A Secret Affair (Huxtable Quintet, Book 5)

I have been waiting to see who would capture Constantine Huxtable's heart since he was introduced in the first book of the Huxtable Series. I was not disappointed in how the story unfolded. It was going to take a strong spirit to get to the core of all Con's dark secrets and Hannah was the right girl to do it. I was never one to read romance novels until I read "A Matter of Class" by Balogh when it first came out and I have been reading every book I can get my hands on by this author since. The only issues I had with this book was that Hannah's speeches to Con got a little too wordy at times that even I was thinking "come on Hannah, get to the point". I love Mary Balogh's characters, every one of them. I will continue to read all of Mary Balogh's books until every title has been read and then I fully intend to start reading them all over again.

When I started to think about writing this review, I thought I would give the book four stars, despite the fact that I very much enjoyed it. On first reading, it seemed a little flat, and at least one of the other characters seemed to have changed almost beyond recognition. So I reread it, and changed my mind. This is a very good book. This book has all the things that Mary Balogh books generally have: interesting characters who are not just romance-novel cliches, a plot that relies more on the relationship to drive it forward than on outside villains (as in many of her best books, the villains here are all long-dead), and extremely high quality writing. This book is about two things, under the guise of being a romance novel. First, it's about how everyone's world looks different from the inside than it does from the outside. We see people constructing public facades to hide their true selves, and we see outwardly confident humans wondering if everyone feels like a fool sometimes. Second, it's about the occasional necessity to accept defeat and loss to achieve a greater victory. The book explores these themes on a variety of levels, while telling a charming love story. On rereading, I discovered, too, that Vanessa had not changed beyond recognition, but that my expectations of her had stalled eight years in the past when she was a new wife, a viscountess, and new to polite society, whereas now she is many years married and a duchess. Of course she has developed more austere company manners, and when in private, she does revert to her more informal and charming self. My only remaining complaints are that this is the last Huxtable book, and that Barbara and Simon only got to be a sub-plot. I wanted to know more about them, and there's never anything wrong with a good book that leaves me wanting more. Highly recommended.

Nearly a decade ago I finally "got" traditional Regency Romances, and fell in love with Mary Balogh. Not her single title historicals, but trad Regencies such as The Ideal Wife, The Obedient Bride, The Plumed Bonnet, and The Temporary Wife. Before "getting" trads, I'd tried one of her early single title historicals - it left a bad taste in my mouth. While I have bought the earlier entries in her Huxtable series because a good friend called them great examples of Regencies in Disguise, I've not yet read any of them. After being enthralled by A Secret Affair, I'll be moving them closer to the top of my massive TBR pile. It's the best book by far that I've read in nearly a year, and though it ends a series and reunites the reader with couples met in earlier books, the reunion is never saccharine and never overshadows the current story. What I like best about Balogh is her writing's spare quality. No extra prose - or extra plot - mucks up her books so that every word and plot twist needs to be there, even those in her mild yet extremely effective love scenes. She does tend to write certain themes often, such as the prostitute heroine, but she tackles subjects other authors don't, and can convince readers to read things they normally might refuse to, such as infidelity in marriage. A Secret Affair doesn't feature infidelity or a prostitute heroine, but it does feature a heroine rumored to have been unfaithful to the very old Duke she'd married 11 years earlier. A year after his death, now out of her widow's weeds, she is on the lookout for a lover for the Season. She has set her cap on Constantine Huxtable, whose parents failed to marry until after his birth. So, although he is the first son, he did not become his father's heir and has a reputation as a careless, heartless rake. The beautiful Hannah Reid is not at all who she seems to be, something that becomes apparent during her first romantic tryst with Con. Most of her diamonds are paste because she cashed them out to donate money for things she believed in. She loved her husband, wasn't unfaithful to him, and she's not selfish. Burned by other people's reactions to her beauty, she accepts the doors it opens and learned well the lessons the 51-years-older duke taught her about being a strong woman in a man's world. But Con isn't all who he seems to be either, and my one niggle with A Secret Affair is that, secretly, this man and this woman are too good to be true. And yet, they are not perfect. They are, in a word, stubborn, and that stubborness prevents them from allowing the world to see their goodness. And so, thank goodness, they are not truly flawless after all. In Hannah and Con Balogh has crafted two strong, unique characters who are a perfect match for one another. Viewed through the stereotypical lenses of others, each hides a true self as a badge of honor, willing to accept the rumors and subsequent mystique surrounding them. Neither planned to fall in love with the other, whic

A Secret Affair is the conclusion and culmination of one of the most well-written series that Mary Balogh has crafted. The Huxtable series has been almost perfect in length, number of characters, publication sequence and timing, and in plot and story line. (Unlike the Bedwyn series, which was bogged down by too many characters, too many plots, and publications spread over too long a period). I have enjoyed the entire five-book series; I am sorry to see it end; but I am delighted that it ended with this endearing and thoroughly fulfilling book. Con has been my favorite character from the very beginning of the very first book even though I really didn't get to know him well until now. Hannah, is his perfect soul mate. They are alike in what they need to share and different in what they need to compliment. They are two people who bring out the best in each other and fill the empty parts of each other's hearts. Is there a better definition of love? Their path to understanding and accepting this truth is mired by old hurts, past betrayals, and fear of letting go of the masks they each wear for protection. It is a joy to see the insecurities and vulnerabilities gradually recede and see them both embrace life fully. As in all Balogh books, it is more character-driven than event-driven. The characters become people you know and can relate to (faults and all). They have virtues, but are not perfect. They have regrets, they make mistakes and they become better persons because of them. Through it all, there is love and family well-grounded in a sense of honor and simple human decency that is both uplifting and reassuring. This has been one of the best recent examples of Balogh's ability to create a multi-layered story that flows gently, develops believably, and culminates in a serene yet exuberant celebration of life and love and values--all without preaching, psychobabble, or passing moral judgment. I set the book aside sometimes for no other reason than I just didn't want it to end. I can recommend it without any reservations. I, especially, recommend that you read it as the last book in the series. It isn't that it can't stand on its own. It can and does. But the experience, the anticipation, and the enjoyment is much enriched by savoring all aspects of the sequence and saving the best for last. For your convenience, the five-book Huxtable series, published between February 2009 and May 2010 in order of appearance: "First Comes Marriage", "Then Comes Seduction," "At Last Comes Love," "Seducing an Angel," and this book, "A Secret Affair." Note: "Seducing an Angel" was originally only issued in hard cover, but is now available in paperback. Enjoy!