A Matter Of Class

Out of all the books I’ve read this year (80 book) this one is one of the best. This is the 4th book I read from this author. I have not being impressed with her at all, but this book was AWESOME! It kept me engaged and wondering about so many theories I had in my head. I love how the past stories added value to the present and actually moved the story forward. Some authors try to do this with and it just doesn’t work. I’m happy to say, that it did in this book. I wish the story was longer and we had an epilogue of years later of how unify the family got after their marriage.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to read this again!

I did not see the twist at all, so very diverted by the story line. I was cheering for them both. Thank you for writing another delightful story, Mary Balogh. You are one of my favorite regency romance novelists. Just enough spice, but not vulgar. Your wit and imagination is spot on.

(4.5 stars) I’m an erstwhile fan of Mary Balogh’s work, but there are a few of her stories, novellas and books that remain very much appreciated by me. For example, SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS is my favorite novel of hers and I can read it again and again as long as I leave enough time between reads. There are also several short stories of hers, especially Christmas-themed ones, that warm my heart. And there’s this novella, from 2009, that is one of the best pieces she ever wrote, IMO.

Balogh’s writing style, especially in full-length novels, nowadays annoys me. She goes over and over each detail, first from one character’s perspective and then from another’s. She has angsty, endless, internal ruminations by characters that drive me up the wall. There is so much misunderstanding and failure to communicate that I often want to scream.

But this novella is almost perfect. It’s relatively short and there’s no time for me to become bored or exasperated. Balogh keeps the story moving along beautifully, interweaving the present and past in alternating chapters, and she doesn’t do that endless repetition of plot points or internal thoughts so often found in her work.

The plot is simple. The title refers to socioeconomic class matters. The Masons and the Ashtons have been neighbors for year but do not speak or interact in any way. See, the Masons are working class nouveau riche and the Ashtons are of the aristocracy, the father being the Earl of Havercroft. When Lord Havercroft finds himself in financial difficulties he decides to marry off his daughter to a rich and unappealing peer to offset his debts, but said daughter has the gall to elope with a lowly but handsome groom working for their family.

She is brought home in disgrace and now, finally, the patriarch of the Mason family sees the way to humiliate his nemesis and gain entry into the aristocracy at the same time. How? By offering his somewhat wastrel son Reginald in marriage to disgraced and ruined Lady Annabelle. Lord Havercroft is desperate. How can he refuse?

Okay. That’s all I will say. It’s a cleverly developed story, leading you from the present to several points in the past and back to the present. You may guess what’s going on in the relationship of the two young people being forced into this marriage of convenience, or maybe not. But it’s fun and shows some of the cleverest and finest writing from Balogh I’ve read.

Mary Balogh is a renowned author known for her captivating and well-crafted stories. Her latest book is no exception, as it is filled with a diverse cast of intriguing characters and engaging plot lines that keep the reader hooked from start to finish. The author’s masterful storytelling skills shine through, seamlessly weaving together various narrative threads to create a truly immersive reading experience. The ending, in particular, is both satisfying and thought-provoking, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of Mary Balogh’s work, as well as those who appreciate well-written and compelling fiction. The reader is eagerly anticipating the release of the author’s next literary masterpiece.

Nesse livro o mocinho é da burguesia. Um rapaz rico e mimado que esbaja dinheiro e não tem senso de responsabilidade. Seu pai é alguém simples que alcançou riqueza com muito esforço, no entanto para os membros da nobreza isso não importa pois não ele tem sangue azul. Só o que importa é o berço. A mocinha é justamente da nobreza. Ela se vê envolvida em um escândalo enorme o qual impossibilita que qualquer membro da nobreza queira casar com ela. Seu pai precisa de dinheiro, mas ele despreza a burguesia com todo coração. Mas sua situação é inusitada, pois ninguém da nobreza casaria com sua filha depois do escândalo. Como resolver essa situação desesperadora?

A rather staid work on childhood friends from different classes developing romantic feelings for one another that would be wholly repudiated by the upper crust parents of the girl but wholly desired by the lower class parents of the boy. They conspire to perpetrate a fraud to induce the parents to come to approve the union of the families in the successful conclusion to the scheme. Well done. I received an ARC.