Dark Angel/Lord Carew's Bride: Two Novels in One Volume

If you've ever thought that certain romance authors have written their best works relatively early in their career, then the re-issued Dark Angel and Lord Carew's Bride are worth checking out. Balogh's recent books are very enjoyable - and she doesn't usually fall into the category of authors who seem to write on autopilot later in their career - but these two stories rate up there with any of my other Balogh favorites. Both involve classic romance themes and were so well-written and compelling that they were hard to put down. The heroines were intelligent and likable, without being predictable. I'm so glad they were republished.

Great double read, i loved both stories. It was like i was there too in the story, it is a good read.

I was pleasantly surprised by this duo of Mary Balogh reissues. I haven't always enjoyed her older novels. These two were really great and typical of her work - wonderful characters and a plot driven by those characters and their developing relationships. The two novels are: Dark Angel (4 stars) - the story of Jennifer Winwood and the Earl of Thornhill. Jennifer's villanous fiance sets her and Thornhill up in a scandal to end the betrothal. A nit - I did find the situation of Jennifer's humiliation unbelievable - would her uncle really participate in such a scene? Lord Carew's Bride (5 stars) - Samantha (Jennifer's cousin) while visiting the Thornhills meets the landscape designer on a neighboring estate. Unknown to her, he is the Marquess of Carew and the owner of the estate. Jennifer's evil former fiance makes a reappearance to threaten Samantha's future with Carew.

I enjoyed the novelty of reading two romance novels back to back within the same cover. I liked the idea of the two young cousins at the center of the story and being able to enjoy each one of them. However, I must say the two stories weren't equally enjoyable. "Dark Angel" was a fairly good story- but "Lord Carew's Bride" turned out to be absolutely amazing! Well written Regency romance... __ "Dark Angel" 3 star story-- Jennifer has dreamt of her intended, Lional, for five years. At last she has journeyed to London to wed him and couldn't be happier. Upon arrival, Lional declares his love for her and she for him, and life is bliss. Oh? Or so we think. From the sidelines comes young and darkly handsome Gabriel, a young earl who seems intent to seduce Jennifer away from her intended. But why? And whom is really the rake? It's Lional vs. Gabriel, with some fairly interesting twists and turns. The novel was OK- I actually loved that Jennifer was presented as a tall and curvy main character. Always refreshing to imagine "real" women in a romance! I liked both the hero and heroine. I guess my major issue was that the story was very boring! It was literally a tale of the courting process that went on in Regency London. There is really very little plot besides that of what I wrote just above. And usually the seduction process is the sideline of a romance, not the only point. The ending seemed forced and somewhat absurd. I was having a hard time believing the motivation of the characters involved. But overall... a satisfying read. "Lord Carew's Bride" is easily a 5 star story-- I have to say. This was one of the most moving romances I've read in some time. I simply fell in love with Hartley!! So Hartley is ridiculously wealthy, very talented and artistic, very kind and sweet and patient... and crippled! He befriends Samantha Newman when he finds her "trespassing" on his estate. She is not aware that he is the lord of the estate and he doesn't prevent her from assuming he's a gentleman gardener. They strike up an adorable friendship, based on mutual thoughts and ideas and seem to really share a very profound loving experience. Samantha Newman is literally a doll: blond curls, blue saucer eyes, tiny and delicate... but she has a strong mind. She has chosen not to marry and swears off love due to heartbreak she endured years before. She befriends Hartley knowing that she can "love" him without risk of passion and thus begins this truly adorable tale. You will find yourself championing Hartley as he wins the hearts of everyone around him and heals Samantha. It was a type of "Beauty in the Beast" story, and very well-done indeed. An added bonus on this story was Francis- Samantha's outrageous and fun sidekick friend. ____ Compared to Jennifer from the previous tale, Samantha was a far more developed character. Whereas Jennifer's only obsession was getting married to a beautiful man, to be looked at and admired, to be envied because her man was att

What's so great about Mary Balogh is that she can take a plot that you have read hundreds of times already (if you are a reader addicted to historical romances) and still put her own special stamp on it and make it seem fresh. Her stories are authentic to the era, so you don't feel that you're reading another one of those romances with Jane and Joe dressed up in period costumes, and they are heartfelt. These two stories are from 1994; I did not read them the first time around and am so happy they have been reissued. They are related in that two cousins are the female protagonists, Jennifer in DARK ANGEL and Samantha in LORD CAREW'S BRIDE, and the evil, yet intriguing Lord Kersey is integral to the plot of both stories. My favorite of the two is LORD CAREW'S BRIDE. Who can resist a Beauty and the Beast theme? But both are superior Regency romances, harkening back to the early 1990s when Balogh, Carla Kelly, Nancy Butler, Barbara Metzger, Edith Layton, Patricia Oliver and others reigned supreme.