First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh
Title: First Comes Marriage (Huxtable Quintet #1)
Author: Mary Balogh
Publisher: Bantam Dell 2009
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 388
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: TBR Reduction; Mount TBR; A to Z: F; Seriously Series; 52 Books - W10
The arrival of Elliott Wallace, the irresistibly eligible Viscount Lyngate, has thrown the country village of Throckbridge into a tizzy. Desperate to rescue her eldest sister from a loveless union, Vanessa Huxtable Dew offers herself instead. In need of a wife, Elliott takes the audacious widow up on her unconventional proposal while he pursues an urgent mission of his own. But a strange thing happens on the way to the wedding night. Two strangers with absolutely nothing in common can’t keep their hands off each other. Now, as intrigue swirls around a past secret—one with a stunning connection to the Huxtables—Elliott and Vanessa are uncovering the glorious pleasures of the marriage bed…and discovering that when it comes to wedded bliss, love can’t be far behind.
I didn't think I would like this book at first. The characters started a bit flat and very unlikable. But as the chapters started to progress, I found myself liking them more and more. By the end of the book I was loving the story of Elliott and Vanessa. And I loved seeing the rest of the Huxtable clan. The other reason I gave it higher marks was the writing style. The opening characters sound very much like the beginning of a Jane Austen novel. I found myself falling into the idea of Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice. The enjoyable writing style kept me reading until the characters really blossomed. Overall a good start to a new-to-me series.
Huxtable Quintet
- #1 First Comes Marriage
- #2 Then Comes Seduction
- #3 At Last Comes Love
- #4 Seducing an Angel
- #5 A Secret Affair