Life has taught Lucas Kendrick, Duke of Harndon, that a heart is a decided liability. Betrayed by his brother, rejected by his fiancée, Luke fled t...
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reviews
Jan 11, 2010
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress"
rated it: 
I loved this book. Lucas was one unique (for me) hero. He is a bonafide dandy, but very much a man. That was odd for me at first. I haven't read as many Georgians, so the spiffied up, lace-bedecked, bewigged, powered, high-heel wearing hero was a different thing for me. But this man makes it look good. And he's got this long, black hair. (Fanning myself). Okay back to the review: He is rather ruthless, but at the same time, is a good husband for tormented Anna. He makes mistakes but man
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Jul 31, 2010
Melissa
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Wow! I really enjoyed reading this book, and stayed up because I wanted to know what happened in the end! The novel tells the story of the Duke of Harndon, a dandy who has returned from Paris after ten years of estrangement from his family. He proclaims to know nothing of love after his family falsely accuse him of murdering his brother (gasp!) Back in London he meets Anna, and they get married. She too holds secrets from her past, and holds them close to her heart, fearing that if Luke finds ou
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May 19, 2010
Crista
rated it:
Can Mary Balogh do no wrong? This is another GREAT book by this talented author. I'll give you a quick synopsis, and then tell you all the reasons why I think it's great!
Heartless tells the story of Lucas Kendrick, the Duke of Harndon and Anna Marlowe. Both are very wounded from their pasts and believe love is not in the cards for them. Anna believes that she is tainted and unworthy, Lucas has been burned once and has vowed never to be vulnerable again....fortunately for him, this i More...
Heartless tells the story of Lucas Kendrick, the Duke of Harndon and Anna Marlowe. Both are very wounded from their pasts and believe love is not in the cards for them. Anna believes that she is tainted and unworthy, Lucas has been burned once and has vowed never to be vulnerable again....fortunately for him, this i More...
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Sep 28, 2010
Hortencia
rated it: 
Another great one by Balogh! She is extremely skilled at developing characters and relationships. I am always impressed by how she gets her relationships from point A to point B without it feeling forced or out of character for the characters in said relationships. All that to say that she is very good at her craft.
I also enjoyed the budding friendship/relationship between the young Emily and Lucas's brother Ashley. Must check out the second book in the series, 'Silent Melody'.
I also enjoyed the budding friendship/relationship between the young Emily and Lucas's brother Ashley. Must check out the second book in the series, 'Silent Melody'.
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Oct 12, 2011
Pam
rated it:
I loved this book and I gave it 5*'s! This book has a great mystery and a nice slow developing romance between the heroine and her husband. It has angst too. I felt the emotion just come off the page.
Anna has been the duty bound daughter to her father, and sister to her siblings. Her mother dies and the father falls apart and drinks himself into a mess. He dies leaving a giant debt. Then comes a man who offers to pay the debt and help the family and Anna......
Anna More...
Anna has been the duty bound daughter to her father, and sister to her siblings. Her mother dies and the father falls apart and drinks himself into a mess. He dies leaving a giant debt. Then comes a man who offers to pay the debt and help the family and Anna......
Anna More...
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Mar 30, 2010
Harper
rated it:
I really liked this book, especially the hero, Luke. He was such a dandy. Admittedly I read more Regency or medieval romance than Georgian, but I love the period. Those big skirts with the hoops underneath and the wigs and powdered hair and the cosmetics and patches. It makes me want to go to a masquerade ball. Luke is definitely the most stylish hero I’ve come across in all of my historical romance reading. He was described as beautiful but masculine with dark, nearly waist-length hair and, st
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Jun 03, 2011
RomReader
rated it:
Responsible 25-yr-old heroine has taken care of her siblings after mother died & when father was struggling with gambling. She is instantly attracted to manly but foppishly-dressed duke Hero, who's been estranged from England & his family for 10 yrs after a duel with older brother who almost died. She marries him within the week, even though a part of her disagreed b/c of a traumatic secret she's been keeping. But part of her secret is revealed the day after their wedding, causing marital distan
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Sep 06, 2011
Amy
rated it:
This book was really good. I finished in within 2 days. It was so difficult to leave it for very long, even when my eyes were swimming and I was suffering from hunger pangs. The main characters drove me a little crazy with some of their obviously misconcieved thoughts, but mostly it was just a really intriguing story. I definitely liked that the story took turns telling different characters thoughts and their specific way of thinking, or experiences happening to them in the past, or the present.
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Sep 18, 2011
Zumbagirl
rated it:
AMAZING! One of the best books I've ever read and I recommend it! I don't want to give away anything, but this book has many layers. Even tho the hero dresses and acts "funny" in the beginning, don't be put off. This is a must read. I think I will read it again next week! It really shows how much we all need love in our life, even if we've been burnt. Forgiveness is possible and necessary and even if we make mistakes, it's never to late to say I'm sorry. Sometimes someone we lo
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Feb 20, 2012
Steamywindows♥♫
rated it:
Everything comes down to trust, whether it is present or absent, it matters.
I was delighted after a long search to find and finally read the story of Luke and Anna, Duke and Duchess of Harnden. I had inadvertently read its sequel “Silent Melody” first and after seeing many high recommendations, was keenly interested to read their story. I have not read many stories set in the mid seventeen hundreds, but was struck again by the period. It would seems to me that all the wigs and powder and More...
I was delighted after a long search to find and finally read the story of Luke and Anna, Duke and Duchess of Harnden. I had inadvertently read its sequel “Silent Melody” first and after seeing many high recommendations, was keenly interested to read their story. I have not read many stories set in the mid seventeen hundreds, but was struck again by the period. It would seems to me that all the wigs and powder and More...
Nov 09, 2010
Ana T.
rated it:
A long, long time ago, when I started reading romance, Heartless was one of the first Mary Balogh books that I read. I loved it! I loved Luke who, despite feeling betrayed, always treated his wife with respect and kindness.
Anna Marlowe is spending a season in London with her godmother and her sister. Orphaned she tried to keep her family together and to pay her father's debts so as not to burden her brother. Lucas Kendrick is back in London after spending several years in Paris More...
Anna Marlowe is spending a season in London with her godmother and her sister. Orphaned she tried to keep her family together and to pay her father's debts so as not to burden her brother. Lucas Kendrick is back in London after spending several years in Paris More...
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Mar 17, 2010
Lisa
rated it:
Pretty good, but not one of my favorites by Mary Balogh. Enjoyable romance read, with some suspense-type side plot, but I guess I just don't like the georgian period all that much. The descriptions of the hero's clothing made me wince. It's hard to get all swooney over a guy who wears white face paint and rouge, with the beauty patches and powdered long hair who carries a fan around. I know it was all the rage back then, but sometimes, a girl just prefers her men to dress a bit more manly :p
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Aug 11, 2011
penelopewanders
rated it:
I read the second in this series as a ring years ago - it may have been what turned me into a Balogh fan. This one was hard to get for years - finally purchased it and am now savoring it.
So, very very sadly, I finished reading this. Now I'll have to get a hold of the second again... What a beautiful story, even if one wishes the heroine had told Luke from the outset. Currently stored in Mallorca.
So, very very sadly, I finished reading this. Now I'll have to get a hold of the second again... What a beautiful story, even if one wishes the heroine had told Luke from the outset. Currently stored in Mallorca.
Aug 24, 2011
Linda
rated it:
Another pre Regency Mary Balogh which opens with a fascinating description of fashion, fashion for men in the era of powdered wigs, fans and cosmetics for men as dictated by the center of chic--France. Yet our hero Luke is anything but effeminate, estranged from his family he returns home to England at the urging of his uncle to resume his place as ducal head of the family. Naturally, he needs a duchess and settles on Anna who really doesn't want a husband because of her past. She can't resist
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Jan 05, 2012
sbf20112011
rated it:
4.5 stars. This was an easy, enjoyable read. I liked the characters and especially enjoyed the beginning of the story. This is an odd thing to write, but one of the reasons this wasn't 5 stars for me was that the hero was almost too nice and understanding -- I wanted a little more tension or something. But overall, a fun read.
Aug 08, 2010
Janet
rated it:
Balogh does dukes like no other. Lucas wears heels, puts on patches and his earrings are divine. He's also one of Balogh's most masculine, compelling heroes. Recommended with no reservations. The villain is horrendous ... and he gets a very satisfying comeuppance.
Aug 11, 2011
Lily
rated it:
I can't remember anything about Anna and the Duke -- but cousin Harriet has some of the steamiest villain sex I've ever read!
Sep 26, 2010
Nikki
rated it:
Possibly one of the better books by this author. I quite enjoyed it--it was rather spooky, to be truthful!
Apr 16, 2009
Maria
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Somewhat bizarre plot but the writing is good and the characters well-drawn, so this is the third time I've read it.
May 19, 2010
Shel
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Just re-read this before reading Silent Melody. Great book.
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Dec 06, 2011
Sheri
rated it:
From Mary Balogh's backlist. My grade: A-. With Balogh's characters, it's always about the inner journey. In this case, it's Luke who has the lengthy journey to make. And his journey--accepting love--is also a common Balogh theme. I'm always amazed. Balogh's books have lots of exposition, pages of characters' inner thoughts, but she does it so well, you're never bored or impatient. At least this reader isn't.
Nov 13, 2009
Anne
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I liked this book a lot. The heroine drove me nuts at times though, so I only gave it three stars.
Feb 09, 2009
Lourdes
rated it:
The story is set in the 1700 so the language was a little tough for me to get used to but once I got passed that, I really enjoyed the story. Not a traditional romance novel, which is what I enjoy about this author. Her characters are not perfect. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
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Jul 07, 2010
Christy
rated it:
Reading this book was a battle between interesting and boring. It just went too slowly for me but it's a good book.
I like the dandy thing but sticking a fan in a guy's hand doesn't make him a dandy, it just makes it REALLY funny.
I like the dandy thing but sticking a fan in a guy's hand doesn't make him a dandy, it just makes it REALLY funny.
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Dec 29, 2011
Mary Elizabeth
rated it: 
MB writes much better romances than this heartless one :) if it's your 1st read by this author don't give up she is worth discovering !!
