Tempting Harriet

Reading Mary Balogh is like observing a Minuet. Her language is precise, starkly simple, intricate, and stately. Her English is "English", not "American". Her characters are carefully and slowly drawn and, unusual in Romance, have flaws. Tempting Harriet is one of Balogh's best. Tempting Harriet examines two themes: virtue and family duty. Both moral precepts are almost irrelevant in today's America. When Regency Romance heroines encounter sexual temptation, the girl almost always lustily gives in. She either miraculously avoids pregnancy or he marries her. When love gets in the way of family duty, duty is quickly disregarded. This seems natural to 21st century readers. But such behavior was unthinkable to people living in the early 19th century. Tempting Harriet revolves around the conflicts and agony of living up to the standards of the early 19th century. Balogh meticulously portrays her characters' agonies, loves, and sorrows. The reader is drawn into that long ago world and becomes totally involved in a story which could not occur today. I loved Tempting Harriet and I have never met a Mary Balogh book I didn't like.

What a wonderful book. Not only do you hope and cheer for Harriet and her love, Tenby, but you find out what has happened to characters from other Mary Balogh books. Finding out how Freddie and Clara are faring (from Dancing with Clara) was such a bonus. Harriet, in the six years since we last heard of her, married a gentle older man and bore him a beautiful daughter. She is now widowed and wealthy. Although she loved her husband she realizes she never lost the tendre she felt for the Duke of Tenby. Harriet never asked what happened to Tenby after refusing him six years before when he offered her "carte blanche." Now she is London having a "season" and Tenby is bowing to duty and looking for a bride. They meet - both realizing that Harriet would never be an appropriate choice for a duchess - but the attraction to each other is overwhelming. Tenby, too, has denied his love for her and up until they met again did not know she had married and does not know of her daughter. Without telling the whole story, their love becomes a tangled web of quick liaisons and hurt feelings. Tenby wants to marry her after all but is it too late? He becomes betrothed, and Harriet finds him without honor and begins to hate him. How can a happy ending be achieved? All the characters in this book are well portrayed. You will love Tenby's great aunt and Harriet's dear friend, Lady Sophia. She is a matchmaker in disguise and delightful. And you will agonize with both hero and heroine as they struggle with their love for each other and moral issues. This book stands alone and is enjoyable even if you have not read the prequel. This is one book that is not to be missed.

Just when a reader thinks she has read every conceivable storyline, she gloriously uncovers a surprise. Mary Balogh writes a splendid story, and this fine author fills this Signet Regency Romance book with hot, sweltering sexual lust. What was I reading ten years ago, when these little treasures were the rage? Some of today's top authors started with these regency stories. "Tempting Harriet" is the story of a beautiful, charming, pristine woman and her duke. A love story, shaped six years earlier, of two ill-fated people who desperately tried to deny their love for one another. Born a parson's daughter, Lady Harriet Wingham, now a wealthy widow, sadly becomes the paramour for the Duke of Tenby, her once great admirer. The duke could not and will not marry Harriet as she is beneath his title. Instead the lovers engage in a soiled liaison. From cover to cover, Mary Balogh toys with her reader's sentiments. This is bittersweet romance at its finest. To enhance the story's spice, Balogh draws some delightful secondary characters. The duke's great-aunt literally steals every scene she graces. As a reader, I loved this meddling, old coot. With "Courting Julia" and "Dancing with Clara", this wonderful story is part three in the series. Yet, this book is perfectly enjoyable on its own. Well done, Mary Balogh. Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

I first 'met' Archie and Harriet in DANCING WITH CLARA. Harriet was a naive, young, paid companion to Clara. Archie was an heir to a dukedom and Freddie's rakish friend. He was immediately taken with Harriet and twice offered to make her his mistress. Harriet, although very attracted to Archie, refused because she was a virtuous young woman.TEMPTING HARRIET begins six years later. Harriet is now Lady Harriet Wingham, a 28-year-old widow and mother. Archie is still a rake, but he is also the Duke of Tenby. He decides, at 32, to do his "duty" and find himself a wife. He goes to London for the Season to check out the marriage mart. At a ball, he sees Harriet dancing and can't beleive his eyes. Neither can Harriet. She is no longer a naive girl with no experience and is again extremely tempted by Archie. She becomes his mistress, despite the fact that it pricks her conscience. He takes her as his mistress, despite the fact that he loves her and wants to offer her marriage. But he knows he cannot 'lower' himself to marry a mere widow of a baron. I don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say that what follows is a very emotional, heartbreaking, wonderful, satisfying read. Mary Balogh always writes fleshed-out, 3-dimensional main and secondary characters. This books comes very highly recommended from this reader.

Mary Balogh almost cannot write anything short of an excellent story. I loved this book, and rate it among Balogh's best in the Signet regency genre. Tenby and Harriet are wonderful characters, whom I liked from the moment I encountered them in these pages; I gather they previously appeared in `Dancing with Clara,' but since I can't get that book I haven't read it. The story of how Harriet ends up as Tenby's mistress even though he had actually intended to propose to her is beautifully done, and then their first encounter as lovers is so bitter-sweet I nearly cried. They both love each other, but are determined that love cannot come into such a relationship, therefore they make love without emotion, not daring to allow their feelings to show at all.We also have Tenby's grandmother, determined that he needs to make a suitable match (and the daughter of a country parson and widow of a baronet, which is what Harriet is, is by no means suitable for a duke); we have Tenby's own sense of duty which leads him to court another woman despite loving Harriet and having her as his mistress; and thank heavens for the interfering great-aunt!This book came close to being a tear-jerker on many occasions: Balogh is wonderful at angst, star-crossed lovers and seemingly impossible situations. And just when a resolution seems impossible, Balogh pulls a happy ending almost out of the blue.Another thing I like about Balogh's writing is that her characters are all real, human in every way. She never writes people as pure black or pure white: even the suitable wife for Tenby is a woman I felt I could like as a character, rather than being the grasping seeker after a title that this kind of character might have been in a book by another writer.I entirely recommend this book; it's a keeper and will be joining my other well-read Baloghs on my bookshelf.