bleuetlau's review against another edition
3.75
First time reading Mary Balogh! I like the story but the female mc wasn't my favourite. I will still read the other books.
iamliterate's review against another edition
2.0
This was a frustrating read. Balogh's writing is incredibly repetitive and wordy.
nicole_j_abley's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to reading the rest of this series in the next few days. I read some reviews that did not like Vanessa's self deprecation and how often she calls herself plain, I honestly think it was a pivotal part of her character. It's a rewarding read and sets up the entire series well because of the mystery of Con's character.
digitlchic's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 I have learned to ignore the bad reviews when it comes to Mary Balogh, because at the end of the day she’s a wonderful writer. I delayed reading Survivor’s Club due to some poor reviews, but when I finally read it I kicked myself for waiting so long because it became one of my all time favorites! I can tell this series will be the same because again, MB is just a wonderful writer, a beautiful story teller, and writes characters with depth. I enjoy her books the first time I read them, and even more with each subsequent read!
alh18's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
auther_nerd's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jemcam's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I finally finished First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh, and I strongly recommend it to Regency fans. Especially to Regency fans that are feeling a little burnt out by the genre.
Why do I recommend this book as something different? Well, you might assume that it is because of the charming fish out of water storyline, where four siblings are taken out of the village they grew up in to become full members of the ton after the family inherits a title. And while this is a great storyline, it isn't the only reason I recommend the book.
No, the reason I recommend this book is because no one was kidnapped, thrown from a horse, endangered at sea, caught in a compromising situation, challenged to a duel or took on another person's identity as a plot device. Instead all challenges to the happiness of the main characters were solved through conversation and communication, marking First Comes Marriage as one of the most unique Regency romance novels that I have read in a long long time
Why do I recommend this book as something different? Well, you might assume that it is because of the charming fish out of water storyline, where four siblings are taken out of the village they grew up in to become full members of the ton after the family inherits a title. And while this is a great storyline, it isn't the only reason I recommend the book.
No, the reason I recommend this book is because no one was kidnapped, thrown from a horse, endangered at sea, caught in a compromising situation, challenged to a duel or took on another person's identity as a plot device. Instead all challenges to the happiness of the main characters were solved through conversation and communication, marking First Comes Marriage as one of the most unique Regency romance novels that I have read in a long long time
rcstewa's review against another edition
3.0
A cute book, but not up to the standard set by Julia Quinn or Lisa Kleypas, who this was obviously modeled after. I did enjoy that almost all of the characters were nice people, so it wasn't hard to cheer for them, and it makes me look forward to reading the other books in the series.
sadie_rae's review against another edition
3.0
So Mary Balogh is a rather popular author, or at least that's what I gather from the countless books that I've seen of her's in stores, but I got to say I'm a little disappointed. It took quite a while for me to get into this story, and where the prolog started with an event that was the start of the plot it still took me till chapter 7 to realize what was going on and how it tied in. I am on pain med's right now so that may or may not have something to do with my response to this book. For however long it took for me to get into the story I still enjoyed it. As this is part of a series I'm hoping that questions left unanswered in this book will be addressed as the series progresses. 3.5 stars.
b_gray's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5