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Slightly Sinful

(Bedwyn Saga #5)

Mary Balogh

3.93 · Rating details · 8,117 ratings · 451 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 Sli ...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 w ...more

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Jun 30, 2016 Jan rated it liked it

Shelves: napoleonic, historical, regency

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 ...more

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

Shelves: historical-romance

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 sa 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: steamy, romance

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

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 introducti ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Laura Elizabeth rated it liked it

Shelves: historical

This series has been a win for me but this is my least favorite. Everything in this amnesia trope is far fetched. It’s not bad and I do like the characters, it’s just a not very believable storyline.

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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, alas, 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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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 "whores 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: romance-historical, 4-half-to-5-romance-books, 4-half-to-5-romance-historicals, 5-stars, 0-to-reread, 5-and-plus-romance-books, 2008-dec-reads, 0-reviewed, 2008-reads, romance

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 16, 2021 Amy Malory rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021, mad_about_series_21, hr_series_complete

IF I READ ONE MORE BOOK of Miss Balogh with a pretend marriage I am gonna rip my eyes off!
What is the matter with that?
#Audiobook and Rosalyn made it bearable but Oh My God,it is always the same story with the Bedwyns.
2 more to go for my "mad about series"challenge and I am scared that it is gonna be all the same again.What a shame :/
I am done with Balogh after the Bedwyns. ...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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Dec 11, 2017 Renae rated it it was ok

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

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. ...more

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

Shelves: 2018-series-challenge, amnesia, sexy-time-out-of-bed

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. ...more

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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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Jul 31, 2020 Darbella rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: beautfiul-heroine

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

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Oct 15, 2018 Saly rated it really liked it

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

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

3.5 stars.

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

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

Shelves: listened, 2017-faves

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 s ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: published-2000-to-2009, 2020, historical-fiction, audio, romance, popsugar-2020-reading-challenge, z-audible-escape

4.5 stars, SO delightful! Amnesia is a classic dramatic romance storyline, and it's done really well here. I loved every bit of this story, from Alleyne's recovery in the brothel to the farcical deception the group attempted to pull off back in England. Rachel was a fairly unremarkable heroine, but I've liked Alleyne throughout the series, so it was great to see him here, and the side characters really stole the show. Since Alleyne doesn't know who he is through most of the book, we don't get th ...more

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Nov 17, 2019 T rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, romance-historical

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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Mar 06, 2020 MissKitty rated it liked it

Not as good as the others but still okay. I just neede to know what happened to the Hero.

The climax was dragged out a bit to long with no real story in between so it was a bit boring.

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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 did ...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! ...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Lori rated it liked it

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

I really enjoyed this book about Alleyne... I must say that I was quite upset about him being MIA in the previous book with Morgan and Gervase. I was delighted and relieved that he made an appearance at the end of that book! And this book, "Slightly Sinful" is Alleyne's story - what really happened to him at the Battle of Waterloo and why he was missing for so long.

(view spoiler) I really enjoyed this book about Alleyne... I must say that I was quite upset about him being MIA in the previous book with Morgan and Gervase. I was delighted and relieved that he made an appearance at the end of that book! And this book, "Slightly Sinful" is Alleyne's story - what really happened to him at the Battle of Waterloo and why he was missing for so long.

(view spoiler)[It seems that Alleyne was the naked man that a young woman was screaming for help for when Gervase went in search of him. Except that a sergeant stepped in to help before Gervase could get to them, and so Gervase went on his way... which is just as well, or Alleyne's story would never have happened.

Because Alleyne lost much of his memory on that horrid day. He'd been shot in the thigh, and then his horse reared and, being weak, Alleyne fell off the horse and cracked his head on a large tree root. By the time the young woman, Rachel, found him, he'd already been stripped by looters (clothes, too) and left for dead. But the woman, Rachel, bothered to check his neck for signs of a pulse and found one, which is why she started screaming for help. But in doing so and embarrassed to be found with a naked man, Rachel claimed he was her husband. The good sergeant who came to help her had just lost an eye in that same battle and given his walking papers; he'd only known the army, and he wasn't sure what to do with himself. But he knew he could help this lady and her husband.

Turns out that Rachel is living at a brothel, where one of the four whores who own, work, and live there (Bridget) was a former nurse of hers. Rachel is a lady, but her mother died when she was young, and her father was addicted to gambling. When he died, Rachel became a companion to an older lady of the ton; that lady had come to Belgium, as many of the English ton had, to support a son in the army. Rachel had fallen for a very handsome clergyman, Mr. Nigel Crawford; and she'd introduced her newly betrothed to Bridget and her "sisters". Mr. Crawford convinced the "ladies" and Rachel that their money wasn't safe in Belgium, but he would safely convey it to London and deposit it for them. Yep, never gonna happen. And when Rachel overheard Nigel and his sister (yep) laughing about what they'd done, she hurried back to Bridget and the ladies and told them all. The "ladies" were going to use their nest egg to go legit -- to buy and open a boarding house and be good members of the community and society. But now, Rachel has nowhere to take the injured Alleyne, whom she's claimed as her husband, but to the bordello.

Of course there's an immediate chemistry between Rachel and Alleyne. Problem is, while he can remember some things, he has no idea who he is or what he's doing in Belgium. They all assume him a gentleman and likely a cavalry officer. Rachel starts to call him Mr. Jonathan Smith, since he should have a name until he knows his own. Alleyne (Jonathan) is plagued by vague dreams of an important letter and a woman he's supposed to meet. Because he doesn't know if he's married or single, Jonathan tries to keep from being entangled with Rachel. And, for a time, she has him believing that she, too, is a whore. Which sparks an amorous event for the both of them, when Jonathan (Alleyne) realizes that she is not a whore -- she was, in fact, a virgin and likely a lady. He's so distressed, he says all the wrong things, including making an offer for her hand.

Rachel and the ladies wish to go to England to pursue Mr. Crawley and get their money back. And Rachel wants to get her inheritance -- jewels that belonged to her mother. Rachel's written her uncle twice to ask for them, but her uncle refused; he told her if she were in dire straights to come live with him, and he'd find her a suitable husband. But the terms of the inheritance say that Rachel can get the jewels IF she's married to a man of whom her uncle approves. So Jonathan and the sergeant (now taken with the ladies and wanting to be Jonathan's valet) use the little money they have to gamble it into enough to get them to England and to Rachel's uncle's home. And all of them come up with a scheme to pretend that Rachel and Jonathan (Alleyne) are married and to convince her uncle to hand over the jewels.

Well... nothing is as it seems, of course. Rachel and Jonathan are falling deeper in love, but so much uncertainty between them, they both do try to hide it. Rachel's uncle, whom she thinks is cold and never loved her, is very ill; his estate is in shambles, but he barely notices. So the ladies and Jonathan step up and start to fill the roles of cook, housekeeper, gardener/ladies' maid, and more. Jonathan and Rachel try to mend their relationship, at least to better pretend they're in love. But they all discover that her uncle has planned a gala ball in celebration of their "marriage"... and by the way, the uncle confides that the jewels were stolen, and it seems that the culprit is none other than Mr. Nigel Crawley using another name! (hide spoiler)]

How and when does Alleyne discover his true identity? Will he stop feeling so indebted to Rachel for saving his life? Is he only feeling indebtedness or is it love? Will Rachel ever be able to accept her uncle's or Jonathan's love for her? And will they ever locate the horrid Mr. Crawley and get their money and more back? Will he get his comeuppance?
------------------

Quite an interesting book! Although it seemed as if the author was returning to some of her earlier themes and plot devices:
* In "A Summer to Remember", Kit & Lauren fake an engagement. In "Slightly Married", Aidan & Eve agree to a sham marriage. In "Slightly Scandalous", Freya & Josh fake an engagement. And now, in "Slighly Sinful", Alleyne/Jonathan & Rachel fake both an engagement and a marriage!

* Rachel's behavior (especially in Belgium) reminded me a lot of Judith in "Slightly Wicked" -- the throwing her virtue & virginity to the wind to experience what she thinks she'll likely never experience with a man again.

And I felt that this detracted from my enjoyment of the book and its characters. While I was amused, and mostly by the "ladies" BTW, I was constantly analyzing the scenes and dialogue to see if they reminded me of other books by Ms. Balogh -- in this series and in other books she's written. As a consequence, I felt I passed over or missed some of the best parts of this book. It was harder to see Alleyne/Jonathan or Rachel grow and learn and then truly fall in love than in other books.

Yes, of course the story is fairly predictable. And yet, there are still lots of laugh-out-loud moments, and even times when the story took me into territory I didn't expect. And that was all pleasant and fun.

And I wouldn't have missed Alleyne's homecoming for the world! It was a scene that had me in tears.

But overall, this book felt weaker than previous books... because it seemed that it also contained some recycled parts of other Bedwyn stories. As much as I loved Alleyne in the other Bedwyn books, this book, that featured him wasn't as powerful or as fun as I'd hoped. We were supposed to see him grow up and find his place; but that seemed lost within the plot devices, especially the recycled ones and his memory loss.

Good book, but not the best in the series. Too bad. ...more

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

Shelves: fake-relationship, interfering-friends, 2019-read, adopted-orphan, secret-identity, english, read-anything-by-this-author, insta-love, irritating-seniors, where-there-s-a-will

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 trick ...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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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Historical Romance. She finds him hurt and with amnesia, his older brother is a duke. [s]	5	626	Sep 22, 2020 07:46PM

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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 curl ...more

Other books in the series

Bedwyn Saga (6 books)

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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.” — 15 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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