Title: Slightly Tempted Series: Bedwyns #4
Author: Mary Balogh
Published: December 30, 2003
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 356
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Young. Ravishing. Exquisitely marriageable. From the moment he spies Lady Morgan Bedwyn across the glittering ballroom, Gervase Ashford, Earl of Rosthorn, knows he has found the perfect instrument of his revenge. But wedlock is not on the mind of the continent’s most notorious rake. Nor is it of interest to the fiercely independent Lady Morgan herself…until one night of shocking intimacy erupts in a scandal that could make Gervase’s vengeance all the sweeter. There is only one thing standing in his way: Morgan, who has achieved the impossible—she’s melted his coolly guarded heart. For Gervase, only the marriage bed will do, but Morgan simply will not have him. Thus begins a sizzling courtship where two wary hearts are about to be undone by the most scandalous passion of all: glorious, all-consuming love.
I feel like possibly, we all might have an author who is our soulmate. (I actually don’t believe in soulmates, but we’ll go with it.) An author who somehow pulls out all the things on your bookish wishlist and makes them happen for you, and does it with excellent writing, characterization, and charm.
Obviously, Mary Balogh is my soulmate, and Slightly Tempted is yet another glorious success in our ongoing relationship. Honestly, I wasn’t even interested in the book but I read it for the sake of duty and then I fell in love. Kind of like how all those Regency people get married for a bad reason but then realize their partner is actually their “soulmate” (please note scare quotes). I frackin’ loved this book, and I don’t even know why I’m surprised by it.
Okay, yes, let’s all agree that Balogh uses the same tropes over and over, which could potentially get to be very tiring and frustrating. Even I got pissy at some point in the last Bedwyn book because of the repetition and lack of imagination. But also let’s just admit that Balogh’s formula really works for her. It does, and so I can’t complain even a little bit. This entire series has been good stuff, and this fourth (or sixth?) installment wasn’t different.
Balogh always does something ~different~ with her stories, and the big one here is that the first half of Slightly Tempted takes place in Brussels, immediately before and after the Battle of Waterloo. I’ve read a decent amount of Regencies, and there have been characters who were wounded in Waterloo, but never has a book spent a significant amount of time on the Continent during the wars. Well, welcome to this book! I loved it. The entire, frantic atmosphere of Brussels before the big standoff was wonderful, and changed the intensity of the proceedings. It all seemed frivolous and fragile, as people danced the night before they expected to die in battle.
In this glittering, hysterical atmosphere Balogh thrusts 18-year-old Morgan Bedwyn, a young woman who’s only just made her come-out and, by dint of her beauty and great consequence, is greatly sought-after. At one of the many parties she attended, she meets Gervase Ashford, significantly older and considerably more jaded after spending 9 years in exile on the Continent. Unbeknownst to Morgan, Gervase’s exile is wrapped up in an unfortunate incident with her brother the duke, and she makes a likely target for revenge.
Except, Gervase and Morgan become really close friends, which rather ruins things. It’s difficult to avenge yourself on a man who wronged you via his baby sister when you quite enjoy talking to said sister. Obviously, complications ensue.
Man, I loved this book. Mary Balogh knows what’s up, and I was touched by the thoughtful, mature relationship between Morgan and Gervase. This author always knows how to hit on the sweet spot that combines an fluffy emotions with the real challenges of a committed relationship. Good stuff, Slightly Tempted, good stuff.
In general, I also just love Mary Balogh. Her books examine the human experience with nuance and deep insight. Sure, this is a book about two people falling in love. It’s also a book about war, and grief, and revenge and forgiveness. I’ve literally never read romances that explore the full gamut of emotion the way Balogh’s do. Slightly Tempted was a beautiful book.
“It is very easy to fall in love, I believe. It is a highly emotional state. I am not so sure it is as easy to love.
“Love does not involve the emotions, then?”
“It is not ruled by them,” she told him. “Love is liking and companionship and respect and trust. Love does not dominate or try to possess. Love thrives only in a commitment to pure, mutual freedom. That is why marriage is so tricky.”
