First Comes Marriage

I have now read 4 of the Huxtable series and cannot rouse the enthusiasm for a fourth. A lot of moralizing, flat characterization and quite trite. Definitely library donation material. A good book can be read with satisfaction multiple times. Not the case here. This series pales in comparison to the Slightly series, especially Slightly Dangerous which is perhaps her best work with great characters, both major and minor, and laugh out loud narration.

Fans of Mary Balogh's will delight in her latest series that chronicles the lives - and loves - of the Huxtable family. This close knit family living in genteel poverty has no forewarning of the changes that await them when a Viscount and his secretary come to their small village on business. The series opens with Vanessa's story in First Comes Marriage and will be continued each month through June 2009 with the tale of how love comes to each of the Huxtables. Vanessa "Nessie" Dew, nee Huxtable is no beauty. Compared to her siblings, she is quite ordinary, if not plain on first notice. While on the outside she may appear unexceptional, Vanessa has a gift for making people happy and spreading joy wherever she goes. To those who know and love her, her inner beauty is on par with the outward beauty of her siblings. When the arrogant, aristocratic, and stunningly handsome Elliot Wallace, Viscount Lyngate, is maneuvered into dancing with her by her father-in-law, Vanessa is determined not to allow him to intimidate her. Widowed over a year previously, this village assembly is her first entry back into what passes for society in the countryside. For his part, Elliot finds himself strangely intrigued by this woman who is without question the antithesis of all he finds physically enticing. When the Viscount's business turns out to be Stephen Huxtable's inheritance of a title, properties, and the money to back them up, the Huxtables find themselves in a whirlwind of change. Swept away from their humble home to a grand estate and with the daunting task of becoming ready for entry into London 's society circles within mere months, Vanessa and her siblings are taken under the wing of Elliot's mother, Viscountess Lyngate. Launching the family into the ton would be easier if Elliot were to marry one of the Huxtable girls and he reluctantly sets out to ask the eldest, Margaret to be his wife. Vanessa, knowing that Margaret's heart belongs to another, decides that her sister has sacrificed enough for their family and proposes to Elliot first. Shocked at first by Vanessa's actions, Elliot surprises himself, and Vanessa, by making a formal declaration for her hand. What Elliot and Vanessa discover in their marriage of convenience is that there is more to beauty - and to love - than what is on the surface. This is a touching love story that breaks the traditional romance novel formula by featuring a heroine who isn't the breathtaking beauty desired by all. Vanessa is a woman readers can all identify with. She feels insecure about her looks, but she doesn't let it hold her back. She cares for those she loves and does all within her power to bring happiness and joy to their lives. Readers will fall in love with her as Elliot finds himself doing and for many of the same reasons. Ms. Balogh also weaves in the beginnings of the other Huxtable stories in such a way that enhances Vanessa's story and makes the reader eagerly anticipate the release dates for the next th

I have enjoyed Balogh's books in the past, but I must admit that there were points early in this book when I feared we were embarking on far too close a tribute to _Pride and Prejudice_. Gradually I came to think that perhaps it was more _Prejudice and Prejudice_, but at some point I stopped comparing it to anything else at all and simply fell in love. Vanessa is a wonderful character, thoroughly charming, a pure pleasure to get to know. She has just enough imperfection in her personality to keep her from being unbelievable, but is otherwise so warm and caring that I really wanted her to succeed. I invested in her story completely, and soon enough found myself also invested in Elliot's. They moved me to laughter and to tears, and the only thing ultimately I found unsatisfying about the book is that it had to end. Well, that, and that there still seems to be some lingering prejudice in the air that will undoubtedly be resolved in future books as another major character sallies forth under a black cloud yet to be resolved. Not every character in this story learns that it is better to explain one's self than to allow somebody you care about to misjudge you...and nobody in this book seems to have recognized that a direct "Are you guilty?" is better than presuming. Not even though both Elliot and Vanessa feel the sting of being misjudged in this story. If I were not so deeply enthralled with this story otherwise, that would knock it down a notch for me, but on balance I'm willing to invest. Though this is a contained chapter, it isn't a contained story, after all, and I enjoyed this chapter quite enough to trust that the author will satisfy me on this point in the end. Everything else she set out in this book to do, she did, to my tastes, extremely well. Will she do it for yours? Well, this is a fairly restrained romance. The barriers here are minimal, psychological. If you're looking for epic adventure or nail-biting suspense, you're not going to get it here. Personally, I was cheered by some of the relatively sensible behavior by the characters in this book, particularly our heroine, whose determination to be happy and to make others happy help her sidestep a few matters that would represent major stumbling blocks to your typical, reactionary romance heroine. Brava, and I'm quite happy that the next installment is just around the corner.

This is not a romance filled with explicit sex, and it's not an emotional roller coaster. It is a novel filled with lovely writing, fully developed characters, and a subtle plot. The hero and heroine are not my favorite Mary Balogh characters, but this was still a wonderful book. How sad it is that a thoughtful well-written book gets so many terrible reviews. I have read more 4.5-star dreck than I care to remember, this book is a breath of fresh air.

'First Comes Marriage' is the first in a new series by Mary Balogh following the fortunes and loves of three sisters and one brother. At the start of this book we meet the Huxtable family, eldest sister Margaret, youngest sister Katherine, young brother Stephen and the middle sister, Vanessa Dew. Vanessa is a widow, having married a neighbour who died a year and a half ago. Although Vanessa still lives with her in-laws, her three siblings live in a small cottage and make do with minimal money. When a viscount comes to stay in the local inn the village is intrigued, especially when he attends the assembly dance. However the Huxtable family are astounded the next day when they discover that their lot is going to change significantly. As they find themselves moving to a new area and preparing to be introduced to polite society, it seems that Viscount Lyngate is planning to ask the eldest sister, Margaret, to marry him. But Vanessa knows Margaret still carries a torch for her young love, serving overseas in the army, and so she persuades Lyngate to marry her instead. As Vanessa and Elliott settle down to married life, she has to come to terms with his rather sober and unsmiling demeanour and he with her feelings for her dead husband. Some of his past actions may come back to haunt him, along with a former good friend who may well be a rogue, and Vanessa has to cope with her own poor self-image. Can they find happiness and love in a marriage of convenience? Mary Balogh is, in my opinion, one of the finest writers of Regency romances today. 'First Comes Marriage' has all her trademark skills, including deep characterisation, flawed and yet appealing characters and historical accuracy. She falls unexpectedly into a trap laid by Georgette Heyer who coined in her own books the term 'Cheltenham Tragedy' (which appears twice in this book) and which Heyer used for a plagiarism lawsuit against another author who used the phrase. There were also times in this book where it did feel very much like the start of a series; there was a great deal of scene setting at the beginning and we followed some of the other characters (to be featured in further books) more closely than one might normally expect for a standalone novel. I also felt that the falling-in-love aspect of the book was perhaps a little more rushed than it might have been. Despite these minor comments I found this to be another excellent read which had emotion, action and character in abundance. Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009