Rating: 
Summary: Slightly Disappointing
Review: Slightly Sinful is the fifth book in the Bedwyn series and my fourth read. Slightly Wicked and Slightly Scandalous were light, airy and fun to read, whilst Slightly Tempted was a great chore. I had been fascinated by Alleyne(more so than Wulfric) since SW, and was anxious to know what had happened to him during Morgan's tedious book. And so, when this book arrived on my doorstep, I was expecting a spectacular book that would make up for the very,very disappointed previous installment. But it didn't. Balogh is a masterful weaver of stories and here, she is at her best. But there was no heart behind the words. The book left me feeling cold and unemotional. There was too much introspective between the characters and not enough action. Coupled with the lack of emotional intensity and the scorching sexual tension that SW and SS had, I couldn't get into this book. In fact, I found myself skimming chapters, not really interested in what was going to happen to Alleyne and Rachel. The premise of the book was quite interesting, but the execution was poor. Another reason I found myself skimming was because the amnesia/hidden heiress/what-ifs of the book became very predictable. Even though I am not a fan of Wulfric's, I was touched to see his reactions to Alleyne's return, but that scene as well as the reactions of the Bedwyn family seemed disjointed from the very slow equilibrium of the rest of the story. I am holding out hopes that Wulfric's story will satisfy my reasons for reading this series, but I am not too sure.
Rating: 
Summary: Best of this series by far!
Review: The first book I ever read by Mary Balogh was Slightly Tempted followed by Slightly Married. It's a miracle after reading those two duds that I ever read anything by her again. But I did and thoroughly enjoyed Slightly Wicked, A Summer to Remember, One Night for Love and her latest, Slightly Sinful. Sinful is probably my second favorite book of hers, first being One Night for Love. It's romantic, silly, sweet and in the end, very satisfying (unlike the incredibly boring Slightly Tempted and the incredibly unromantic Slightly Married). I'll keep reading Mary Balogh, even though she is very hit and miss, and I can't wait for Wulfric's story, I hope it's as lovely a story as Slighty Sinful was.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Mary Balogh great
Review: This is the fifth book in the wonderful Bedwyn ser-
ies.Mary once more gives us a wonderful heroine in Miss Rachel
York.I also loved the amnesia device,as it really gave Alleyne
a chance to take really good look at himself&who Lord Alleyne
Bedwyn truly is.I also loved the secondary characters.The "lad-
ies" were four of the most genuine whores I ever ment&Mary has
done a good job making such women genuine¬ stereotypes.
Rating:
Summary: good historical romance
Review: This love-story has an engaging plot, I was swept away by this tale of the privileged gentleman Lord Alleyne who is shot and injured in battle, only to awaken in a brothel. But he took a vicious fall from his horse, hitting his head, and he can't remember anything, even who he is. He's nursed back to health by the equally well-bred but hapless Rachel. Once married, she's supposed to inherit a fortune, so Alleyne thinks up a scheme where he pretends to be Rachel's husband in order to help her get the fortune. But in the process of all this pretending, they genuinely fall in love with each other. They'll have each other, but will they also get the inheritance? Fun escapist reading. Recommended especially for female readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the rest
Review: Well, I've read all of the books in the "Slightly" / Bedwyn series so far.. and honestly, I liked this one the least. I had a hard time getting in to it and after reading part-way through I found myself skimming page after page trying to find something interesting. I normally enjoy Mary Balough's books, but I think I was just expecting too much from this one. I really enjoy reading about the Bedwyn family and, in my opinion, they weren't in this one enough! They don't show up until the last 25-30 pages of the novel. The basic story is: Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was a diplomat carrying a message to a Duke during the Battle of Waterloo. He ends up shot and unconscious. This part happens actually in the previous novel, which is Morgan Bedwyn's story. His family thinks he is dead. Enter Rachel York, a well-bred young lady who has had a rough life. Now an orphan, she is taking refuge in a brothel run by good-hearted prostitutes. She met a conman, got engaged to him, then he took off with her money and the life savings of the prostitutes. She's now living with them, trying to figure out a way to get their money back. They end up searching the dead bodies on the battlefield and come across Alleyne, who has been stripped naked. They bring him back to the brothel and nurse him to health. Unfortunately, Alleyne has amnesia and doesn't remember anything about himself! Alleyne decides to help Rachel and her friends find the conman, which ends up involving visiting Rachel's uncle and pretending to be married in order to get Rachel's inheritance. For me, the story didn't even get interesting until Alleyne, Rachel and friends show up at the uncle's house. The relationship and dialogue between Rachel and her uncle is interesting and quite touching. Rachel's prostitute friends are quirky and interesting, especially when interacting with each other and with Alleyne. Alleyne is kind of bland compared to how he has been portrayed in previous "Slightly" novels. In my opinion, the amnesia thing went on far too long. Amnesia as a plot device is so tired and overdone, especially in romance novels. I've probably read 25 or 30 with virtually the same plot. Probably even an even MORE tired plot device is the "Pretend marriage!" Not bringing in the rest of the Bedwyn family until the last chapter or so was a huge mistake. Some of Mary Balough's best and most interesting characters are the Bedwyns, especially when they're interacting together. They were sorely missed! I'm hoping that Wulf's story is better than this one, especially since he has been the most intriguing and mysterious Bedwyn sibling. To be fair, I did manage to get through the whole book and it wasn't all bad. The supporting characters were interesting (albeit a tad bit unbelievable) and the subplots were pretty amusing as well. Alleyne and Rachel had their moments as well. Overall, I would say it was an average romance novel. Unfortunately, it just doesn't compare to Mary Balough's other works. My favorite Bedwyn novel so far has been Freyja's story (Slightly Scandalous), I highly recommend reading that one over this, if given the choice.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the rest
Review: Well, I've read all of the books in the "Slightly" / Bedwyn series so far.. and honestly, I liked this one the least. I had a hard time getting in to it and after reading part-way through I found myself skimming page after page trying to find something interesting. I normally enjoy Mary Balough's books, but I think I was just expecting too much from this one. I really enjoy reading about the Bedwyn family and, in my opinion, they weren't in this one enough! They don't show up until the last 25-30 pages of the novel. The basic story is: Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was a diplomat carrying a message to a Duke during the Battle of Waterloo. He ends up shot and unconscious. This part happens actually in the previous novel, which is Morgan Bedwyn's story. His family thinks he is dead. Enter Rachel York, a well-bred young lady who has had a rough life. Now an orphan, she is taking refuge in a brothel run by good-hearted prostitutes. She met a conman, got engaged to him, then he took off with her money and the life savings of the prostitutes. She's now living with them, trying to figure out a way to get their money back. They end up searching the dead bodies on the battlefield and come across Alleyne, who has been stripped naked. They bring him back to the brothel and nurse him to health. Unfortunately, Alleyne has amnesia and doesn't remember anything about himself! Alleyne decides to help Rachel and her friends find the conman, which ends up involving visiting Rachel's uncle and pretending to be married in order to get Rachel's inheritance. For me, the story didn't even get interesting until Alleyne, Rachel and friends show up at the uncle's house. The relationship and dialogue between Rachel and her uncle is interesting and quite touching. Rachel's prostitute friends are quirky and interesting, especially when interacting with each other and with Alleyne. Alleyne is kind of bland compared to how he has been portrayed in previous "Slightly" novels. In my opinion, the amnesia thing went on far too long. Amnesia as a plot device is so tired and overdone, especially in romance novels. I've probably read 25 or 30 with virtually the same plot. Probably even an even MORE tired plot device is the "Pretend marriage!" Not bringing in the rest of the Bedwyn family until the last chapter or so was a huge mistake. Some of Mary Balough's best and most interesting characters are the Bedwyns, especially when they're interacting together. They were sorely missed! I'm hoping that Wulf's story is better than this one, especially since he has been the most intriguing and mysterious Bedwyn sibling. To be fair, I did manage to get through the whole book and it wasn't all bad. The supporting characters were interesting (albeit a tad bit unbelievable) and the subplots were pretty amusing as well. Alleyne and Rachel had their moments as well. Overall, I would say it was an average romance novel. Unfortunately, it just doesn't compare to Mary Balough's other works. My favorite Bedwyn novel so far has been Freyja's story (Slightly Scandalous), I highly recommend reading that one over this, if given the choice.
Rating:
Summary: Worth a read
Review: While not the best of the series, it was a good read. I read it through in one sitting, and enjoyed the whole book (which is becoming a rare thing these days). I'm a little bored by the amnesia victim story line (tired; very, very tired), but she handled it well. I especially liked the way she handled the wrap-up at the end. Everyone gets to be happy (and call me what you will, I LIKE a happy ending for everyone!). Over all: totally worth my time and money. Can't wait for the final one about the duke (will even buy it in hardback, which is the ultimate compliment!).
Rating:
Summary: wonderful regency romance
Review: With the battle raging against Napoleon who recently escape from his prison, Lord Alleyne Bedwin, a diplomat working for Sir Charles Stuart, relocates to Brussels. Though frightened to do so, Alleyne agrees to deliver a message from his employer to Wellington at the front and return with the response. He marvels how his courageous older brother survived twelve years of this hell called war. However, he is shot on his return and though he tries to concentrate on getting to his sister as he is her chaperone in Brussels, he falls unconscious onto the forest ground. Alleyne awakens in a Brussels brothel where his angel of mercy is Rachel York. She lives amongst these ladies ever since Reverend Nigel Crawley conned her and left her broke. Though he suffers from amnesia, Alleyne wants to help the woman he plans to marry once he regains his memory. Posing as a married couple, Rachel and Alleyne return to England to expose Nigel as a fraud, not yet realizing the sinful scandal nor the danger their masquerade causes the two of them. The fifth of six "Slightly" tales is a wonderful regency romance that charms the audience due to a delightful lead pair and a fabulous support cast that brings back many star players from the previous entries. Mary Balogh keeps the amnesia gimmick fresh through the interrelationship between Alleyne and Rachel. Sub-genre fans will find SLIGHTLY SINFUL totally entertaining and will eagerly await the next and final book in this series. Harriet Klausner
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