Simply Perfect by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nice End To the Series
SIMPLY PERFECT is the final book in the Simply series. It is the story of Claudia Martin, headmistress of the girls school central to the series. Claudia is in her mid 30s and satisfied with her life. She meets Joseph Fawcitt, Marquees of Attinghorough when he arrives with a message from one of her friends and an offer to escort her and two of her students to London. Claudia is inclined to dislike the aristocratic Joseph, but soon he shows her that is not not a superficial man. While the two cannot even think about a romance because of the difference in their social classes, but they soon are sharing their inner lives. The two fall in love, but there are many external obstacles to overcome before they can be happy together.
I really enjoyed the romance between the two. It was mature befitting the ages of the protagonists. I really liked Claudia, who is strong and independent but still caring. I really liked Joseph even though I was really annoyed by his engagement. I did manage to understand that he was evolving himself — moving from a man completely enmeshed in society’s rules to one who tosses off the rules to acknowledge love in his life. The book overall was a little uneven to me, but I ultimately liked it based on the strength of the love story.
I also was happy that secrets that have existed since the early Bedwyn books were finally revealed. It was also nice to get a look a the happy marriages of favorite characters from past books.
I’d rate this a 4.25.