Historical Romance Book Club discussion

Discussion thread for July, 2018 BOTM. Please remember to use the spoiler tags when necessary! (Please see 'some html is ok' for instructions).

Happy reading:)

Slightly Dangerous


All of London is abuzz over the imminent arrival of Wulfric Bedwyn, the reclusive, cold-as-ice Duke of Bewcastle, at the most glittering social event of the season. Some whisper of a tragic love affair. Others say he is so aloof and passionless that not even the greatest beauty could capture his attention. But on this dazzling afternoon, one woman did catch the duke’s eye—and she was the only female in the room who wasn’t even trying. Christine Derrick is intrigued by the handsome duke…all the more so when he invites her to become his mistress.

What red-blooded woman wouldn’t enjoy a tumble in the bedsheets with a consummate lover—with no strings and no questions asked. An infuriating lady with very definite views on men, morals, and marriage, Christine confounds Wulfric at every turn. Yet even as the lone wolf of the Bedwyn clan vows to seduce her any way he can, something strange and wonderful is happening. Now for a man who thought he’d never lose his heart, nothing less than love will do.

With her trademark wit, riveting storytelling, and sizzling sexual sparks, Mary Balogh once again brings together two polar opposites: an irresistible, high-and-mighty aristocrat and the impulsive, pleasure-loving woman who shows him what true passion is all about. A man and a woman so wrong for each other, it can result only in the perfect match.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I can’t wait. I love this series. I’m finishing up book 5 now, and then I will start book 6. So, this is GREAT for me. I had never read Mary Balogh before a month ago, and I really like her.

OMG. I just reread this a few months ago so I'm not sure whether I'm ready for another read just yet. But IMO it's Mary Balogh's best. And in my top 5 HRs ever. Melissa, you are in for a real treat, cos the previous books will have prepared you for this one, the best in the series. I'll be interested to see opinions from any new readers who tackle it next month without having read the rest of the series.

Jan130, I’m so excited to find out more about Wulf. To be quite honest, I really just want someone to be able to ruffle his feathers a little. Haha.

Melissa wrote: "Jan130, I’m so excited to find out more about Wulf. To be quite honest, I really just want someone to be able to ruffle his feathers a little. Haha."

You're gonna love it!

Jan130,
Oh good, I can’t wait.

Is this readable without having read the other first?

Lorien,
I’m in the middle of book 5 in this series right now. I don’t think you have to read the other books first, but I am glad that I am reading them in order. I feel like I have much more insight into the characters. I don’t know if that helps. I really like this author. She was new to me. I can’t wait to sample more from her after I’m done with this series.

Lorien wrote: "Is this readable without having read the other first?"

Lorien, you could read it as a standalone, but I agree with Melissa. It has a lot more 'punch' if you've read the other 'Slightly' books first, as you get to know Wulfric, the H, a little bit more in each book and then when he gets his own story it's just WOW! At last!

But still, you may not want to read all those other books first, so it would be worth trying as a standalone. It just might take you a little while to warm to Wulfric. But hang in there. When you get to know him, he's one of the best HR heroes EVER IMO :D

I just finished it and I agree you can read it without reading the first one even though some of the supporting characters make a brief cameo.


I’ve got to say though, I felt bad for Wulf. He had a lot of hurdles to cross to surpass the heroine’s preconceived notions about who or what he was all about.

I've owned this series for a while and never got around to it. I can only read so much Balogh at a time. So joining a buddy read would help motivate me. But I don't have time or will to read the rest of the series before July. :)

I just finished Slightly Sinful, and I will be starting Slightly Dangerous. It feels like such a treat that Slightly Dangerous is also the July group read. YEAH!!! I can’t wait to read all the comments and add a few of my own. I had never read any Mary Balogh books before starting this series. I really like her writing style, and I can’t wait to try some of her other stories. I have to say, the Bedwyn family saga has a definite place in my heart. This series will always be a top favorite.

I loved this series, and I highly recommend anyone who has time to start from the beginning and read all of them. However, unlike most people, Slightly Dangerous is not my favorite. I'm not ready to join in for a reread yet, but I look forward to seeing what other people think.

Mariana wrote: "I loved this series.....However, unlike most people, Slightly Dangerous is not my favorite"

What??? Sacrilege Mariana! (joking of course). But it's my fav in a big way. Now I'm curious. Which one is your fav?

I'm not sure whether I'm ready for a reread just now either. Might be a bit too soon for me to reread again. But I'm keen to read others' comments as well.

Melissa wrote: "II just finished Slightly Sinful, and I will be starting Slightly Dangerous. It feels like such a treat that Slightly Dangerous is also the July group read. YEAH!!! I can’t wait to read all the comments and add a few of my own. I had never read any Mary Balogh books before starting this series. I really like her writing style, and I can’t wait to try some of her other stories. I have to say, the Bedwyn family saga has a definite place in my heart. This series will always be a top favorite. "

Yay Melissa. I second your comments (except I have read quite a few Baloghs before). I heartily recommend Heartless and Irresistible as other fab Baloghs you may wish to try. Also the Mistress trilogy. Starts with More Than a Mistress

Enjoy Slightly Dangerous with the wonderful Wulfric and Christine.

Jan130 wrote: "Mariana wrote: "I loved this series.....However, unlike most people, Slightly Dangerous is not my favorite"

What??? Sacrilege Mariana! (joking of course). But it's my fav in a big way. Now I'm cur..."

Ha, ha! I did rate Slightly Dangerous 5 stars, but my favorite was Slightly Tempted

Jan130,
I’m looking forward to this book so much. I want to see what’s behind Wulfric’s cold exterior, and I have a feeling there’s quite a bit behind it. I’m definitely going to try Balogh’s other books as well. Thanks for the recommendations.

Mariana wrote: "Ha, ha! I did rate Slightly Dangerous 5 stars, but my favorite was Slightly Tempted "

Oh yes. I liked that one too, but not as much as Wulfric's book. I think unfortunately I read Slightly Tempted too soon after reading Georgette Heyer's Waterloo classic An Infamous Army
and that kind of clouded my view of the Balogh. But I did love Morgan.

Melissa wrote: "Jan130,
I’m looking forward to this book so much. I want to see what’s behind Wulfric’s cold exterior, and I have a feeling there’s quite a bit behind it. I’m definitely going to try Balogh’s other books as well. Thanks for the recommendations. "

My pleasure. And you are going to love the unfolding of Wulfric and the melting of the ice around his lonely heart.

I’m in the middle of Chapter 5 right now. I’m almost sad, because I know this will be a quick read for me. I’m enjoying this book thoroughly. I feel like a kid in a candy store. 😊

Mariana wrote: "I loved this series, and I highly recommend anyone who has time to start from the beginning and read all of them. However, unlike most people, Slightly Dangerous is not my favorite. I'm not ready t..."

Me too, Mariana,

This is my second fave HR series, but "Slightly Dangerous" isn't my favorite OF the series.

Christine was too (view spoiler)[over the top/slapstick. I felt as if I had been hit over the head with trying to show how different she and Wulf were. They took that too far for me. (hide spoiler)]

Andrea (Catsos Person) is a Compulsive eBook Hoarder wrote: "Christine was too (view spoiler)"

It's interesting cos at times in the past I've read an occasional similar comment. But I've never found her like that, and for me she's always seemed so perfect for Wulf. I guess we all see characters though our own lenses. In this case it's a shame for you, as I guess it would 'take the shine off' the book. But yeah, it's happened to me before, when I just can't connect with a main character in a book that everyone else seems to love. Oh well. It happens.

BTW Andrea, which is your 'first fav' HR series? (At the moment mine is Lisa Kleypas The Ravenels.)

Melissa wrote: "I’m in the middle of Chapter 5 right now. I’m almost sad, because I know this will be a quick read for me. I’m enjoying this book thoroughly. I feel like a kid in a candy store. 😊"

:D

Jan,

Christine is very likable and a good pairing for Wulfie, just not the slapstick.

My 1st fave HR series is probably the now-old “Knight Miscellany” by Gaelen Foley.

The Ravenel Series is LKs current, right?

"The Ravenel Series is LKs current, right? "

Yep, I have been 50/50 on it so far though.

Lorien,

Thanks for clearing that up.

I think LK took a hiatus from HR and wrote different books, right?

It didn't really strike me as slapstick, Andrea. OK, she's a little (view spoiler)[accident-prone, a bit of a klutz at times. Dives into things headfirst. (hide spoiler)] But we all know people like that.

Yes Ravenels is the current LK series and I'm loving them. She has written some CRs (I love her Travises series too) but that was a few years ago.

I haven't read the Gaelen Foleys. Thanks for sharing. I must give them a try. Is it best to read them in order? I know sometimes it doesn't matter, but in the case of the Ravenels, IMO it's better to read in order. Builds the characters and over-arching plot-lines better.

Jan,

I think that the Knight Series should be read in order.

Okay I'm not sure why I put this series off for so long, I'm already half way through the book. And I just started last night.

Lorien wrote: "Okay I'm not sure why I put this series off for so long, I'm already half way through the book. And I just started last night."

It’s a really good series.

I’m already half way through this book. I’ve been waiting for Wulfric’s story since book 1 of this series, and it has not been a disappointment. I absolutely love Christine. I’ll be more than a little sad when I finish this book.

Andrea (Catsos Person) is a Compulsive eBook Hoarder wrote: "Jan,

I think that the Knight Series should be read in order."

OK thanks. GTK.

SO I started this thinking maaaaaybe I'll give this a try... And then I finished the book in 2 days...
I shouldn't be surprised I guess, A Summer to Remember is in my top 20 HR books easily. It's one of the few romances ever to make me tear-up.
But I had gotten a bit burnt out on Balogh with the Huxtable series and just avoided her other books. My loss.

Lorien wrote: "SO I started this thinking maaaaaybe I'll give this a try... And then I finished the book in 2 days...
I shouldn't be surprised I guess, A Summer to Remember is in my top 20 HR books e..."

I really like aStR a lot.

NOBODY but MB can take 2 strangers and take the reader step by step, incremental process of creating a believable connection. She does it in aStR in spades.

I liked A Summer To Remember too. Yes she's really good at building believable characters and relationships. I've only read one or two of the Huxtable series but it's not my fav of her series.

40% Through! Loving this book. I've read the first 2 in the series and am trying not to listen to the connection to characters I haven't read yet LOL.

I'm looking forward to reading the inbetween books to see what you all are saying about Wulf. I'm not sure I like him so much, and then again, I can't stop listening and waiting for them to have some book time together. I think that's the nature of his personality. He's a strong male character, which I like, but he's also really unbending...... so far :D And that quizzing glass. I don't like that stupid monocle! LOL But I have no doubt I will be falling in love with him.

I've really enjoyed this series.

Wulfric! *happy sigh* You can't have him, Shannon. He's one of my book husbands. Already taken. LOL.

Jan130 wrote: "Wulfric! *happy sigh* You can't have him, Shannon. He's one of my book husbands. Already taken. LOL."

LOLOL......that made my day!

I have about 40 more pages until I’m done. I’m officially in love with Wulf. Jan130, I hate to tell you this, but Wulf is leaving you for me, hahaha. He is by far my favorite hero. He’s unselfish and loyal. I’m so upset that I’m at the end of this series. I want more! This book was romance to its core.😍☺️😊

Wulf is yummy. He's a close rival to Billy Blade from Lady of Desire!

Thanks Andrea. I’ll check out Gaelen Foley. I’ve never read any of her books before. Does that series need to be read in order?

Melissa wrote: "Thanks Andrea. I’ll check out Gaelen Foley. I’ve never read any of her books before. Does that series need to be read in order?"

I would read it in order, but I think that you might get away with reading out of order.

Andrea, I’ll read it in order. I’m so glad I read Balogh’s Slightly series in order. I felt like I had a better connection with the characters. Thanks again for the suggestion.

I just finished the book with a sniffle and a sigh. OH MY! The Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas was my favorite, but not anymore. Mary Balogh is my new favorite author. I have loved this whole series. Wulf’s story oozes romance. I thought it was the best of the series, but maybe that’s because I looked forward to reading Wulfric’s story with so much anticipation.

Melissa wrote: "I just finished the book with a sniffle and a sigh. OH MY! The Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas was my favorite, but not anymore. Mary Balogh is my new favorite author. I have loved this whole se..."

I'm glad that you enjoyed it! MB is one of my favorite HR authors as well.

This series is my second favorite series!

*group hugs everyone for mutual love of Wulfric and Slightly Dangerous*

*goes to check out Lady of Desire*

I kept comparing Wulfric to oddly to Batman.
I can only say because they are both so hard on the outside, but soft and gooey on the inside.

The book mentioned Wulfric had another fiancé. What book if any is that story covered in?

Lorien,
It tells the story in Slightly Tempted.

Lorien wrote: "I kept comparing Wulfric to oddly to Batman.
I can only say because they are both so hard on the outside, but soft and gooey on the inside."

I can see it.