I need to reread this one. I don't remember it very well. ( )

All the trigger warnings needed here, and I’m sort of weirded out that I have to give them for a Balogh book. There’s sexual assault (past but described), stalking, and suicide. And the creepiest villains ever (shudder). I’m glad that Luke found his heart again with Anna and all that, but there’s no way I’m reading this again. I hope Emily’s story doesn’t freak me out as much, and I love that Balogh has grown so much in her writing since 1995. ( )

Usually Balogh's romances are a nice fluffy read for me, but this one kind of squicked me out. ( )

Mary Balogh is a favorite Regency author, but shades of Georgette Heyer, I found this older book set in Georgian England. It's also somewhat Gothic with an evil villain obsessed with the heroine.
Lucas Kendrick becomes Duke of Harndon after being ousted from his family. Now he must return to resolve the tangled relationships he left behind. One of his first duties is to find a wife and beget some heirs. His relatives are pushing him toward Lady Anna Marlowe, and much to his surprise, Lucas finds himself willing to acquiesce.
Of course, Anna is not what she appears and has dark secrets in her past. Lucas realizes that there is more to the lady than he first thought. He also finds he must revise his opinions of others in his family.
It's a lovely story and well-written, a bit different from Balogh's Regency style but fitting perfectly into the Georgian era. I do love patches and wigs, and Balogh makes ample use of these accouterments of that time. Lucas is one of those heroes that calls for more books; I'd love to see him and Anna dealing with their offspring in the Regency era. Hint, hint. ( )

the romance wasn't fantastic but the story was very very good and actually had me waiting till the next time I could listen. Anna and Luke meet and get married, but she's tormented by an older man from the past who is coming after her for her father's debts. Very good story. ( )