FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE SERIES di MARY BALOGH

di elisarolle

Indiscreet (1997): Mary Balogh transports readers to Regency England, a lush era that she has brought to life time and again in the pages of her bestselling novels. She captures the pageantry and drama, the manners and morals of a time when women often paid the price of passion, and the rarest of all privileges was true love. When the indiscreet attentions of a handsome lord bring a young widow close to ruin, she comes face-to-face with a past she has fought to escape.

Longing for diversion while visiting his brother, the Viscount Rawleigh propositions young widow Catherine Winters, and the shocked lady finds her virtues challenged by her budding feelings for the rakish lord.

Unforgiven (1998): The Woodfall and Hayes families have been bitter rivals for nearly a century. Now after aight years, Kenneth returns home and realizes his undying love for Miss Moira Hayes. For her, he is willing to forget the past. But can she...?

Irresistible (1998): Sophie Armitage has never felt attractive to men. Even her late husband treated her more as a companion than a lover. But suddenly a longtime friendship turns into an irresistibly passionate affair...

Mary Balogh reconfirms her reputation as a superlative writer of Regency romance in this well-drawn, ultimately moving love story between a war hero's widow and her longtime friend. Nathaniel Gascoigne knew Sophie as a colleague's supportive wife when he fought in the Peninsular War. Now, meeting the widowed Sophie in London after a long separation, Nat is surprised by her unexpected agreement that they share discreet lovemaking, no strings attached. But a secret involving Sophie's former marriage has left her vulnerable to a blackmailer, and just when the satisfaction she offers to Nat makes him most eager to prolong their dalliance, Sophie decides she has no choice but to break it off. Nat's gradual insights into Sophie's character, and the couple's struggles to act honorably yet remain true to themselves, are beautifully handled. As a delightful contrast, there's the barbed repartee between Nat's independent-minded cousin and his marriage-shy best friend, which develops into a witty and satisfying secondary romance. Balogh's masterful command of the Regency period, and her skill at dramatizing subtle nuances of character, endow her books with rare and rich rewards. (Ellen Edwards)