Rating: 
Summary: "More Than a Mistress" is More than Satisfactory!
Review: "More Than a Mistress" is IMO a cut above the usual in the historical romance genre. Mary Balogh has been writing Georgian, Regency and Victorian romance novels for several years, yet always manages to come up with something fresh in her latest offerings. The book opens with a duel that is interrupted by our heroine, "Jane" Ingleby, who is on the lam in London, hiding from the father of the man she believes she has killed while defending her honor. Her shout of horror as she sees the two duelers ready to fire at each other in the public park causes our hero, Jocelyn Dudley, to suffer a severe wound to one leg. "Jane" moves into Jocelyn's house to nurse him, as she has lost her situation due to being late to work...all because of that duel! The major strength of this book is the unveiling of the secrets of the heart: Jocelyn has had a very unhappy and unstable childhood and young adulthood even though he is a Duke. His artistic talents were a source of irritation to his father, who belittled him constantly, and his mother was distant and cold. After making "Jane" his mistress, he confides in her his deepest secrets and longings. But she, who won't even tell him her real name out of fear of being exposed as a murderess, keeps her secrets locked in her heart. Jocelyn's reaction when he discovers the "truth" is heart wrenching. While the mystery is slight (most readers will have figured it out half way through the book) this character-driven novel will hold your attention from beginning to end. "Jane" may seem a little too modern to some readers because she is so well-educated -- but as a beloved only child of intelligent, titled parents she was obviously indulged and encouraged to stretch her intellect. Jocelyn can easily be seen as a romantic hero inspired by Byron and Shelley. All in all, a satisfying read!
Rating:
Summary: "More Than a Mistress" is More than Satisfactory!
Review: "More Than a Mistress" is IMO a cut above the usual in the historical romance genre. Mary Balogh has been writing Georgian, Regency and Victorian romance novels for several years, yet always manages to come up with something fresh in her latest offerings. The book opens with a duel that is interrupted by our heroine, "Jane" Ingleby, who is on the lam in London, hiding from the father of the man she believes she has killed while defending her honor. Her shout of horror as she sees the two duelers ready to fire at each other in the public park causes our hero, Jocelyn Dudley, to suffer a severe wound to one leg. "Jane" moves into Jocelyn's house to nurse him, as she has lost her situation due to being late to work...all because of that duel! The major strength of this book is the unveiling of the secrets of the heart: Jocelyn has had a very unhappy and unstable childhood and young adulthood even though he is a Duke. His artistic talents were a source of irritation to his father, who belittled him constantly, and his mother was distant and cold. After making "Jane" his mistress, he confides in her his deepest secrets and longings. But she, who won't even tell him her real name out of fear of being exposed as a murderess, keeps her secrets locked in her heart. Jocelyn's reaction when he discovers the "truth" is heart wrenching. While the mystery is slight (most readers will have figured it out half way through the book) this character-driven novel will hold your attention from beginning to end. "Jane" may seem a little too modern to some readers because she is so well-educated -- but as a beloved only child of intelligent, titled parents she was obviously indulged and encouraged to stretch her intellect. Jocelyn can easily be seen as a romantic hero inspired by Byron and Shelley. All in all, a satisfying read!
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: 5000 Gold Stars! It has everything I love about a Regency romance. He's the likeable wealthy arrogant good-looking English lord who's a domineering rake that can drive to an inch. She's the witty country miss who's beautiful inside & out. The dialog between the two main characters, Jocelyn and Jane is funny, witty & truly brilliant. I've read nearly every book and short story by Mary Balogh. Many sit on my keeper shelf, but this is her best effort to date. The copy I read was from library so I'll be buying it when it comes out in paperback because I know I'll want to read it again someday.
Rating:
Summary: Delightfully sensual and poignant
Review: A duel gone haywired by a shriek from a prudish maid Jane Ingleby. That was the last thing Duke of Tresham expected when he is fighting for his honor when wrongly accused of cuckolding Lord Oliver. Injured and incapacitated, Jocelyn points his anger towards Jane - and expects her to nurse him back to health. Which is perfectly fine - since that incident caused her to be late and sacked from her job. In their weeks of interaction, Jocelyn finds companionship and growing love for Jane. He reveals to her his deepest misery - how his father transformed his innocence into a ruthless profligate. Jane shows unexpected dimensions - her ethereal singing and wisdom, but she seems to be hiding something. She is under the pursuit of a Bow Street Runner for murder. When one month has passed and Jane is set on leaving, Jocelyn proposes to her to be his mistress.... Mary Balogh's regency romance shines with grace and fluid writing. The dialogue brims with wit - it is delightfully hilarious with Jane reprimanding Jocelyn's stubborn ways. Their chemistry sizzles; the sensuality is strong. Its strongest asset however, is Balogh's ability to manifest a character like Jane that charms with her maturity and wisdom. When Jocelyn relates his hatred for his father, it is with such pain and poignancy. She asks him to remember the happy times he shared with him. While this book is Balogh's most accomplished, the ends loses steam with the predictibility of the plot. If not for Balogh's charmed writing - it wouldn't be more than a mediocre read.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely
Review: A lady friend recently was looking through the books on my shelves, asking me to show her the best Romance I had. I had no hesitation in showing her my Baloghs. "More than a Mistress" is one of her best books yet. Keep them coming!
Rating: 
Summary: A nurse, a duke, a mystery.
Review: A light, romantic read. No earth shattering literature but if you like a little mystery and intrigue entwined with romance this was a nice read. Of course the Duke was a rake, the nurse wasn't exactly what you thought she was, and romance begins. A few little surprises here and there but your usual romance.
Rating:
Summary: Balogh's read is charming.
Review: A shout interrupts a duel, and Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham is wounded. Jane Ingleby finds herself employed by Tresham as his nurse, since if it hadn't been for her interference Tresham wouldn't be laid up for three weeks. His vow to make her pay for his convalescence is somewhat frustrated by Jane who can give as good as she gets. Tresham finds himself enchanted by this bold, opinionated lass to the point that when the need for nursing is finished, Jane is offered the position as his mistress. It is not long before Tresham realizes that Jane means more to him than he ever realized. More Than A Mistress is a joy to read. Charming, well written, romantic. Readers will be captivated by Jocelyn. Mary Balogh always pleases.
Rating: 
Summary: Mary Balogh Lite And I Want Her Back The Old Way!
Review: Author Balogh easily brought on the weepies for me in her earlier novels. She also took a lot of risks by trying out new ideas for the Regency period than less daring writers were willing to try. In "Dancing With Clara", for example, she married off a rich young woman in a wheelchair to a young man who was a compulsive gambler. In her masterpiece, "Longing," she uses the harsh coal mining industry in Victorian Wales to develop a relationship between a mine owner and the illegitimate daughter of another mine owner. I must have gone through an entire box of kleenex reading "Longing." In her last few novels, however, I've noticed a disturbing trend. Her novels are becoming lighter and lighter weight. This novel is perhaps her lightest to date. First, she uses a basic idea that author Jane Feather used in her novel "Vice". That is, a young woman on the run from murder ends up becoming the mistress of a duke to further elude the law. Balogh's telling of the tale isn't nearly as inventive as Feather's, however. I infinitely preferred "Vice" which didn't pull any punches on depicting a duke as he might really act during the Regency. Second, the hero and heroine spend the last portion of the book dithering over their hurt feelings and whose feelings were hurt worst and further drivel of this nature. I did enjoy the middle of the book where the hero let his artistic nature show to the heroine. His having musical and painting talent were literally beaten out of him as a boy because it wasn't in keeping with his ducal future. If only Balogh had fully developed this aspect of the story! That's what the earlier Balogh would have done. As is all too frequently seen with romance writers, when they finally come out in hardback, what was unique about their earlier work has been pounded out of them by their current publishers so that they can now presumably appeal in this lighter format to everyone. Message to the publisher: Count me out.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: Balogh instantly became one of my favorite authors after reading More than a Mistress. I was unable to put this book down! I really liked Jane's character. She was entirely a lady, yet was able to have her own oppinion and remain true to herself.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite romance writer!
Review: Congratulations on your first hard cover! While this book isn't my favorite of Balogh's books (I think some of her best stories are the out-of-print shorter regencies), it was great fun and a delightful read. Balogh has broken many conventions of the Regency, but she is also master of the conventions. You don't hear irritating 21st-century cultural anachronisms from the lips of her characters as you often do with other writers. Her sensual scenes are evocative, but never embarrassing. If you want to talk about breaking conventions, one of Balogh's early Regencies had a rather dim-witted heroine! and it worked! This was far more original than Clara in the wheelchair (though I loved "Dancing with Clara") who, of course, learned to walk at the end. THINK of the difficulties of writing a sympathetic female lead character who is decidedly NOT clever! And see if you can remember the last time you came across that device (there are many romance novels with Camille-type situations like Clara's...) The only thing wrong with Mary Balogh is that she can't write a book a month!
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