Customer Reviews

Seducing an Angel (Thorndike Basic)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you really stop to look at it, all four of the Huxtable books are about hope. The salient feature of the four Huxtable siblings is that they all believe in love, not just the kind that often fills romance novels, but the kind that makes hard choices and lives with the consequences because, as Meg says in the third book, "That's what love does when it must."

In order to create a plot, of course, Mary Balogh has to pair these realistic yet determined optimists with people who have been betrayed by love. It is a testament to her skill as a writer that she does so in a way that is believable. And all four of the love interests are already gritty, strong, loving people. They just don't realize it. They are all survivors, however, and Cassandra is like Duncan (in At Last Comes Love) in that she knows she loves the people she loves. She just has been so badly hurt that she doesn't believe she can risk being married ever again.

And so she sets out to protect the people she does love in the only way she knows how, which leads her to seduce Stephen, Earl of Merton. The youngest Huxtable is stronger than she knows, and considerably more than she allows herself to believe she deserves. They sleep together too soon, and they both know it, on some level. Then they spend the rest of the book going back and fighting through the detritus of Cassandra's past to find their way to loving one another.

It's a very good book. Some of the subplots are tied up too easily (I wanted to punch Cassandra's brother myself, and while her restraint when he finally showed up again was useful in teaching her something about herself, his willingness to slide back into his old role without a more credible apology left me angry at him).

Aside from the Epilogue (which had me in tears, I admit), the book ends in a way very similar to how the first book (First Comes Marriage) starts, with Constantine in the family graveyard, talking to his dead brother. This full-circle treatment makes it very clear how interconnected the stories are. Unlike some of her other series, where Mary Balogh seems to just be working her way through a collection of characters, all of whom deserve to have their own happy endings, this collection of books seems to be a more coherent series, with a larger message about love, and hope, and human resilience.

I have high hopes for Constantine's story, whenever it comes. In the meantime, these four books about the Huxtable siblings will give me plenty of rereading pleasure.

I do think that it's worth reading these four books in order.

Each of the books in the Huxtable quartet improves the series, in that each gives further depth to the characters as they appeared in the earlier books. At Last Comes Love, for example, explained the reason for some of Meg's attitudes and actions that just appeared to be excessively annoying in the first two titles of the series.

Stephen is a wonderful hero. I'm so tired of tortured, angsty, heroes. It's wonderful to find one who's deepest levels are the same as what appears on the surface, only more so.

I'd give this title an A-. It would be an A (there were a couple of places where I had tears in my elderly eyes) except for some of the vocabulary.

Over the more-than-a-quarter-century that I've been reading Balogh's regencies, I've noticed that she has an increasing tendency to have the protagonists think to themselves in modern psychobabble ("victim mentality" anyone?).

It's not that people in the regency era wouldn't have experienced these feelings and meditated about them. It's just that they wouldn't have used these words to the purpose, so there's the reason for the point off.

Otherwise, I'm anxiously awaiting the 5th book (Constantine Huxtable).

The premise on the back cover sounds fun: a woman in desperate financial straights decides to become a mistress. The implementation is appallingly poor. The leading man struck me as a wimp and a push-over. The book reads like a rough draft. Here are some examples of the poor continuity and people who are TSTL. A word of warning: this list includes some spoilers.

(1) Lord P-- commits suicide in a room with four witnesses (his wife Lady P--, his younger son W--, a servant M--, and Lady P--'s companion A--) by shooting himself in the chest. People look at Lord P--'s corpse and conclude that that his wife murdered him by hitting him in the head with an axe, and yet they do not call the constable. None of the witnesses say anything that would contradict the "murdered by his wife with an axe" story.
(2) Lord P--'s eldest son, G--, likewise believes the "murderd by his wife with an axe" story. He doesn't talk to the witnesses (including his brother, who may or may not have attended the funeral). G-- is appalled that Lady P-- got away with murder but likewise doesn't call the constable like a sensible person would..instead he forces her to agree to give up her jewelry, income, and houses. Lady P-- agrees to this because the constable and judges in her world are so TSTL that she is convinced they would look at the evidence, talk to the witnesses, and find her guilty.
(3) M-- is an unmarried mom with a small child for the majority of the book. Toward the end, she is suddenly married, to W--, and has been since before Lord P--'s death. No explanation is given; this appears to simply be bad continuity. If you accept the "married" assumption, then none of M--'s or W--'s actions throughout the book make any sense whatsoever.
(4) W-- vanishes into thin air immediately following his father's death, then appears toward the end of the book "returning from Canada". No one thinks it odd that he abandoned his wife and small child to starve. No one thinks it odd that neither W-- nor M-- mentioned that they were married.
(5) When W-- says that Lord P-- had committed suicide, and everyone (including G--) immediately believes him. G-- does not think it strange that W-- failed to mention this earlier.
(6) When lady P-- is thrown into the street with no means of support, she rents an expensive house (fully furnished) in London, taking A-- and M-- with her. Lady P-- at that point has enough money for a down payment, and to live comfortably for quite some time. All three women are supposedly going to "search for jobs", but this apparently does not include a M-- looking for another job as a servant (her previous job) nor A-- looking for a job as a companion/governess (her previous job); and no explanation is given why accused murderer Lady P-- thinks that someone would hire her for a prestigous job that could pay for the fancy town house.
(7) The first thing Lady P-- does in the novel is to go to a fancy ball, being held by Lord S--. Lord S-- has a scandelous past that he is trying to convince people to forget for the sake of his new wife. So when accused murderer Lady P-- shows up uninvited, Lord S-- dances with her, thus further tarnishing his reputation.
(8) Lady P-- and her soon to be lover Earl M-- openly leave the ball together in his coach (no chaperone), go to her house, and spend the night. Earl M-- leaves in the morning well past the point when many neighbors and servants are up and about. Despite this and other obvious behavior, no one in London notices that Lady P-- is Earl M--'s mistress.
(9) Lord P-- beats Lady P-- so badly that she miscarries all four of her pregnancies. Yet when she hears a woman scream in the same room as Lord P--, Lady P-- runs toward the room.
(10) When Lord P-- finds out that his son W-- married a servant (M--), he is so upset that he tries to murder either M-- or W-- (unclear to me). When W-- blocks the shot, Lord P-- commits suicide. This makes no sense, and no reason is ever given.

Save your money!

I've read a few reviews of my favorite historical authors and wondered if the reviewer was reading the same book. Then I considered what perhaps a reader was expecting in a historical novel. I enjoy the fabric of the romance, and Mary Balogh has always delivered luxurious material for loyal readers. It's not erotica, if you're expecting just sex, you'll be disappointed. There is a swirl of rich environment creating a sensual repast. This is also no mean feat with the titillation available for todays reader. I grew up with fine work available, Georgette Heyer is a good example of an author who could give you a romantic story filled with wit and wisdom and the mores of the day. Now I believe all my favorite authors have an allowance to add more sensual love scenes with the mores of today. Still I really enjoy the romance of the story, the fabric which good authors fill out my favorite characters. And if a few are too good to be true, well so much the better. Because Mary Balogh did give me The Golden Earl. Now with such a Angel, the heroine was going to come into any story at a distinct disadvantage, I mean who was going to be good enough for Stephen? Ah, but Mary has the wit to find Cassandra for him. Wickedly, good sense, in my humble opinion. A poignant love story was a perfect way for me to spend a quiet day off from a busy 40 hour work week. Um, I also hear mention that a new character isn't like a previous one, duh! Now that could disappoint. I reread Mary Balogh books,quite happily, as I am a voracious reader, if I want to read an old story the old booklist is wonderful. But I am so happy with each new offering. Thanks Mary Balogh, another winner!

This book is simply so-so. Balogh is really focusing on bringing her heroines into a more independent light, and I personally don't like it. This book is no exception. Yet again, the heroine seems destitute and throughout the book she begins to grow a spine. But as she develops independence and self-awarenes, the relationship (to me) suffers. The book suddenly becomes more about how the heroine can stand on her own, overcome her past, and attain freedom rather than about her love for the hero and what happiness that future would hold for her. I don't understand why so many of Balogh's heroines of late seem to have the conundrum of love vs. freedom. I guess it's my domestic, brain-washed self that sees that being more a male stigma than a lady's (especially in the regency era!). The whole Huxtable series, to me, is rather bland. And, sadly I'm simply going to stop reading Balogh until she writes something with the earth-shattering connection between two characters rather than two characters who think that "maybe this could work" in the last couple chapters of the book.

Thank goodness I got this from the library. You should too, and if you like it then you can shell out the money. But make sure it's worth it first.

On a side note, I am so tired of her overuse of italics. Enough already.

Widow Cassandra Belmont needs a wealthy lover with a high peerage as a protector immediately if she is to survive the accusations that she murdered her spouse; she also vows that marriage is out of the question as once was enough. Watching how kind he is to his sisters, she chooses Lord Stephen Huxtable, who is rich, nice and a hunk.

Cassandra plans to seduce the top catch of the season. Stephen is excited when he first sees the siren, but refuses to bow to her terms of engagement as he has his own. The two argue over the rules until they share the greatest night in either of their lives. Cassandra fears her heart is owned by Stephen, but she can never have him permanently as scandal is her name. Stephen is reconsidering what he wants as he no longer is thinking mistress, but instead wants her as his wife though he fears she will never trust again especially since he investigates what happened to her and her spouse.

The fourth Huxtable Regency romance is a fast-paced tale of an independent widow going after what she desires while her choice reciprocates unaware of why she rejects marriage. Mary Balogh digs deep into the effect of alcoholism and spousal violence on the victim who also contends emotionally with a miscarriage. The lead characters especially the profound brave heroine and their evolving relationship make for an intriguing finish to the saga though the ending feels rushed. Still the Huxtable family saga has been an entertaining Regency series.

Harriet Klausner

I adore Mary Balogh's book, especially her earlier ones but I have been very disappointed with the Huxtable series and this book has lived down to my expectations. I loved the premise of a 'fallen' woman being redeemed by the love of a good man. I loved the idea of a young, innocent man being seduced by the older woman. But this book didn't bring out the best of these themes. Stephen was sickly sweet and Cassandra wasn't bad enough. The ending was too trite and I didn't like the way Cassandra was so easily assimilated into society and forgiven her 'sins'. The sex scenes were unemotional and I felt no connection with either characters. I've given this book 3 stars but think it probably deserves only 2.

This is the final tale in the Huxtable sibling series, and as I expected, Ms. Balogh has deftly sewed up a few loose threads from the earlier Huxtable tales...with the notable exception of cousin Constantine. The series commenced with a rather gothic scene in a cemetery, and with neat precision, Balogh concludes Seducing an Angel at exactly the same grave. (Will Constantine's story open at this same gothic gravesite??)
As she has done in a number of her novels, Balogh is not shy of examining the psyche of mature adults, and I dearly appreciate that. Nothing is more annoying than a romance that struggles along with selfish, shallow, immature characters. Balogh seems to believe that true love is rare among the very young and inexperienced, as her heroes/heroines are, for the most part, in their mid twenties to mid thirties. (One notable exception is Morgan Bedwyn of Slightly Tempted who is still a teenager when she meets her hero.) Mary makes use of this valuable tool in storytelling; a person with some "mileage" and experience (though not necessarily of a sexual nature) generally comes across as more complicated, interesting, resourceful, and has infinitely more depth of character. In this way, Balogh peels away the layers in her characters, revealing them gradually, through their own thoughts, and the flow of interaction between them and other players in her story.

Stephen emerged in the first Huxtable novel as a youth, cared for and dependent on his sisters. Throughout the first three stories, we caught glimpses of his progress, and we all wondered what he would become. In Seducing an Angel Balogh does a splendid job of "peeling" away those layers of social and personal "being" in both kind, gentle Stephen and his apparently hardened interest Cassandra, revealing that Stephen is not as innocent as we might have thought, and Cass is not as tough as we might have thought. Blend in the delicate and uncomfortable issue of domestic abuse as the dark secret that Balogh uses to refine and develop her heroes' romantic relationship, and you have a very interesting story.

Although this is a fine example of Balogh's magnificent literary skill, there was one small item that bothered me: (WARNING!! POSSIBLE SPOILER!!)
Shortly after Cassandra reveals she was a victim of domestic violence, which tragically included related miscarriages, Stephen somehow "knows" she has had three (and perhaps even four). How he had knowledge of this had me stumped, because I couldn't find in their related dialogue that Cassandra had actually told him this detail. She mulls it over in her thoughts, but never actually SAYS it. This is not a big thing, but it did break the continuity of the story for me, since, not wanting to "miss" an important item, I had to stop and go back and try to find where that detail of information had come out.
This is but a small flaw (which might just be my own oversight) in an otherwise fine tale---pure and marvelous Balogh from chapter one to Epilogue. This author is quietly consistent, never mundane or repetitive, and I am eagerly looking forward to finally finding out what's eating Constantine! Revelation and resolution of the nature of the conflict between him and Elliott, and the inevitably spectacular lady who will win his heart, are the final "loose threads" I am eager to see tidied up!

This year, I was rather surprised to see longtime romance writer Mary Balogh releasing a four part series -- but with each book coming out in successive months. That's rather unusual, as I don't know of many authors that can crank out books that quickly, nor of many publishers that would be willing to risk so much time and space. And being that I'm rather fond of reading this author, I decided to take on the series, and read them as they were released.

In Seducing an Angel the only Huxtable son, Stephen, now of age, and in full possession of the estates and wealth of the Earl of Merton, is happily spending his time being a rake about town in London. His sisters have all married, and busy raising families of their own, but Stephen doesn't feel any great need to set up his own family. At least not yet.

Nearby, a young widow, Cassandra, Lady Paget is finding herself hovering on the edge of ruin. Scandal over her former husband's death has haunted her, and as the money that she did have has completely run out, she is forced to make a desperate decision. To support her small household, she intends to become a wealthy man's mistress. Her companion, Alice Haytor is horrified, and tries to talk her out of this rash decision -- but Cassandra is determined. And she intends to go about her goal in a rather cold-blooded, very businesslike way.

First, she goes forth on a casual walk in Hyde Park, looking over the fashionable men, hoping that her disguise of widow's veils will give her some cover. Then she crashes a Society gathering, and meets Stephen, Lord Merton. They're both very much attracted to each other, and Cassandra seduces him, taking him home and bedding him, and then coolly laying out her side of the business arrangement.

Interestingly enough, Stephen accepts the offer -- but soon changes the terms of the deal. He wants all of Cassandra, not just the seductive parts. Cassandra isn't too certain of this deal, but agrees to it, if only for the sake of the money. After this, it's pretty much a given that the couple will fall in love and marry.

Sigh. I knew there was something too good about this story. I was hoping for something more, especially from an author of Ms. Balogh's caliber, but here, she drags out nearly every single cliché in the historical romance genre and then sucks whatever vitality there might have been in it. I can handle one or two clichés in a novel, but here, it goes on endlessly, along with many visits from the Coincidence Fairy.

The first time that Cassandra and Stephen are in bed together is one of the most bloodless, chilly encounters in romantic prose that it would be enough to turn anyone off of sex, for good. The second time they're in bed together isn't that interesting either. Toss in the fact that Cassandra is one icy person, especially in her pursuit of being a mistress, that it just grated to read about her -- she might be conniving, but I could have handled that if it wasn't for the fact that Ms. Balogh tossed in every single rotten cliché into the mix. You get the devoted servants, ugly dead husband with all of the emotional trauma attached, a child that seems to have no parents, and to cap it all off -- a crippled, loveable dog.

I came pretty close to hurling this book through the wall at the midpoint of this story, but grit my teeth and soldiered on. The story continued to meander along, and when it finally ground on to a close, all of the conflicts were resolved, everyone was happily settled, and I was left feeling very disappointed. Mary Balogh can write so much better than this claptrap, and to be honest, should have taken the time to do a proper job of it and make her characters not so two dimensional and a bit more sympathetic.

While I can honestly say that I gave this an honest chance, it's not a book that I would read again. The quality of the writing is decent and fairly good, but the plot devices are so hackneyed that there is little here to save the book from mediocrity. I say, skip it, and stay with Ms. Balogh's older novels, they're more interesting and better written.

Three stars, and not recommended.

The story of the Huxtable siblings is completed with Seducing an Angel . Readers who began with the first book in this series have seen Stephen Huxtable grow from a seventeen year old with no future prospects higher than becoming someone's secretary or perhaps a vicar, into the Earl of Merton and head of the Huxtable family. This final installment in the Huxtable series introduces us to Stephen Huxtable as a man, and the most eligible bachelor of the Season.

As the Earl of Merton, and at the ripe age of twenty-five, Stephen Huxtable knows that it is time for him to think about taking a bride and setting up a nursery. His guardian, his second cousin, and his brothers-in-law have all schooled him in avoiding the most obvious of man-traps that the matchmaking mamas and their charges might lay for him. He has looked over the Season's crop of young ladies and has seen one or two who might be worthy of becoming his wife, but he would like to find the sort of love that has blessed his sisters. Unfortunately, none of the sweet young things he has met has stirred anything of that nature within his heart.

Cassandra Belmont, the notorious widowed Lady Paget, has her eye on Stephen. He seems exactly what she needs to provide a way out of her current situation. He appears to be innocently harmless, almost angelic, and if she must take on a lover to keep her financially sound, then he is her choice. She brazenly attends the one ball she thinks she has a chance of not being turned away from without an invitation in order to make his acquaintance. The Earl and Countess of Sheringford are no strangers to scandal and welcome Cassandra, much to her surprise. It appears that Cassandra's plan will succeed when Stephen agrees to set her up as his mistress.

Stephen is not quite the innocent that Cassandra believed. He has quickly seen through the mask she wears to the woman hiding behind it. Determined to help her clear her name and reclaim her place within polite society, he decides to become her friend rather than her lover. In doing so, he finds himself falling in love with her and becomes determined to win her love. Cassandra is falling for her Angel, as she has taken to thinking of him, but believes he deserves better than a woman tainted by scandal.

Cassandra's reputation is gradually being restored and it seems that Stephen has worked miracles in her life as she becomes reconciled with what remains of her family and finds friendship among the ton . Everything they worked towards is threatened in a careless moment when their growing feelings for one another are revealed. Stephen's actions to save what remains of her reputation could destroy the fragile thing growing between them for marriage is a state Cassandra never wishes to enter into again. To change her mind, Stephen must face the dark secrets that are hidden beneath the civility of some ton marriages and win not only Cassandra's heart, but most importantly, her trust.

In the fourth book of Huxtable family, Mary Balogh has taken the traditional formula for a romance and turned it around to create an engaging story of love and redemption. A woman left with few choices due to circumstances, Cassandra Belmont is not a traditional heroine. She is, if anything, an anti-heroine and a lovely one at that. When paired with the character of Stephen Huxtable as the quintessential hero this delightful reversal of roles makes for a love story that you will want to read with some tissues nearby.

Reviewed by Mairead Walpole of Crystal Reviews (www.crystalreviews.com) - Posted on May 29, 2009