The story unfolds with Reginald Mason and his father discussing his future and the debts that he incurred.

This brings me to my review of A Matter of Class by New York Time best selling author Mary Balogh. His extravagant life style was never in question until he father decided it was time for him to marry and upgrade his social status by marrying the woman of his choice whether he agreed to it or not. When playing at the tables or gambling he never gave a thought to the debts he incurred and the fact that his father had to provide the sums to pay them. His father has given him the best advantages in life and yet he has managed to squander and over extend himself in many ways. Reginald Mason is a gentleman only by breeding and training and not by birth.

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. 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. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds.

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. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her. 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. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. more » the Regency society that upholds station over all else. However, he is not a gentleman by title, a factor that pains him and his father within. Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman. Just in time for Valentine's Day, from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh comes yet another classic historical tale that sizzles with romance and unforgettable drama.

A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh