A Matter of Class

by Mary Balogh Narrated by Anne Flosnik

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh comes yet another classic historical tale that sizzles with romance and unforgettable drama.

Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by title, a factor that pains him and his father within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her branded as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.

Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.

So begins an intoxicating tale rife with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love-a story in which very little is as it seems.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Her scandalous near elopement with a coachman and his habitually drunken and spendthrift ways have brought Lady Annabelle Ashton and Mr. Reginald Mason to a pretty pass. Their families have had nothing to do with each other for 30 years, ever since the coal merchant Masons moved next door to the Earl of Havercroft's estate. But the highly successful Mr. Mason would like nothing better than to bring his aristocratic neighbor low by rescuing his daughter's reputation along with the earl's suffering finances while teaching his own son how to behave like a gentleman. Marriage between the two seems the only solution. VERDICT Fans of the popular Balogh (Seducing an Angel) are accustomed to her longer, more complex historical romances. Yet this slip of a novel manages to reveal a great deal about its misguided protagonists and how the past catches up with them. The happily-ever-after is never in doubt, but the unexpected denouement will have readers gasping and smiling with delight. A can't-miss choice for romance fans. [See our Q&A with Balogh, LJ 2/15/09.]—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

From the Publisher

Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Mary Balogh does it again. She transported me to the wonderful world of Regency England. This is a not-to-be-missed story with a surprising twist.”

Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author 
“A marvelous gem of a story”

Library Journal
“Will have readers gasping and smiling with delight. A can’t-miss choice....”

Romantic Times, 4 ½ stars
“Readers will see this delightful novella as a gift from a favorite author. Balogh utilizes the classic class theme, gives it a twist or two, and utterly charms fans with a tale that’s sweet and sizzling, witty and romantic, dramatic and surprising. Better than chocolate or flowers, it’s a love story to remember.”

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169526363
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	12/29/2009
Edition description:	Unabridged

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