by Mary Balogh
My rating: ★★☆☆☆
A regency romance by the famous Mary Balogh.
Here's why I didn't like it and I don't recommend you to spend ( waste ) your time reading it.
THE PLOT IN BRIEF __ Ralph, Earl of Chartleigh, is only 21 years old and has no experience of the world or even with women. However, he has a kind heart, good manners and no malice in his thoughts, always smiling and condescending to everyone, always ready to see the good side of people.
Georgiana Burton, the young 18-year-old bride that his mother found for him, is a smart girl, with several flirtations behind her and with a peppery character, but who in the first dates with Ralph will show herself shy and sweet, as ordered by her father.
Ralph falls in love immediately, however the wedding night is not consummated, due to his inexperience and because of the mocking comments of his young wife.
The result is a misunderstanding that will not be resolved for a long time and will result in actions that will confuse the situation even more.
___________________
The premise of the story interested me a lot because the hero of the story is different from the usual rakes and libertines who suddenly come to their senses thanks to the encounter with special and fantastic women in every way.
The latter is in fact a cliché that may suit women who are passionate about regency love stories, but I am not an avid reader of romances and I find it tiring to always read the same type of story, just with different names.
For almost all my life I disdained romances, especially regency ones, because I found them dull and flat, until a couple of years ago I discovered that some are really funny and full of humor and other romances, which include a little mystery, are intriguing and full of suspense and twists (the dramatic ones, however, I discard out of hand because they make me sad).
---> Well, this book is exactly what I have always avoided: a boring, flat story, without plot twists, without jokes and humorous scenes, without any suspense and without interesting protagonists!!!
Throughout the first half of the book, the author tells the thoughts of the two spouses in the third person: THE BRIDE initially considers her new husband weak, inexperienced and with none of the male "skills" (gambling, go hunting, be a scoundrel full of women... ), too physically beautiful to be considered charming, as if for her beauty made him effeminate.
You will understand that I could not love this girl.
I understand that the rich man's lifestyle back then was to go to the club and play cards and be a complete asshole, BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ADMIRED THIS IN A MAN! To me she was a complete idiot!
After the failed wedding night, she finally realizes that she has behaved badly and understands that she has inhibited her husband even more.
Little by little he begins to appreciate his kind ways and his generosity towards everyone... the character therefore improves, but throughout the first half of the book I always had to read the same things: first contempt and then repentance... nothing else interesting.
Again throughout the first half of the book, in addition to the same phrases, continually repeated in her head, the reader has to put up with his mental ruminations: THE GROOM, in his naivety and lack of malice, does not feel angry at all with the bride, but he thinks he has scared her and is afraid of "hurting her" because she is a virgin.
The author really exaggerates in describing him as good and altruistic and this becomes far-fetched and tiring.
Furthermore, at a certain point one comes to think that he really is an idiot, since he desires his wife, but no longer makes any attempt to consummate the marriage with her.
However, he tries WARNING SPOILER ___ MAKE SURE YOU WANT TO READ IT !___to build a relationship of affection and mutual respect with his wife, he succeeds and sees her cheerful and happy and yet he only makes another feeble attempt to spend the night with her, he backs down and doesn't try anymore. SPOILER END___ ___ THIS IS ABSURD !
... I understand the writer's intent, but she wrote everything in an absurd and implausible way not even for that time.
I understand that at the time there was embarrassment in talking about sex WARNING SPOILER _____and yet she has no problem talking about it with a stranger (the groom's womanizer cousin), SPOILER END___ so why not talk about it with her husband?
And what to say about her husband: WARNING SPOILER ___ ___after she shouts in his face that he wasn't even capable of "making her his wife", still he doesn't go to her, but he accepts another stupid solution ( to take a mistress just to have experience in sex ). SPOILER END___
In the second part with the arrival of the rogue cousin, I thought that finally there would be some movement in the story, because he interferes in the affairs of the two spouses, bringing havoc to the family due to his reputation.
BUT NO: WE STILL HAVE A FLAT STORY.
This would have been an interesting character because amidst all the boredom of the story, he manages to say a few slightly witty lines, but the character isn't developed enough to bring joy to the reader.
Don't even think that you can read something interesting about misunderstandings, because even family arguments are boring.
WARNING SPOILER ___ ___He is interested in the bride's sister (but here the author inserts a second love story which is ridiculous because it doesn't even have time to develop, so it doesn't give any emotion and makes no sense at all). SPOILER END ______
The icing on the cake of boredom is that "the good boy", known for his fairness, WARNING SPOILER ___ ___decides to take a lover and has sex with her for at least 2 months and decides to end the relationship only because events put him in front of a dilemma.
Honestly as well as feeling disappointed and betrayed by the character, I don't find it plausible with the way of being of the young groom, described so insistently by the author throughout the story.
It matters little that actually the mistress was his wife in disguise.
He has a mistress and he feels he cannot put an end to the relationship with her, he loves her and equally declares himself in love with his wife (and here for me he was a perfect idiot: he has experience by now, but he didn't go to his wife at night, but throughout the book he repeats to himself that he wants his wife, he desires her!)
As I said the lover was the wife disguised (all organized by the bride) and by creating this ruse in the plot, the author can ensure that the protagonist does not commit a real betrayal... well, for me the intentions count and he didn't know that the lover was the wife. To me it wasn't an acceptable solution and even the whole ending where they make up is ridiculous and not at all satisfactory.
SPOILER END___
I would like to explain the spoiler of the ending more, but I feel like I have already wasted too much time both in reading this book and in reviewing it.
Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my faulty English, it's not my native language.
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