Status Updates From The Secret Pearl

I feel sorry for the heroine, but pretty much hate everyone else in this book. 😂

I always think of Balogh's books as gentle romances about good people, but this story's setup is surprisingly tawdry! I almost DNF'd after chapter 1, but I just keep going because I want to see if she can pull off a romance that starts in such an icky place. It takes a particularly talented author like P. Gaffney (e.g. To Have and to Hold) or Sherry Thomas to do so, and I'm not sure MB is at that skill level. ;)

I was in the mood to read a historical romance with a courtesan as the leading lady so here we are. While this technically fits the bill, it’s a little less Satine and more Fantine than I hoped.

The big C?? I want to see how Mary Balogh will redeem Adam

*manifestation circle for his wife to die from her cough*