As someone who had been quite happy hating Freyja Bedwyn since meeting her in A Summer to Remember, I have no qualms admitting that I wasn't very thrilled about reading her book. At the same time, I couldn't help feeling some kind of morbid anxiety about it, as I wondered if Ms. Balogh would be able to redeem "lovely" Freyja. So, it was with some trepidation that I started reading Slightly Scandalous...As the story opens, Freyja has left Lindsey Hall, her older brother Wulf's estate, and is on her way to Bath just to avoid being in the neighborhood during the birth of her former beau Kit Butler's first child. Even though that was not the impression I had when I read A Summer to Remember, it looks like Freyja was truly in love with Kit back then and she hasn't quite recovered from it, so she can't stand being near and pretend to be happy while watching Kit and his beloved wife Lauren burst in joy with the arrival of their love child. Bitter much? Ha, haughty Freyja fancies herself above that! Riiiight... Anyway, I digress. Let's get back to the story...During her journey to Bath, Freyja has to spend the night at a rather shabby inn. While she's fighting the lumpy mattress for sleep, a disheveled man bursts into her room, hides in her wardrobe and asks her to cover for him. How dare he?!? Freyja isn't willing to harbor a "criminal", but when his pursuers treat her with less than the respect she deserves, she lifts her regal chin and orders them to leave her room without giving away the man hidden in her wardrobe. But then, the man has the nerve to kiss her and Freyja, being Freyja, punches him in the nose - Strike One! - and forces him out the window. Naturally, Freyja and her unexpected visitor are to cross paths again, as he's none other than Joshua Moore, Marquess of Hallmere, and he's also on his way to Bath, where he's to spend some time with his grandmother.One of the first things that Freyja does when she meets Joshua in Bath is confront him about another misconduct of his and punch him in the nose - Strike Two! And she does this in public, for everyone in Bath to see! But as it turns out, Joshua's innocent of what she's accused him of, and he doesn't hesitate to mockingly put her in her place. Strangely enough, Joshua and Freyja end up striking some kind of friendship - Bath must be a very boring place! - where he enjoys teasing and winking at her and she finds pleasure in threatening to punch him in the nose. Again!... I'm making fun here, but Joshua and Freyja's relationship does work and their progression is quite believable.When Joshua's aunt comes to Bath and starts stirring trouble, trying to get him to marry her eldest daughter Constance, he asks Freyja to enter into a fake betrothal with him to thwart his aunt's plan. Bored with life in Bath and willing to have some fun, she agrees. But what starts as a temporary diversion to fool Joshua's aunt gets more and more complicated, and they can't find an easy way out of it. So what does this mean? Should they turn their fake betrothal into a real one?As everyone is tired of hearing, I really disliked Freyja in A Summer to Remember and none of the previous books in this Slightly series have changed my mind about her. She was too haughty, spoiled and truly unlikable! The way she talked, walked and acted, lifting her chin and punching the nose of every poor male who had the misfortune of crossing her path, everything in her annoyed me. There's a difference between being feisty and being downright rude! BUT - and it pains me to say it - I couldn't keep hating her after reading this book. I still don't like her and I haven't excused her behavior, but now I understand why she was so awfully nasty towards Kit and his beloved Lauren. Plus, Lauren has forgiven her so who am I to hold a grudge? While I was reading this book, I got the feeling that Ms. Balogh had worked hard trying to redeem Freyja and, to be fair, Freyja did show some redeeming qualities but, at the end of the day, she was still haughty and spoiled Freyja - as she was supposed to be since she didn't have a personality-change surgery - and she wasn't the kind of heroine I love. I've learned to tolerate her, though. :)As for Joshua, he seemed to be a bit silly and air-headed at first, which wasn't a bad thing considering Freyja's character - I mean, no stuffy and serious man would have been able to tackle her and survive, LOL. He had to be that way to get past her initial defenses, both emotional and physical, but he grated on my nerves with his frequent winking. Halfway through the story, I was on the verge of asking Freyja to punch him in the nose if he "depressed one eyelid in that slow wink of his" one more time! Anyway, I was glad to see that there was more to him than what he presented to the world, and he was a caring, protective and honorable man. I even felt a bit sorry for him the first time he made love with Freyja, because I think she was just using him to forget Kit. I do believe she fell in love with him later, but that first time didn't feel right to me.As for the plot, it wasn't the most original one and I'm starting to wonder if all the books in this series have the same theme, as in marriage/betrothal of convenience. As much as I love Ms. Balogh's writing, I don't think it's good to have all the books in the series with the same basic plot.All in all, this was a slightly better than average read to me, but I don't think it would be fair to place it in the same level as Slightly Wicked, which I liked better and has earned 4 stars from me, so I'm giving it 3 stars.
Third in the Bedwyn Saga historical-romance series revolving around the Bedwyn family.The couple focus is on Lady Freyja Bedwyn and Joshua Moore, Marquess of Hallmere. My Take Bathians??? Introducing her grandson by his first name? Going down to the kitchen herself to see how dinner preparations are coming??I'm missing something here. Balogh has been going on and on about Bedwyns marrying only for love so why is it that Lady Freyja believes she has to take what's offered? Then there's the nonsense of the fake betrothal. Sure, she's a duke's daughter and sister so the normal rules of chaperonage can be somewhat ignored but sex before marriage is not one of those rules that can be ignored no matter one's station. So just how does Freyja justify making love with Joshua while having no intention of staying with him??In spite of this anomalies, this has definitely been a lively romance with a strong-willed heroine and a hero whose sense of humor I very much enjoyed. The cheeky boy! The slightly negative is that Balogh seems to be slipping on both her research and her segues. I did enjoy Joshua's compassion for his cousins. The Story A chance encounter in the middle of the night when a strange gentleman invades her room is followed up in Bath with a second chance encounter in Sydney Gardens that results in two punches to Hallmere's nose by Lady Freyja. She has threatened to expose him and so she does at full volume the very next morning when she meets him at the Pump Room. Whereupon the tables are turned and it is Freyja's turn to be embarrassed. Hallmere and Freyja share too much in intelligence, humor, and a low threshold for boredom and when Hallmere jokingly requests Freyja's aid in thwarting his aunt, she leaps into the spirit of the thing and consents to a faux betrothal. A betrothal that is always going to end tomorrow only tomorrow never seems to come. And the more Freyja sees of Hallmere's true nature, the less she wants to lose him. The Characters Lady Freyja Bedwyn is the eldest of the old Duke's daughters and close to being on the shelf. Her first betrothal ended when her fiancé died. Her second betrothal never quite got off the ground. Now, she's more interested in enjoying herself and avoiding being home at Lindsey Hall when the love of her life's wife has their baby. Wulf Bedwyn, the Duke of Bewcastle is seen as a cold, aloof man. Her brothers, Lords Aidan and Rannulf have just married this past year and are very happy in their brides, Eve and Judith. Lord Alleyne is still single and the baby, Lady Morgan, is to have her come-out next Season.Kit Butler, angry over Freyja's rejection, brought home his own bride, Lauren Edgeworth, who has just given birth to a baby boy.Miss Martin's School for Girls on Sutton Street in Bath is led by Miss Martin, the one governess who walked away from the Bedwyn employment and refused any aid from the Duke. Lady Freyja arranges for a position there for Miss Anne Jewell.Miss Charlotte Holt-Barron invites Lady Freyja to spend some time with them in Bath thereby enabling Freyja to meet Joshua when he comes to meet his grandmother, the Dowager Lady Potford. The Earl of Willet is interested in Freyja, poor thing.Joshua Moore, Marquess of Hallmere, inherited his title when his uncle died. He returns to Penhallow when he receives notice that his aunt has found someone to accuse him of murder.Joshua's cousins all like him and include Lady Constance, the eldest daughter; while she likes Joshua she does not love him or want to marry him. Lady Chastity has some nasty secrets she's hiding while Lady Prudence is 18 and will always be much younger. The Rev. Calvin Moore is Joshua's heir. The Dowager Marchioness of Hallmere, Joshua's Aunt, is a frail-appearing bitch while Mrs. Lumbard was his aunt's bosom bow and neighbor in Penhallow, Cornwall and hated Joshua with a passion especially after he taught her daughter Petunia a word he learned in the stables when he was 10. The Cover A bit dull really in spite of its bright royal blue background. The title is somewhat inaccurate for if society ever found out, it would be a great deal more than Slightly Scandalous!
What do You think about Slightly Scandalous (2011)?
(...)Gostei imenso deste livro. Acho que de todos os que li desta saga, até agora, este foi o meu favorito. Adorei a química entre o casal e as personalidades de cada personagem. Freya é uma mulher inteligente, forte e determinada, mas muitíssimo insegura pela sua figura, embora esconda isso melhor do que ninguém. Joshua é um homem que sabe que é bonito e usa isso para seu próprio proveito, sendo a inteligência o que usa como arma secreda, pois ninguém o considera inteligente quando o conhece inicialmente.Este é um daqueles livros em que sabemos o final, o que irá acontecer às personagens e como estas se sentem, não é daqueles livros em que cada página é uma surpresa, mas é um livro de rápida leitura, escrita fluída e que qualquer romântica adora. E como pertenço a esse grupo, claro que gostei.Um livro que recomendo!Opinião completa em http://blocodedevaneios.blogspot.pt/2...
—Vanessa Montês
Wow! I am flying through this fabulous series... and I'm even reading them back-to-back (which is a huge feat for me, I tend to get bored and want some variety)! THIS book, Freyja Bedwyn's story, was fantastic!! I think it is definitely my favorite of the Bedwyn's so far... and she was the Bedwyn sibling that I liked the least in the beginning! But Freyja and Joshua were hilarious together. Their banter had me in stitches and their passion was all-consuming!Great book and Great series!! MUST read!!!!
—Cheryl
This is the best book in the series if you ask me. It was funny and easy to read, a bit more wicked and passionate then the previous two books. It is simply impossible not to love Freyja - she is independent, clever, spontaneous and a bit bitchy. I found myself laughing non stop throughout the whole book - the way she hit Joshua on several occasions ( and I was like a cheerleader at home shouting "you go girl!" ).If are a fan or Julia Quinn or Lisa Kleypas and you haven't read this book yet I suggest you start now , you won't be sorry ^-^ !
—Bobs (Reader Unbound)
