks off and heads on to her relations, quite happy with her dalliance and sure she and Rannulf will never see each other again.
Silly, silly, Judith.
This is a romance novel, so of course, Rannulf happens to be visiting his grandmother, who lives next door to Judith’s aunt and uncle. How terribly awkward.
Then there are Complications and Difficulties that arise and must be conquered before True Love can prevail. Which it does, in a delightful way that only Mary Balogh can fully achieve.
I really don’t know what it is about this author, but she has me figured out to a T. Slightly Wicked does a lot of things that might have annoyed me in any other situation, but it all worked here.
For instance, Judith is a Sheltered Maiden with no self-confidence. She’s been verbally abused by her puritanical parents because she was born with, ahem, ample bosoms and a pretty face. She has believes herself to be Unutterably Hideous, even though she is a Veritable Goddess. Rannulf comes along and shows Judith her own worth and makes her feel desirable (as men generally do). This doesn’t sound like the type of heroine I’d generally be interested in, but oh well. Balogh somehow makes it charming and fresh, and I really enjoyed Judith’s story as she came to value herself as a woman, (mostly) independently from what any man thought of her.
There’s also the fact that the general hurdle in between Rannulf and Judith is social class, which is just a redux of the previous book in the series, Slightly Married. It doesn’t take quite the same tone and doesn’t look the same, but it is basically the same difficulty, just dressed in a different color.
I think it’s probably undeniable that Mary Balogh has a “type” of narrative that she likes to write. I’ve seen some people complain about this. I guess it’s just lucky for me that I happen to be really into this sort of romance. I love everything about Slightly Wicked and the author’s storytelling in general. Judith and Rannulf were great characters, their story was unique and interesting, and Balogh’s prose was, as always, elegant and detailed in a very specific way. This was a great book.
