Miss
Eve Morris is living life in limbo; she’s waiting for her brother’s return from
the war. Everything is grand in Eve's
life, except for the miserable waiting. She
lives at her childhood estate with a host of orphans, odd servants and misplaced
relatives. Eve, you see, collects strays,
misfits, and castoffs from society. Not only
does she collect them, but she loves them all dearly.
As Eve awaits her
beloved brother's return, she is also secretly expecting word from her undeclared
fiancée, who, it seems, may have deserted her. Eve
simply cannot believe that he would do so dastardly a deed, and so she waits, and
waits…
Colonel Lord Aidan Bedwyn comes to Eve's estate with horrific news. Her brother, Percy, has died in battle. Percy's last, cryptic words were to Lord Aidan
himself, asking only that the Colonel protect his sister "no matter what." Honor has always meant a great deal to Lord Bedwyn, so despite
his personal feelings on the matter, he is determined to deliver the news of Percy's death
personally to Eve and do whatever he can to assist her.
Eve, however, does
not want his assistance. No matter that,
because of an awful proviso written into her father's will – requiring that Eve be
married if she is to retain possession of the estate if Percy should ever die – she
will lose her childhood home in a matter of days. Not
only will she be without a home, but even worse in her eyes, her following of misfits will
be turned out too.
When he finds out,
Lord Aidan does the only thing a gentleman could do in that situations, he proposes a
marriage of convenience. However, the
marriage turns out to be anything but convenient for the both of them - especially when
Aidan's brother, a meddling and overbearing duke, decides to make sure that the addition
of Aidan's new bride is made known to the ton.
Mary Balogh's warm
and emotional style of writing really makes Slightly Married shine! Her characters are wonderfully written, with a
depth to them that makes a reader want to know more, even after turning the last page. Laced generously with emotionally charged scenes, Slightly
Married will have you crying, laughing and sighing with dreamy delight.
Reviewed for
Road to Romance by Janean Nusz, AuthorsArt.com
May 03, 2003 |
