Slightly Tempted by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Story of Revenge and Forgiveness

SLIGHTLY TEMPTED is the fourth novel in the Bedwyn series. It is the story of Morgan, the youngest Bedwyn sibling. In Brussels, she meets Gervese Ashford, the Earl of Rosthorn. The clever, smiling Gervese approaches Morgan at a ball and ends up wooing her. What Morgan doesn’t know is Gervese is seeking revenge against her brother, the Duke of Bewcastle because of events that lead to Gervese’s exile from England nine years ago. Because of the return of Napoleon, war is coming to the continent. Morgan and Gervese end up spending a week together where they become genuine friends. Once returning to England, Gervese’s desire for revenge and the events of 9 years ago threaten to tear the two apart.

The First part of this book is simply magnificent. It is beautiful and poignant. Gervese struggles with his desire for revenge and his feelings toward Morgan. Once they are back in England, I loved the scene where Morgan confronts Gervese with his perfidy. Although young, Morgan is strong and no one’s fool. I also very much enjoyed the idea expressed in this book that forgiveness is a conscious choice that can give peace.

I really enjoyed the scenes with the various Bedwyn siblings who I have become fond of in this series.

I would rate this one a 4.5.

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Slightly Wicked by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Classic Romance from Balogh

SLIGHTLY WICKED is the second book in the Berwyn series. It is the story of Rannulf Bedwyn and Judith Law. The two encounter one another while traveling to the same area. Judith is on her way to be a poor relation in her aunt and uncle’s house. She knows that she will have no future once there. Ralf is on his way to his grandmother’s house to be presented with a potential bride. The two end up spending two nights together in an inn. Both are shocked to encounter one another again at their destination.

This book was enjoyable. The beginning where Judith and Ralf meet was great. The book slows down in the middle while the two begin to feel their way towards love. Once Ralf figures out his feelings, the book picked up again. I thought the relationship between Ralf and Judith is different and interesting. Judith is a strong woman and while she is sometimes rescued by Ralf, she is never a damsel in distress.

For fans of the series, this book is a must. While the first book in the series is not necessary, it helps with the family dynamics to have read it and the prequels.

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Slightly Married by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Classic Marriage of Convenience Story

SLIGHTLY MARRIED is the first book in the Bedwyn series (although there are two prequel books ONE NIGHT FOR LOVE and A SUMMER TO REMEMBER). SLIGHTLY MARRIED is the story of Colonel Aiden Bedwyn, the second son in the Bedwyn family. When one of his soldier’s dies, Aiden makes a promise to care for the soldier’s sister. Eve Morris is in serious trouble with the death of her brother. She is about to be evicted from her home if she is not married in a week. Aiden offers Eve a marriage of convenience in order to satisfy his promise. Fate intervenes, however, and the two are constantly drawn back together.

I absolutely loved this book. Balogh has a wonderful way of allowing her characters to fall in love slowly. The emphasis in these stories is on the characters’ romantic journey. I love that part of her novels. I feel that at the end of the book, I understand these characters who are complex and multifaceted.

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Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Didn’t Like The Secret

SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE is the first book in the Simply Quartet that is also related to the Bedwyn series. This series is the story if four teachers at a girls school in Bath. This book is about Francis Allard, the music teacher at the school. Coming from from Christmas holidays, Francis ends up stranded with Lucius Marshall, Viscount Sinclair. The two have a wonderful two days together but there seems to be no way that a Viscount and a schoolteacher could ever have a relationship. However, the two end up encountering each other again and again.

Evaluating this book is difficult to me. I loved the beginning of this book. I also loved how Lucius could not let Francis go. However, I did not like that the conflict between the characters was based on an incident in Francis’ past that was so easily resolved once Francis told Lucius the truth. I was really annoyed and it diminished the rest of the book for me.

I can only give this one a 3.5.

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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.

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Simply Love by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautiful Story of Two Survivors

SIMPLY LOVE is the second book in the Simply Quartet. It is the story of Anne Jewel. Readers of Balogh will know Anne from SLIGHTLY SCANDALOUS. Anne was raped while a governess and bore an illegitimate son as a result. She teaches at the all girls school that features in the series. While vacationing with the Bedwyns in Wales, she meets Sydnam Butler. Sydnam was introduced in A SUMMER TO REMEMBER. He is the younger brother of Kit,the hero in that book. Syd was tortured and disfigured in the war. He lost an arm and an eye, but has learned to adapt to almost everything although h has lost his ability to paint. The two meet and these wounded souls find refuge in one another.

Loved, loved this book. These two souls slowly learn to find beauty and happiness with one another. They have to deal with their pasts, but for each, the past is something that will never go away. I really like how Balogh shows the strength of these two souls. They have both healed enough from their past enough to have created lives for themselves. However, together they move to a higher level of happiness. This is a theme in many of Balogh’s books, the difference between contentment and joy.

This book was especially satisfying because there were special appearances by the Bedwyns. I recommend this book. While it may be read alone, it is certainly better to read at least the books mentioned above first.

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The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Love Story About Growing To Love Another

THE ARRANGEMENT is the second novel in The Survivor’s Club series. It is the story of Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh, who flees his overprotective mother and sisters in order to live his own life. Vincent is blind after the war and wants to take control of his life. He meets Sophia Fry, the poor relation who is being treated badly by the family she lives with. When Sophia helps save Vincent from the attempts by her family to force him into marriage, she is cast out from the family. Vincent offers to marry her in order to satisfy both their needs. They agree to marry and stay together for a year. They do not plan on falling in love.

I really loved the love story between these two. There is no lightning strike of love. These two have a slow sweet developing love. They are both young and find a way to build a life and love together. The love story is not blazing hot and some may criticize it because it violates many of the rules of romance. The two have to learn to have a fantastic sex life. They don’t immediately click together. But I enjoyed the more realistic love story.

My only complaint is that the two are ultimately pushed together by some misunderstanding which goes against the relationship that they build through the whole story. It downgraded the rating a little but I still recommend it.

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Only a Promise: A Survivors’ Club Novel by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another Wonderful, Deeply Emotional Survivor’s Story

“We can all be hurt.”

THE STORY: Chloe Muirhead has given up on her dream of marriage and children. Twice she has been in London and twice scandal has followed her. Instead, she has taken on the role of companion to a duchess. When the duchess’ grandson, Ralph Stockwood, Earl of Berwick, comes to visit, Chloe recognizes him as the childhood nemesis of her brother. Ralph returned from war injured and also depressed. He encouraged his childhood friends on join him in war only to watch them blown to bits. Ralph knows that as the future Duke of Worthingham, he has the obligation to marry and produce an heir, but he knows that he has nothing to give a wife. Soon Ralph and Chloe have a deal, they will have a marriage of convenience without expectations so that neither will be hurt. Through marriage, however, they both discover that it is not so easy for either of them to stick to the emotionless bargain that each intended to make.

OPINION: Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series is incredibly deep and emotional. ONLY A PROMISE is no different. This is a serious story about wounded people. Chloe and Ralph begin their story as emotional damaged people. They cannot hope for more than a marriage of convenience.

Chloe has been slapped down by life too many times for her to hope for more even as she wishes for a husband and children. She does not believe that she can have love so she thinks that she will be satisfied with an unemotional marriage. She makes tremendous growth in this story as she confronts her deepest fears and becomes more than she imagined she could be.

Ralph has locked away his emotions after his experiences in war. He deeply blames himself for the death of his friends and cannot find forgiveness in himself. His physical wounds are damaging but his emotional wounds are deep and dark. He is unwilling to open himself up emotionally again because he fears attachment and doesn’t believe himself worthy of a happy future.

The relationship between Chloe and Ralph slowly evolves from the cold bargain that they thought they were going to have. Their journey is difficult and dark and they hurt one another on the way. This is a brave book that begins with a cold bargain but allows the space and time for the two protagonists to open up to one another and to life.

Beautiful, compelling and ultimately about redemption, strength and forgiveness, ONCE A PROMISE is incredibly painfully real.

WORTH MENTIONING: There are some nice updates on characters for fans of the series.

FINAL DECISION: Balogh’s Survivor novels are a wonderful emotional exploration of damaged individuals and their discovery of love. Chloe and Ralph are both damaged by life and yet more to find such joy and love with one another. Beautiful and dark and ultimately redeeming.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ONLY A PROMISE is book 5 of the Survivor’s Club series. It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this story 4.5 stars.

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The Escape by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE ESCAPE is the third novel in the Survivor’s Club Series. The Survivor’s Club is a group of people who recovered together from injuries they received during the Napoleonic Wars. They recovered at the estate of the Duke of Stanbrook and meet annually to reconnect. They constitute what would in modern times be considered a support group. The prior two books were THE PROPOSAL and THE ARRANGEMENT.

This book is about Sir Benedict Harper who received serious injuries to his legs during the war and has struggled against being crippled both physically and mentally because of his injuries. At the beginning of the book, Ben has reached a crossroads. He has finally accepted his limitations but doesn’t know what he will do with his life now that he is accepted that he will never be able to live the life he expected to live before his injuries.

Samantha McKay is a widow of four months. She was married for seven years. For five years, Samantha had nursed her husband because of wounds that he suffered in the war. His constant demands meant that Samantha had no life except for acting as a nurse. Samantha is now being suffocated by the demands that her father-in-law and sister- in- law impose upon Samantha in the name of mourning properly.

Ben and Samantha meet when Samantha escapes her de facto prison to take a walk. Their meeting was not auspicious for the start of a romance but soon they have found out that both have damaged souls that they are trying to rebuild. They are drawn together even as they know that neither is ready to have a long term relationship.

What I loved about this book is how the relationship between Ben and Samantha is realistic and mature. Finding a kindred spirit is not enough for either of them to be completely healed of their emotional scars. Their relationship opens each of them to the possibility of being complete people, but they cannot heal one another. What this book posits is that in order for their love to last, they must be complete people on their own. They must each rebuild their lives and find healing inside before they can share themselves completely with each other.

This book is a slow journey. It’s not boring, but rather an intricate look at the lives of these two people. They have a long journey to travel and part of the journey must necessarily be taken alone. The slow journey allows the characters to get to know one another. It also allows the knowledge that these two are not concerned about superficial concerns with one another. Once they have committed themselves to one another at the end of the book, it is clear that these two will have a long, happy loving relationship. Ben and Samantha have a complicated adult relationship. There is definite beauty in that these people come together at the end as whole people who have fulfilling lives and not ones who are needy and looking for escape in another person.

Balogh has done a wonderful job with this series. There are no simple answers for these characters. They are mature and independent and wounded. The books in this series is not just about the romance between two characters but the story of building strength and a life after devastating circumstances.

I’d rate this book a 4.25 because of the emotional impact.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest opinion.

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The Proposal by Mary Balogh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Slowly Developing Romance That Sinks Into Your Heart

THE PROPOSAL is the first book in the Survivor’s Club series. The Survivor’s Club is a group of six war survivors who recovered under the auspices of the Duke of Stanbrook who also had his life crushed by the war. THE PROPOSAL is the story of Hugo Emes who was born to a middle class family and whose father’s businesses have made him rich. Hugo joined the army and distinguished himself as a war hero. Hugo was never physically injured but was emotionally damaged by the war. Based upon his war feats, he is now Lord Trentham. He decides to marry and ends up meeting Gwendoline Grayson, Lady Muir. Gwen is not the wife Hugo is looking for. He wants a middle class wife not an aristocrat. Gwen, recovering from a difficult marriage, does not expect to marry again. Despite their different worlds the two recognize the wounds that each has and keep finding one another.

I really loved this love story. It is slow to develop, but the ultimate journey is incredibly beautiful. Hugo is a sweet man who hides his emotions. As Gwen begins to see Hugo’s depth, she falls in love with the sensitive man she uncovers. I liked how these two are cautious about committing to one another. They are very different people who come from different worlds and are wise enough to. take the time to find out if they can live together even though they love one another because love alone without commitment is not enough.

These are mature strong willed characters and I absolutely loved Hugo. The discussion of the wounds that people have both physical and emotional gives this book great depth. I also really like the relationship between the members of the Survivor’s Club. I’d rate this one a 4.5.

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