Customer Reviews

At Last Comes Love (Huxtable Series)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the third book in Ms. Balogh's Huxtable series and it is the best so far. In the first two books ("First Comes Marriage" and "Then Comes Seduction") we watched the Huxtable family adapt to life among the ton after the youngest member of the family, Stephen, unexpectedly inherited a title and a fortune. The first and second books were the the middle and youngest sister's (Vanessa and Katherine) stories. In these books we were also introduced to the eldest sister, Margaret. For many years Margaret functioned as the mother figure for her brother and younger sister. (They were orphaned when Margaret was 17 years old and she promised her father on his death bed that she would raise the younger children.) This book is Margaret's story.

In her youth Margaret was a beauty who could have had her pick of country gentlemen. Her family, while not wealthy, were genteel. She fell in love with Crispin Dew, the squire's eldest son, a friend from childhood. When Crispin chose a military career, he asked Margaret to follow the drum and join him in service as his wife. Margaret explained to Crispin that she could not leave the children but she would wait for him. Years passed and Margaret put her desires second to those of her sisters and brother. Then one day Margaret learned that while she had remained true to Crispin, he had forsaken her. Crispin had married someone else while on campaign and was expecting a child with this other woman. Margaret was by then at an age to be firmly on the the shelf. She buried her hurt and devastation and continued on as the cornerstone of her family, even refusing attentions and offers by other eligible gentlemen. Until at long last Margaret woke up and realized that she was thirty years old with two happily married sisters and a soon to be independent young brother. The family did not need her support any longer, in fact, soon she would become a burden upon them. When Crispin returns to town, newly widowed, he makes overtures to Margaret. Unfortunately these gestures speak more of pity than of long lost love. Margaret lashes back at him - his gestures will surely be unwelcome by her (imaginary) betrothed. Frantic that her lie will be easily uncovered, Margaret resolves to make this fantasy betrothal a reality by accepting the offer of one of her long time suitors, a good man who is more friend than potential lover. Alas, when she catches up with her intended fiancee (at an assembly) she discovers him already pledged to another. She spies Crispin on his way over to make the man's acquaintance and she rushes off plowing headlong into her future, in the person of Duncan Pennethorne, the infamous Earl of Sheringford.

Duncan Pennethorne (Duncan) is alleged to be the worst sort of scoundrel, deserting his bride on their wedding day to run off with the brides, very much married, sister-in-law. He has only very recently returned to society, having lived abroad with the woman until the time of her death, four months past. Duncan is in attendance at this assembly for one reason and only one reason: he must find and marry a woman who is acceptable to his grandfather, the Marquess of Claverbrook, He has less than 16 days to accomplish this task or he will be cut off. After Margaret nearly bowls him over, he steadies her and inquires, "Why not stay and dance with me?" "And then marry me and live happily ever after with me?" Her response? "Does it have to be in that order?" And so their story begins.

As always, Ms. Balogh tells an emotionally complex tale. Duncan and Margaret have each lovingly sacrificed their own happiness for the sake of others. Duncan is in a position where it appears he must do so once again, as in his case all is not at all what society perceives. Once Margaret gets a glimpse of the man behind the infamous facade, she realizes just how much Duncan needs her in his life and she begins to believe she just might find happiness with him. She married him expecting not love but contentment. Duncan comes to believe that Margaret might just be the woman he needs but he hesitates to trust her with all of the secrets of his past. He resolves to make her happy and even ventures a challenge, "Let us be rebels then." . . . "Court me too, Maggie,as I will court you. Make me fall in love with you. I will make you fall in love with me. There will be magic." Ah, no one writes dialog or constructs a romance like Mary Balogh. This is the story of two people who, while unafraid to give love, are hesitant to allow themselves to be open enough to be loved in return.

So, why not five stars? The villain(s), yes it seems there must be one in every piece. The tangible villains presented here are one dimensional at best. They pop up briefly engage in ridiculous antics and then go away. Even the back story associated with their villainy is ludicrous. Better to simply have left them out or made slight mention of their association. Ms. Balogh is talented enough to have made the intangible challenges Margaret and Duncan face villain enough for this piece.

While not a perfect book, this novel is one of Ms. Balogh's better works and that is saying something indeed.

This book is SO good! I was dissapointed with the first and second books in this series (First comes Marriage, and Then Comes Seduction) because those were simply not up to the standards of Ms. Balogh's fabulous writing! Then Comes Seduction was pretty good, but just not up to standards with the usual Balogh. First Comes Marriage was just boring. Luckily, in this book, the series is redeemed. This is a heartwarming, INTERESTING story between Margaret and Duncan. It's one of those books that you could just FEEL the characters falling in love. The chemistry between the two leads is palpable. Margaret is a strong character whom I could relate to. She felt real. I thought she was a bit more of a complex character than Duncan was, but Duncan was is possibly one of my favorite heroes EVER. He's a rake and is completely sweet. He's not one of those aloof heroes who really annoy me (aka, Elliot). But this book is really good and possibly one of my favorite Balogh books! Enjoy :)

This is a workmanlike story with a beginning, middle and end, all meticulously plotted, and therefore dull. The marriage so he can inherit, her marriage so she will not be left on the shelf, has all been seen before.

The component of his scandal and being the equivalent of a widower with an illegitimate son is sensationalized on the one hand, and then tidied away in a few pages on the other hand.

On hand are the dull Huxtable siblings, and Con waiting in the wings, no doubt for his own romance in book 5, but we don't get to catch up, see how happy they are, and so on.

Then there is the big misunderstanding. The heroine does not even give him a moment to explain, just withdraws as if the marriage is over. We never get into the real mind of the hero, of either of them, really. It is all tell, not show. The 'love scenes' are like building Lego. This part goes here, that one goes there-- etc.

Totally unromantic. And why her heroes still hold her hands over the women's heads hearkens back to the olden days of nonconsensual love scenes and exercising marital 'rights', which he enforces, rather than give her a change to get to know him when they have met less than a fortnight ago. And especially given the past of the woman he supposedly 'saved' from a bad marriage!

Flat conversation, indeed, them practicing trying to be silent with one another, makes this a dull book only redeemed by Toby the child.

I am giving up on this series as too dull for my tastes. I prefer something with more vivid characters than Margaret, or indeed, most of Balogh's men these days. They are too tedious.

This is the third book in the series, and the best so far. Which is saying something. But with Mary Balogh, you can hardly ever go wrong. She writes characters of such depth and grace, and although she is less sexually blatant that many of her contemporaries, what she does write rings more true somehow. Her stories and characters are so rich in and of themselves, even without the sex scenes, that when they do come, they are perfectly right...they don't jar you. You don't feel like you're watching sex between strangers and that pull she exerts through setting, character and plot makes it impossible not to feel the depth of those characters needs and desires. You discover along with them and don't feel like a voyeur afterwards.

Margaret is a wonderful character, full of wit and self-knowledge with a remarkable spirit and sense of humor. And Duncan is the perfect foil for her. A man of remarkable honor and compassion. They both share a deep sense of loneliness and lives unlived. And remarkably, in the end, they find what they've lost in each other and come to the understanding, in a very believable way, that perhaps that's how things were meant to be for the two of them. A perfectly wonderful book that I'll read over and over as time goes by.

I've liked all these book, the first (Vanessa's story) more than the second. And now this third, as I said, best of all. It will be interesting to see what Ms. Balogh does with Stephen's story, the 4th in the series, which is due out later this year. I'm hoping we'll also see a book for Constantine somewhere down the line.

And don't think I have a problem with more graphic sex. I don't. If it's done well, I'm just as susceptible as anyone else. But you have to care about the people engaged in the activity; otherwise it's like watching really bad porno.

A prime example of that is the early Anita Blake books (a different genre, I realize); in those early books, Laurell Hamilton did a great job with characters and story, especially story. So that when the sex finally came, it mattered, really mattered in a big way. But somewhere after Obsidian Butterfly, she lost her way and the books became nothing but sex. I don't know if she realizes just how unpleasant she's made the character of Anita Blake by airing what can only be, I think, her own personal predilections through her character. A shame, but there are tons of threads devoted to that sad journey, and this is about Mary Balogh. I only use the Anita Blake reference as an example of what I mean. Someone should send Ms. Hamilton a few of Mary Balogh's books. But maybe not...I don't think she "gets it".

Thank the stars for Mary Balogh.

I have read the first two of the Huxtable family books (First Comes Marriage and Then Comes Seduction (Huxtable)) and enjoyed them. But this is my favorite one of the three.

I'll start with a caution because the very reason I loved this book will make lots of people not like it very much. This is not a book where the couple is swept away by passion and has many steamy love scenes. The love story in this book is more like a crock pot than a microwave: it starts out cool and gradually warms up and is more intentional than the usual romance where a couple is instantly infatuated (even if they "hate" each other). If you prefer your romances to have lots of passion and sex, you may want to pass on this one.

This book draws on events that have occurred in the previous two books so it is best to have read the earlier books. But if you haven't read them, you will be fine because there is enough explanation.

Meg is the oldest Huxtable and is still single because she promised their father she would keep them all together and she felt the obligation to take care of Stephen (the youngest and only boy) until he reached adulthood. Vanessa and Kate are now happily married and Stephen is an adult but Meg is now 30. The slow pace of the romance in this book fits the character of Meg because she has held her emotions in check during the first two books.

Duncan has been away from society for 5 years due to a scandal the reader learns more about as the book progresses. Now he is desperate to find a bride who will merit his grandfather's approval and get married within two weeks or he will lose his childhood home and source of income. Meg is also in a bind because she told Crispin Dew (her first love who married another and is now a widower) she was engaged but she learns the man whose proposals she had been rejecting (but expected to accept this time) was engaged to another woman. Duncan and Meg run into each other (quite literally) and that starts the plot rolling.

There is a lot in this book about love and trust and about deciding to love someone. The sex scenes come after marriage and are more about the love than pure lust; they are not particularly explicit. This love story felt more real to me than a lot of the quick passion ones and it was a comfortable read with an ending so sweet it made me get all teary.

I'm looking forward to the 4th of the Huxtable books (Seducing an Angel (Huxtable)) and hope Mary Balogh will then write a love story for Constantine Huxtable.

I again emphasize that I do not believe this series was written by Mary Balogh, at least not the same Mary Balogh under which her previous series have been published. These books are pure formula and the stories are almost identical, in plot and in execution; each contains an identical scene in which the couple makes love outdoors, for instance. The real Mary Balogh--if there is such a person--wrote with a sensibility of time and place in her earlier books. She would never, for instance, have had her heroes or heroines use the term "Hey" when addressing one another. A very 20th century word, "hey" was hardly a part of Regency speak, and yet it appears in two of the books in this series. Too bad the Huxtable books have become a part of the Balogh oeuvre, because they besmirch Balogh's earlier works, which were well written and worth reading, especially her Slightly series (my favorite is Slightly Dangerous, the Duke's story).

"At Last Comes Love," the third story in this series, is the worst of the lot. Our heroine, Margaret, the eldest Huxtable sister, is officious, bossy, and smug, especially for a 30 year old about to be left on the shelf (doubtful in itself, considering how beautiful she is said to be). Duncan, the Lord of Sheringford, and the man to whom she accidentally becomes betrothed, is more likeable, but his earlier behavior is unbelievable to the point of pathology. The biggest fault in this book, though, is that it is boring; almost nothing happens. Parts of it are pedantic, much of it is repetitive (enough talk already about "falling in love"--show, don't tell!) and there is little tension and no real surprises (especially if you've read the first two, since the villains and their actions are much the same in Book 1 and Book 3). The dialogue between Margaret and Duncan, toward the end of the book, is actually dull. It's as if they have nothing much to say to each other except to repeat the same phrases about their hope for the future.

I took a chance on "At Last Comes Love" but will cheerfully give No. 4--Stephen's story--a pass. Balogh--whoever she is--has lost her charm for me.

I have also enjoyed Mary Balough's books previously, though not as much as vintage Julia Quinn, etc. I had high hopes for this new series. The first two books in the series were decent reads but this book was very disappointing. I gave it 2 stars because the set-up to the marriage was amusing and Duncan was interesting, at first. However, the first love scene made me shudder because it was so impersonal. The romance was dull and there were no twists or surprises. Overall, I would recommend you save your money for Eloisa James' new Duchess book, coming out soon.

I actually became a fan of Ms. Balogh's books after reading the first book in the Huxtable series ("First Comes Marriage"). Since then, I have read many of her books, and been captivated by most all of them. As I read her books, especially in this series, I most eagerly anticipated the arrival of Margaret's story. The tale of the sister who gave up her youth to devotedly and selflessly raise her younger siblings to honor the promise to her father on his death bed, seemed to promise sheer delight.

However, I was somewhat disappointed in the beginning of this story that there didn't seem to be any chemistry between Margaret and the hero, Duncan. I understand that the basic formula for most romance novels is that we have to wait to see how the hero and heroine will overcome their differences and possible aversions to one another and fall madly and desperately in love with one another. I appreciate that. In this case, I didn't feel the spark between the two. There was too much of a Deus ex Machina in this for my taste; and, as a result I felt the romance between Margaret and Duncan crested too soon. I thought there was more room for development in the characters.

Overall, I thought the plot was enjoyable, and I was happy to see Margaret contented in her life. Maybe it's just me - and maybe I was having a cynical day when I read this - but, in some ways I felt echos of Charles Dickens' "Bleak House." In that classic novel, our heroine marries, but when we see her at the end of the story - rusticating away with her wonderfully staid and dull husband, there is no spark. You get the sense that she is content and peaceful, but not fulfilled; life has passed her by. I feel the same with "At Last Comes Love." Margaret is content, and there is a modicum of love there for Duncan, and that is reciprocated; but, I don't know if that can be considered true happiness. It feels like there is an elusive something else that should be there for one who sacrificed so much to keep her family together and happy. Margaret got her happily ever after, but I think she deserved something a bit ... more.

I've now read the first three Huxtable books, difficult to get in the UK but as they arrived more or less together, I read them one after the other. I have read a lot of comment about these three books both here at amazon and on various other websites. I know there are mixed feelings and I have read the critical reviews carefully. I believe that the critical reviews have been of the most interest and much of what was said in them is arguably quite fair.

I am giving this book 5 stars because, although admittedly a MB fan, I found this third book to be the best of the three. It is always refreshing to read a story about a mature H/H and also, for me, about those who have suffered or sacrificed. Margaret's shift in circumstances (as for her brother and sisters) surely would have been traumatic. Certainly life for the family became vastly improved but these improvements did not bring Margaret instant happiness. Instead, she continued to stand aside, supporting the family and missing out on a lasting love for herself. Duncan is a man of hidden depths who has allowed himself to take the blame for others far, far more culpable than he. He did it in a graceful way, not attributing his ills to others but instead taking on very heavy burdens. I particularly like this set-up and it is a plot device I am fond of.

There are some flaws in the story; the nasty cousin and his particuarly vulgar wife were a bit two dimensional but as a plot device they were fine. It's just that they seemed to have no redeeming qualities as human beings and no one is 100% nasty.

So, 5 stars from me because grown up love stories are very rare and not always well done. Mary Balogh's writing style continues to be right up there at the forefront of the regency-set novel and she has a sure hand. I look foreward more to Con's story than Stephen's but will certainly read both.

Duncan Pennethorne, the infamous Earl of Sheringford, left London five years ago after jilting his fiancé on their wedding day and running off with a married woman, Mrs. Laura Turner. Now Laura has been dead several months. Duncan plans to move into Woodpine Park in Warwickshire. Duncan has no doubts that his son, Toby, will love growing up there as much as he did. However, Duncan is cut off from his grandfather, the Marquess of Claverbrook, and Duncan returns to London to discover why. It seems Duncan has forgotten that he had promised he would wed before his grandfather's eightieth birthday. Unless Duncan weds a respectable lady within fifteen days, Woodpine Park would go to his cousin instead.

Margaret Huxtable is the sister of the young Earl of Merton. Margaret had only been a girl herself when their father died and she promised to take over the care of two younger sisters and one younger brother. Now the sisters have grown and are happily married. The brother has grown too and will soon be searching for a bride. Thirty-year-old Margaret has fulfilled her promise, but is now considered a spinster. While at the Tindell's ball, Margaret meets up with Crispen Dew, the man who had betrayed her and wed another. Now a widow, Crispen believes Margaret will jump at the chance to still wed him. Unfortunately for him, Fate steps in. Margaret collides with Duncan in the doorway, where he asks her to dance and to marry him - all in one sentence. A lie to Crispen has Margaret accept Duncan's offers for the dance and the proposal, on one condition: Duncan must woo her.

**** This is the third story of the Huxtable Family series. It is terrific to finally see the responsible sister get her own story told. (The brother's story will be next.) Over half the book deals with the fifteen days between Duncan and Margaret. The rest of the story is set at Woodpine Park, where a subplot that is read about in London takes off to become the main focus. This deals with the newly wed couple settling in and with Toby. I cannot say anything about that without major spoilers though. However, in my opinion, it is even more interesting than the time spent in London. The main characters from the previous titles of the series appear as secondary characters in this one, so if you have read those stories you will get to see how they are doing. This makes the story even more believable. I look forward to the brother's story! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.