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Huxtable Quintet #2
Then Comes Seduction
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 drunken revelry, Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, gambles his reputation as London’s most notorious lover on one woman. His challenge? To seduce the exquisite, virtuous Katherine Huxtable within a fortnight. But when his best-laid plans go awry, Jasper devises a wager of his own. For Katherine, already wildly attracted to him, Jasper’s offer is irresistible: to make London’s most dangerous rake fall in love with her. Then Jasper suddenly ups the ante. Katherine knows she should refuse. But with scandal brewing and her reputation in jeopardy, she reluctantly agrees to become his wife. Now, as passion ignites, the seduction really begins. And this time the prize is nothing less than both their hearts.…
In a night of drunken revelry, Jasper Finley, Baron Montford, gambles his reputation as London’s most notorious lover on one woman. His challenge? To seduce the exquisite, virtuous Katherine Huxtable within a fortnight. But when his best-laid plans go awry, Jasper devises a wager of his own. For Katherine, already wildly attracted to him, Jasper’s offer is irresistible: to make London’s most dangerous rake fall in love with her. Then Jasper suddenly ups the ante. Katherine knows she should refuse. But with scandal brewing and her reputation in jeopardy, she reluctantly agrees to become his wife. Now, as passion ignites, the seduction really begins. And this time the prize is nothing less than both their hearts.…
419 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published March 24, 2009
517 people are currently reading
2562 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
197 books6,303 followersMary 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 curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 500 reviews
July 29, 2016
I didn't enjoy this book and I haven't enjoyed this author for a while. I liked the idea of a rake making a bet to seduce a virgin but in the process fell in love with her.
The execution of this romance dragged and the dialogue between Jasper and Katherine was boring.
I wanted to feel this chemistry but it didn't resonate with me. Katherine was weak and actually liked Jasper most of the time.
The execution of this romance dragged and the dialogue between Jasper and Katherine was boring.
I wanted to feel this chemistry but it didn't resonate with me. Katherine was weak and actually liked Jasper most of the time.
March 28, 2009
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 final moment when Jasper draws back and delivers a set-down guaranteed to make her despise him...and it works.
It's three years later and Katherine has certainly, um...mostly, all right occasionally managed to forget about the gorgeous villain who managed to do the right thing...likely for once in his life! But soon a strange set of circumstances and coincidences bring Jasper back into her life...to stay. Now Katherine is going to join in a very private wager with Jasper. The results of which will determine their future together.
Balogh's romances are steamy and yet still touching somehow. Her ability to depict the unconscious changes in thought and character of her heroes and heroines is unsurpassed. There's no sudden moment...where actions change and from one day to the next life is different. Instead, her characters come to recognize the changes have already taken place over time and circumstance. For me, this is a reading pleasure in and of itself. The only epiphanies for her characters are when they come to realize what the reader's already figured out...they do love each other and that love will last.
I enjoyed "First Comes Marriage" so much, I was just hoping for an equal read. But Mary Balogh gave me more than that with "Then Comes Seduction". Now I just have to wait another month to get the next book in this series, "At Last Comes Love", Margaret's story. A whole month!
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 final moment when Jasper draws back and delivers a set-down guaranteed to make her despise him...and it works.
It's three years later and Katherine has certainly, um...mostly, all right occasionally managed to forget about the gorgeous villain who managed to do the right thing...likely for once in his life! But soon a strange set of circumstances and coincidences bring Jasper back into her life...to stay. Now Katherine is going to join in a very private wager with Jasper. The results of which will determine their future together.
Balogh's romances are steamy and yet still touching somehow. Her ability to depict the unconscious changes in thought and character of her heroes and heroines is unsurpassed. There's no sudden moment...where actions change and from one day to the next life is different. Instead, her characters come to recognize the changes have already taken place over time and circumstance. For me, this is a reading pleasure in and of itself. The only epiphanies for her characters are when they come to realize what the reader's already figured out...they do love each other and that love will last.
I enjoyed "First Comes Marriage" so much, I was just hoping for an equal read. But Mary Balogh gave me more than that with "Then Comes Seduction". Now I just have to wait another month to get the next book in this series, "At Last Comes Love", Margaret's story. A whole month!
December 10, 2018
DNF @ 36%. I just can't get into it. I really don't like Heroes like Jasper. I'm sure he's going to have his come uppance by falling in love with Katherine (that IS the point of the story), but it's so STUPID! The premise is so STUPID!!
Here's a young man with everything of privilege, loving family, good looks, fortune, etc. Who's 25 and has nothing better to do than betting he can have sex with anything that moves. Then he almost does. And the h just goes along, drawn by the "danger." And 3 years later, they have a bet that each could make the other fall in love with them.
DON'T YOU PEOPLE HAVE SOMETHING BETTER TO DO??? I mean, I guess she doesn't - ladies back then really didn't have anything much to do but wait around for the right guy to come along. But HE should have something to do! What a useless flirt! And a womanizer who's been up one too many skirts!
I HATE these type of Heroes... at 36% if I haven't started to like him, I'm not going to waste my time with more.
Here's a young man with everything of privilege, loving family, good looks, fortune, etc. Who's 25 and has nothing better to do than betting he can have sex with anything that moves. Then he almost does. And the h just goes along, drawn by the "danger." And 3 years later, they have a bet that each could make the other fall in love with them.
DON'T YOU PEOPLE HAVE SOMETHING BETTER TO DO??? I mean, I guess she doesn't - ladies back then really didn't have anything much to do but wait around for the right guy to come along. But HE should have something to do! What a useless flirt! And a womanizer who's been up one too many skirts!
I HATE these type of Heroes... at 36% if I haven't started to like him, I'm not going to waste my time with more.
March 28, 2016
The back half or so of this book saved me from having to do the unthinkable: give two stars to a Mary Balogh.
I cannot claim to have read all of Balogh's books. I've done the whole survivors series and books one and three of the Huxtables and maybe a Mistress or two back when I first started reading romance, but I think this book probably ranks amongst her weakest.
It is entirely generic for that first half. Not helped admittedly, by my general dislike of the rake trope in romance. Could there be anything more generic or more lazy? He even has droopy eyelids [genuinely asking: what is that? Why is it attractive? Is it a real thing? At one point he drops them on purpose and I actually tried to do the same thing in a mirror and I couldn't, aren't one's eyes either closed or open?]
The first half is entirely standard: rake compromises well born virgin. Not in the way you'd expect, but in a strange confusing way involving wagers and threats to make one fall in love with the other. There's baffling dialogue which acted as though it was banter, and which declared itself to be banter ("he enjoyed matching wits with her") but actually wasn't funny or sexy or clever or any of the things one expects in repartee. At certain points it didn't even make sense, as though MB wrote it when three sheets to the wind or something.
The characterisation of the heroine is really weak. The compromising paints her in a strange light. Balogh never comes up with a good enough reason for her to nearly give herself away to this complete stranger and known rake. She's saved a little bit later on but I never really got a sense of who she was or what motivated her. She's bland. There was some stuff about dreaming and flying close to the sun but it was all confusing.
This book is all about the hero. Again, he's a typical rake and a massive stereotype until the second half of the book. When the action moves to his estate after the marriage, Balogh does a whole bunch of characterization that actually could have done with coming earlier.
The final third though was like an entirely different book and I raced through it. That's the wonder of a having at least one character I'm invested in. I wanted the hero, at least, to find some resolution to his unhappiness. And it's nicely written and less ballroom to ballroom, party to party. The hero declaring his love is a lovely scene. I only wish it could've achieved that level of consistency throughout.
I cannot claim to have read all of Balogh's books. I've done the whole survivors series and books one and three of the Huxtables and maybe a Mistress or two back when I first started reading romance, but I think this book probably ranks amongst her weakest.
It is entirely generic for that first half. Not helped admittedly, by my general dislike of the rake trope in romance. Could there be anything more generic or more lazy? He even has droopy eyelids [genuinely asking: what is that? Why is it attractive? Is it a real thing? At one point he drops them on purpose and I actually tried to do the same thing in a mirror and I couldn't, aren't one's eyes either closed or open?]
The first half is entirely standard: rake compromises well born virgin. Not in the way you'd expect, but in a strange confusing way involving wagers and threats to make one fall in love with the other. There's baffling dialogue which acted as though it was banter, and which declared itself to be banter ("he enjoyed matching wits with her") but actually wasn't funny or sexy or clever or any of the things one expects in repartee. At certain points it didn't even make sense, as though MB wrote it when three sheets to the wind or something.
The characterisation of the heroine is really weak. The compromising paints her in a strange light. Balogh never comes up with a good enough reason for her to nearly give herself away to this complete stranger and known rake. She's saved a little bit later on but I never really got a sense of who she was or what motivated her. She's bland. There was some stuff about dreaming and flying close to the sun but it was all confusing.
This book is all about the hero. Again, he's a typical rake and a massive stereotype until the second half of the book. When the action moves to his estate after the marriage, Balogh does a whole bunch of characterization that actually could have done with coming earlier.
The final third though was like an entirely different book and I raced through it. That's the wonder of a having at least one character I'm invested in. I wanted the hero, at least, to find some resolution to his unhappiness. And it's nicely written and less ballroom to ballroom, party to party. The hero declaring his love is a lovely scene. I only wish it could've achieved that level of consistency throughout.
September 22, 2021
3 stars... THIS BOOK 😫😫... I don't even know where to begin on this review. This series thus far has been less than what I expect when reading a Mary Balogh novel. That's not to say that this book is all bad, since it definitely had good parts, but it was slow and frustrating too.
This is the story of Jasper and Katherine (the youngest Huxtable sister). Jasper is a rake/scoundrel/rogue/you name it. His big "thing" is accepting and winning any wager thrown his way. Supposedly, he NEVER loses a wager. Until his 25th birthday, when he makes a wager while drunk that he can seduce and deflower Katherine Huxtable. Katherine, the dumbest heroine ever, actually lets him do anything and everything he wants to her, on their first ever encounter. She stupidly falls right into his trap and the only thing that stops her total ruination is a sudden crisis of conscious that Jasper develops right before the deed is done. He decides that losing the bet in this case is better than going through with it, and he and Katherine go their separate ways for the following 3 years. After their separation, they are reunited and it seems that both cannot quite keep their distance. In his usual betting way, Jasper privately bets that he can make Katherine fall in love with him, and urges her to do her worst to make him fall in love also. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for both of them, people start to question what actually happened between them 3 years ago, and a huge scandal ensues. They are forced to marry. The rest of the story is a bit of a convoluted jumble of their early married life together, and how they eventually find a HEA.
Like I said, this story wasn't all bad. There were even some portions of the story where I was blown away by the writing. I wish I had been reading, and not listening to the audiobook, because I would have highlighted the text and saved it to reread later. Mary Balogh is really a very talented writer.
However, there are definitely slow parts that felt too long and drawn out and got rather boring. There were also parts that pissed me off - especially the beginning and how stupid Katherine was. I personally just didn't find that part to be at all believable. Also, the bets became too much at times - he's a grown man and acted like a child. I understand that he was hurt by his upbringing, but his actions often weren't endearing at all. Finally, this story desperately needed a good epilogue, I know I'll read about this couple in the next few books, but it won't really be the same.
Safe with exceptions; heroine virgin, hero manwhore but his past is only discussed in very vague terms. He says he stayed calibate for a year after the "event" with the heroine, but since they are separated for 3 years, it can be inferred that he has had lots of other partners during that time. He does stay faithful after they are married. The nice thing about this book is that even though the hero is a rake and worse, his past is not discussed (with the exception of once at the beginning having to do with another bet where he bedded an opera dancer).
This is the story of Jasper and Katherine (the youngest Huxtable sister). Jasper is a rake/scoundrel/rogue/you name it. His big "thing" is accepting and winning any wager thrown his way. Supposedly, he NEVER loses a wager. Until his 25th birthday, when he makes a wager while drunk that he can seduce and deflower Katherine Huxtable. Katherine, the dumbest heroine ever, actually lets him do anything and everything he wants to her, on their first ever encounter. She stupidly falls right into his trap and the only thing that stops her total ruination is a sudden crisis of conscious that Jasper develops right before the deed is done. He decides that losing the bet in this case is better than going through with it, and he and Katherine go their separate ways for the following 3 years. After their separation, they are reunited and it seems that both cannot quite keep their distance. In his usual betting way, Jasper privately bets that he can make Katherine fall in love with him, and urges her to do her worst to make him fall in love also. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for both of them, people start to question what actually happened between them 3 years ago, and a huge scandal ensues. They are forced to marry. The rest of the story is a bit of a convoluted jumble of their early married life together, and how they eventually find a HEA.
Like I said, this story wasn't all bad. There were even some portions of the story where I was blown away by the writing. I wish I had been reading, and not listening to the audiobook, because I would have highlighted the text and saved it to reread later. Mary Balogh is really a very talented writer.
However, there are definitely slow parts that felt too long and drawn out and got rather boring. There were also parts that pissed me off - especially the beginning and how stupid Katherine was. I personally just didn't find that part to be at all believable. Also, the bets became too much at times - he's a grown man and acted like a child. I understand that he was hurt by his upbringing, but his actions often weren't endearing at all. Finally, this story desperately needed a good epilogue, I know I'll read about this couple in the next few books, but it won't really be the same.
Safe with exceptions; heroine virgin, hero manwhore but his past is only discussed in very vague terms. He says he stayed calibate for a year after the "event" with the heroine, but since they are separated for 3 years, it can be inferred that he has had lots of other partners during that time. He does stay faithful after they are married. The nice thing about this book is that even though the hero is a rake and worse, his past is not discussed (with the exception of once at the beginning having to do with another bet where he bedded an opera dancer).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2020
DNF.
This one begins with Jasper Finley, Baron Montford and the hero of this novel, wagering that he can seduce the heroine, and then joining her party of as they traipse through Vauxhall gardens. I didn’t get beyond this point, which was only 7% in.
Jasper was unappealing and the setup for his bet makes no sense. In the opening scenes he and his friends are drunk and looking for a wager to make. Apparently, Jasper is diligent about taking wagers seriously. He does not back down from a wager. But Jasper has never seduced a virgin like Katherine Huxtable before, and when the bet is proposed, it shocks even him.
As he takes this bet at the Katherine’s expense, Jasper is thinking about how he is friendly with her cousin, Con. Con cares about Katherine, and would surely be angered if he learned of the bet, Jasper knows. He realizes how drunk he is and that this is why he’s taking the bet. And he also thinks about how when the alcohol wears off, he’ll regret the wager but have to fulfill it, because he never backs down from a bet.
All that seemed pretty absurd. If you know you’ll regret taking a bet at the time you’re making it, why not turn it down? Especially when following through on it would not only require you to go against your own moral compass but could cost you a friend as well? Jasper’s drunken state is probably intended to mitigate his amoral decision. But the drunkenness is just as unappealing. He comes across as a bumbling fool.
I have enjoyed darker heroes than Jasper so I might have been able to overlook Jasper’s moral decay if he’d been sharper, more competent and more clearly decadent. I prefer heroes who own up to their darker impulses to those whose acts are whitewashed by the author. But the book doesn’t present him this way. Instead he looks foolish.
The scene then switches to Vauxhall and we get a long infodump in Katherine’s POV. And by long, I mean long. I wanted something to break it up but her short discussion with Vanessa is followed by several pages (on my kindle) of Katherine’s POV thoughts and that made me zone out. Katherine was the least distinctive of the family members when she was introduced in First Comes Marriage, so when I decided against sticking with Then Comes Seduction, I didn’t have many regrets.
This one begins with Jasper Finley, Baron Montford and the hero of this novel, wagering that he can seduce the heroine, and then joining her party of as they traipse through Vauxhall gardens. I didn’t get beyond this point, which was only 7% in.
Jasper was unappealing and the setup for his bet makes no sense. In the opening scenes he and his friends are drunk and looking for a wager to make. Apparently, Jasper is diligent about taking wagers seriously. He does not back down from a wager. But Jasper has never seduced a virgin like Katherine Huxtable before, and when the bet is proposed, it shocks even him.
As he takes this bet at the Katherine’s expense, Jasper is thinking about how he is friendly with her cousin, Con. Con cares about Katherine, and would surely be angered if he learned of the bet, Jasper knows. He realizes how drunk he is and that this is why he’s taking the bet. And he also thinks about how when the alcohol wears off, he’ll regret the wager but have to fulfill it, because he never backs down from a bet.
All that seemed pretty absurd. If you know you’ll regret taking a bet at the time you’re making it, why not turn it down? Especially when following through on it would not only require you to go against your own moral compass but could cost you a friend as well? Jasper’s drunken state is probably intended to mitigate his amoral decision. But the drunkenness is just as unappealing. He comes across as a bumbling fool.
I have enjoyed darker heroes than Jasper so I might have been able to overlook Jasper’s moral decay if he’d been sharper, more competent and more clearly decadent. I prefer heroes who own up to their darker impulses to those whose acts are whitewashed by the author. But the book doesn’t present him this way. Instead he looks foolish.
The scene then switches to Vauxhall and we get a long infodump in Katherine’s POV. And by long, I mean long. I wanted something to break it up but her short discussion with Vanessa is followed by several pages (on my kindle) of Katherine’s POV thoughts and that made me zone out. Katherine was the least distinctive of the family members when she was introduced in First Comes Marriage, so when I decided against sticking with Then Comes Seduction, I didn’t have many regrets.
November 1, 2022
Much better than the first book in this series, and while I enjoyed reading it, it wasn't all that great. It's just enjoyable.
December 26, 2018
Balogh has done it again! Then Comes Seduction is an incredible book that had me enthralled the entire time.
Filled with hope from the successful marriage of her sister to the handsome Viscount Lyngate and determined to find the perfect man for herself, Katherine Huxtable refuses to marry for anything less than love. When Baron Montford, the very eligible and notorious rake, Jasper Finley, makes a drunken bet to seduce the innocent Katherine within a fortnight, Katherine finds herself tangled in the web of a false scandal with the potential to irreparably tarnish her reputation and threatens not only her own prospects, but that of her family.
You know when you read a good book and then get really scared about the sequel because you don’t want it to be bad and ruin the way you think about the first book??? No need to worry about that here.
Instead of focusing on Vanessa and Elliot, the second book in the Huxtable Quintet follows Katherine Huxtable as she works her way through the chaos of the London ton. I was concerned that I’d miss Vanessa’s story and wouldn’t get any of those cute moments which filled the first book but there was nothing to fear!
Mary Balogh really knows her romance! I was so attached to every character and their stories and wanted nothing but happiness for every one of them. Despite knowing what every single character was thinking I was still kept on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what these complicated and flawed characters would do.
Katherine is such a sweetheart and yet so in control. She is forgiving without being passive, feminine without being a doormat and bold without being brash. Katherine Huxtable is the ultimate heroine.
Jasper is also a sweetheart, a soft-hearted sweetheart with a hardened exterior and a lot of walls. He is charismatic and charming and, even when all you want to do is hate him, you can’t help but fall in love with this teddy bear. Jasper would do anything to live the right life and longs to be true to his wife and loyal to his loved ones. He claimed to have not known what love was, but he showered it on everyone her ever cared for. Perhaps the most important thing about Jasper is his inability to express himself. He is a bit of an idiot when it comes to feelings, never saying what he felt correctly and earning himself a few decent slaps along the way. As a couple, there is no better duo than Katherine and Jasper – but who knows, there are still 3 books to go.
As for the other characters, Stephen and Meg are as beautiful and pure as ever, Con is slightly confusing yet charming, Clarrie (Sir Clarence) is the perfect bumbling villain, Charlotte the perfect virtuous sister and the brief moments we got of Vanessa and Elliot made my heart swell with joy.
Mary Balogh has raised the bar impossibly high in terms of romance and gentlemanly perfection and I would recommend this series to any lover of romance or history!
My Review | My Blog
Filled with hope from the successful marriage of her sister to the handsome Viscount Lyngate and determined to find the perfect man for herself, Katherine Huxtable refuses to marry for anything less than love. When Baron Montford, the very eligible and notorious rake, Jasper Finley, makes a drunken bet to seduce the innocent Katherine within a fortnight, Katherine finds herself tangled in the web of a false scandal with the potential to irreparably tarnish her reputation and threatens not only her own prospects, but that of her family.
You know when you read a good book and then get really scared about the sequel because you don’t want it to be bad and ruin the way you think about the first book??? No need to worry about that here.
Instead of focusing on Vanessa and Elliot, the second book in the Huxtable Quintet follows Katherine Huxtable as she works her way through the chaos of the London ton. I was concerned that I’d miss Vanessa’s story and wouldn’t get any of those cute moments which filled the first book but there was nothing to fear!
Mary Balogh really knows her romance! I was so attached to every character and their stories and wanted nothing but happiness for every one of them. Despite knowing what every single character was thinking I was still kept on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what these complicated and flawed characters would do.
Katherine is such a sweetheart and yet so in control. She is forgiving without being passive, feminine without being a doormat and bold without being brash. Katherine Huxtable is the ultimate heroine.
Jasper is also a sweetheart, a soft-hearted sweetheart with a hardened exterior and a lot of walls. He is charismatic and charming and, even when all you want to do is hate him, you can’t help but fall in love with this teddy bear. Jasper would do anything to live the right life and longs to be true to his wife and loyal to his loved ones. He claimed to have not known what love was, but he showered it on everyone her ever cared for. Perhaps the most important thing about Jasper is his inability to express himself. He is a bit of an idiot when it comes to feelings, never saying what he felt correctly and earning himself a few decent slaps along the way. As a couple, there is no better duo than Katherine and Jasper – but who knows, there are still 3 books to go.
As for the other characters, Stephen and Meg are as beautiful and pure as ever, Con is slightly confusing yet charming, Clarrie (Sir Clarence) is the perfect bumbling villain, Charlotte the perfect virtuous sister and the brief moments we got of Vanessa and Elliot made my heart swell with joy.
Mary Balogh has raised the bar impossibly high in terms of romance and gentlemanly perfection and I would recommend this series to any lover of romance or history!
My Review | My Blog
October 27, 2010
While I enjoyed reading this book, it wasn't all that amazing. There was something missing, and for the life of me, I can't figure it out.
The story is about the 3rd Huxtable, Katherine and the disreputable rake, Jasper. Their meeting begins as a wager, in which Jasper must seduce the chaste Katherine, completely. Yes, ladies, as in, enough to ruin her. But somehow, during their hot and heavy make out scene, Jasper grows a conscience, and decides to back out, losing his first wager. Of course, Katherine ends up hating him, because he implies that seducing her was way too easy, which would prick anyone's pride.
3 years, later, the pair meet again. The problem is that MB had to fabricate a completely unlikely scenario to make them interact with each other. This was the part that kinda bothered me, because, why would a man like Jasper make a wager to win Katherine's love? It doesn't even make any sense once we learn more about him. Anyway, through drastic occurrence, they end up marrying out of convenience. Katherine and Jasper do like each other, but their relationship was so strangely portrayed by MB. I was confused on whether they enjoyed each other's company or if they were forced too hard into an unwanted alliance. Considering how much I liked Jasper, I preferred that they liked each other. Katherine forces a wager for Jasper to win her heart, which was pretty damn stupid in my opinion. But they do get to know each other without the sex and end up falling in love. And that was all.
I cannot really claim to like Katherine because I didn't really understand her. She was too much of a contradiction sometimes, and that dumb wager was too much of a device to make it happen. Her psychoanalysis of Jasper should have annoyed him too. I did like getting to know Jasper. He was an interesting person with a surprisingly low self-esteem. There is nothing really apparently wrong with him, but he is very intelligent and subsequently gets bored quite quickly. Making the wagering, his version of a high.
Honestly, it was a fun book to read, with a good girl who reforms the bad boy - but I felt like the reformation part did not actually exist. Jasper was a nice person inside, which was a contradiction to the beginning of the book. Anyway, I'm starting to not understand what I'm saying. Overall, its enjoyable, because of Katherine's inner dialogue.
The story is about the 3rd Huxtable, Katherine and the disreputable rake, Jasper. Their meeting begins as a wager, in which Jasper must seduce the chaste Katherine, completely. Yes, ladies, as in, enough to ruin her. But somehow, during their hot and heavy make out scene, Jasper grows a conscience, and decides to back out, losing his first wager. Of course, Katherine ends up hating him, because he implies that seducing her was way too easy, which would prick anyone's pride.
3 years, later, the pair meet again. The problem is that MB had to fabricate a completely unlikely scenario to make them interact with each other. This was the part that kinda bothered me, because, why would a man like Jasper make a wager to win Katherine's love? It doesn't even make any sense once we learn more about him. Anyway, through drastic occurrence, they end up marrying out of convenience. Katherine and Jasper do like each other, but their relationship was so strangely portrayed by MB. I was confused on whether they enjoyed each other's company or if they were forced too hard into an unwanted alliance. Considering how much I liked Jasper, I preferred that they liked each other. Katherine forces a wager for Jasper to win her heart, which was pretty damn stupid in my opinion. But they do get to know each other without the sex and end up falling in love. And that was all.
I cannot really claim to like Katherine because I didn't really understand her. She was too much of a contradiction sometimes, and that dumb wager was too much of a device to make it happen. Her psychoanalysis of Jasper should have annoyed him too. I did like getting to know Jasper. He was an interesting person with a surprisingly low self-esteem. There is nothing really apparently wrong with him, but he is very intelligent and subsequently gets bored quite quickly. Making the wagering, his version of a high.
Honestly, it was a fun book to read, with a good girl who reforms the bad boy - but I felt like the reformation part did not actually exist. Jasper was a nice person inside, which was a contradiction to the beginning of the book. Anyway, I'm starting to not understand what I'm saying. Overall, its enjoyable, because of Katherine's inner dialogue.
March 27, 2009
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 was a solid well-rounded story with characters written with lots of nuance and charming repartee.
Grade: A-
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 was a solid well-rounded story with characters written with lots of nuance and charming repartee.
Grade: A-
December 19, 2014
This one reminded me of Liz Carlyle's The Devil You Know, not so much because of the storyline, although there is a similarity there as well (marriage of convenience between a rakehell and a proper heroine), but mainly because of the atmosphere and style. In both books the hero is apparently a happy, selfish, womaniser rakehell, who surprisingly has a touch of decency deep down, but he also has a tortured past, which is always hinted at, but revealed fully only in the end. However, the heroine in this one is actually prunish and hedgehog-like as opposed to sweet Francesca in TDYK. I think this is my least favorite Balogh book so far.
PS: And if I ever hear the words "his drooping eyelids" once more I'm gonna scream! I began to imagine the hero looking like Droopy, the cartoon dog, after hearing these words repeated over 10 times in the book:)
PS: And if I ever hear the words "his drooping eyelids" once more I'm gonna scream! I began to imagine the hero looking like Droopy, the cartoon dog, after hearing these words repeated over 10 times in the book:)
December 25, 2009
This book was a disappointment. I had previously liked books by this author (the Simply series), however, I have been unimpressed with the Huxtable Quintet series.
There is very little plot or intrigue. There isn't much drama between the couple. There isn't much suspense, tension, or even romance.
Both of these books in the series are a watered down plot of "First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Seductions. Both books have the theme in common that the couples are just trying to find love and are unsure of their partner's love for them. While this is a very common theme in romance, these books just lack any spark whatsoever.
There is very little plot or intrigue. There isn't much drama between the couple. There isn't much suspense, tension, or even romance.
Both of these books in the series are a watered down plot of "First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Seductions. Both books have the theme in common that the couples are just trying to find love and are unsure of their partner's love for them. While this is a very common theme in romance, these books just lack any spark whatsoever.
February 19, 2015
As I began I noted that this audio book was not by my fave narrator, but definitely one of my fave authors. Now that I've finished listening, I must join my friend Caz in declaring Anne Flosnick not my cuppa.
May 5, 2012
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. :)
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. :)
April 5, 2021
Wonderful, character-driven story. Balogh at her best. Even better than First Comes Marriage, and I liked that one quite a bit. Can't wait for the third one in this series.
August 6, 2018
No sé, esta serie no me está pareciendo excesivemente destacable. A ver si el siguiente mejora.
September 20, 2020
Adicta a esta serie... Me ha encantado como la autora te sumerge en la regencia. Vamos por el siguiente.
April 24, 2017
I loved book two in this series. The characters really came to life. I also loved the story. I laughed, and also felt sad at times, and felt it had all it needed to keep me reading, until the end..This was the story of Kate, another sister, and how she finds love, or perhaps is talked into it. Jasper is a rake of the highest order, but it seems he can also be a considerate gentleman, and I loved some of his attempts at persuasion, and how Kate responded. The book was great fun...Charming..but there is,some sex scenes, but they can be ignored if needed, since they do not hinder the story. It also keeps you up to date, on the rest of the family, which I liked. I am looking forward to book three in the series, of five books. The one aunt, and her son , are really a nasty pair, and I was happy at how they finally got what they deserved. To bad there are people in the world just like them. These books are escapes into the past with romance, and humor. I have read other books, by this author that are more serious, and sensitive. This book did show a deeper side to Jasper, and the reasons behind some of his shortcomings. I still liked him very much, and thought he had been more involved in his feelings, than the first part of the book , led you to believe. I loved his sister Charlotte, who is a new character, to the series. I did not find Katherine dull, a bit nieve, at first, and a romantic at heart. I also like to settle into peaceful contemplation, and just enjoy simple pleasures, and her upbringing, would certainly lead to that type of life. She came from a small village, and was a victors daughter, not part of high society, or its rules, and gossip. I liked her spirit, and ability to think on her feet, when she had to. Rating 4.5. rounded to a five.
November 2, 2017
Leído en Junio 2011
Entretenida pero esperaba algo más!!
Entretenida pero esperaba algo más!!
July 26, 2019
So far, this hasn't been my favorite Mary Balogh series, though I did like this book a little bit better than the first. Even though the hero started as a thorough jerk, at least I felt he grew and changed and learned from that. It's the remaining characters left for this series that I've been most excited to read about anyway, so I hope that goes better.
April 30, 2025
3,5 stars!
April 23, 2009
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
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
April 2, 2009
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 fell for Jasper long before Katherine did. But what really made this a great story was the unfolding of their love - slowly and beautifully and very believably. I liked that it took time and shared events and talking to each other to help that love develop.
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 fell for Jasper long before Katherine did. But what really made this a great story was the unfolding of their love - slowly and beautifully and very believably. I liked that it took time and shared events and talking to each other to help that love develop.
February 27, 2017
I can handle the occasional jerkass hero. This guy, however, takes the cake. He accepts the classic bet that he can seduce a virtuous woman, does a damn fine job of it, and literally has her half-undressed and whispering 'please' before saying "You know what? Never mind. I proved I could make you want me, and you patently do, so I'm done." And then he comes back (because, y'know, he just can't stop thinking about how attractive she was in her nearly-ruined virtue) and tries to be nice. You know what? NO. I stopped reading because I could not imagine her EVER forgiving him for doing that to her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2015
It was a nice and easy read, probably not the book I will remember for ages but definitely a fun read it was a pleasure to spent my time with. I have read many other books by Mary Balogh and I mostly enjoyed them. This one was not an exception.
What I liked the most are the characters. They are so charming I instantly liked them. And I love the interaction between Katherine and Jasper, especially the witty dialogues between them, they made me laugh my head off so many times. It was a nice and sweet story, well-written.
I just realised that I started reading the first book in this series few years ago and couldn't finish it. Well, I will probably give it another chance.
What I liked the most are the characters. They are so charming I instantly liked them. And I love the interaction between Katherine and Jasper, especially the witty dialogues between them, they made me laugh my head off so many times. It was a nice and sweet story, well-written.
I just realised that I started reading the first book in this series few years ago and couldn't finish it. Well, I will probably give it another chance.
November 18, 2020
The H acted badly, hurting himself and the heroine so much, they both withdraw from society. Years later, they meet again and their shocking secret is revealed. It forces an MOC, she's very reluctant, he's more accepting. They admit to a mutual attraction but need time to build a meaningful relationship. I really liked the heroine, she's smart. The Hero was great too, trying to redeem himself. The heroine helps him to see they can have a good life together. Great story.
August 10, 2015
The premise here is that a rakish nobleman of some sort makes a PUBLIC bet to seduce/sleep with the youngest daughter in this series (raised in the country, now the sister of an earl), which means I noped out of there big-time. Totally gross.
April 9, 2009
5 stars – Historical/Regency Romance
March 6, 2018
I HATED THIS!
December 23, 2021
i hate the betting trope. i find it to be disgusting and unforgivable, and i generally hate the male character in books with this plot. but i am grateful that it lasted for less than a chapter and that it was not completed. despite that, i liked the characters and they convinced me of their love and of the possibility of forgiveness. jasper is very charming and funny, something rare in heroes of historical romances, and katherine is not a helpless girl, she is strong and knows what she wants. they’re a good match.
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