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Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML: BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Mary Balogh's The Secret Mistress. Meet the Bedwyns...six brothers and sisters--men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality...Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction...where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal...and where Rannulf Bedwyn, the rebellious third son, enters into a liaison that is rather risqué, somewhat naughty, and...Slightly Wicked. 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.… (more)
User reviews
I enjoyed this book a great deal. I loved Judith - she is a complex, strong, yet realistic heroine, and I loved how through the course of the book she comes to see her own worth and her own beauty. A good deal of this book focuses on Judith moving from hiding and hating herself to loving and rejoicing in herself - a change she makes with the help of Rannulf's friendship and love. Rannulf is a good character as well. However, he does not have the individuality of some of Balogh's other male characters, and I found him a (relatively) weak lead. There is a surge in the plot in the last third of the book, but while a lot happens, it does not become confusing or detract from the romantic struggle of the story.
Re-read Slightly Dangerous and wanted to go back and read the whole family to see Wulfric. This was an enjoyable read with both Rannulf and Judith starting out lying about who they are and having an two night passionate affair. Then they end up at the same house, her as a
Re-reading I would still give it the 4 star for romance. With an exciting back plot.
It was fun, light, predictable fun.
I liked the first Bedwyn story better, but this one has a lot of charm. Aside from their romance, Rannulf and Judith each have other friendships and subplots. Rannulf has always been rich and has never much stirred himself, but coming in contact with the ruin Judith's brother has brought upon his family makes him think about his own dissolute habits. And Judith's friendship with her grandmother, and mixed feelings about her beauty, give her depth. Most of all, this book heightened my anticipation of reading some of the other Bedwyn's romances: Lady Freyja, for instance, who rides hard and treats her suitors like they're comrades in arms, but is still getting over a broken heart. And the Duke himself, the freezingly cold, intensely proud, always controlled young man who rules the Bedwyns with just a hissed whisper.
But so solid, I'd revisit so 3.5 rounded up.
2nd read- I've decided it's a mix of Shakespearean comedy, Jane Austen (particularly Pride and Prejudice), and Cinderella. =D Maybe even a little Ugly Duckling thrown in. It has a nice cast of characters, the leads
When Judith arrives at her aunt’s, she is given baggy clothes to wear and has to cover her red-gold hair with caps. She is made to stay in the background as the aunt doesn’t want any attention to be taken away from her own daughter as they are planning to capture a rich duke for her to wed. Of course, when the duke arrives he is none other than Rannulf. Rannulf finds himself strongly attracted to Judith and his close observation of her results in his protecting her from the unwanted attention of Judith’s step-cousin. After having been thwarted this cousin swears revenge on both Rannulf and Judith.
A fun story with a definite “Cinderella” slant. Although there were some unbelievable plot points, I enjoyed reading of the two main characters as their lust for each other slowly develops into a trusting friendship and eventually a strong love. I am looking forward to reading more about the Bedwyn family.
The premise of this novel seems rather improbable: Judith Law, the daughter of an impoverished clergyman, is sent to a wealthy part of her extended family to be a companion to her grandmother, or rather, an unpaid servant. During her trip to their mansion, there is a coach accident and she meets Rannulf Bedwyn, who takes her to the nearest village. They are attracted to each other and, believing her chance at happiness to be over soon, Judith spends a couple of nights with him in order to at least have one adventure in her life before no man will ever look at her again. But of course, they meet again after a few days when Rannulf arrives at the mansion to court Judith's beautiful and affluent cousin.
Although the plot is foreseeable in the long run, there were a few twists and turns that I did not see coming. I liked Judith and Rannulf and they are believable as a couple, although Judith's actions were not always comprehensible to me and I wanted to shake her a few times.
The underlying theme of the objectification of women that is apparent in all relations that Judith has to men goes a step further from the topic of money and social standing, and it added depth and stronger characterizations to the story.
I'm looking forward to continuing with this series soon!
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With his laughing eyes and rakish good looks, Lord Rannulf Bedwyn is a hard man to resist. To Judith Law, in need of rescue when the stagecoach in which she is traveling overturns, Rannulf is simply her savior, her dream come true, a heroic stranger with whom she will allow herself one night of reckless passion before she must settle to the dreary life of companion to her wealthy aunt. However, a shock is in store for her when that same stranger turns out to be the eligible, wealthy son of a duke--and when he arrives at Harewood Grange to woo her cousin. Judith holds firm against all Rannulf's advances, both honorable and otherwise. But then scandal rocks the household and threatens her name and her very liberty, and it is Rannulf who rides to her rescue--bringing all the considerable power and influence of the Bedwyns to her defense. But can true love grow out of something very slightly wicked...