Heartless

Mary Balogh

Jul 2015 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

From New York Times bestselling legend Mary Balogh—and the beloved author of Longing, Silent Melody, and Beyond the Sunrise—comes a ravishing novel of passion and duty, love and menace....

Life has taught Lucas Kendrick, Duke of Harndon, that a heart is a decided liability. Betrayed by his elder brother, rejected by his fiancée, banished by his father, and shunned by his mother, Luke fled to Paris, where he became the most sought-after bachelor in fashionable society.

Ten years later, fate has brought him back home to England as head of the family who rejected him. Unwilling as he is to be involved with them, he must assume responsibility for his younger siblings, the family estate he once loved—and the succession. He faces the prospect of marrying with the greatest reluctance—until he sees beguiling Lady Anna Marlowe across a ballroom one night.

Anna, far from being the bright-eyed innocent Luke takes her for, is no more a stranger to the shadows of a painful past than he is. But for her, marriage cannot so easily solve what is wrong in her life—not when a tormentor stalks her to the very doors of Bowden Abbey, where Luke and Anna must learn to trust in each other or risk any chance they may have for a happy future.

Ratings and reviews

A lot of t'was and t'is in the book, it's distracting. The story is good, the writing better. Overall it's good but the ending wasn't satisfactory. I would have liked to hanger more explained

I would read anything with Mary Balogh's name on it. I became a fan several years ago and usually wait impatiently for her next book to publish. I could hardly put Heartless down. Drawn in as alway by her depth of characters I so enjoyed Luke & Anna's story. Luke, not being her typical type of hero was fascinating to watch develop and transform. I must admit to becoming quite frustrated with Anna at time for her cowardness in confessing all, but grew to like her by the end.

Not a bad book, not fond of the author's use of accents.

About the author

Mary Balogh grew up in Wales and now lives with her husband, Robert, in Saskatchewan, Canada. She has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, more than thirty of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, the seven-part Survivors’ Club series, and the Westcott series.