Slightly Married (Get Connected Romances) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Balogh (Author)

Book Description

Series: Get Connected Romances | Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Meet the Bedwyns…six brothers and sisters—men and women of passion and privilege, daring and sensuality…Enter their dazzling world of high society and breathtaking seduction…where each will seek love, fight temptation, and court scandal…and where Aidan Bedwyn, the marriage-shy second son, discovers that matrimony may be the most seductive act of all.…

Like all the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart—and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought Colonel Lord Aidan to Ringwood Manor to honor a dying soldier's request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man's sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection…nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart. And when a relative threatens to turn Eve out of her home, Aidan gallantly makes her an offer she can't refuse: marry him…if only to save her home. And now, as all of London breathlessly awaits the transformation of the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, the strangest thing happens: With one touch, one searing embrace, Aidan and Eve's “business arrangement” is about to be transformed…into something slightly surprising.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Historical romance maven Balogh (A Summer to Remember, etc.) falls back on the oft-used marriage of convenience formula for her first Bedwyn family installment, but what this whimsical Regency-era romance lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in character and execution. Having promised a dying officer that he'll protect the man's sister "no matter what," Col. Aidan Bedwyn calls on Eve Morris to offer his condolences and aid. Still in mourning over the death of her coal miner father a year earlier, Eve now stands to be turned out onto the street due to a peculiar condition of her father's will. Only by marrying can she save her home, which she shares with several orphans, an impoverished aunt and a staff composed mainly of outcasts. Ever one to honor his promises, Aidan proposes, and Eve accepts. The two plan to separate after saying their vows, but Aidan's eldest brother, the Duke of Bewcastle, insists that Eve be presented to the queen. To Aidan's amazement, Eve proves she has the mettle to stand up to his haughty family. Believable complications and an intriguing clash of personalities ensure the story never grows stale, and Balogh's quirky supporting characters-including Eve's gutsy housekeeper and Aidan's formidable aunt-sprinkle the tale with homespun humor.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Readers will be delighted with Balogh's new series that features the half-dozen members of the Bedwyn family first met in A Summer to Remember. In Slightly Married, the second Bedwyn son, Colonel Lord Aidan, journeys to Ringwood Manor to honor the dying request of one of his men: Aidan is to impart the news of his death directly to his sister, and protect her. Eve Morris does need protection. The death of her brother less than a year after her father's will leave her and her entire entourage of "lame ducks" homeless. To protect her Aidan proposes a marriage of convenience, but soon the secret is out and Eve must take her place as a member of the ton. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Dell (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440241049
• ISBN-13: 978-0440241041
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Slightly Brilliant, April 5, 2003

By 

Jane Given (Columbia, MD United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Slightly Married (Get Connected Romances) (Mass Market Paperback)

In this first installment of the story of the Bedwyn family, Mary Balogh takes a plot line that has been used hundreds of times before--the marriage of convenience--and somehow makes it seem fresh and new. This is the story of Colonel Lord Aidan Bedwyn, second son of the late Duke of Bewcastle and brother to the current Duke, whose devotion to duty and honor leads him to find love in a most unexpected place. On a dusty battlefield in France, he promises the dying Captain Percy Morris to do "whatever it takes" to protect the Captain's sister, Eve Morris. When Aidan takes the news of her brother's death to Eve, he discovers that she and her "lame ducks," a menagerie consisting of two orphaned children, an impoverished aunt, a lame dog, and a houseful of unusual servants that no one would else would hire, are about to be turned out onto the streets by Eve's slimy cousin, Cecil. In order to do "whatever it takes" to honor his vow to a dying man, Aidan persuades Eve to agree to a marriage of convenience to save her home and inheritance under a clause of her father's will. Eve feels that she has no choice but to accept Aidan's offer, despite the fact that she is in love with a neighbor who is in the diplomatic service and whom she has been expecting home "any day." What neither Aidan nor Eve can forsee is that, by marrying, Eve will inextricably become part of the Bedwyn clan, overseen by Aidan's brother, the imperious Duke of Bedwyn, and that Aidan will just as inextricably become part of Eve's menagerie of "lame ducks." This is a brilliant and beautifully written story of two very different people--different in temperment, station, and experience--who gradually come to know, appreciate and love each other. Like the talented artist that she is, Mary Balogh does not tell us who these characters are, she lets us discover them for outselves, through their words and their deeds. Aidan and Eve grow more beautiful to the reader with each passing page, just as they appear more and more beautiful and wonderful to each other as they reluctantly begin to fall in love. This novel is a work of great art and great heart, and I am eagerly awaiting the next two novels in the series. Bravo, Mary!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Engaging Read, April 6, 2003

By 

Shawna Lanne "Shawna" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Slightly Married (Get Connected Romances) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Slightly Married" is another great offering from Mary Balogh. While the plot itself is not the most original plot ever, romance readers don't really read for plot, we read for character development. And Balogh delivers some great characters.

Eve and Aidan are two people from radically different backgrounds. Aidan is the younger brother of a Duke and Eve is the only daughter of a Coal Miner made good, fit together like the final to pieces to a puzzle.

The multi-book - family saga deal is really popular at the moment with mixed results. I have found that often the books are repetitive because the characters seem to be carbon copies of each other. Balogh doesn't have that problem. I can't wait to see what happens next.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True to form, May 2, 2003

By 

Patricia Walker (Lisbon, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slightly Married (Get Connected Romances) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a fan of Mary Balogh's books in general and very much like those that are interrelated; thus, I am very pleased to be starting a new series - this one that involves the Bedwyn family: The Duke of Bewcastle and his 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

First in the series, the hero is Colonel Lord Aidan Bedwyn the second son; he has served in the army since age 18. We first meet him making a promise to a dying subordinate to see that his sister is protected "no matter what". The promise sends Lord Aidan off to Ringwood Manor where he meets Miss Eve Morris. Daughter of a coal miner (who bought his way into the landed gentry) she was raised as a lady, is fiercely independent, and collects "lame ducks". Eve needs to be "protected" from her small-minded rather nasty cousin Cecil - and to do that Aidan must marry her to fulfill a condition in her father's will. So begins a "marriage of convenience".

In Balogh's talented hands, this well used "plot" becomes the vehicle whereby we watch the two main characters discover the depths of each other's character and gradually fall in love. Unlike another reviewer, I did not find this book to be "light hearted romance" but something a lot better. As I very much prefer romance stories that are character driven to those that depend on an "exciting" (and too often improbable) plot, Slightly Married is a definite winner for me. Don't get me wrong, there is tension and conflict here, but it mainly involves Eve and her learning to cope with the Bedwyn family and their mode of life. Balogh's firm grasp of the Regency time period is a definite asset here.

Along the way we meet and learn a few things about the two youngest members of the family and learn quite a bit more about Lady Freyja and the Duke. I must admit that I am already wondering how the Duke's story will unfold! In the last chapter we are introduced to Lord Ralf who will feature in the next book - unlike a previous reviewer, I was not bothered by this.

In summary - if you want your romance story driven by an exciting and fast moving plot with a clear cut villain, then you will likely be somewhat disappointed in Slightly Married. However if you, like me, prefer romances featuring multi-faceted characters with depth, faults as well as virtues, then I highly recommend this book.