I have always loved Mary Balogh's books and always eagerly await her next book. I have just finished rereading the entire Bedwyn series. I read them all in order and I am sorry that I have reached the end of the series. In fact I will have a hard time staying awake today as I read Slightly Dangerous until 1:30 this morning as I could not put it down and that is after having read it several times before.
Each book is the story of one the the six Bedwyns. It would be hard to say which of the Bedwyns is my favorite but I have to say that I think it is Wulfric, the Duke of Bewcastle. His influence is woven through all of the books and while he is a tyrant and at first seems to have no emotion but in each book he plays a major role in securing the happiness of his brothers and sisters.
Each one of the Bedwyns is unique. Aiden in Slightly Married seems stiff and unbending but honorable and intent on doing the right thing. Rannaulf in Slightly Wicked, is a devil may care man who has not found his way in life until he finds his love of the land and the love of his life in Judith. Initially I did not like Freja Bedwyn in Slightly Scandalous. She was very high in the instep and could be quite rude. As we learned her story you could understand her anger and the need to protect herself. But I found myself laughing out loud at some of her antics and then almost crying when I learned the reason that she so protected her heart.
Morgan, the youngest of the Bedwyns, showed that she had real stamina and caring while she waited for her brother to return from a diplomatic mission during the Battle of Waterloo in Slightly Tempted. Her romance with Gervase, the Earl of Rosthorn had it ups and downs but was fun to read about and see how bitterness and anger can be overcome with the telling of the truth. Then there is Allyene, in Slightly Sinful, who seemed to have no purpose in life and took a position with the diplomatic corps as a last resort. When he is wounded while on a mission and loses his memory and is rescued by Rachel he finds himself with a group of very different individuals than he would usually associate he begins to find out who he really is and finds love in the bargain.
Then we come to Wulfric, The Duke of Bewcastle in Slightly Dangerous. After reading the previous books I had no hope that he would be able to unbend enough to find love for himself. His story is wonderful! How can he be two men, Wulfric and the Duke of Bewcastle? It takes a lovely, animated and joyful widow, Christine, to show him how. This book brings the series to a great conclusion and leaves the reader wanting more.
This has to be one of the best series written. The characters as so well developed that the reader feels as though they know each one of the characters intimately. The books are filled with humor, passion, some intrigue and a true caring of members of a family for each other.
I am so lucky to have a complete autographed set that I won in an auction on ebay. I treasure these books and will surely reread them many times over. I highly recommend them to anyone who has not read these and I give them all 5 stars.
