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Slightly Wicked (Get Connected Romances)

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"Slightly Wicked" is the second in the Bedwyn series. And while it was a pleasant enough read, it wasn't vintage Mary Balogh either.

Miss Judith Law is on her way to her aunt's house where she will begin her life as a poor (and I'm assuming unpaid) relation, when the stagecoach she's traveling in meets with an accident. Along comes a dashing gentleman on a horse. He introduces himself as Mr. Bedard, and offers to take Judith to the next town; and she, sensing that this will be her last chance to have one daring and grand adventure before her life of unending drudgery begins, agrees to go with him. Judith passes herself off as out of work actress, Claire Campell, and succumbing to Mr. Bedard's charms, agrees to spend the night with him. But the next morning, she leaves in order to resume her life as poor relation, Judith Law. At worst, in Judith's mind, she will find herself pregnant; at best, she will have one precious memory to hold for the rest of her life. The last thing she expected was that her dashing gentleman would turn up in the neighbourhood, that he would turn out not to be plain Mr. Bedard, but Lord Rannulf Bedwyn, the Duke of Bewcastle's younger brother, and that he is expected to make a match of it with her spoilt and self-centered cousin, Julianne.

What should Judith do? Learn to grit her teeth and bear the sight of Lord Rannulf courting her cousin? Or should she give into Lord Rannulf's demands that she marry him? For a woman who wants love and passion from her marriage, the very thought of marrying someone because he feels obliged to is an anathema! What Judith discovers however is that she has far more resolve, courage and honour than she herself had ever expected, and that holding true to her heart may bring the greatest reward after all...

As with "A Summer to Remember" & "Slightly Married" there was nothing terribly new about the plot of "Slightly Wicked" -- not even an invigorating plot twist or two. And except for the principle two characters, the rest of the cast wasn't exactly memorable either. However, it is the characters of the heroine (Judith), the hero (Rannulf) and how they cope with the situation they find themselves in that makes this book so very readable and engrossing. Judith is, I think, a heroine that most readers will definitely take to their hearts and root for. A fast paced plot that unfolded smoothly and seamlessly, "Slightly Wicked" a well written romance novel not to be missed.

This is the onle one of the Slightly series that I will review. And I chose this one because it was my favorite - though the others are excellent as well. I have read Stephanie Laurens who I find tedious and long winded during love scenes. I have read Julia Quinn who I find humorous but just not able to tap the right emotion.

Mary Balogh gets the right amount of all sensuality and wit and emotion. I cry in every book and that is not an easy fit for a jaded romance reader like myself.

Slightly Wicked begins with deception. Judith Law is traveling to live with her aunt and grandmother when her journey is interrupted by an accident. Rannulf Bedwyn is traveling to Grandmaison to meet the young girl his grandmother, Lady Beamish, has chosen for him to court. He stops to help an the passengers of an overturned cart. He can only take one person on his horse while he goes to fetch help. Of course he chooses the stunning redhead.

And so it begins that Claire Campbell, a jaded, experienced actress and Ralph Bedard, a roguish gentleman, are stranded in an inn for several days. The inevitable happens.

After escaping the inn, Judith, alias Claire, goes to live with her Aunt, cousin, and grandmother. And during her cousin's week-long party, who shows up to court the young woman but Lord Rannulf Bedwyn.

This is a moving, witty, emotionally transcending piece of artwork that inspired me to go out and actively collect all of Ms. Balogh's works. And as I said before, though I think this is the best, all of them are far worthy of the time it takes to read them. It is the best regency series available, in my opinion.

I picked this book up, not realizing it was No. 2 in a series. I decided to read it anyway and was not let down. I read tons of romances and I think this one is clearly up at the top of my list. I thought the premise that brought Rannulf and Judith together was different. All too much, authors focus on the physical attraction between the two main characters, but Balogh did a great job developing their mental/emotional realtionship as well. Then again, maybe it's because the man realizes he loves the woman FIRST! *sigh* Can't wait to read the other two!

Judith Law is the sibling with no future so her parents send her off to become a companion to her wealthy aunt. However, her first stagecoach ride proves unromantically tedious until the accident leads to the overturning of the vehicle. Lord Rannulf Bedwyn rescues the damsel in distress. Knowing she has nothing to look forward to, Judith decides she will have one memory, a night of passion with no strings with her hero though she uses an alias.

Not long afterward, Judith arrives at her aunt's estate but shockingly Rannulf comes almost immediately afterward accompanied by his grandmother. He is meeting Julianne Effingham, Judith's cousin. However, once he recognizes who the companion is, Rannulf knows he is courting the wrong relative but he has to persuade his beloved that they belong to each other.

Though the "Slightly" series uses one night of heavenly passion as part of an initial encounter, this tale also depends heavily on a second step coincidence. Still, fans will feel wickedly entertained by this delightful Regency romance. The key to this pleasant plot is the lead characters, trying to do the right thing for everyone, but also wanting to please themselves, which conflicts with their noble efforts. The latest Bedwyn tale is an invigorating novel that will send newcomers seeking previous Mary Balogh stories and her fan base waiting for next month's SLIGHTLY SCANDALOUS romance.

Harriet Klausner

Heroine: voluptuous

 A rainy night. An overturned coach in the middle of nowhere. A dashing, helpful stranger made all the more appealing by a young girl's fanciful mind.

To Judith Law her rescue from the muddy roadside was absolutely providential, and in more ways than one. Here was her chance to experience both her first and last night of passion before becoming a lifelong paid companion in her well-to-do aunt's employ. And it seemed such a simple thing to love this stranger for but a few days, then leave him behind forever.

So imagine Judith's utter surprise when her erstwhile lover arrives at her aunt's house and is revealed to be none other than Rannulf Bedwyn, the favored suitor for her beautiful young cousin's hand!

And yet Rannulf declares privately to Judith that he'd rather have her--red hair, freckles, curves and all. Can this be true, or is Judith dreaming her way to disappointment once again?

What worked for me:

I liked the leonine Rannulf even though I usually prefer my heroes tall, dark, and devastating. He was a bit of a playboy at first but other than that was a reasonably stand up guy. Not as alpha as one might like, but not a simpering wuss either.

There was some pretty good tension in this story that kept me reading on. I just had to find out how Judith's horrible family got their comeuppance in the end.

Size-wise Judith was voluptuous and very attractive to men, though she wasn't aware of it. In fact, her religious family had her convinced that she was ugly as sin.

What didn't work for me:

I wanted to like our heroine and her family, who sold her off into slavery to her unkind aunt. (But then, it would have been more or less the same scenario had she been married off instead.) And mostly I did like her, but she just made one foolish decision after another, whether it was jumping into bed with a complete stranger or later turning down his proposal of marriage after they had gotten to know each other and actually fallen in love. Of course, had she not made those mistakes this book would have been all of 8 pages long.

Overall:

If you can set aside your common sense and think with your heart instead of your head, you'll enjoy this Regency era romp. (And if you want more of the same, then be sure to check out the rest of the Bedwyn "Slightly" series.)

Warning: There's a steamy scene at the beginning of this book. (Considering that the word "wicked" was in the title, I did expect the story to be spicier.)

If you liked "Slightly Wicked" you might also enjoy  "Into Temptation", "Suddenly You", "The Accidental Bride", "The Bride and the Beast", "The Fire-Flower", "The Last Days of a Rake", "Unmarriageable", "Cat and the Countess", "The Courtship", or "Enchanting Pleasures".

This second in the Bedwyn series finds third son Rannulf on his way to his grandmother's estate which he stands to inherit. Looks like yet another plot to marry him off, but he'll indulge his grandmama's wishes only so far. As third-born, he was meant for the church, but Rannulf refused that living and would be his own man - no matter what family head Bewcastle has to say about it! But on his way to Grandmaison, he encounters an overturned stagecoach and one lovely passenger that he just cannot resist.

Judith Law is on her way to a fate worse than death - that of an unwanted, impoverished female relative. Her family is in dire financial straits and Judith is to go to her aunt's to serve as companion to her grandmother. But on the stagecoach, she fantasizes about a cheery, mocking highwayman that will take her away from the mundane and depressing life that surely awaits her. When the stagecoach overturns in muddy roads, it is not a highwayman, but a roguish gentleman who comes to her rescue riding off with her to the next town and a secluded inn. Knowing what emptiness lies before her, she adopts the persona of "actress Claire Campbell" and enters into a scandalous affair with "Ralph Bedard", thinking this interlude will be something she can look back on with pleasure when she's a lonely, lowly companion. They spend two lovely days together before she decides she must move on. She arrives at Harewood Grange to assume her duties just as her pretty, vivacious cousin Julianne is set to begin a house party to welcome Lord Rannulf Bedwyn to the neighborhood (his grandmother is supporting a match between her grandson Rannulf and Julianne).

Rannulf arrives at Grandmaison to find his grandmama a bit more frail than usual. He is willing to indulge her to the extent that he will consider marrying Julianne to please her. But when he discovers "Claire", or rather Judith, in the same household, he does the expected and offers marriage, which she refuses. As the days pass, he realizes that he cannot marry the pretty but vacuous Julianne - that he wants the lovely but lowly Judith. It was nice to see Rannulf mature, not only in his feelings for Judith, but for his grandmama and in his new-found interest in managing the estate that will one day be his. But when someone has it in for Judith and accuses her of stealing, Rannulf has a good idea who and sets out to prove her innocence. Along the way, his elder brother Wulf, Duke of Bewcastle becomes involved - is there no end to Wulf's patience, indulgence and devotion to assuring his siblings' happiness? And when will he worry about his own happiness the reader will wonder - right around book six, I bet!

Another enjoyable, recommended read, though surely not the best of the series. I expect Wulf's story to be the stand-out of the series (I wonder what type of woman will win his seemingly cold heart!), though sister Freyja's story is next and should be quite a page-turner!

I read the first book in Mary Balough's Bedwyn series (Slightly Married) several months ago and I thought it was just "ok." It didn't stand out to me, but I decided on a whim to pick up this book, Slightly Wicked, which is the second in the series.

The Bedwyn's are a huge family led by Wulfric, Duke of Bedwyn. Second brother is Aidan, who is the hero in Slightly Married. Third brother is Rannulf, who is the hero in this book. There is another brother (Alleyne) and two sisters (Freeyja and Morgan). I believe the author is planning to write about all of them, I know Slightly Scandalous (Freeyja's story) is already published, and two more "Slightly" books are on the way.

This story starts off with a young woman named Judith Law who is on a stagecoach to her aunt's home, where she is going to become an unpaid servant for an indefinite amount of time. On the journey, the stagecoach overturns and a man (Rannulf) rides up. She is worried that being the unattractive third sister in a poor family, that she will end up an unmarried spinster for the rest of her life - so she takes advantage of the situation, pretends to be an actress named Claire Campbell, and has an adventure with Rannulf.

When the weather clears up, they part ways and she turns back in to plain old Judith and heads to her aunt's home. Much to Judith's surprise, Rannulf turns up a few days later at the house to woo Judith's cousin, Julianne. Rannulf is shocked as well and neither of them know how to proceed. The rest I'll leave to the reader to find out. :)

I actually liked this novel a lot better than Slightly Married. I found it read a lot easier and the characters were more likeable. I especially enjoyed the villanous aunt and Judith's frivolent brother, Branwell. One part I thought was stupid was how often Judith described herself as ugly, when everyone else thought she was so drop-dead gorgeous they could never keep their eyes off of her. The explanation is that her strict father constantly put down her appearance, but even so... that is one thing I see a lot in romance novels, heroines who think they are hideous looking but actually look like goddesses.

Even with its minor faults, Slightly Wicked was still a fun book and I definitely plan on reading the rest of the novels in the series. I am especially looking forward to Wulfric's story, though she will probably save him for last!

Mary has given her readers a wonderful family in the Bed-
wyns.I know that some had their doubts when we were introduced to
them in last summer's "A Summer To Remember",but as we are intro-
duced to the family members one by one,we learn much about them.
Lord Rannulf for instance is at first glance,the rebellious
third son who was meant for the Church,but has refused any of his
Eldest Brother's livings&now has what seems to a rakish rep,but
that is not so as you will find out as you read the book.

As a die-hard Mary Balogh fan I will probably read all the books in the series anyway but, I have to confess, I am finding it difficult to get involved. The only brother I have the slightest curiosity about is the eldest, and I imagine we won't get his story until the very end. The eldest sister (whose story is next) might be mildly interesting but, so far, not terribly likable. The rest of the family seems to exist in order to complete a six-part series and are little more than paint-by-numbers characters who just happen to have the same last name, weird first names, and hooked noses. When I read (and loved) A Summer to Remember I got the uneasy feeling that we were going to be knee-deep in Bedwyns for a while. Sure enough. While reading Slightly Wicked, I cringed when I read that Judith also has siblings. Please, no!

Slightly Wicked - how aptly titled when our Regency mistress abandons her restraint characters in Slightly Married and paints a melting, Cinderella-schmaltzy romance between Judith Law the dreamer and Lord Rannulf Bedwyn the rakish charmer.

It is rare that Ms. Balogh throws the couple for a wild reckless interlude in the beginning of the story. Judith is the impoverished daughter of a clergyman who journeys to Harewood Grange upon her mercenary Aunt Effingham's summon to chaperon her grandmother. Her stagecoach topples and the valiant knight turns out to be Rannulf. Instant attraction strikes and both of them pull their deceptions: she lies to him that she is a theatrical ingenue Claire Campbell while he just states his identity to be Ralph. Judith ends their affair with an abrupt departure, never expecting them to meet at Harewood Grange when he is on his way to woo her cousin in a bid to pacify his ailing Grandmother Lady Beamish.

Rannulf finds himself falling hard for Judith - and how can he not when we readers applaud her strength in resisting a marriage of honor from Bedwyn, her magnanimity towards his wastrel of a brother and her unwavering affection for her Grandmother? This vulnerable creature has always believed her glorious auburn mane to be ugly and shameful at the castigation of her father and aunt until she reveals her inner strength with Rannulf's encouragement.

And Rannulf earns her heart with his rescues of her from the perifidious cousin Horace while she claims his with wits and characters. Mary Balogh's Slightly Wicked is constantly moving and delicate with memorable characters who sees their relationship tested with trials. The poignancy we witness at Judith's forgiveness with her brother, father and grandmother shows Mary Balogh's relaxing her storyline but not the heartstrings.