ARC Review: Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh

Someone to Honor is the sixth book in Mary Balogh's Westcott series. This book focuses on Abigail Westcott and Gil Bennington. If you need a reminder, Abigail is one of the three children discovered to be technically illegitimate in the first Westcott book because her father married her mother whilst having already being wed to another. This book takes place about six years after that first book.

Abigail Westcott has been pushed by her meddling (but full of love) family to return as best she can to society and find herself happiness through marriage. However, she finds herself no longer interested. She has gotten over the "Great Catastrophe" that happened to her mother, brother, and sister, but no one else seems to see that. They only see her as being lonely.

Gil Bennington is on his way back to England when he stumbles upon a healing Harry Westcott. Gil and Harry served together against Napoleon, and became friends. Gil insists on helping Harry get back home to recover from his wounds there. He stays with Harry even once they get to England to help Harry get his strength back. He doesn't realize the stampede of family determined to check on Harry as soon as they have word of his return. It is almost overwhelming to Gil, whose upbringing was very different to the love and concern shown to Harry.

Abby along with the rest of her family are over the moon to have Harry back home, but they are all worried about his weakened condition. She happens to find Gil chopping wood on the grounds when needing a moment and mistakes him for a servant. She lectures him about his state of dress (or lack thereof since he is bare from the waist up). Gil lacks to correct her incorrect assumption and just grits his teeth at yet another annoying lady of society.

Throughout their encounters, they find themselves disliking each other and yet being drawn to each other upon learning more of each other's character. Gil is struggling with personal/legal issues while he is there, and stemming from that, they find they need each other.

I found this book to not be very romantic. However, it touched my heart a lot! Gil is a tough guy with a hidden heart and I just wanted to give him hugs all the time! Abby was sweet and she was doing a lot of finding herself and figuring out what she wanted. It was a little too much for me with Abby though as I felt I didn't truly get to know her. I liked her; I just struggled to empathize I guess.

I did still very much enjoy this story. I believe the series will continue, and I am excited to see where it goes!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Someone To Trust by Mary Balogh

Someone to Trust is the 5th book in Mary Balogh's Westcott series. This book follows Someone to Care to the second, time wise. Someone to Care finishes with Marcel and Viola's wedding at Christmas. Brambledean court is where the entire family (which I admit is hard to keep track of, but there is a family tree included in the book for your reference) comes together for Christmas.

Elizabeth, Lady Overfield, has been a very interesting character throughout the first four books. She always seems to be poised, intelligent, and unafraid to have fun. She seems to have an ease to conversing with everyone. Seeing that her sister-in-law's brother, Colin, off to the side alone, she approaches him and starts a conversation. The two seem to act like they're close confidantes from the beginning. They tease each other a little, but also stray a little into more deep subjects about their lives. Elizabeth goads Colin into snow filled activities.

Colin, Lord Hodges, falls in love with the family togetherness for Christmas and cannot help but yearn for something similar within his own family. He and the rest of his siblings are estranged apart from Wren (Elizabeth's sister-in-law). He throws himself full on into all the fun at Brambledean from sledding to snowball fights. One fortunate accident with the sled leads Colin and Elizabeth into an impromptu kiss amid the snow (how romantic)! However it affects them both, they just try to brush it off considering she is almost 10 years his senior, which is an unheard of thing in Regency England.

The two agree to keep their "friendship" strong throughout the Season coming up and arrange to share the first Waltz together at every event they both attend. Elizabeth is considering remarrying, and Colin is also considering marriage. It was hard for me to completely understand the way they kept pushing the idea of themselves as a couple away because it isn't so unheard of in our times. I kept wanting to shake them for not seeing what was happening. However, I can acknowledge that times were different then. 

Both Elizabeth and Colin have parts of their pasts that shape the way they act (as all people do) but as usual Mary Balogh really seems to go to the right depth with it. I love how she seems to understand a person's inner thoughts and motivations. Her work is perfect in my opinion on that. This romance was a sweet one, and it was perfect for Elizabeth (who up to this point has been my favorite side character in this series). I want to share the ending with you, but don't want to spoil either. Mary Balogh handled it perfectly and with a spice of humor. I hope the series will continue, or at least for some of these amazing side characters get their own stories in some way, too!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh

Someone to Wed is the third book in Mary Balogh's Westcott Series. The overall storyline is about an aristocratic family who discovers their illegitimacy when the Earl dies. The truths that are revealed following the Earl's death put the family into disruption. His son loses the Earldom and it falls to a cousin instead. His daughter's marriage prospects get turned upside down. His wife loses any claim to her former life. And the daughter he hid from the world, is given all of his money since it wasn't tied to the estate but to his legitimate descendants.

This book features the cousin who unexpectedly inherits a Earldom but without it's accompanying finances, Alexander Westcott. Because of this new responsibility he decides he must put aside any aspirations of a love matched marriage, and instead marry an heiress so that her dowry can fund restoring the estate. But before the season and "marriage mart" begins, he decides to visit the country estate to see it's current status as well as meet his neighbors.

One of his neighbors, Wren Heyden invites him to her home. She has be a recluse for quite an enormity of her life, but she finds herself wanting to be married and have children. So she proposes to Alex that since she has quite an expanse of funds from her business, it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement for them to marry.

Wren unfortunately has a large birthmark on her face that she is embarrassed about. It also has completely wreck her self esteem and social skills. It's for the last two reasons that Alex hesitates on the offer. But he finds himself pulled to her and he constantly thinks of her. Wren on the other hand is overwhelmed with Alex's good looks. It intimidates her. Whether or not love is necessary for these two is unclear. 

Balogh proves her talent yet again with writing in this book. I found it spectacular the way she pulls different characters together through similar feelings and experiences. She really know how it would all make sense and it shows her deep thought and planning for her story lines. The romance was perfect as well in that I felt it grow and grow. Everything played out naturally and I loved it! I really think Mary Balogh is a genius in the historical romance genre.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Someone to Hold by Mary Balogh

Someone to Hold is the second in Mary Balogh's Westcott series.

Camille Westcott has recently discovered she is illegitimate. It was brought to light in the first book that her father had already been married when he married her mother, making the union void. When this information is announced, Camille's life flips upside down. She finds herself living in Bath, where her older half sister, Anna, grew up in an orphanage. For some reason Camille cannot even identify herself, she is drawn to the orphanage and stepping into Anna's old life.

Joel Cunningham is an orphan who grew up with Anna at the orphanage in Bath. He is a painter and he has gained some popularity among the Ton for his portraits. He also volunteers at the orphanage a couple times a week teaching art classes. Joel has learned of Camille through Anna's letters and initially has a negative opinion of her because of her treatment of Anna and her appearance.

The two learn to work together and learn more about each other. The romance didn't feel as fluid to me as most. It's almost like it happened completely by accident, and they both deny it even to themselves for quite some time. There were some very sweet parts though that gave me the warm fuzzies!

The main reason I like this book as much as I do, is because of Camille. She grows so much as a character. Mary Balogh really dug deep into her emotions and soul to help the reader understand and know Camille. I absolutely loved her "blossoming". Joel was just kind of there for me. Not bad but not exceptional. This came as a shock, because when reading Someone to Love, I was very interested in him as a side character.

This book was what I call typical Mary Balogh, and I enjoyed it. I am excited to continue the series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Someone to Love by Mary Balogh

Someone to Love is the first book in Mary Balogh's new Westcott series, and I fell in love with it! There was a reluctant start, but as with the story line I grew more and more intrigued! This was one of those books you can't put down for silly things like food and sleep.

Anna Snow was raised in an orphanage in Bath since she was four years old. She was financially looked after by an anonymous person as long as she stayed with the orphanage. So Anna found herself becoming a teacher there. She is content with her life as a teacher, but as with all orphans, she wishes and wonders about her origins. Anna is then surprised by a unexpected letter telling her to come to London! She can only hope to discover a part of her past.

When she arrives at the arranged meeting place (a Duke's mansion of a home), she is almost turned away to the servant's entrance. The solicitor who summoned her, though, makes sure she is admitted. I won't get into much of the details, but it turns out her father has passed away and all of his fortune is left to her. This is quite a dream come true except her new found family (a half brother and two half sisters) become upset and leave.

Avery, the Duke of Netherby, is entranced by this dignified young woman who holds herself so well in this extremely foreign of places. This is most peculiar since he is a man of distinguished taste and finds most everything tedious and boring. When Anna's father's sisters then decide to take her under their wings and educate her on the world of the ton, the Duke finds himself helping her in numerous ways. 

What Mary Balogh does with this seemingly boring plot is encompass you. I loved Anna from the start, and therefore all I wanted was for her to find happiness. Quite honestly, Avery frustrated me at the beginning until Balogh started to reveal bits and pieces of his past. Then I started to understand the protective shell he put around himself. They are perhaps not two personalities perfectly made for each other, but the romance was breathtaking none-the-less. 

The absolute only misgiving I had about the book was the very beginning when the whole family tree was being explained. I was a tad overwhelmed and confused because so many characters were being introduced. How they were all related seemed very messy. But I truly suggest trying to get through that odd part. As the story continues, people and where they are placed begins to sort itself out, and the story is well worth getting through that bit.

I loved Mary Balogh's Survivor Club series, and I was so excited to so quickly dive into this series. She really develops each character and it makes the emotions so much richer. I found myself really liking a minor character where he was only in a few scenes. I'm excited to discover he will be featured in the sequel. I am a huge fan now of Mary Balogh's work, and I'm excited to continue this journey.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Audiobook Review: Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh, Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

I saw so many great reviews for “Simply Unforgettable” by Mary Balogh that I was intrigued by the story. Balogh is an author I have tried to read in the past but didn’t quite get into. I liked the plot behind “Simply Unforgettable” and I enjoy romance novels where teachers are the main heroines.

Frances Allard was a great heroine. She is a teacher at an all-girls school. She teaches girls that don’t come from high society families. She loves her job and working with her students. Frances is also a very talented singer. She is a very gifted songstress. During the Christmas holiday she is visiting her aunts when on her way back to her school, her carriage suffers an accident. Lucius Marshall is both the cause and the help in this incident. Lucius and Frances rub each other the wrong way and soon they are at odds. Lucius offers Frances help and she has no choice but to accept as a big snow storm hits.

When Frances and Lucius spend the next couple of days together there is a notable class difference between them. But soon they realize that they really enjoy each other and find the good in each other. Lucius gives Frances the holiday that she has always wanted and although Lucius is not ready to say goodbye, Frances realizes that there is not future for them. Lucius feels rejected by Frances and can’t understand why she doesn’t want to see him after an intimate night that they shared.

Frances and Lucius part ways and they each carry on with their own lives. She goes back to teaching and he goes back to his home. Lucius realizes that it’s time for him to marry and he realizes it’s his duty. He seems to have someone in mind when fate intervenes and Frances meets his grandfather. Frances and his grandfather develop a great relationship. She also plays chaperon to his younger sister and also develops a good relationship with her.

So, this is where I started to struggle… I felt that the drama that followed Frances and Lucius was very drawn out. There was so much that happened in the first part of the book but then everything that followed was very drawn out. Even after Lucius reconnects with Frances, she starts to imagine that he is only interested in exploiting her signing talent and he only wants her as a mistress.

Overall, the story was cute but I would have enjoyed it more if it were shorter and there was an actual problem instead of self-created problems. I am confident that Balogh fans will enjoy this story and I plan to hear the next one in the series.

Rosalyn Landor was a great narrator. I thought she really understood the characters and their emotions. She made the story enjoyable to hear.

**Audiobook provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Only Beloved by Mary Balogh

Only Beloved is a sweet romance that focuses on both lead characters sorting out their past and coming to terms with it. It was a nice conclusion to the Survivor's Club series. We saw many cameos of previous protagonists, thus also getting a little extra epilogue for each of them. My only qualm was that there were some boring parts that drug on a little too long for my taste.

Dora is a 39 year old spinster who lives in a small village and is a local music teacher. She is quite a gifted musician. She missed out on her society debut to raise her younger sister. Dora isn't bitter over her sacrifice and has learned to accept her situation in life and make the best of it.

George is a 48 year old Duke who lost his only son in the Napoleonic Wars and his wife who was beside herself with grief over losing their son and committed suicide. He opened up his country home to wounded soldiers of the wars, and in doing so created the Survivor's Club. This group of individuals became close friends and a great support group for each other.

George makes a hasty decision to remarry, and the person who comes to mind first is Dora, an acquaintance he met a year or so prior. So out of the blue he travels to her home to ask for her hand in marriage. I think they were both surprised that she says yes! Both Dora and George's new engagement and marriage are disrupted by their difficult histories.They have to learn to help each other overcome the sorrows of their pasts.

I really like Mary Balogh's style (sweet and calm) but this book took it too far for me. I found several parts hard to get through. It felt to me like she fluffed up the story with details to make the tale longer, that weren't necessary to the plot. Despite that one misgiving, the romance was precious. The story was almost too perfect and left the reader with this feeling of foreboding. This was the desired effect in my opinion though, because the climax was quite exciting! And the little extra message of starring older protagonists than what is the social norm, was fantastic!

I do wish I had started this series with book one, and I do plan to go back and read them because I love them so much. Mary Balogh is a wonderful writer. I am excited to see what she has in store for future series!

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh

I liked Only a Kiss. It had a bit more action than the previous book, Only a Promise. It wasn't too overwhelming though. All the characters' secrets are not revealed immediately. They just give you a little taste at a time making you want to continue reading to find out and understand. I still felt that sense of calmness from Balogh's writing style. I never felt rushed to read, but I couldn't put the book down.

Imogen Hayes is a widow who is a part of the Survivor's Club. The Survivor's Club is a group of seven individuals who came together at Penderris Hall to heal from the Napoleonic War. Not all the wounds needing healing were physical. This is the case with Imogen. What she faced in the war and how she came to deal with it shape everything about her. I had a hard time understanding her actions because the full extent of her experience is withheld until almost the very end. Once you learn though, it all comes together and makes so much sense.

Percy Hayes was frustrating to say the least. Looking back I see that it was necessary to his roll in the book that he behave boorishly, but because of it he never grew on me. He has had a wonderful life full of wealth and love, and yet he complains of boredom. One drunken night he decides he should finally check out property (Hartford Hall) he inherited two years prior. Keeping his word he sets out the next day.

Percy and Imogen clash at the beginning when they meet at Hartford Hall. I still don't remember at what point Imogen's dislike turns into fondness. The change must have been very subtle since I missed it. Both character's past experiences and how they handle themselves because of it is what made this book enjoyable for me. I didn't feel that strong of a pull from the love between Imogen and Percy. It's there and definitely worth reading, just not as heart tugging as some of my favorite romances.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Only a Promise by Mary Balogh

I liked the simplicity of this book. Some may perceive it as boring, but I would rather describe it as calm. There were no intense scenes of spies or duels. There weren’t many huge secrets that shocked everyone half way through the story. It was simply the story of two souls falling in love while helping each other face their inner demons.

This is another first for me from an author. Being the fifth book, this was an odd place for me to start with this series. However, I never felt lost in the overall story. Mary Balogh did a nice job describing the background without over doing it. I was introduced to several of the other members of The Survivors and am intrigued to read their stories.

Chloe has had a hard time with the beau monde. She had a late debut because of deaths in the family, and then her first season, her younger sister creates a scandal that shames the whole family back to the country. She braves the ton a second time about six years later only to find another supposed scandal from her family’s past brought to light. The poor girl runs again back to the country.

Ralph is summoned to his grandparents’ home for a visit. He is the heir to his grandfather’s dukedom, and his grandmother stresses the importance of him finding a bride and continuing the line for his ailing grandfather’s sake. He expressed his worries about a marriage to his grandmother, completely forgetting that her guest, Chloe, is in the same room.

Then Chloe supplies a bargain for a marriage of convenience where love and emotions have no part. It will serve them both for their purposes. They have a quick engagement and small wedding. Then these two strangers face the world and some very hard times together. They become intrigued with each other and cannot resist learning more about their spouses.

Only a Promise is a simple, sweet love story. I found the lack of an intense side story to be very refreshing. The focus was more on the love story. Ralph really tugged at my heart as a tortured hero, and I felt like Chloe could have been a close friend of mine. I was dragged in and felt like I was there with all of the characters. A lovely read.

**ARC copy provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh

Book Four in Mary Balogh’s Survivor’s Club Only Enchanting wasn’t as good as the last one I’ve read, but it was still a good read. My least favorite trope jealous former love out to sabotage the new lovers, although the main story circles around Flavian and Abby’s relationship. I loved Flavian because he has a logical reason for being how he is aloof and pulled back from society, because his injuries after being shot in the head and trampled by a horse he has memory loss and a slight stutter. Abby doesn’t want passion she thinks it’s bring about bad things and even when she married she did so to a safe man she didn’t love. Her mother abandoned her and her sister making her sister miss out on her season in London in order to take care of her. Abby now a widow lives with her sister and is quite content.

Flavian was taken by the enchanting Abby when they met at a dance and Abby found herself in love with Flavian after one dance. Several months later Abby and Flavian find themselves together again and Flavian cannot let her go for she ignites something in him he cannot understand. With only knowing that Abby makes him happy he proposes and even with her fear of passion Abby agrees. Coincidentally Flavian’s mother and sister keep dropping hints that his former fiancée is over her year of mourning. Even though everyone thinks he married Abby to avoid the ex fiancée; he married Abby because he wanted to. He battles with remembering what happened all those years ago and why he feels such a strong hatred toward the woman who left him for his best friend. Flavian also does something that initially hurts Abby but in the long run she see why he did it and is glad he did, he finds her mother and helps defuses the possibilities of rumors about Abby. Overall it is a good book to read as a stand-alone or as part of the series.

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