First Comes Marriage

Mary Balogh set off the Huxtable Quintet with this book, which may be to her regret but not to her readers' as the following books are incapable of holding a candle to this one. I will not claim that this book is the modern Jane Austen because it has flaws though I will state that it is one of the better-written modern regency romances with tropes loved by fans of the genre.
To sum it up spoiler-free, this book is a decently-written romance that is more heartwarming than sexual between two intriguing characters who were at the least semi-successful attempts at complex characters. I re-read it far too often, for the heartwarming aspect is quite drawing and the characters tend to make more sensible decisions than those in the later books.

I realised something about myself. I really need a dash of insanity in my romance novels. You know, the birth secret, the murder plot, the wicked stepbrother who wants to steal your lady love. That kinda thing. Mary Balogh's novels are placid like the still surface of a pond. Not bad per se, especially since they're very well written. In fact, dare I say it, she has a tendency of being long winded. At times, I feel my eyes drooping from the gentle pacing, the polite disagreements, the restrained tension .... there's a time and place for her books, and I'm in a place where slow, leisurely reads are just not my cup of tea. Gimme a murder plot, a kidnapping, a wicked mother-in-law. Anything!