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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet and satisfying entry in the Bedwyn Saga, April 27, 2004
Arguably, the most rewarding romances feature heroines with whom one can identify and heroes with whom one can fall in love. "Slightly Sinful," the latest entry in Mary Balogh's ongoing Bedwyn series, provides both. Overlapping somewhat with the action of Balogh's previous book "Slightly Tempted," "Slightly Sinful" begins during the climactic battle of Waterloo. Lord Alleyne Bedwyn, aspiring diplomat, has been sent to the front with a personal message for the Duke of Wellington. Riding back to Brussels to deliver the reply, Alleyne is shot in the leg, then topples from his horse, suffering a severe head injury in the process. On awakening, Alleyne finds himself ensconced in a brothel, being tended by its inmates; more alarmingly, he has no memory of who he is or where he belongs. Cut off from his past, Alleyne forms an attachment to Rachel York, the young woman who rescued him from the battlefield. Rachel herself faces an uncertain future, thanks to the wiles of a con artist who has robbed her and her friends--a quartet of enterprising prostitutes--of their savings. All five women are out for revenge against the thief, now fled back to England, but they need funds if they are to pursue him. Not a little smitten with the lady he views as his guardian angel, a recuperating Alleyne proposes a scheme to retrieve Rachel's fortune, which is in the keeping of her estranged uncle. The catch? They have to pose as a devoted married couple to convince Rachel's uncle to release her inheritance into her keeping. Rachel's friends insist on taking part in this charade, as does the one-eyed army sergeant who aided in Alleyne's rescue and has now assumed the position of a gentleman's gentleman. Soon this lively entourage is bound for England--and an adventure that will exceed everyone's wildest expectations. Despite some of the plot's seeming improbabilities, everything works in "Slightly Sinful." The romance between Alleyne and Rachel unfolds with a pleasing mixture of sweetness and sensuality. Although an early misunderstanding makes them wary of each other for a while, their continuing attraction and growing affection help them to overcome the obstacle in a timely fashion. Thankfully, they do not spend the majority of the book bickering. Rachel is a sympathetic heroine, neither a doormat nor a shrew, and Alleyne is a revelation here. An amiable lightweight in the earlier books, the youngest Bedwyn brother comes of age in "Slightly Sinful." The reader learns about Alleyne as Alleyne learns about himself, and the results are worth the wait. Despite trying circumstances, Alleyne retains his courage and sense of humor; his memory loss may cause him frustration and panic at times, but he never forfeits the reader's sympathy by becoming surly, whiny, or ungrateful. Secondary characters are also well-drawn. Rachel's friends and the former Sergeant Strickland are likable and resourceful; it is satisfying to read how their fates are resolved too. "Satisfying," in fact, is the word that best sums up "Slightly Sinful" for me: I was entertained from first page to last, not wanting the story to end. "Slightly Dangerous," the finale of the series, is yet to come and the included excerpt looks promising indeed. However, "Slightly Sinful" is going to be a tough act to follow.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as the rest, May 18, 2004
Well, I've read all of the books in the "Slightly" / Bedwyn series so far.. and honestly, I liked this one the least. I had a hard time getting in to it and after reading part-way through I found myself skimming page after page trying to find something interesting. I normally enjoy Mary Balough's books, but I think I was just expecting too much from this one. I really enjoy reading about the Bedwyn family and, in my opinion, they weren't in this one enough! They don't show up until the last 25-30 pages of the novel. The basic story is: Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was a diplomat carrying a message to a Duke during the Battle of Waterloo. He ends up shot and unconscious. This part happens actually in the previous novel, which is Morgan Bedwyn's story. His family thinks he is dead. Enter Rachel York, a well-bred young lady who has had a rough life. Now an orphan, she is taking refuge in a brothel run by good-hearted prostitutes. She met a conman, got engaged to him, then he took off with her money and the life savings of the prostitutes. She's now living with them, trying to figure out a way to get their money back. They end up searching the dead bodies on the battlefield and come across Alleyne, who has been stripped naked. They bring him back to the brothel and nurse him to health. Unfortunately, Alleyne has amnesia and doesn't remember anything about himself! Alleyne decides to help Rachel and her friends find the conman, which ends up involving visiting Rachel's uncle and pretending to be married in order to get Rachel's inheritance. For me, the story didn't even get interesting until Alleyne, Rachel and friends show up at the uncle's house. The relationship and dialogue between Rachel and her uncle is interesting and quite touching. Rachel's prostitute friends are quirky and interesting, especially when interacting with each other and with Alleyne. Alleyne is kind of bland compared to how he has been portrayed in previous "Slightly" novels. In my opinion, the amnesia thing went on far too long. Amnesia as a plot device is so tired and overdone, especially in romance novels. I've probably read 25 or 30 with virtually the same plot. Probably even an even MORE tired plot device is the "Pretend marriage!" Not bringing in the rest of the Bedwyn family until the last chapter or so was a huge mistake. Some of Mary Balough's best and most interesting characters are the Bedwyns, especially when they're interacting together. They were sorely missed! I'm hoping that Wulf's story is better than this one, especially since he has been the most intriguing and mysterious Bedwyn sibling. To be fair, I did manage to get through the whole book and it wasn't all bad. The supporting characters were interesting (albeit a tad bit unbelievable) and the subplots were pretty amusing as well. Alleyne and Rachel had their moments as well. Overall, I would say it was an average romance novel. Unfortunately, it just doesn't compare to Mary Balough's other works. My favorite Bedwyn novel so far has been Freyja's story (Slightly Scandalous), I highly recommend reading that one over this, if given the choice.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully funny, best in Bedwins so far., May 9, 2004
I thought I enjoyed Slightly Wicked, but I did not know what Mary Balogh is capable of until I read her Slightly Sinful. In this book her style comes as close as it gets to Julia Quinn and Suzanne Enoch. Because of Alleyne's (how do you pronounce his name anyway?) character it is full of witty dialogs and funny comments. It is very light compared to Slightly Scandalous and Slightly Wicked, but because of that it is an absolute joy to read. The book is full of colorful characters and I could not put it down once I started reading. As a word of caution, the narrative for the book sounds way too boring compared to the plot itself. I had reservations about reading it. In fact, I had the book for over a week before I started reading it. And the experience was worth every minute of it. My favorite part was the Chapter 23, I kept coming back to it. Enjoy it!
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