First Comes Marriage: Huxtable Series, Book 1

Mary Balogh is always exquisite in her writing style. Her dialogue is very refined and flows beautifully. This book served as an introduction to the Huxtable family: eldest sister Margaret is beautiful and a nurturer, middle sister Vanessa is funny and plain, youngest sister Katherine is sweet and very pretty and their baby brother Stephen whom they are all looking after. The first book is the story of Vanessa and Lyndgate. They marry for convenience and then, this being a romance novel, fall in love. What I love about Balogh's characters is that they are flawed but very likeable and the siblings have a strong sense of loyalty and duty. What I found missing is the development of feelings between the 2 main characters. It lacked the depth of feelings that I found in Simply Love which was also about a couple marrying for convenience. I just felt that it was slightly rushed. I was also disappointed that Roz Landor was not the narrator. I just think she is the best for Regency Romance. Nevertheless, it was a good book and I can't wait to know what happens to the rest of the Huxtables, especially Meg and their cousin Con, the most complex and interesting character in the book. Of course, Mrs Balogh left him till the 5th and last book of the series. Get this one and the Simply series, you won't regret it.

It is refreshing to read a good historical romance with much less explicit sex than we find in most. I do get tired of fast forwarding through the overabundance of that in most novels in this genre.

In this story I found fun characters and an interesting believable story, as well as a little mystery, which I expect will be further exposed in the balance of the books in the series.

The narration fit perfectly with the story.

I cannot decide which I hated more: the plodding, pedantic narration or the plodding pedantic writing. I usually love Regency romances and I was looking forward to a series but this one is horrible and absolutely humorless. It is as if the Author tried to lengthen the book by stating the obvious over and over again -- And just in case you didn't get it the first time, she repeats what the characters are thinking a chapter later. No one can be as stupid in real life as the shallow characters Balough has concocted for this book. Save your money!! This book makes Georgette Hyer seem like Shakespeare.

I was so pleasantly surprised! I chose all 4 in the series.

The romance descriptions without the

This is my 1st Mary Balogh's books, but not my last.

You renewed my pleasure in romance novels, Mary. Also, Anne Flosnik did a great job of narrating.

I bought this book a LONG time ago. So long, that I almost forgot about it. Now, I am really glad that I found this book, turns out I really liked it. (makes me wonder how many other books in my library I have overlooked......)

OK, back to my review:

One of the reasons that I found this book so interesting is that the heroine isn't you typical "the most beautiful woman in the world" that we find in so many of the other books in the romantic genre. No, she is plain, but because of her outlook on life, and her personality, she becomes one of the most beautiful characters that I have ever had the pleasure to discover through my "reading" of a book.

I would really recommend this book. It was like a breath of fresh air.
Enjoy!

Not only was the story slow, the main characters were unlikeable.

Predictable, but enjoyable little romp through the English countryside and court. A little lust, a bit of snobbery and love conquers all.

The whole story revolves around how unattractive she is in comparison to her siblings and the ton and how the miserable adonis is stuck with her. What a waste of a good credit.

Loved it.

The narrator is great.You can figure out who will marry and who will fall in love in the first few pages. The side story line is sad for the person who has given up her life for the family. The author seems to have in in for a persons beauty and strong moral obligations. The main character is not a beauty, has a fortunate life by getting married to a person who is very good looking and from a good family, but dies a year later, still gets it all in the end, by taking it from the older sister who sacrificed herself even the love of her life for her family.Not worth listening. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS ONE!!