The gilded web
Ratings2
Average rating2.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating2.5
From one of America's most beloved storytellers comes a classic love story--the breathtaking tale of a man and a woman caught in a web of temptation and seduction.All she wanted was to escape the hot, crowded London ballroom. But moments after stepping into the bitterly cold night, she is seized by a pair of strong hands and spirited away. Fully expecting to be ravished, sheltered Alexandra Purnell instead finds herself at the mercy of the man who saved her from certain scandal. Edmund, Earl of Amberley, is bold and sensual, tempting Alexandra to be reckless for the first time in her life. But as passion ignites, Edmund's offer of marriage takes Alexandra completely by surprise. Now a woman who craves her freedom above all else is about to discover how far one man will go to protect and possess the woman he loves....From the Paperback edition.
Featured Series
3 primary booksWeb is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 1989 with contributions by Mary Balogh.
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I've read a bunch of historical romances, at this point, and I hate to give 2 stars to the most explicitly feminist one, but here we are. First, I'll just say it plainly: not sexy enough! The protagonist and her love interest do have a genuine emotional connection, which is lovely, but this is by far the lowest ratio of eroticism to endless dialogue I've encountered. Second, I really do genuinely like that the protagonist balks once she realizes clearly that she's intended to transition from guardianship of one man to another (although her respectful-of-women-and-their-intelligence intended is a huge improvement from her tyrannical and bigoted father) and how trapped by convention women are even in the best of circumstances, but then...I dunno. I wish Balogh had pushed the limits of that tension further. Let Alex actually go off and be a governess! Then have a sexy reunion! Or have her challenge her fiance more directly about how they could fashion an egalitarian marriage! Instead we get a lot of her internal hemming and hawing, and not much actual plot. I am probably asking too much of something written in 1989, but a girl can dream.
