Excellent, Balogh is a great Regency writer. ( )

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars. The entire first chapter is just describing a country estate, the second chapter is all about the family that lives there, but not through conversations or anything, just a recitation of the family tree and things. It was such a slow start. I became more interested when actual scenes started, but then pretty quickly there was a time jump, and my interest didn't entirely transfer I think. So I just kinda half cared how things played out for the rest of the book. The characters were a bit emotionally distant, even to the reader, there wasn't much to draw me back in. It probably didn't help that I disagreed with the way the hero went about a major event, and the book seemed to kind of lean toward validating him for it. *shrug* ( )

Unlike his charismatic brother (Nick) and father (Caleb), Devlin is more serious and aware of his duties. However, the Ware family is a happy one, or so it seems. Neighbor Gwyneth Rhys has long been friends with Nick, but speculation about their relationship leads them to avoid each other more putting Gwyneth in the path of Devlin for whom she has crushed for several years.

One of the major events at their home is the annual fete on the manor grounds organized by Devlin's mother assisted by her children. The festivities are as expected, and Devlin and Gwyneth even declare their mutual feelings for one another with a promise of courtship. However, the discovery of Caleb and his mistress together at the fete leads to a public scene in which Devlin's sense of duty overrides that of decorum.

The next morning, Gwyneth finds herself saying good-bye to the man she thought would be courting her as he and his illegitimate half-brother, Ben, leave the family home to join the military fight against Napoleon.

After 7 years as an officer and the death of his father, Devlin's sense of duty brings him back home where he must mend relationships shattered years ago including with Gwyneth. Can her love help him see beyond mere duty?

So much detail in the beginning about the perfect life that Devlin Ware thought he had. Not enough about an actual relationship, for me I need to see more of a build to a relationship rather than longing glances. And then there's the angst, so much angst!

Devlin knows that his father has had at least one relationship that wasn't with his mother, which produced his half-brother, older than him who is training to be steward of the estate. At this time there were many, many people who married for status or family alliances (or to shore up funds) and once the heir and the spare were produced both parties often had relationships, and as long as they were discrete that was fine. However one didn't air dirty laundry in front of guests, however everyone seems to blame Devlin for being self-righteous rather than treading on the bounds of polite behaviour. What he did was simply Not Done.
So he runs away from it all and joins the Army (and what's more the infantry, oh Devlin, you really are piling on the angst here) leaving Gwyneth Rhys, who he had just sworn undying love to, behind and bereft.
When his father dies he goes back and is still quite self-righteous, even if he did enjoy the "favours" of many a young woman while fighting Napoleon in Europe, accompanied by his older brother.
It's not bad but I expected more from the author. ( )

Too heavy on exposition and spiraling to revisit the same thoughts over and over make this an only so-so read. Found myself skimming. ( )