I have read many of Mary Balogh's books. One thing I often like about them is that they are more realistic - either in characters or situations - than many other romance novels. In her best books she doesn't use flimsy plot devices or make her heroines POWERFUL, I AM WOMAN types who insist on going into a dangerous situation to save her child/brother/lover because obviously a woman, no matter how untrained in fights or hunts or detection must be as good as the men she insists on going with be...

I have read many of Mary Balogh's books. One thing I often like about them is that they are more realistic - either in characters or situations - than many other romance novels. In her best books she doesn't use flimsy plot devices or make her heroines POWERFUL, I AM WOMAN types who insist on going into a dangerous situation to save her child/brother/lover because obviously a woman, no matter how untrained in fights or hunts or detection must be as good as the men she insists on going with because she is POWERFUL and she is WOMAN.

Now that I've vented, Dancing with Clara: This is a book about two flawed individuals searching for a connection to each other that will not break them. Clara is not fantastically beautiful, though she is fabulously rich. In fact, she is rather plain, to put it politely. Not to mention crippled, both physically and in her ability to live life. Freddie, though he is inordinately handsome and charming, is an inveterate gambler, a rake hell, with emphasis on hell, who uses and lies to women, and others, in order to get his a** out of its current sling.

SOME SPOILERS
I read Dancing with Clara for the first time years and years ago and have been anticipating the re-release in Kindle version for absolutely ages. Anticipating and dreading. Anticipating and dreading and puzzling about whether the reality would match my memories - good and bad.
One of the criticisms occasionally made of Balogh by other reviewers, and shared by me, is that her writing style is sometimes (but definitely not always) mannered in a way that it distracts from her sto...

SOME SPOILERS
I read Dancing with Clara for the first time years and years ago and have been anticipating the re-release in Kindle version for absolutely ages. Anticipating and dreading. Anticipating and dreading and puzzling about whether the reality would match my memories - good and bad.
One of the criticisms occasionally made of Balogh by other reviewers, and shared by me, is that her writing style is sometimes (but definitely not always) mannered in a way that it distracts from her story. And her characters sometimes internalise and internalise to the point of tedium. This is definitely not the case with Dancing with Clara, which flows along, with good pacing. It provides evidence of Balogh's writing at its talented best. Each of the main characters came alive for me and they did so quickly.
So was the anticipation worth it? Yes, very much so. I gained real pleasure as I became immersed in a story created by a writer who, even at the beginning of her career, knew what she was doing.
And yet, as mentioned, I also dreaded re-reading this book. That is because I have always remembered it as a HR that explored the seedy realities of living at that time with a dissolute, fortune-hunting rake. I can remember being horrified at my first reading, because the h, Freddie is, in many ways, a disgusting specimen. Because of him, there is much to this story that breaks many of the "unsaid" rules of HR writing.
Most of the time I read HRs as a flight from reality and they can blur, seldom leaving any real impression, let alone a lasting one. Dancing with Clara has, and continues to be one of the exceptions to that rule. Over the years, as I've thought about it (mainly when reading subsequent Balogh works) I've come to the conclusion that she used it to deliberately shock her readers into confronting the HR illusion that rakes were benign. (History shows they were instead the destroyers of tens of thousands of young women.)
I can remember thinking that Balogh must be bored with her story lines and needing to try something different. This re-read has confirmed my point of view and also confirms my anticipation of an out of ordinary read.
So was the dread justified? Yes and no. Even though I'd forgotten a few details of this work, it's remarkable how much I HAD remembered. And that made the re-read much less confronting. After all, it's impossible to replicate the shock of a first read. I kept remembering what was coming next. For example, I knew I would be most confronted by the scenes of Freddie's degradation after he meets again with his cousin, Julia (who he abducted and planned to rape in the previous book in this series) and is soon after castigated by an angry and jealous and condemnatory Clara (the h, and his wife). And I was mightily disturbed by these descriptions of Freddie's further slide into self-pitying creepiness. In fact, it was totally unnecessary, in my view, for Balogh to include detail of Freddie's worst behaviour. For example, the scene where he is rough with a young prostitute in a brothel is one I hated and I think that Balogh was unwise to include it. Balogh would undoubtedly disagree. I think she was calculated in doing so, seeing how far she could go and still bring her readers with her when she delivered the inevitable HEA.
On a more positive note, I'm fairly certain that in this version of the story Balogh has deleted some further lurid details about "streetwalkers".
Finally, I was puzzled about whether I would again be sufficiently intrigued by this story to feel confident I could recommend it to other readers. The answer to that query is yes. Why? Because it is an attempt by Balogh to explore the realities of a marriage based on lies and self-interest (on both sides), as well as Freddie's betrayal. It's also because it's well written. Furthermore, it's a relief to read a HR that isn't drivel about Almacks and clothes, or one that reduces the h and H to little more than their genitalia.
Moreover, Balogh has created two highly memorable characters in Clara and Freddie. Clara is a fascinating mix of passivity and passion. I continue to be impressed that she took one look at the stunningly gorgeous reprobate Freddie, saw through his lying smiles, knew him to be after her fortune and yet decided to buy him - couching her desires in terms of wanting his "vigour", but finally coming to realise that her feelings were driven, for the most part, by lust. I like that she didn't love him and that she became irritated and even petulant when he pretended to love her. I like the way her character developed as she came to love Freddie.
Furthermore, it seems totally consistent to me that, while Clara broke free in many ways, she would always "obey" Freddie's commands because her childhood had ingrained such behaviour deep in her psyche. Clara's many strengths included grit, honesty, loyalty and a ruthless capacity for self analysis. They allowed me to suspend belief about some aspects of this story - for example the rapid improvement in her mobility and her almost unbelievable capacity for forgiveness.
And Freddie? Clara "bought" him and she always knew it. Freddie was more self-deluded, thinking he has conned her. Foolishly, he pretended to love her - and dug an even deeper grave for his self-respect (and honour) when he realised Clara has never been deceived. His subsequent behaviour is so reprehensible and weak that this story could be a total failure. And yet it isn't.
Why? Because Freddie is so completely drawn by Balogh. He goes into the marriage deluding himself that his charm and exquisite looks and virility will keep Clara fooled - and that he can pay off his debts and regain his old life. But then he sees her as a person and can't help but be kind to and caring. Their honeymoon is full of kindness and - very importantly - genuine attempts by him to give her a better life. He is a considerate lover and he listens to Clara's small wants, encouraging her to "want" more.
He takes her up before him on his horse and walks it slowly through grounds on her property, to areas previously forbidden to her. In my view, this scene is not only heartwarming but truly romantic. Significantly, as soon as Clara agrees to marry him, Freddie refuses to allow disparaging remarks to be made about her. I also think that it's important that he very soon realises that Clara has been canny and has hidden most of her fortune from him in a false trust - and instead of railing against that he tells her she was right to do so.
That's not to say that Freddie isn't also a toad. His cruelty to Clara after she confronts him about Julia is harsh and soul-destroying - but, unlike the case with many HR heroes, it is soul-destroying for him, as well as Clara.
I think this is the reason why Freddie is so interesting as a HR hero. He IS so tortured by his behaviour. It is clear that this is a very different Freddie from the wry character at the beginning of the Julia story. His behaviour has deteriorated from run-of-the-mill hedonism and irresponsibility and promiscuity to much worse. Since the day he decided to abduct his cousin, solely to settle his gambling debts, he has crossed to a darker side. Even though he had not been able to go through with the plan and had turned back, Julia's contempt and hatred has sent him spiralling downwards and his behaviour towards Clara increases his self-contempt to a degree that overwhelms him.
In the end, Freddie exhibits all the behaviour of an addict. He genuinely loves his parents. He hates the ways in which he continually disappoints of his father, fears losing the unconditional love of his mother and is terrified they will learn of the abduction. He decides to reform, again and again, hating himself more with each failure.
He thinks he can control his gambling and "knows" he can control his drinking, and whoring, but learns he can control none of them. Absolution from Julia is his saviour, as is the realisation that he loves Clara, but he knows they won't be enough. That is why he makes his final shaky promise to Clara. He knows that his recovery from addiction will be a day by day proposition.
Their marriage began with lies, but Freddie now wants to start again, with absolute honesty this time - he knows he might fail. Luckily, Clara responds to Freddie with clearheadedness and extraordinary generosity of spirit - something she expects to need if he stumbles in the future.
I've read all of Balogh's works. I have other books I like more, and other favourite characters, but I don't think she has bettered Clara and Freddie as a couple.
Thankfully, the next book in this series, which focuses on Harriet, provides comfort in that regard, with scenes of a reformed, devoted Freddie and completely contented Clara. Its release is only a few weeks away.
ETA : I should add that the editing and formatting in this volume is exemplary. Amongst others, I complained about the errors in Courting Julia, when it was re-released in Kindle format. There are no reasons to complain with this edition.

Fredrick Sullivan had to marry or go to Debtor's Prison. He tried to kidnap another woman he cared for to get her to marry him, she was rescued by the man she later married. He then decided to pick one of three women who were extremely wealthy. Clara Danford was one of the them .she was sickly and a cripple. He decides to marry her and she knows what he is and that money is all he wants.They had one week of happiness their honeymoon.He then left her and went back to his gambling and one woman...

Fredrick Sullivan had to marry or go to Debtor's Prison. He tried to kidnap another woman he cared for to get her to marry him, she was rescued by the man she later married. He then decided to pick one of three women who were extremely wealthy. Clara Danford was one of the them .she was sickly and a cripple. He decides to marry her and she knows what he is and that money is all he wants.They had one week of happiness their honeymoon.He then left her and went back to his gambling and one woman after another. He felt guilty sometimes about Clara but would drink more and continue his cycle. Ckara knew what he was doing and she loved him but hurt all the same. Freddie was truthful he told her once he had had twelve women since they married. I thought it hard to read sometimes about what he was doing and hurting Clara .He sometimes said he would never go back to her. Freddie did go to a Dr. To see if possible for Clara to ever walk again and took her there also. She decided to do something about herself had some help teaching her how to exercise till she could stand. Freddie finally comes home but will he is planning to leave the country since he has been so terrible to Clara. They talk and he still can't promise to be faithful or stop drinking or gambling. She loves him and will take him back trying to do better a day at a time, I think Clara was a strong woman to keep loving a man like Freddie. He is in his own way began to love her but he was weak to her strength. I would have been upset with the ending not knowing if he began his old life again. I did buy the next book Temping Harriet and they will be in it. Mary Balogh was the author who started me reading romance. The book was Simply Perfect. I know she is bringing some of her older books back for reissue . The older ones are hard to find and a higher price but worth the search .