Only
a Promise by Mary Balogh
(Survivor’s
Club series)
Publisher & Release Date: Signet,
June 9, 2015
Time
and setting: 1820, England
Genre:
Historical Regency Romance
Length:
393 pages
Heat
Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame
Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
The new Survivor’s Club novel from the New
York Times bestselling
author.
The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, all wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendship forged during their recovery at Penderris Hall in Cornwall. Now, for one of them, striking a most unusual bargain will change his life forever.…
Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on...and find a wife so as to secure an heir to his family’s title and fortune.
Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother’s godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes an outrageous suggestion: Strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise.
The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, all wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendship forged during their recovery at Penderris Hall in Cornwall. Now, for one of them, striking a most unusual bargain will change his life forever.…
Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on...and find a wife so as to secure an heir to his family’s title and fortune.
Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother’s godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes an outrageous suggestion: Strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise.
Buy
Links:
Add to
Goodreads:
Vikki’s
Musings
I have been a huge fan of Mary Balogh for years,
ever since I read her Slightly series. She is an auto-buy
author for me, and I have enjoyed her Survivor’s Club series immensely.
Each book has been unique, which is surprising since the protagonists all have
such a common bond. Only a Promise is another great addition to this wonderful series.
Chloe Muirhead is visiting the Duchess of
Worthingham and acting as her companion, even though Chloe is the daughter of a
Baron and has no need to work. The duchess’s grandson, the Earl of Berwick, is
coming to visit. What she knows of him is not favorable, so she hopes his visit
will be short.
Ralph Stockwood has been summoned by his grandmother,
and he is positive it is to inform him again that as the heir to his
grandfather, it is time for him to marry and set up his nursery. When he
arrives, he has a long conversation with the duchess regarding that subject in
front of Chloe, totally ignoring her presence.
When Chloe hears the conversation and finds out that
while the earl is willing to do his duty and marry, he does not want to fall in
love or have any emotional attachment to his future wife. This suits Chloe perfectly
because while she does want to marry and bear children, she does not want a
love match, having been disappointed in her youth.
When Chloe offers herself in marriage to Ralph, he
is astounded by her audacity, but once he has time to mull it over, he realizes
a marriage with her, just might be exactly what he wants. Can this unlikely
pair learn to care and respect each other, yet keep their hearts intact?
As usual, Ms. Balogh has penned a another character-driven
novel. I am fascinated with her ability to get me enmeshed with her characters,
even if I may not even like them very much. This was the case with Chloe. It
took a good part of the book before I liked her, but by the end, I not only
liked Chloe, I loved her.
Since I had brief glimpses of Ralph in the previous
books in this series, I had a general idea what his issues were, so I had
empathy for him from the start. As the story unfolds, I could truly feel his
pain, even though he goes to great lengths to hide it. He is truly a tortured
soul, in mind and body, my favorite archetype. I loved seeing his growth from a
dark, troubled young man he is at the start of the book, to the energetic,
charismatic person he was before his injuries, both physically and emotionally,
which caused him to withdraw from everyone, except his fellow survivors, by the
end of the story.
Although this is not my favorite book in this series,
it is still a fantastic read. I enjoyed it immensely and can’t wait for the
next one to come out in the fall. In fact, I have already pre-ordered it. If
you have not read Ms. Balogh’s books, I highly recommend them. While many of
her stories involve a marriage of convenience, she is able to give a fresh spin
on each, making them original and a joy to read. I have yet to read one that I
did not love. Happy reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment