I've been on a YA kick lately, if you can't tell. So, I decided to make these suggestions NOT YA (shocking, I know).
Today, we have Mary Balogh's Bedwyn Series:
This is a regency series (of course it is, just look at the covers) that made me a life long fan of Mary Balogh. Years ago, I was a literary snob. I'll admit it. I thought, like a lot of unfortunate souls do, that romance was trash. I would never have been caught dead reading a book with a cover similar to any of these. But, one day while perusing the shelves of the 50 cent paperback racks at my local Goodwill, I decided to be reckless. I picked up a copy of Slightly Dangerous along with some not so great romances which will remain nameless and another that I'll mention in an upcoming suggestion post.
"But, obviously, Slightly Dangerous is the last in the series," you might say. And I would reply, "Well, where were you when I decided to take a leap and buy it? Because the strife I endured while reading this book and wondering about all the rest of the family and their stories was frustrating, to say the least."
Needless to say, I was hooked. The second I finished Dangerous I ordered every other book in the series. I now look back on my oh-so-snobby self and give her the cut direct. Regency romances became a passion of mine. One that I only allow myself to indulge in every few weeks or so, because once I start, I can't stop. And Mary Balogh is my favorite regency author. She always involves so much emotion in her books that I know I will cry. Call me sappy, I don't care. I will shout it from the rooftops "I LOVE REGENCY ROMANCE!"
Slightly Dangerous will always be my favorite in the series because I came to love stuffy, ol' Wulfric and his patriarchal ways and I related to Christine's clumsy, self-sacrificing character. But, my second favorite is Slightly Sinful about Alleyne who gets amnesia from being wounded in battle and is taken in by all the flamboyant ladies in a brothel and he must find his family even though he doesn't know who they are and he falls in love with the girl who saved him who he thinks is a prostitute but she really isn't and.... Sorry, got carried away.
So there you have it. If you are like I was way back when and don't want to lower yourself to the romance genre then, GET OVER YOURSELF! Sorry if that was a little harsh but it's just how I feel :) Go pick up one of the books in this series. I recommend the last one, that way you'll HAVE to go get the rest in order to know the beginning.
Happy Reading!
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