And I know people want happy, happy stories for all the various relatives and friends of the couple in the first book of a series but I agree that 6-8 siblings finding eternal bliss with partners in a limited social group is asking a bit much to believe. ;)

I’ve come to the conclusion that the quality of Balogh’s writing has been pretty consistent but her plotlines and characters are sometimes – repetitious. I think that’s natural – all prolific writers have particular stories and character types that interest them – but in light of this, I’m not surprised that some of her longtime readers have become impatient with more recent efforts. However, for my part, I don’t think the earlier books I’ve read are any better than the ones she’s produced more recently.

More generally, I have to say I’m impatient of lengthy series like the Bedwyns and Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons. I’m not averse to a sequel but 6 siblings is frankly taking the piss.

Jayne wrote:”Marie, try this one. Link to Mary Balogh fans at Yahoo Groups”

Idid! Thanks Jayne…I so appreciate the link.

Marie

Thanks,
Marie

Joanna, I see your point:
I think it's a shame that someone new to Balogh might be put off reading this book because it's received a C review when that grade perhaps does not reflect the quality of the book itself but rather its place in the author's whole body of work.

but at some point I think the sameness of the whole body of work should affect the overall ratings of the books. It’s a tricky balance. If I find an author’s going stale on me, I generally stop reading her for a while. When I pick her up again, sometimes I find I enjoy her anew, but sometimes the books really have lost steam.

(Though I rated Gilded Web low as a stand-alone work, not because of any comparisons with other Balogh books.)

I would love to read some of Balogh’s older, shorter books but they’re impossible to get (at least here in the UK). Some of them are selling for £80-100 on Amazon. A few re-releases would be a good thing methinks.

What I would say is that I’ve read a couple of her older ones (from the Web trilogy) and to my mind, the quality of writing in those was not so good as the more recent ones I’ve read. Those might just have been weaker books but perhaps Balogh’s skills as a writer have improved over the years and you are viewing her old Regencies through rose-tinted glasses? I’m certainly not prepared to pay £80 to find out. But if there is anyone in the UK with a stash of old Baloghs they don’t want any more, let me know!

I think this is like the Stephanie Laurens/Cynster issue–if the books are new to you, they’re a lot more enjoyable, because yes–Balogh really can write. Unfortunately, by the 6th near-identical book in the series, it gets tired.

Like Jayne, I enjoyed a couple of the Bedwyn books (though I agree, they’re Malloren Lite). But in ANY series, even if I adore every single book, I hate it when the plot stalls while the author catches us up on the previous books’ characters. Don’t weigh down the current novel with extraneous characters–write an epilogue if you must, but don’t insert a boring Christmas letter in the middle of the book (“and Johnny’s at college, and Jamie’s had a baby, and June’s engaged, and…”).

you may be correct in historical fact, however these stories are fictional and are meant to be uplifting

I can accept a fictional world where some historicity is lost. But Jayne hit on a really important point: in this case, downplaying the social reality reduced the tension in the story (“it negates the whole issue of what Anne went through to suddenly have it seem to mean nothing”). I care more that Anne’s situation lost emotional authenticity, than that it lost historical authenticity.

But whatever you think of Mary Balogh books, the woman can write. There are so many authors out there writing awful, substandard prose yet garnering decent reviews. It just astonishes me that you could give this a C

Yes! There is nothing like the feeling I get after having just finished a well written satisfying regency romance!

I miss them too! Why does every author today write trilogies? or Series?
The one exception is Stephanie Laurens CYNSTER NOVELS. Those were great but…afterwards it seemed to me that other authors followed her.
SIMPLY LOVE and SIMPLY MAGIC were both as boring and dull as everyone has said here in their comments. Ms. Balogh writes regencies so well but her latest are completely uninteresting. I could not finish SIMPLY MAGIC…and I was sad about it too!

And I have loved Mary Balogh books in the past (and still bring out some of my favorites for rereads when I’m down and need a lift). Which is why I’m so disappointed when she seemingly goes into “auto-write” and churns out the same old same old. I agree with you that I want HEA for my heroes and heroines but I’m tired of taking the exact same drive through the countryside to get there. As for reading past the fact that the stories are related, it’s impossible when all the past characters are written into each new book.

Welcome! I loved No Man’s Mistress and agree with your assessment on the follow up. I wonder if Balogh’s suffering a bit of a writers’ block in terms of creativity due to increased pressure to output so many books. I also wonder at bringing her out again in hardcover.