A review by etprincipalis
Slightly Dangerous, by Mary Balogh
4.0
Wow!! Finally!!
I'm coming out of reading a streamline of highly recommended books which I didn't enjoy. Thankfully, I decided to pick this one up, after someone on Reddit listed it as one of their favorite romance novels, and I have to say I am very pleased.
First of all, I found it to be refreshing in a historical romance novel to have a main female character whose future wasn't dictated by having the main male character "ruin" her. Christine, being already a widow, was afforded freedoms other ladies wouldn't have, which also gave the author the opportunity to expand the interactions between the main couple to a degree which felt realistic.
I really liked both main characters individually and as a couple, I believe they really brought out the best in each other, with Christine gaining more confidence in herself and her own self-worth, and Wulfric realizing that there's more to him than the Duke persona he poses to everyone he meets, him learning to accept both parts of him, the duties of being a Duke and the wild young man he still had inside him showed a fascinating character growth.
The parallels drawn between the first time they were together (hastily, impersonally and impulsively) to the last time in the novel (slow, lovingly, and without regrets) were a true testament to the author's story building.
This was the first novel I've read from Mary Balough, and I'm quite certain I will be going through the rest of her books in the future.
I'm coming out of reading a streamline of highly recommended books which I didn't enjoy. Thankfully, I decided to pick this one up, after someone on Reddit listed it as one of their favorite romance novels, and I have to say I am very pleased.
First of all, I found it to be refreshing in a historical romance novel to have a main female character whose future wasn't dictated by having the main male character "ruin" her. Christine, being already a widow, was afforded freedoms other ladies wouldn't have, which also gave the author the opportunity to expand the interactions between the main couple to a degree which felt realistic.
I really liked both main characters individually and as a couple, I believe they really brought out the best in each other, with Christine gaining more confidence in herself and her own self-worth, and Wulfric realizing that there's more to him than the Duke persona he poses to everyone he meets, him learning to accept both parts of him, the duties of being a Duke and the wild young man he still had inside him showed a fascinating character growth.
The parallels drawn between the first time they were together (hastily, impersonally and impulsively) to the last time in the novel (slow, lovingly, and without regrets) were a true testament to the author's story building.
This was the first novel I've read from Mary Balough, and I'm quite certain I will be going through the rest of her books in the future.