AT LAST COMES LOVE Book 3 in series by Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell
Date published: April 2009
ISBN: 978-0440244240
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn


Duncan Pennethorne has a dilemma: Find a woman to marry or lose everything he holds dear. After a spectacular scandal that left the ton in a twitter, he finds himself about to find the one woman who is neither cowed by him nor eager for his fortune. Margaret Huxtable is a woman about to be put on the shelf, according to society. At thirty years, she had her heart broken and frankly, isn’t about to risk it again. Can these two people find a way to let love into their lives while trying to keep their hearts protected?

AT LAST COMES LOVE is an interesting story for me as I wasn’t too thrilled with the first book, First Comes Marriage. I didn’t read the second book, Then Comes Seduction, and felt it wasn’t needed to read this one. Ms. Balogh, in the past has delivered some wonderful books and her writing style is evident here with tight writing and historical accuracy but the complaint I had was that it kept telling me about things instead of showing me how they fell in love or even the tension that flares between them. I really do enjoy Ms. Balogh’s earlier work but it was the only thing not letting me give it a 4.

AT LAST COMES LOVE is a charming tale of a woman who finds herself firmly on the shelf, determined to find a life for herself as her siblings are now settled or independent and don’t need her anymore as the cornerstone of the family. Ms. Balogh delivers a heroine who is strong and independent yet a tad bit bossy for my tastes but it works in AT LAST COMES MARRIAGE. Duncan started out not very enjoyable to me. I am not sure why, but it took a few chapters before I found him likable. Ms. Balogh delivers a story that will either keep your attention or make you want to throw the book down. I am not sure if I will read the others in the series as the series doesn’t quite resonate with me. I love a good historical romance but frankly, this misses the bar with characters that are a bit wooden and tension that is minimal at best. If you enjoy a historical romance with intriguing historical bits then you might enjoy the Huxtable siblings.