Book Review: Slightly Dangerous - by Mary Balogh

Synopsis: Slightly Dangerous is the 6th and final novel in the Bedwyn family series of regency romances by Mary Balogh. This is Wulfric's long-awaited and much-anticipated story. The impoverished widow of a jealous man, Christine Derrick lives in a tiny cottage with her mother and spinster sister. When she is invited to a wealthy friend's house party, she intends to spend most of her time quietly observing the other more fashionable guests from the sidelines. However, her cheerful and fun-loving nature has a tendency to land her into all kinds of awkward situations. Stodgy, top-lofty Lord Wulfric, the Duke of Bewcastle, first meets the pretty and vivacious Christine when she accidentally drips lemonade in his eye from an overhead balcony. What happens after that is a series of comical mishaps wherein Wulfric is forced by gentlemanly honor and common decency to aid her. Christine finds the stuffy duke amusing and can't resist teasing him on occasion. Of course, she has some unpleasant secrets from her past, including some questionable business having to do with her husband's death. In fact, her late husband's family spurn her at every opportunity and disparage her character to anyone who will listen. Everything in Wulf's nature tells him that he should stay away from the wild miss, but instead he feels drawn to her. Finally, he decides to act on his attraction to her by asking her to become his mistress. Needless to say, Christine is unimpressed with the offer and sparks fly.

This is one of the best novels of this series. After seeing Wulf in the preceeding books, it was very satisfying to see him in his own story. He is a wonderfully interesting character. He hides his inner dreams and feelings behind a VERY heavy veneer of aloof pride and his ever-present quizzing glass. And yet, when he is with Christine, he cannot help himself: his uncomfortable feelings bubble to the surface. She has an effervescent vitality that he cannot resist. And in true Wulfric fashion, he decides he must have her, only he could not possibly condescend to marrying her. Christine, on the other hand, wants him too, but sticks to her guns. She is not going to satisfy her heart at the cost of her self-respect. In the course of the story, though, she manages to bring stoic Wulfric out of his shell (at least a little) and helps him to realize that it is alright to let others into his heart and that he can realize his own dreams if he would only allow himself to do so.

My favorite parts: When Christine grabs his quizzing glass and throws it up in a tree and he has to go and get it. Then when they are at the ball and he looks at her from across the room and raises his quizzing glass to his eye to examine her, she whips out her own glass and lifts it to her eye to stare back at him. Wulf laughs and is transformed by such a never-before seen display of humor.

I gave this one 5 stars in my LibraryThing catalog!