Then Comes Seduction (Huxtable Quintet, #2)

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Then Comes Seduction (Huxtable Quintet #2)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 3,469 ratings · 207 reviews

New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh sweeps us back in time to an age of scandal and glittering society—and brings to life an extraordinary family: the daring, passionate Huxtables. Katherine, the youngest sister—and society’s most ravishing innocent—is about to turn the tables on the irresistible rakehell sworn to seduce her, body and soul....

In a night of drunk...more

Paperback, 419 pages

Published March 24th 2009 by Dell (first published January 1st 2009)

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Mar 28, 2009 Julie (jjmachshev) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads

Mary Balogh does it again! "Then Comes Seduction" is a perfect read if you like bad-boy-redeemed-by-good-girl stories. There's more to it than that, of course, but I figure if this is your type of book...that's enough to get you interested.

On his 25th birthday, Jasper makes his most infamous bet. He will seduce the virtuous society virgin of his buddies' choice. They select none other than Katherine, cousin to his brother-in-rakehellness, Constantine. All proceeds according to plan, until the fi...more

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Mar 26, 2009 seton rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: rakephiles

Shelves: wager

IMO, this was Balogh's best book in 7 years.

Katherine came across as empty white space in the previous book and she really isnt much more interesting here but this book reminds me that Balogh gives good rake. She dont do them too often but when she does, they always seem to be pretty effective.

Now, is this book as good as the Balogh of the Signet regencies?

No.

Balogh's style is more steamline now and my emotions were not in the least engaged. However, intellectually I can recognize that this w...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, historical-love, hott-spots, widget-shelf

I liked this one better than the first in this series. Although I did feel that Katherine's character changed. She seemed much younger and more exuberant in the first book, and this one she was much more mature, which could be because it was 3 years later, but it seemed like more than that. Sort of like her personality changed a little with her maturity.

I really liked Jasper, even though you never knew if he was being honest or putting on a show. He was good at being charming. I liked that after...more I liked this one better than the first in this series. Although I did feel that Katherine's character changed. She seemed much younger and more exuberant in the first book, and this one she was much more mature, which could be because it was 3 years later, but it seemed like more than that. Sort of like her personality changed a little with her maturity.

I really liked Jasper, even though you never knew if he was being honest or putting on a show. He was good at being charming. I liked that after they got married, that wasn't the end of the book. The marriage wasn't the culmination of the book. I always want a glimpse into their married life after a couple falls in love. So this book seemed like a great compromise. They got married and then fell in love, so you got to see exactly what their married life was like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAVORITE QUOTES

This was an excerpt from the beginning of the book. Jasper was drunk, and I just loved how this was written because it really sounded like a drunk brain at work.

It was now twenty minutes past four in the morning, allowing for the fact that the clock in the library of his town house was four minutes slow, as it had been for as far back as he could remember.

He eyed it with a frown of concentration. Now that he came to think about it, he must have it set right on of these days. Why should a clock be forced to go through its entire existence four minutes behind the rest of the world? It was not logical. The trouble was, though, that if the clock were suddenly right, he would be forever confused and arriving four minutes early- or did he mean late? - for meals and various other appointments. That would agitate his servants and cause consternation in the kitchen.

It was probably better to leave the clock as it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I could teach you not to hate me or dislike me," he said, speaking very low since the music had not yet started again. His eyes dipped to her mouth. "I could teach you to love me if I chose, Miss Huxtable."

~Jasper(less)

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Jun 18, 2013 Evania rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aristocrats-in-love, favorite, likable-hero-ine, have-the-ebook

I tried to read this all in one sitting. I really tried. Alas, that proved impossible as I had started the book close to 1 in the morning, but by all that matters on heaven and earth I really did want to finish this in one sitting.

Because this book has easily found its way onto my favorites list, for more than one, two, even three reasons. Now, shall we count the ways...?

1. Katherine. Katherine. Katherine. Katherine! I thought she was awesome. More than awesome. Cool, principled, headstrong, in...more I tried to read this all in one sitting. I really tried. Alas, that proved impossible as I had started the book close to 1 in the morning, but by all that matters on heaven and earth I really did want to finish this in one sitting.

Because this book has easily found its way onto my favorites list, for more than one, two, even three reasons. Now, shall we count the ways...?

1. Katherine. Katherine. Katherine. Katherine! I thought she was awesome. More than awesome. Cool, principled, headstrong, independent, brave, awesomest. She held her own against Jasper's sharp tongue. She's a dreamer, an introvert, and a philosopher. And while these qualities do not a good character make, they made her relatable to me, enthralled reader, and I thoroughly enjoyed following her thoughts. For there is no greater turn off than a heroine whose charms don't match up to the hero's. In those cases it makes little sense to me that the hero should even fall in love with her. But in this story, I completely understood why Jasper would take down his walls for Kathy.

2. Jasper. Yes. Y e s. I'm admittedly tired of the "rakehell" figure, but while Jasper has a reputation for being one, his ennui and wit trounced the caricature. His hooded eye stare and his affected air of boredom could've proved tiresome after a while, yet Balogh saves it all with her great dialogue. And wonderful insights into his thought processes. I never felt disconnected from him despite a few of his morally questionable decisions. I felt in tune with his motivations, his fears about falling in love, his fears about love itself, and in the end he turned out to be a man deserving of Katherine's love.

3. The pacing. I've always loved Balogh's stories for how slowly the hero and heroine fall in love. Being a strong opponent of "love at first sight," I was thankful that, as usual, she took her time making these two idiots realize their affections for one another. There was a bit of a pesky "lust at first sight" thing happening, but the author used words that bordered on the subtle, nothing too overbearing. And it was great.

4. The humor. I laughed out loud multiple times. When a book can get me to do that, it's automatically got a 4 star rating. But since I really enjoyed this one, more than it seems other people did, I'm giving it a big, fat 5. (less)

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Jun 16, 2013 Jane B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Balogh did not disappoint. I will continue to devour her books. My greatest sadness being that there are not enough of them.

This book was very sensual. So sensual in fact that after the scene where Jasper almost seduces Kate I was inspired to attempt my own seduction of my boyfriend. My seduction didn’t work alas.

The love scenes were imaginative. Jasper and Kate did not need a bed or proper room. And there is something sensual about outdoor lovemaking. Very hot!

Jasper was a well thought out cha...more

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May 13, 2013 Kay Bolton rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical Romance Fan

Review taken from my Blog in November 2010:

This is the first time that I have flirted with this new author, and as with all new friendships/loves there is a certain amount of steps back and forth and round and round to assess whether you will both suit.

In the end I think that we suited very well indeed. Certainly less raunchy than the other ladies work recently, but charming and entertaining no less.

Another series of works based around a family, the Huxtables', but not the first book in the part...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Leya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book

I have a weakness for rakes. Truly, I do. And Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, is a Rake, with a capital R. What happens when this Rake is challenged to seduce the proper country Miss Katherine Huxtable? Well, he gets her alone, and when the seducing becomes interesting he grows a conscience. Doesn't sound very rakish, does it?

Now, fast forward three years. Jasper and Katherine meet again and it's clear that the attraction is still there, but Katherine wants nothing to do with Lord Montford. Until...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Peggy Parsons rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

It's all fun and games until the rumors start. I enjoyed the set up. All of their actions (after Jasper's wager) were totally innocent in our 21st century eyes. But in the eyes of the ton in the late 1800s.....oh, my.

But .... the situations were told repeated over and over, in inner thought and dialogue. I tired of the wasted words.

THEN every action, every smile, every tilt of the head, every spoken sentence, was analyzed in the next paragraph. I became impatient and frustrated, especially when...more

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Nov 01, 2012 ies rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

3.5 Bintang deh.. emang dari buku-1 sebenernya agak2 gimana gitu sama series ini, terlalu banyak penjelasan yg detail banget hmpfh
Di Buku ke 2 ini malah, ada beberapa kalimat "joke" yang aku ngga mudeng, tapi males ulang baca 2x jadinya aku tinggalin... skip skip hmpfh

"Aku percaya cinta itu ada, tapi aku tidak yakin cinta itu akan menghampiri kehidupanku" itulah yg diyakini Katherine Huxtable, kakak perempuan dari Earl of Merton si Heroine. Di usianya yang ke 23 th, mungkin memang dirinya tidak...more 3.5 Bintang deh.. emang dari buku-1 sebenernya agak2 gimana gitu sama series ini, terlalu banyak penjelasan yg detail banget hmpfh
Di Buku ke 2 ini malah, ada beberapa kalimat "joke" yang aku ngga mudeng, tapi males ulang baca 2x jadinya aku tinggalin... skip skip hmpfh

"Aku percaya cinta itu ada, tapi aku tidak yakin cinta itu akan menghampiri kehidupanku" itulah yg diyakini Katherine Huxtable, kakak perempuan dari Earl of Merton si Heroine. Di usianya yang ke 23 th, mungkin memang dirinya tidak akan pernah mengenal cinta yang menggebu-gebu, atau mungkin jatuh cinta. 3th sebelumnya, di usianya yang ke 20, dia pernah menganggap bahwa perasaan gemetar dan jantung jungkir baliknya sebagai cinta tetapi ternyata hanya berujung pada dirinya hampir tercemar dan semata-mata hanya karena taruhan belaka.

"Ternyata kemampuan yang kau bangga2kan hanya isapan jempol, dan kenapa aku harus merubahmu sementara kau sudah sedatar ini?" Jasper Finley, Baron Montford si Hero, masih mengingat dengan jelas kata-kata Kate kepadanya 3th yang lalu. Ketika itu, di usianya yang ke 25 dan menghadapi segala macam bentuk kebosanan dan kehampaan dalam hidup. Jasper menerima tantangan dari teman-temannya untuk merayu Kate dalam dua mintggu. Dia yang tidak pernah kalah dalam taruhan, mengaku kalah saat itu, mengatakan pada kalangan ton bahwa Miss. Huxtable yang terhormat menolak rayuannya. Tetapi benarkah itu yang terjadi?

Jasper menghindari London untuk 1th lamanya setelah kejadian itu, dan Kate sendiri memutuskan meninggalkan London untuk kembali ke pedesaan untuk waktu 3th setelah malam itu. Permusuhan dan perpisahan tanpa kata.

Dengan rahasianya 3th yang lalu, Kate merasa dirinya tidak akan sanggup bertemu dengan Jasper, dan Jasper sendiri juga tidak menyangka akan bertemu wanita itu lagi satu-satunya wanita yg bisa menggelitik moralnya, padahal semua orang tau kalau dia adalah pria tak bermoral. Lalu? apa yang mereka berdua lakukan? well... dengan alasan yang tidak diketahui pria itu, tiba2 saja Jasper mengajukan "taruhan" kepada Miss.Katherine Huxtable yang terhormat untuk merayunya sampai dia sampai jatuh hati padanya, dan dia akan merayu Kate akan jatuh hati pada nya. Padahal keduanya adalah dua orang yang sangat tidak mempercayai cinta... dan Kate sendiri, well.. terkadang wangi neraka memang lebih harum...

Siapa yang berhasil memenangkan taruhan? dan bagaimana para ton menghadapi mereka berdua? baca sendiri daahhh... (less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Jessica Weiss rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, romance, regency

It sounded like a decent idea, though it wouldn't be the first "it was all a bet" story I've read before. I was looking forward to the whole who can make who fall in love with who first concept, but it was pretty much a let down. It wound up being an annoyance more than anything else.

The heroine Katherine was beyond annoying in both the first portion that shows her as 20 and the second that shows her as 23. She did not mature enough in the 3 years between the first 50 pages and the last 300 or s...more It sounded like a decent idea, though it wouldn't be the first "it was all a bet" story I've read before. I was looking forward to the whole who can make who fall in love with who first concept, but it was pretty much a let down. It wound up being an annoyance more than anything else.

The heroine Katherine was beyond annoying in both the first portion that shows her as 20 and the second that shows her as 23. She did not mature enough in the 3 years between the first 50 pages and the last 300 or so. She was childish in her views of the world, overly innocent I would say, and her expectations of marriage and love were very unrealistic for the time setting.

The hero Jasper was your typical rogue, though I was a little surprised that there wasn't another one of those infamous, "Oh this is my mistress" scenes that I half expected to stumble upon. His childhood was horrible, which supposedly explains why he turned out to be such a rogue.

To be honest I actually liked Jasper, which was probably why I didn't care for Katherine. Katherine was very hard to Jasper and her attempt at lying to him or poking fun at him by saying how she would never marry him in a million or a billion years came off as snobbish rather than cute/funny as I'm sure the author intended.

In fact a lot of scenes where I think Katherine was meant to be teasing or sarcastic mostly wound up making her look like a total bitch. If not for Sir Clarence's mother (forgot her name already) I would have thought Katherine was the worst person in the whole book.

I do enjoy the occasional romance, but I am getting seriously sick of these romances where the women are so foolish and cruel to their husbands, who are obviously trying their best to make them happy.

On top of everything this book was incredibly dull. There was no action, the only real conflict was with Clarence, which not only came out of nowhere (very poorly written as for as I'm concerned) but it was resolved fairly easy.

I did check out the rest of the series from the library, but after this dull story I think I'm going to pass. Probably won't read from this author again.(less)

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Apr 26, 2009 Aelel rated it 4 of 5 stars

To be honest, I picked this book up because I liked the dress on the cover, and I was looking for a little bit of light, mindless reading. I must say, however, that I enjoyed this book. At first I was rather suspicious, because the plot was starting to resemble something right out of Dangerous Liaisons (which no one has a right to steal), but it thankfully turned courses and was just a fun read about two people denying their feelings in a stuffy British society.

Jasper is a Baron and womanizer,...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Venus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, historical-romance

kadang buku tidak harus memberi kita wawasaan baru, tapi kadang buku cukup hanya membuat kita tak berhenti tersenyum saat membacanya, dan buku ini membuat ku nyengir seharian saat membacanya.

dan sebuah pelajaran, bahwa cinta adalah berkorban untuk kebahagiaan orang-orang yang kita cintai.
dan seperti yang Katherine katakan cinta bahkan bukan perasaan. walaupn perasan terlibat di dalamnya. cinta sudah tidak berarti perasaan bahagia dan ringan setiap saat. cinta adlaah hubungan dengan orang lain,...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Betty Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

OK, I know what you're thinking! 5 stars for a romance novel? And a bodice-ripper at that!? I know, I know! But this was a good one!
Once in awhile I need to read some trashy romance novels-- the kind that I'm embarrassed to bring in public because of the cover. I was on one of these kicks and this was the one that I actually read the entire way through rather than just speed reading & skimming.
Yeah, typical story: mid 1800's, London Ton, the rich & handsome rake who's avoiding marriage a...more

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Jun 07, 2010 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although I am a long time Regency reader, I had never read a Mary Balogh book until I received First Comes Marriage as a Goodreads Giveaway. I enjoyed the book so much, I had to read the rest of the series.

Book two starts out with a thoroughly unlikeable hero. While foxed, Lord Montford makes a wager to seduce an innocent . . . specifically, the youngest Huxtable sister, Katherine. Although I could have forgiven him for making the wager while drunk, he planned to follow through even after he was...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

Summary: In a night of drunken revelry, Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, gambles his reputation as London's most notorious lover on his ability to seduce the virtuous Katherine Huxtable. For Katherine, Jasper's offer is irresistible: to make London's most dangerous rake fall in love with her. Then Jasper suddenly ups the ante by asking her to become his wife. -- JCPL Catalog

First Line: Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, was twenty-five years old.

This novel didn't have perfect flow, but it did address...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Melinda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, romance

I'm conflicted about this book. I wrote a longer review on my blog. Basically, narrator Anne Flosnik is finally starting to read at a normal pace (yay!) but also showed signs of being too involved. She embarrassed me during the wedding night consummation scene!! And not because it was that hot, mind you - it was because she got as involved as our heroine supposedly did! I don't mind hearing a hot love scene narrated well, but I do mind feeling like I'm eavesdropping on a private moment.

Beyond th...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I vacillated about whether to give this book a 2 or a 3. I eventually went with 3 because while I usually dislike (and sometimes hate) Balogh's books, I kind of liked this one.

I actually liked Jasper and Katherine. Jasper doesn't take much seriously besides betting, but he was funny and I liked him. I also thought Katherine was more fun to read about than Vanessa. when they have to get married, she doesn't get all hissy and make Jasper feel like shit about it, which is rare. however, the sister...more

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May 04, 2012 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

This certainly wasn't a BAD book. It was good. It was fine. Oh my, it was boring. This is the second book in the Huxtable Family series. The Huxtable family was poor-ish. Mostly poor. They could afford food and whatnot. But they couldn't really afford new clothes and they scrimped and saved so that they could send the only boy in the family to a good school when it was time (a year or two?). Its 3 sisters and a brother. Anyways, they're living their poor but happy life in this teeny little town,...more This certainly wasn't a BAD book. It was good. It was fine. Oh my, it was boring. This is the second book in the Huxtable Family series. The Huxtable family was poor-ish. Mostly poor. They could afford food and whatnot. But they couldn't really afford new clothes and they scrimped and saved so that they could send the only boy in the family to a good school when it was time (a year or two?). Its 3 sisters and a brother. Anyways, they're living their poor but happy life in this teeny little town, living their lives. A stranger comes to town and this stranger is Viscount Whats-His-Nuts and he's come to tell them that a long lost uncle has died and that the boy has just inherited a title and a poop-load of money. Yay's all around!! Well, that was the start of the first book and the first book was pretty good! I enjoyed it and liked all the characters.

Now, I've read THIS book. Ho hum. This is the story of Katherine Huxtable. She's beautiful and virtuous. She has never been anything but wonderful, kind, and most importantly, PROPER!! Well, this silly, irascible rake, Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, has made a wager on the night of his 25th birthday that he can seduce Miss Katherine Huxtable. Seduction with full intercourse! Jasper is well known for taking on impossible bets and winning them. Of course, he takes this one on and has no doubt that he'll win. And he almost does! He fixes things so that he has a couple of "chance" encounters with Katherine and then on an outing to Vauxhall Gardens, Jasper and Katherine separate from the group they are with and veer off onto a secluded path. He and Katherine engage in some heavy petting and win is almost ensured when he has a pang of guilt and called himself off. He confesses his sins to Katherine, who gives him a right proper set down about how SHE wanted to continue and how disappointing he was!! They go back to their party and all is fine. Jasper returns to his club the next day and tells a story about how she flatly refused him and how he had made no head-way with her whatsoever! So of course, he has to pay off his bet (no problem) and he has preserved her reputation and he has no idea why he cared!

She retreats to the new family estate in the country for the next three years and we rejoin her as the family is planning to return to London for some fun in the big city. As you would expect, she sees him again and she feels some stirring in her loins, if you will. And so does he. He starts paying much attention to her and spends quite a bit of time with her. This is remarkable because Jasper doesn't spend much time with any ONE woman! This leads to that and an evil uncle of Jasper's spreads nasty rumors about Katherine and we ALL know what happens when nasty rumors are about regarding a woman's innocence: MARRIAGE!! Yes, Katherine and Jasper are forced to marry and the trick is that they need to fall in love. This IS a romance novel, ya'know!

Like I said, this was an ok book. Nothing awful about it at all. Its just very boring. You can see what's going to happen right from the start! Or at least from around chapter two or three. The back and forth between them as they're falling in love is a little tedious towards the end of the "courtship". The bright part of the book is Jasper's relationship with his half-sister/step-sister, Charlotte. She is a bright and happy young girl and Jasper clearly loves her, even if HE doesn't know he loves her. Its a great relationship and its so sweet and funny when we get to see Charlotte interacting with Katherine and Katherine's family.

Having said all of that negative stuff, I would still recommend this book. My claim of "boring" is just my perspective after having read many, many romance novels back to back. Honestly, I just couldn't think of many things to talk about after reading this book. I thought, "Well, if there wasn't anything remarkable or interesting, I guess that makes it a boring book..." But PLEASE don't let my review turn you off of this book. Please read it for yourself and come back and tell me what you thought. Mary Balogh always writes a pretty charming book and I've no doubt that this is another one of those. It just wasn't one of those for me. :) (less)

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Aug 22, 2009 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance fans, Mary Balogh fans

Shelves: historical-setting, romance

This is the second in a series of four historical romance novels centered on the Huxable siblings, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a perfect summer escapist novel.

Katherine's story begins just after the end of the first book and then skips ahead three years. At the start of this book, she's 20 years old and the focus of a drunken bet: Jasper Finley bets his buddies that he can seduce her within two weeks. It's a wager that comes back to bite them in the backsides three years later when his h...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jasper is kind of a funny, somewhat likable douche bag when the story begins. Katherine/Kate knows things, doesn't really care, but then realizes she doesn't really know as much as she thought. She knew Jasper was trying to seduce her & she welcomed it...until she realized it wasn't a simple seduction. Years later they meet again. Both have changed over time. While their overall characters as people have not changed. Fundamentally, Jasper is not REALLY a douche bag but rather carried a lot o...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Patrice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read, romance-readers-qtrly-challenge

I started to read this story right after First Comes Marriage and I had a hard time getting into it at the beginning. I think I identified more with Vanessa Huxtable Dew. Then the more I read, the more I got into Katherine Huxtable and Jasper Finley’s story. Jasper Finley, Lord Montford, is a rake, never afraid to take on a wager with his friends. On the evening of his 25th birthday he and his friends are foxed and decide to come up with a wager. Unfortunately, their wager is for Lord Montford t...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-lit, chick-lit, easy-read, historical-fiction, guilty-pleasure, fun-fluff, favorite-author, some-steam, series, regency, romance, 2011_read

2nd in the series, "Then Comes Seduction" is Katherine's story. Katherine is the youngest girl and a few years older than Stephen. She's the golden beauty in the family -- the dreamer and the romantic.

Jasper is the villain... or is he? In a drunken revelry on his 25th birthday, Jasper's friends make a wager that he, even with his rakehell reputation, cannot seduce (full intercourse) an innocent within a fortnight. They choose Katherine Huxtable as the innocent, partly because she's a "country mo...more 2nd in the series, "Then Comes Seduction" is Katherine's story. Katherine is the youngest girl and a few years older than Stephen. She's the golden beauty in the family -- the dreamer and the romantic.

Jasper is the villain... or is he? In a drunken revelry on his 25th birthday, Jasper's friends make a wager that he, even with his rakehell reputation, cannot seduce (full intercourse) an innocent within a fortnight. They choose Katherine Huxtable as the innocent, partly because she's a "country mouse" and partly because she's known for her virtue as well as her beauty. Unfortunately, the wager is actually written in a wager book (probably at White's?) and signed by all involved. Which makes the whole wager and all those "gentlemen" involved that much more disgusting. It's one thing to make a wager when you're foxed; it's another to write it down and attempt it when you're sober.

Katherine's been warned about "Monty" (Jasper Finley, Baron Montford), but she's just decided that at 20-something, her life and her love life are dull. She has plenty of suitors in her first Season, and many are likeable; but Katherine doesn't *feel* drawn to any of them. So when Monty asks her to walk with him and manages to get separated from the pack and onto a dark, secluded spot, Katherine decides that perhaps she could feel head-over-heels for someone dangerous, like Monty. And she thinks herself capable of taking care of herself... bad move. Monty is so practiced at seduction, he has her willing and breathlessly waiting up against a tree. And somehow, from somewhere, Monty gets a conscience. At the very last possible moment, Monty withdraws and then cruelly scolds and mocks Katherine, telling her all about the bet. She tries to restore her dignity by giving him a rather good set down, herself -- much better than I'd imagine, given just a moment ago, she was ready to surrender her virginity to the man! And then Jasper does the unthinkable: he tells his friends that he lost the wager and pays them off. Why? Even Jasper doesn't know, and so he confines himself to the country for the rest of that Season, to allow Miss Katherine Huxtable all the Society events without having to see him. Except that she packs up and leaves the Town, too.

Fast-forward three years... and that I don't quite understand. Why must we wait three years for the story to continue? Regardless, Katherine and Monty meet again, and the spark between them isn't done yet. Monty makes another wager -- this time with Katherine -- that he can make her love him. As dangerous as Katherine knows this man to be, she can't seem to just walk away from him. And because she doesn't, a snide, overweight, mama's boy cousin Clarence (Clarrie) makes a fuss about Katherine's virtue and Jasper's lifestyle. And suddenly, not only is Jasper's half-sister's guardianship in jeopardy, but Katherine's reputation is shattered. Clarence discovered the wager about Katherine and is broadcasting it to all. Now... wouldn't you think that since it was recorded that Jasper LOST that wager that Katherine should be safe? But no. Once again, in the worst of double-standards, it's Katherine that is lambasted and gossiped about.

So Katherine is forced to marry Jasper. He doesn't believe in love, only passion and sex. She doesn't believe that a marriage can be sustained on only passion and sex, but needs a heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul understanding. Another reviewer here said it was the contrast of physical (sex) versus friendship/companionship -- which makes a marriage? And as that reviewer so wisely ascertained, it takes BOTH to make a marriage. I see that as a possible motive for this story... although, it didn't quite hit me that way when I read it. So I'll throw in my two cents and say that beyond the passion and friendship, marriage takes WORK; it takes two people committed to each others' happiness - and keeping a positive attitude throughout. But will they be able to pull it off? Is it just a case of a good girl falls for bad boy and regrets it story?
---------------------
My review here contains spoilers, so I'll be so good as to mark it thus. If you've read the book, read on; otherwise, read at your own risk!

(view spoiler)

Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely. As unlikely as it is, it's always fun to see a rake become reformed... to realize that love isn't a dirty word. And in this book, I enjoyed that Jasper realized that Katherine had been leg-shackled, too -- not just him. And they both realize that happiness or misery is a CHOICE.(less)

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Jul 01, 2010 Patria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mary-balogh

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love this series. The only issue that I have with this author is the constant philosophising about love and who is going to say it first and is it really love and how can one know if it's really love. Ok, we get it...

Anyway, good book...this one involves Katherine and Baron Montford (Jasper). Jasper is bored with his life which involves constantly making wagers to bed women so him and his friends while drunk after celebrating his 25th bday come up with this bright idea to have him seduce Kathe...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 2012-challenge, appealing-characteristic-story, historical, part-of-a-series, romance

Jasper Finley, Baron of Montford is a thoroughly dissolute rake who makes a bet that he can divest the prim and proper Katherine Huxtable of her virginity within two weeks. It seems like it's going to be surprisingly easy, she's receptive, but he digs deep, finds a conscience, and spares her the humiliation, opting instead to forfeit.
Three years later, she's still steaming but he's still interested. He left town soon after the bet but he's back with his not-yet-out sister. As a friend of Katheri...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Ana T. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009, regency-hist

I was a bit worried about starting this one. The first book in the series wasn’t exactly a favourite and the characters I really want to read about are Margaret and Con. However, Balogh still is one of my favourite authors and I do like to read series in order so I picked it up.

Right in the first few chapters one scene annoyed me tremendously. Jasper is a rake, since he sets out to ruin a young, innocent girl, who never did anything to him, on a whim is enough to see that he is one of the worst...more I was a bit worried about starting this one. The first book in the series wasn’t exactly a favourite and the characters I really want to read about are Margaret and Con. However, Balogh still is one of my favourite authors and I do like to read series in order so I picked it up.

Right in the first few chapters one scene annoyed me tremendously. Jasper is a rake, since he sets out to ruin a young, innocent girl, who never did anything to him, on a whim is enough to see that he is one of the worst sort. So why does he repent when faced with obtaining his objective. Sorry but I am really done with rakes that are really bad but when faced with the heroine they apparently find they have a conscience and can’t go through with it. Either they are not the rakes we had been told they were or you had better have a perfectly good explanation for it. There wasn’t a good explanation here, in my opinion, and you can see how this really irritated me.

However, I was determined to continue and to do so I decided to go along with the “he is not so bad” point of view. Clearly, that was the way to go because what follows is a path to redemption. Jasper and Katherine do not meet again for 3 years and when they do, they seem to form a sort of friendship, unfortunately, Jasper has some very annoying relatives who will stop at nothing to make him loose the guardianship of his younger half sister and so the wager is brought up among the members of the ton. Although Jasper is the guilty party the most damage is to Katherine’s reputation and the obvious solution to all her male relatives is to have them marry and marry they do.

I did like the relationship that Balogh developed between them. They are lovers yes but they are mostly friends getting to know each other. That seemed a lot more real than the usual “falling in lust” we usually have in romances. I was still annoyed the rake image from the beginning though, and what really saved it for me is that Katherine does confront him with his actions. No matter how their relationship had evolved, she reaches a point where she can’t stand it anymore and she angrily asks him: How could you? Not that there is a sensible and reasonable answer of course but it made me like Katherine very much to know that she hadn’t just forgotten and forgiven. Aside this the story is easy to read, has no irritating characters like the first one and the main problem would probably be what I already mentioned in yesterday’s review - It entertains but is quickly forgotten.

Grade: 4/5
(less)

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Apr 10, 2009 AzuresHeart rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the evolution of the h/h relationship. I love how they both had to get to know each other on a deeper level for the marriage to become a real marriage. This one flowed a lot better than the first one.

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Aug 24, 2012 Vina Raintree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, historical-romance, love

dialog-dialognya jasper bikin ketawa deh..

jasper yang seluruh hidupnya selalu dibayang-bayangi taruhan, ditantang oleh teman-temannya untuk merayu katherin huxtable dalam 2 minggu.. tapi mungkin karena jasper dari awal sudah tertarik dengan kecantikan katherine, walau dalam 5 hari saja dia sudah berhasil menyudutkan katherine di hutan, tapi jasper menolak menodai katherine, malah jasper blak2an bercerita mengenai taruhannya yang melibatkan katherine... membuat ketherin sedih..

3 tahun kemudian me...more

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Apr 01, 2009 BJ Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-regency, keepers

This is really a 4.5* book, and would have been a 5* if there had been more to Katherine in the first 1/3 of the book.

At 25, Jasper is a good-for-nothing rakehell, with no apparent reason for his selfishness. We quickly discover that he does have a conscience, but silly Katherine is scared enough to run home to the country for 3 years. When she returns she should be older & wiser, but it takes a social disaster that could ruin her family before she thinks of anyone but herself. I know that I...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

If I were not a long-time reader of Mary Balogh books, I would have tossed this one aside after the third chapter due to the shocking behavior by both hero and heroine at Vauxhall. However, I trusted Balogh to make it all right, and she did. I read the first in this series, but for the life of me cannot remember anything from that story. I think Balogh was strongest with her Signet Regencies back in the 1990s, and it's hard not to hold her to that standard, but even though she's not as good as s...more

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Jun 30, 2010 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, bad-boy-badass-s-o-b-rake-hero, regency-victorian, series

I love a predatory rake and the hero in this story fits the bill. He's cynical, unfeeling, arrogant and totally debauched. He's also totally irresistible. It's possible that he is somewhat modelled on Sir Percy Blakeney played by Trevor Howard in The Scarlet Pimpernel - outwardly uninterested in everything, with a scathing wit, but with a hidden soul and deep sense of responsibility, and underneath it all just a naughty boy, really. The story was nice enough for the first half, but really picked...more

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