Genres: Historical Romance
Published by Dell
Released on June 3, 2003
Pages: 374
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
The Delight
Lady Freyja Bedwyn has been a larger than life presence since the prequel to this series and as a secondary character for each of her two brothers’ romances. Now, for her turn, I was eager to see who would be her match. And, oh, was he a doozy. Somewhat spoiled and arrogant, not just any noble hero would do. This was one of the two Bedwyn stories that I have wanted since I encountered them and it was as colorful and exciting as I could have predicted.
Review
Slightly Scandalous is book three in the Bedwyn Saga and follows two related Bedwyn prequels. I would definitely recommend the books in order, though, in a pinch, one could do all right out of order. But, I’m going to also recommend that this one works even better if the prequel, A Summer to Remember, is read before this one because it is the backstory for this one and explains a lot about why the heroine is the way she is.
So, yes, fiery and feisty Freyja is brave and outspoken- to a point. She plays it off well, but she was hurt when her former fiance’ set out to jilt her and get his revenge for her accepting his elder brother. Now, he’s happily married and expecting a child. She does not want to be in the neighborhood for those rejoicings so has escaped to Bath. Along the way, she has an encounter with a rogue and the dust up does her good. In Bath, all is staid and boring until she encounters the rogue once again and learns he’s the new Marquess of Hallmere. Freyja gets things wrong and confronts him to his amusement then she lets the charmer talk her into a plan that will aid them both avoid their problems- if she can just resist falling in love.
Joshua Moore was content with his life until his uncle passed and he is now propelled into his lofty position, wealth, and estates. Joshua is the target of schemes to land a titled lord and his wealth and also the target of his aunt who is not desirous of giving way to the young man she treated poorly and fears her comeuppance has arrived. From the first encounter, the tempestuous Freyja has captured his interest and her temper distracts him from his own troubles. She agrees to help him stay free of entanglements even entanglements with him.
I might have set myself up on this one. I have been enchanted with Freyja since my first encounter. I felt badly for her in A Summer to Remember, but she held her head high when the man she thought she loved wants another and she’s been a rock when two of her older brothers and their brides needed help. She’s loyal and true to her family when they need her.
But, I don’t think I had a good grasp of her full personality. She bowled me over in this book and not in a good way half the time. She’s got a bad temper for one thing and likes to punch which is a no-no for me. She also goes off half-cocked and her snobbishness shows up now and then.
Fortunately, that is not all there is to her. Like many a Balogh character, she’s not all this or all that, but layered and takes a bit to get to know as her story unfolds. Oh, and the biggest redeeming factor? Freyja cracked me up so much when she rushed in where angels fear to tread and got herself into a few pickles.
This is also true of her hero, Joshua. I was none too keen on him for a time, either. He drifts about, living in the moment, going with what feels good. He’s harmless for the most part. I needed to see him get serious and take an interest in something and someone outside himself which he did. He eventually won me over. They both did.
This pair seemed to have too much going on personally to convince me they were good together, but then it happened. I saw where they worked out just fine and made a fine pair. It helped that they had a common cause in dealing with Joshua’s horrid aunt. I mean, I get an older woman fearful of her future and wanting to hold onto what she could, but this harridan went beyond that and was quite the villain in her schemes. It was fun to see Freyja use her strength and character to fight this woman and others on Joshua’s behalf, and then, when the big moment came, there were all those Bedwyn siblings pulling together and supporting Joshua for Freyja’s sake. More and more, I love what each book in this series reveals about the aloof and powerful Wulfric, the oldest of the Bedwyn siblings.
So, another engaging story and fun surprising way that it changed my mind and made me enjoy the romance I got. I do love this series with its foundation in family. Looking forward to more Bedwyn romance and can easily recommend these historicals to those who don’t mind an older series and characters up to some fun antics as they find their happily ever afters.
Challenges Met
Mt. TBR #35
Series that Never Ends #4
Reading Assignment #12 Professor Author Love
Oldie But a Goodie #9
Magical OWLs Readathon #8 History of Magic/book published 10+ years ago
Preview
About Mary Balogh
Mary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling ‘Slightly’ sextet and ‘Simply’ quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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I’m not a fan of a woman punching either, and Freya does sound a bit difficult, but you’re right, Mary Balogh doesn’t write a character that’s fully this or that. I love that she writes believable, complex characters that you end up liking in spite of their flaws. Wonderful review, Sophia Rose! 🙂
It’s interesting how the hitting shows up so much even in current romances. The first time she hit him made sense when he barged into her room at the inn, but after that, it was just temper.
I enjoy how Balogh’s characters always have more to them than what first appears. 🙂
Lovely review. I love this author and this family is a hoot. Although I still need to read this book and finish up the series. I read Wulfric’s book many years ago, which is amazing. But I do like stories where the author ends up winning you over in the end.
Wulf’s book is the one I most anticipate now, but I’ll be happy to get the two younger siblings first. 🙂
Freyja sounds like a wonderful character with her fiery temper, pride and loyalty and caring towards her brothers and their brides. I like that she was layered and it’s always fun when a character gets in to a bit of trouble! I’m glad that the two main characters won you over eventually and that you enjoyed the romance, foundation of family and HEA. Fab review Sophia!
She made each scene sparkle when she was present. 🙂
Love older series.
It’s been fun reading one each month.