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Lord Alleyne Bedwyn
is injured during the war of Waterloo and comes to
consciousness only to find himself resident in a bordello and without
clothes or memory. The ladies there are very kind to him, and gradually
he grows to like and respect them despite their profession. However,
it’s the beautiful Rachel who captures his attention, and she returns
his feelings. But Rachel isn’t a lady of the night, but rather a young
woman of noble birth, determined to track down a charlatan who stole all
their fortunes.
With no recollection
of the past and troubled over his future, Alleyne offers his services to
help the ladies in their quest for revenge and before long, they all
return to England. Meanwhile misunderstandings threaten to destroy the
fragile relationship between Alleyne and Rachel, while the loss of his
memory deeply haunts him. When they’re forced to deceive an old man by
masquerading as husband and wife, can these two keep up the pretense?
With deception and revenge as motivating factors, can this young couple
ever have a happy ending?
This fifth novel
featuring a Bedwyn sibling has all the trademarks of an typically
entertaining Mary Balogh novel. With an ease born of expertise, Balogh
neatly unfolds the tale of the fate that befalls the middle son Alleyne.
The varied characters are all creatively brought to life and more than
the lead characters, it’s the portrayal of the ladies of the brothel -
with their courage and cynicism, bawdy behavior and kind hearts, a
collection of dichotomies that is odd and yet endearing - which will
stay long in the readers’ memories. Balogh sensitively portrays
Alleyne’s struggles to prevent himself from committing to Rachel while
unaware of his true past. Rachel too is an intriguing combination of
innocence and distrust, and her flaws make her seem all too real. The
deceptively simple plot has ample quantity of romance, suspense, growing
sexual tension and pathos - all of which serves to make “Slightly
Sinful”, a sinfully tempting read.
Kudos to Balogh for
maintaining the high quality of story-telling which has gained her
countless readers over the years!
Reviewed By
Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to Romance
March 11, 2004 |
