A year after her Puritanical husband's death, a woman must face the new master of the household--a man she once loved long ago, but now holds in the utmost contempt. Immediately the rogue arranges to hold a Christmas party, shocking the woman with both his brazenness and refusal to behave according to the somber edicts of her dead husband. But at the ball, the man asks for her hand in the last dance, and she has no choice but to accept. For she cannot rightfully refuse the master of the house--or the rising flames of desire within herself.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Similar to several of Balogh's earlier Christmas Regencies (A Christmas Bride, LJ 11/15/97) and equally rewarding, this exquisitely rendered tale reunites former lovers at the holiday season and, in Balogh's typical cutting-edge fashion, forces them to deal with major issues (abuse, alcoholism) before they find happiness together. Realistic, exceptionally well-developed characters populate this emotionally involving story that is a bit darker and more overtly sensual than the average Regency; readers will be waiting for it. Balogh is a noted writer of both Regency and historical romances and lives in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Mary Balogh is the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Slightly novels: Slightly Married, Slightly Wicked, Slightly Scandalous, Slightly Tempted, Slightly Sinful, and Slightly Dangerous, as well as the romances No Man's Mistress, More than a Mistress, and One Night for Love. She is also the author of Simply Love, Simply Unforgettable, Simply Magic, and Simply Perfect, her dazzling quartet of novels set at Miss Martin's School for Girls. A former teacher herself, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Canada.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
True love triumphs after all!,
By
This review is from: The Last Waltz (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
The star-crossed lovers in Balogh's last Regency were separated by lies and greed ten years before the story opens. Now the heroine's nasty husband (a pious "Christian" who was in reality a brutal wife and child beater) has died, and his cousin, whose love for her was thwarted, has inherited his vast estate. Since then, he's also become a wealthy (self-made) man in the Canadian fur trade. Now he's in England looking over his inheritance and wondering if he should be looking for a bride. The cold reception he receives from his former love doesn't deter him. He decides to stay and invite a houseful of Christmas guests. Balogh does star-crossed lovers well, she does children well, and she also does Christmas well (some of her most marvelous stories have been set at that forgiving season of the year). The combination is unbeatable! A warm and winning story to cherish and re-read. True love doesn't die, and Balogh will make you believe in its power all over again.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing from Balogh,
By
This review is from: The Last Waltz (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
I think this is the first Balogh book I've read which I was disappointed in. She's established a scenario in which her characters have met before and have reasons to dislike or distrust each other, but finding out where they met before, under what circumstances and what actually happened is like getting blood from a stone. Balogh does give us quite a bit of introspection, but instead of the usual technique of using the introspection as a means of filling her readers in on what happened in the past, she tries to combine this with a 'closed mystery' style, in which we only find out the full story at the same time as the hero and heroine. This makes the book very frustrating.Even when all is finally resolved, the ending is unsatisfying because I feel she finishes the book too soon. I wanted more discussion about the past and what went wrong, and about the future. I wanted to *see* the characters reconciled - and I didn't get that. So, while I'll keep this book as part of my Balogh collection, I won't be re-reading it much.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A low-key but still heartwarming story from Balogh,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Last Waltz (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
No, this book isn't Mary Balogh's best, though it's hugely better than books from the vast majority of other Regency authors. It is much more low-key than her other books, and as such there isn't much to get excited or sad about. It's not a tear-jerker, although there is no doubt that the heroine has had a tough life. I would have liked to find out more of Christina's and Gerard's background sooner; the information came in dribs and drabs and it was a little frustrating waiting to find out *why* she had married his cousin instead, and what the issue was with her father. The book also ended very abruptly; Balogh could have brought the characters together a little sooner and thus spent more time on the resolution. Still, it's worth buying and reading, even if I won't be re-reading it as often as some of my other Baloghs.
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