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Slightly Sinful

(Bedwyn Saga #5)

Mary Balogh

3.93 · Rating details · 7,287 ratings · 382 reviews

When the four lady residents of a brothel in Brussels lose their life savings to a confidence man, their friend Rachel York, who introduced him to them, feels responsible even though all her money has been stolen too. She vows to help them recover their savings, but in order to do that she needs to get her hands on the jewels she will inherit at the age of twenty-five. And ...more

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Paperback, 342 pages

Published April 27th 2004 by Dell

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May 03, 2009 Dina rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

Okay, let's get it out in the open: the premise of this book didn't sound very appealing to me at first. I mean, there's amnesia, deception, and another fake marriage - the fourth fake marriage/bethrotal in the Slightly series, and the fifth if you add A Summer to Remember, which is a prequel to the series. It should have been too much to take, right? Wrong! Somehow Ms. Balogh made it all work by making me fall in love with the H/h, and the rest is history...

The events in Slightly Sinful and ...more

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Jul 17, 2017 Al George rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 02-audio, 02-library

If I get shot or fall from my horse, please deliver me to the nearest brothel.

brothel

Not that I plan on any of those things, but one must plan.

Series: Yup

Sexy times: Couple of times. All beautifully handled and nothing too scary. Although there was one devirgining that didn't exactly go as planned.

Plan on reading more by the author: Gotta finish the series, don't I?

Synopsis: Alleyne is high on his horse hurrying back to base command to deliver a letter and get to his sister who sits waiting for him ...more

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May 20, 2019 Sophia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, 2019-mt-tbr-challenge, 2019-series-that-never-ends-challen, 2019-library-love-challenge, 2019-oldie-but-a-goodie-challenge

After the events in the last book that left me dying to know what came of Alleyne, I dove in and put my fears to rest. He's a Bedwyn. Even an epic battle couldn't end him. Though, in all seriousness, it was war and a stray bullet did nearly end him save a generous, determined woman and a broken soldier saving Alleyne's life. This was my favorite entry in the series since Aidan's story in book one.

Slightly Sinful is the fifth in the Bedwyn saga and would work fine standalone if necessary. That After the events in the last book that left me dying to know what came of Alleyne, I dove in and put my fears to rest. He's a Bedwyn. Even an epic battle couldn't end him. Though, in all seriousness, it was war and a stray bullet did nearly end him save a generous, determined woman and a broken soldier saving Alleyne's life. This was my favorite entry in the series since Aidan's story in book one.

Slightly Sinful is the fifth in the Bedwyn saga and would work fine standalone if necessary. That said, it works best when read in order as the series is about a family of siblings getting their romances.

Alleyne is the youngest of the Bedwyn brothers and feeling somewhat at loose ends. He takes up a diplomatic job as assistant to Sir Charles Stewart on the eve of Waterloo. He is given the task of delivering a message from Stewart to the Duke of Wellington on the raging battlefield. He completes the task and sets out with the reply only to be hit in the thigh by a bullet. His horse spooks, throws him and he hits his head only to wake up in a brothel with no memories. He's being cared for by a handful of entertaining ladies of the night and a young woman who is not what she seems and tries to put on a brave front though she's been battered about and now is at a loss. Can a man with no personal memories still manage to know when a good thing is right in front of him?.

Rachel York is full of guilt and remorse for naively trusting a scoundrel with her friends' life savings, her own nest egg, and stupidly thinking they were engaged when he runs off with it all. She and her friends who sell themselves to make ends meet are stuck in Brussels with little money and a burning desire to get their money back and a bit of revenge from Crawley. Now, she's burdened them with the handsome wounded man they decide to call Jonathan Smith who has amnesia and a gruff sergeant who was wounded in war and dismissed from the only thing he'd ever known. Mr. Smith and the others have a devilish scheme to get her jewels from her tightfisted uncle so she can sell them and restore everyone's money. She can go along with the plan of deception, but she must guard her heart from falling in love with a man who could be anyone.

If this book had a theme, it's there's more than meets the eye when it comes to people and situations. It also blends heavier themes with lightheartedness to create a romping adventure when a group of people set out to catch up with a crook and shake him down for their money and do a scheme of deception of their own to help Rachel be put in possession of her rightful fortune. I'm always up for a good misfits tale and there is nothing more misfit than four middle-aged prostitutes, a one-eyed former army sergeant, an amnesic gentleman and a naive young lady.

Rachel possesses beauty, generosity, loyalty, and determination, but she was hampered in the beginning by sheltered naivete and a need to be wanted and loved after her parents are dead, her father gambled away a comfortable income, and her sole remaining relation has turned his back on her. I felt sorry for her because her past had left her not just lonely and needing family, but desperate for it which was why she was easily duped by a conman and now gets all growly when Alleyne identifies her as a lady and not with her prostitute friends. She even goes so far as to lie to him and say she is a prostitute before she attempts to seduce him because she has the mistaken notion that losing her virginity will identify her more closely with her friends and take away her naivete. She can't even see just how she wronged him by the lie or the future repercussions on herself- a baby? a venereal disease? a hard and desperate life as a woman who is always being used and used up to survive?

Alleyne's story is interesting after seeing him as a side character throughout the series. He's lighthearted and takes very little seriously. He's loyal and helpful when his family needs him, but is restless and trying to figure out his place in life like his older siblings. Then, here he is with a clean slate. His personality is unaltered and of course he questions and fears the unknown that is his past, but he puts this aside to help Rachel secure her future before trying to figure out his own. It was interesting seeing how his character grew and became a part of a makeshift family even though he was also part of another family.

The romance is a blend of fake mates and friends to lovers. Attraction is there, but the deeper feelings develop over the long haul. I felt that the romance wasn't always front and center though it was always there even when Rachel learns the truth of her past and gets that family she was always craving, while the group worked to take down the shyster who took their money, and then when its Alleyne's turn to face his past.

There was so much going on in this one that I know I haven't done it justice. I really enjoyed how the author wove it all together and brought out all the emotions in me. I think I liked this one precisely for all the elements equally balanced instead of the romance filling up the middle and marginalizing the rest. This was a solid outing in the series and leaves me buzzing with need for the most highly anticipated book in the series with the romance of the icy, utterly controlled, and powerful Wulfric. This is a solid historical romance series that I can definitely recommend particularly if you like the tie of family. ...more

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Oct 03, 2015 Jacob Proffitt rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, steamy

I had low expectations for this book because I haven't really much liked Alleyne. He's aloof, cynical, and just a tad out of his depth. Maybe my expectations were simply low, but this book blew them out of the water and I am so happy. The amnesia thing is such a cliché that I was a bit surprised to see Balogh using it. She's better than that, I thought. Fortunately, she really is better than that and used that cliché to pull off a really interesting character arc.

I have no idea what real amnesia I had low expectations for this book because I haven't really much liked Alleyne. He's aloof, cynical, and just a tad out of his depth. Maybe my expectations were simply low, but this book blew them out of the water and I am so happy. The amnesia thing is such a cliché that I was a bit surprised to see Balogh using it. She's better than that, I thought. Fortunately, she really is better than that and used that cliché to pull off a really interesting character arc.

I have no idea what real amnesia might do or how realistic Alleyne's reaction was, but Balogh used it in this story as a way to distill down his essential character and strip it of his emotional background. Interestingly, this both worked really well as a device and served up an Alleyne I found easy to fall for. It turns out that the essential Alleyne is a rogue, but a kind-hearted, intelligent, easily pleased rogue who wants nothing better than to provide for his friends' happiness. Add in the essential uncertainty of a man who doesn't know his kin, his past, or his place in the world and you have someone immediately engaging for me.

And I found Rachel equally engaging on her side. Mostly. She, too, is kind. Also loyal and brave and in desperate circumstances. Her willingness to figure out ways to help her friends was endearing and I enjoyed her interactions with Alleyne and their growing relationship. Building that relationship took a good deal of bravery all on its own as neither of them knew if he had circumstances that would turn their love into a great tragedy—after all, he could have a wife and children buried in the past he couldn't recall.

I even liked the side characters, even though they were somewhat broadly drawn. I enjoyed their enthusiasms and determination to make the best they could with whatever life threw at them. They each had deeply silly moments, but they also balanced each other such that they ended up going in helpful directions (or at least, non-harmful ones). As is standard with Balogh, all the important people were extremely broad minded, but I kind of counted on that because it was really the only way things could work out in the end.

The only real fly in the ointment came early in the novel. It provided a good deal of friction in the story and took a long enough time to work its way out to steal the five stars the book might otherwise have earned. (view spoiler)

But that annoyance faded fast once they got over themselves and Alleyne's handling of it turned out to be a good emotional moment, so I got over it lighter than I might otherwise have done. Which makes this my favorite of the series, thus far, edging Freyja by a nose (a Bedwyn nose! Hahahahah)

A note about Steamy: Standard for the series. Two explicit sex scenes and some glossed-over bits and kissing put this in the middle of my steam range. I kind of hated the first, though it was a decent portrayal of the (painful) circumstances.
...more

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Feb 03, 2010 notyourmonkey rated it it was ok

Shelves: time-historical, genre-romance, belongsto-me, 2010

Oh, Mary Balogh - always with the really good stuff, be it excellent use of cliches or exploration of interesting themes within the context of historical romance, but always undermined by some really dodgy stuff.

Yes, yes, this is dress-up-doll historical romance - they've all got their teeth, the women are always surprisingly independent - but you don't get to handwave away the things you don't like (bad dental hygiene, extremely limited spheres of influence for the vast majority of women, the ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, borrowed

Throughout the Bedwyn Saga Alleyne Bedwyn has been one of my favorite characters. He is a jolly fellow, quick to laugh and even quicker to help his siblings out with the most recent scrap they've gotten themselves into. In his own book he is no different, despite the fact that he is suffering from amnesia and has no idea who he is.

I had moments when I liked the heroine, Rachel, and other times when she annoyed me. But overall I thought she was a good match for Alleyne.

This book had an ...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Wealhtheow rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical, regency

In Slightly Tempted, the aristocratic Bedwyn family is rocked by news of Lord Alleyne Bedwyn's death at Waterloo. While searching the battle's casualties for saleables, Rachel York (a well-born woman left penniless by her father's gambling&drinking) comes across Alleyne's body, already stripped by other scavengers. But he is not dead, just gravely injured. Rachel carts his limp body back to the brothel where her old nurse works, and she and the whores nurse him back to health. But Alleyne, In Slightly Tempted, the aristocratic Bedwyn family is rocked by news of Lord Alleyne Bedwyn's death at Waterloo. While searching the battle's casualties for saleables, Rachel York (a well-born woman left penniless by her father's gambling&drinking) comes across Alleyne's body, already stripped by other scavengers. But he is not dead, just gravely injured. Rachel carts his limp body back to the brothel where her old nurse works, and she and the whores nurse him back to health. But Alleyne, alas, has lost his memory completely, and is afraid that even if he were to meet his own family he wouldn't feel anything for them anymore. Rachel and the whores, meanwhile, gave all their money to a clergyman who proved to be a conman, and are torn between getting back to business and getting revenge on him. Alleyne comes up with a plan to both postpone his own search for his identity and solve the women's money problems: he and Rachel will pose as man&wife to finagle Rachel's uncle into giving them her late mother's jewels. The whores pose as gentlewomen and servants in order to accompany them, and they all set off for England.

But when they reach Rachel's uncle's estate, their hare-brained scheme turns even more complicated. Rachel's uncle is very ill, and he asks that Rachel and her companions stay with him for a month. While the whores and Sergeant Strickland get the uncle's estate into order, Rachel and "Jonathan Smith" have to maintain their masquerade as husband&wife. A masquerade that is all too easy to perform in public--and all too tempting in private.

The first few chapters are a fun intro to Rachel and the whores, who have a lot of personality to start with and then fade into the background for much of the novel. The last few chapters are a triumphant confrontation with the conman/clergyman (in which the whores shine like crazy vindictive diamonds) and FINALLY the reunion of the Bedwyn siblings. The reunion was all I could have hoped, particularly in regard to my favorite two Bedwyns, Freyja and Wulf. But most of the novel is just basic Balogh fare: a few hurtful misunderstandings heightened by lack of communication between the love interests, the standard sex scenes, several realizations of how important family members have been in the past, and of course, a waltz at the ball. I wish Rachel and Jonathan/Alleyne had more personality, because even though I just finished the book a few hours ago I've already half-forgotten them. ...more

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Jun 30, 2016 Jan rated it liked it

Shelves: historical, regency, napoleonic

Added comments April 3rd 2018:
(Some minor spoilers ahead). I didn't enjoy this as much this second time around, and have reduced my rating, down to 2.5 - 3 stars instead of my original 3.5 stars. As I did on the first read, I found the storyline pretty far-fetched, but in fact this time it seemed pretty ridiculous. I didn't mind the over-arching concept of Alleyne's amnesia and his falling in love with Rachel. Those aspects of the story were done well and were quite believable, even though Added comments April 3rd 2018:
(Some minor spoilers ahead). I didn't enjoy this as much this second time around, and have reduced my rating, down to 2.5 - 3 stars instead of my original 3.5 stars. As I did on the first read, I found the storyline pretty far-fetched, but in fact this time it seemed pretty ridiculous. I didn't mind the over-arching concept of Alleyne's amnesia and his falling in love with Rachel. Those aspects of the story were done well and were quite believable, even though amnesia isn't my fav trope.

It was the whole thing with the wh*res with hearts of gold who oh-so-conveniently and neatly slotted into life at Chesney Park as if it had been waiting for them all along. They saved the day and made wonderful new lives for themselves. Yeah, right. And we all lived happily ever after........ And also Alleyne's plan to (view spoiler). Again, yeah, riiiggghhhhhtttttt. As if........ I just didn't buy that silly and (to me) unbelievable storyline. It kinda spoiled the book for me. A shame. Usually Ms Balogh is much more deft in her plotting.

Oh well, there were still aspects of the book that I enjoyed, and it has made a solid setup for the final book, Slightly Dangerous, which has always been my fav of the series. I'm looking forward to rereading that one now :)

Original review Oct 30 2016:
Three and a half stars. Enjoyed Alleyne and Rachel's story. Alleyne is seriously wounded at the Battle of Waterloo, left for dead, and robbed of all belongings. Rachel stumbles across his naked body (yup!) and realises he is still alive. With the help of some others, she saves his life. But he has no idea who he is...... His family in England believe he has perished and they hold a memorial service and grieve for him.

Yeah, the story's a little far-fetched in parts, especially the bits about the brothel and the wh*res with hearts of gold. And they're all a bit OTT when they are in England. But Rachel and Alleyne do form a real relationship, and their love is allowed to gently grow and develop. Lovely HEA, of course.

Another enjoyable and readable addition to this series. ...more

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Aug 02, 2017 Ursula rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, independent-woman, virgin-heroine, pleasant-not-memorable

3.5 stars
What to say about this audio-book? Of course, the story was nicely read by Rosalyn Landor. Her different voices and accents for the women were particularly good.
I just didn't love the story.

For example, the constant reference to whores (with hearts of gold, who actually LOVED their profession enough to lust after men and even do it for free- yeah, right, in which universe?) bothered me, and it was a case of protesting too much about how the MC's didn't care that the women were 3.5 stars
What to say about this audio-book? Of course, the story was nicely read by Rosalyn Landor. Her different voices and accents for the women were particularly good.
I just didn't love the story.

For example, the constant reference to whores (with hearts of gold, who actually LOVED their profession enough to lust after men and even do it for free- yeah, right, in which universe?) bothered me, and it was a case of protesting too much about how the MC's didn't care that the women were "whores", that it didn't matter, that one shouldn't judge them etc. etc. Clearly, it did.

And while the H was a nice enough fellow, I have never known a man who spends every second of a sexual encounter minutely analysing every aspect and intellectualising/rationalising the act the way he did. For goodness sake, just enjoy it and make sure your partner does! I did actually ask a young man I know (OK, my 22 year-old son) whether he does that and he burst out laughing. Maybe an older man might, but I doubt it. It is this tendency of MB that I just don't like. They are quite cerebral MC's and the passion just seems artificial.

The amnesia trope is one that can be great if done well (A Lady's Code of Misconduct but that is not always the case. Here, I thought the agony of not being able to commit to a relationship because nobody knew whether the H was already married, or had children, let alone what his name was, was clearly expressed and I did feel the MC's frustration and misery. The heroine showed great strength of character, prepared to risk her heart knowing it might be broken, but having the courage to do it anyway. It was also wonderful that she was able to reconnect with family and find somewhere she belonged. To see the hero finally discover his purpose in life and find some meaning to his existence, something aristocratic younger sons often struggled with in those days of strict rules of succession, was terrific.

So a solid 3.5 stars, but I can't give more to a romance that, in the end, kind of misses out on the "romance" for me.
...more

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Feb 03, 2009 Juliana Philippa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2008-reads, 5-stars, 4-to-5-stars, romance, romance-historical, 0-to-reread, 0-reviewed, 2008-dec-reads

Great, great read - Rachel and Alleyne are wonderful, and the secondary characters extremely colorful

SUMMARY (Bedwyn Family, Book 5):
Slightly Sinful overlaps significantly (chronologically speaking) with the previous book in the Bedwyn series, Slightly Tempted (Morgan and Gervase's story). Lord Alleyne Bedwyn (26), working as a British diplomat in Brussels, is sent to deliver a letter to the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo. He receives a reply letter to deliver and heads back to ...more

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Jan 06, 2019 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: reading-series, romance, audio-books

I've loved the whole Bedwyn family! Not my favorite in the series, but well worth the read. Overall I enjoyed it. The ending was my favorite.

The premise of the story with an amnesiac Hero saved by a virtuous woman who is now living in a brothel was scandalously funny, entertaining, and a fun wild ride. I laughed and even teared up a little in the end. I liked the way this story paralleled book #4 so that we really were able to see what happened to the missing Alleyne Bedwyn. One of my favorite ...more

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Aug 02, 2018 Missy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-series-challenge, amnesia

The plot and writing is good. I don't think I enjoy slow-burn romances very much. Oh, but what a beautiful family reunion. *sniffles* . Three books down, three more to go! Maybe I'll read Morgan's book next since it's in the same time frame.

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Nov 14, 2010 Aly is so frigging bored rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

2nd read September 2015

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Oct 15, 2018 Saly rated it really liked it

Shelves: virgin-heroines, single-titles, read-in-2018, rom-historical

3.5 stars

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Aug 11, 2019 Christa Schönmann Abbühl rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 03, 2018 Lisa - (Aussie Girl) rated it liked it

Shelves: nbrc-cutthroat-island-2018, read-in-2018, romance-historical

3.5 stars.

I'm enjoying this series but just not quite enough to make the full 4 stars.

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Dec 11, 2017 Renae rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2017, setting-belgium, genre-romance-hist-regency

Well, it was bound to happen at some point. Mary Balogh has finally let me down. Slightly Sinful was just too silly for me. There's an amnesia plot and a troop of whores out for revenge and just...ach. What I tend to love most about this author is how down-to-earth and honest her narratives are. This book, however, was more like a silly romcom than a realistic look at what it takes to make a relationship work. And that's fine, just not the content I'm here for.

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Apr 01, 2017 Lady Wesley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-faves, listened

Rosalyn Landor's audio version of this Mary Balogh classic really tickled my funnybone. In Brussels, right before Waterloo, the heroine innocently gets mixed up with four jolly prostitutes, and they take in a wounded Alleyne Bedwyn, who has lost his memory. Also a crusty sergeant who has lost an eye and been dismissed from the army. The seven of them set out for England -- the ladies in pursuit of a charlatan posing as a minister who has stolen their life savings, Alleyne hoping to find somebody ...more

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Sep 29, 2018 Ana rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-regency, zz-read-in-2018

4 stars

It turns out I haven't actually read this book the first time I read the Bedwyn series. Not sure why, but it happened.

In any case, this is the story of Alleyne (the brother who was presumed dead at Waterloo) and Rachel.

It's a fun story. I liked how the entire amnesia plot was handled. I LOVED the side characters who are both colorful and very real.

And that reunion at the end was so, so perfect.

I had some slight issues with Rachel and Alleyne's reasoning in the last third of the book or ...more

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Nov 17, 2019 T rated it liked it

Shelves: romance-historical, audio

Implausible story with ladies in a brothel, amnesia, thieves/swindlers, ex brothel-workers in English manor estates...
The love story was sweet but the rest was almost a farce. Oh and the ending - simply beautiful!

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Aug 05, 2018 Teresa rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2018

Each book in this series, I go into less excited for it not being Wulfic's. Most, though, pull me in almost immediately and I grow to love it (and, admittedly, all of the Wulfric sightings in the background). This one was a chore though, which is sad because I do love Allyene as well. I knew a bit of what I was getting into based on the setup of the previous book, but so much of the early part was cartoonish and different in tone from previous books. It was hard to ever be fully invested. It ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 herdys rated it liked it

Shelves: historial-romance

3,5 stars! Definitely better than Morgan's book. I loved the four ladies and even without memory, our charming hero. The reunion with his family was Lovely too!

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Nov 14, 2019 Alison rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-read, marriage-of-convenience, historical, english, fake-relationship, insta-love, interfering-friends, irritating-seniors, secret-identity, read-anything-by-this-author

Lord Alleyne Bedwyn is carrying a letter from the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Waterloo when he is shot in the leg, despite trying to continue his journey he becomes weak from loss of blood and falls off his horse, hitting his head on a tree stump.

Alleyne is found by Miss Rachel York, an orphan fallen on hard times who is currently sharing a house in Brussels with a group of prostitutes, including her former nurse. Rachel and the other women have lost all their money to a confidence ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 Lorna rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

Story 4 stars Narration 5 stars. Great series and an amazing narrator. Wonderful characters are the hallmark of this author. Recommended to adult historical romance readers and if you can, try and listen. Roslyn Landor is just the best at narrating historical British romances. She’s a definite selling point when I pick out a listen. Now available on Audible Escape.

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Nov 05, 2019 Rebecca rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads, audio, historical, series-complete

Even though I liked Alleyne, it was difficult to be fully invested in this installment. All the other Bedwyns were absent throughout, and this family has played such a vital role in each storyline thus far. It just wasn't the same without them.

I feel like the wait for Wulf's book has been the worst torture, and I can't wait to finally have his story.

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Feb 14, 2019 Sara rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle

2.5 stars

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Apr 10, 2017 Sonia189 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not as engaging as the others, simply because too much was happening away from the other members of the family...

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Oct 17, 2016 Natalie rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016, beta-males, regency-era

This was fun. It was rompy and cute and I loved the side characters but I won't lie and say this was all just filler to get to Wulf's book for me. So sorry. Loved the island scene with Rachel and Alleyne and the horseriding stuff though.

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May 12, 2014 Samantha rated it liked it

Shelves: romance

Like all of Mary Balogh's books, Slightly Sinful is charming, idyllic, and an escapist, romantic read. So if you enjoy the Bedwyn Saga, you definitely have to read it. That said, it wasn't my favorite of the series, and it took me awhile to get through this one. During parts I found it boring, and it was missing some of the spark of her better installments.

Slightly Sinful, the fourth installment, takes place parallel to the events of the third book, Slightly Tempted. While Morgan and Gervase are Like all of Mary Balogh's books, Slightly Sinful is charming, idyllic, and an escapist, romantic read. So if you enjoy the Bedwyn Saga, you definitely have to read it. That said, it wasn't my favorite of the series, and it took me awhile to get through this one. During parts I found it boring, and it was missing some of the spark of her better installments.

Slightly Sinful, the fourth installment, takes place parallel to the events of the third book, Slightly Tempted. While Morgan and Gervase are falling in love, and the whole Bedwyn clan believes Alleyne is dead, here's what Alleyne was really up to. Alleyne, who got shot in the leg while delivering a letter to the front-lines of Waterloo (his new diplomatic duties, wot wot) fell off his horse in the woods outside Brussels and conked himself on the head. He's found and saved by a golden angel named Rachel, only to awake to find that *gasp*-he has no memory. Of anything.

Let it be known that amnesia is NOT my favorite trope, and it usually annoys me to no end unless done extremely well and creatively. This would be a case of amnesia annoying me to no end. Alleyne was always one of my fav Bedwyns in his siblings' books, so I eagerly awaited his story. But when I finally got to it, he's not even himself! They call him Jonathan, and his delightful Bedwyn family isn't even in most of the book :( He did retain his sense of humor and fun, but it's not the same as if he'd gotten to be his Alleyne self, in his own element. So I felt a little cheated of getting to know him. And that leads me to my next point. Idk about falling in love with someone with amnesia. If they don't even know who they are, how can a prospective love interest know them enough to fall in love with them? I don't know 'bout that.

Anyhoo, I would argue that Alleyne (or Jonathan or whatever) and Rachel's relationship is one of the weakest developed of any Mary Balogh book I've read. Alleyne's basically like, "She's blonde and beautiful and angelic and she saved my life. So *BAM* I'm in love." And Rachel is like, "He's hot and no one's ever paid me attention and been nice to me, 'cuz I was a lady's companion. So *BAM* I'd hit that." Rachel herself is kinda boring. She's a total Mary Sue. Good and kind (she tends to our hero's wounds! she helps prostitutes!) and blah. Her personality didn't stand out, except when she was being especially annoying, so I honestly didn't feel like she was worthy or interesting enough for Alleyne. I mean, Alleyne is funny and adventurous and c'mon, a BEDWYN. He deserves a pretty BAMF leading lady.

The book started out well, with the drama of Alleyne getting injured and the introduction of some great supporting characters (a jolly quartet of ladies who work in a brothel and a one-eyed sergeant with a heart of gold) who add comic relief. Then there was a boring spell when pretty much our hero just lies abed recovering from his injuries, and our heroine is in full Mary Sue mode. Things pick up again when the plot gets underway, and our band of misfits journey to England in a scheme of fake marriage and impersonation, in order to woo Rachel's uncle for the release of her rightful inheritance. Now we're in classic Balogh territory: a country estate idyll, country balls, and boating on the lake. The good times roll. Villains are found and thwarted and the gang even goes to Bath! Classic Balogh and it's all good fun. The ending, chock full of reunions and weddings all around, is particularly sweet.

In the end, I enjoyed Slightly Sinful. It's an amusing Regency romp. It will be with trepidation that I start Wulfric's book, Slightly Dangerous, because I don't want to say goodbye to the Bedwyns! ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 KimberlyRose rated it really liked it

Shelves: fic-health-issues-mental, fic-romance-het, fic-health-issues-disability, fic-historical, own-nope-library-interloan

Never tried a historical het romance ? Looking for direction? I whole-heartedly, hands clasped together before my chest, eyes all a-starry, direct you to the Welsh-Canadian Balogh.

I hate amnesia stories. This is an amnesia story. I love it. That's masterful writing, kids. Alleyne's struggle is realistic, not used as a trope, a contrived plot device. The amnesia isn't the story, but it begins the story. The plot is complicated, engaging, and believable.

I hate stories with many central ...more

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About Mary Balogh

Mary Balogh

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Mary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and ...more

Other books in the series

Bedwyn Saga (6 books)

Books by Mary Balogh

A Summer to Remember (Bedwyn Prequels, #2)

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Quotes from Slightly Sinful

“Where was Bewcastle?
But then he was there, standing on the terrace some distance away, and such was the power of his presence that everyone seemed to sense it an fell back away from Alleyne even as they stopped talking. There was still all sorts of noise, of course - horses, carriage wheels, voices, the water spouting out of the fountain - but it seemed to Alleyne as if complete silence fell.
Bewcastle had already seen him. His gaze was steady and silver-eyed and inscrutable. His hand reached for the gold-handled, jewel-studded quizzing glass he always wore with formal attire and raised it halfway to his eyes in a characteristic gesture. Then he came striding along the terrace with uncharacteristic speed and did not stop coming until he had caught Alleyne up in a tight, wordless embrace that lasted perhaps a whole minute while Alleyne dipped his forehead to his brother's shoulder and felt at last that he was safe.
It was an extraordinary moment. He had been little more than a child when his father died, but Wulfric himself had been only seventeen. Alleyne had never thought of him as a father figure. Indeed, he had often resented the authority his brother wielded over them with such unwavering strictness, and often with apparant impersonality and lack of humor. He had always thought of his eldest brother as aloof, unfeeling, totally self sufficient. A cold fish. And yet it was in Wulfric's arm that he felt his homecoming most acutely. He felt finally and completely and unconditionally loved.
An extraordinary moment indeed.” — 14 likes

“If you are never frightened, sir, you would never find out what you was made of and what you was capable of doing. You would never become a better man than what you started out being. P'raps this is what you will discover - what you are made of and what you are capable of. And when you finally do remember who you are, p'raps you will find that you have become a better man than he ever was. P'raps he was a man why never ever grew any more once he reached manhood. P'raps he needed to do something drastic like losing his memory so that he could get his life unstuck.” — 5 likes

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