Book Review: Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh

Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh

(The Survivor’s Club, Book 6)

Publisher & Release Date: Signet, September 1, 2015  

Time and setting: 1820s, Cornwall, England

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 400 pages

Heat Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame

Rating: 4.25 Gold Crowns

Book Description:

The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, injured in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendships forged in steel and loyalty. But for one, her trials are not over....

Since witnessing the death of her husband during the wars, Imogen, Lady Barclay, has secluded herself in the confines of Hardford Hall, their home in Cornwall. The new owner has failed to take up his inheritance, and Imogen desperately hopes he will never come to disturb her fragile peace.

Percival Hayes, Earl of Hardford, has no interest in the wilds of Cornwall, but when he impulsively decides to pay a visit to his estate there, he is shocked to discover that it is not the ruined heap he had expected. He is equally shocked to find the beautiful widow of his predecessor’s son living there.

Soon Imogen awakens in Percy a passion he has never thought himself capable of feeling. But can he save her from her misery and reawaken her soul? And what will it mean for him if he succeeds?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/Only-Kiss-Survivors-Club-Novel-ebook/dp/B00S75OKGK/

Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Only-a-Kiss-Audiobook/B013X879WC

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24563495-only-a-kiss 

Vikki’s Musings

I have been a huge fan of Mary Balogh’s ever since I read Alleyne Bedwyn’s story, Slightly Sinful from the Slightly series. I fell in love and quickly inhaled any book of hers I found. I’ve even downloaded quite a few from her backlist for my Kindle because I will re-read them and more than once. I’ve enjoyed the Survivor’s series a great deal and looked forward to reading Imogen’s story. I suspected it would be tragic and I was correct!

As always with one of Ms. Balogh’s books, I was pulled in right away, and I truly loved Percy’s character. That surprised me quite a bit since he isn’t a tortured hero at all, which is my normal favorite. He’s an easy-going gentleman, spoiled by his family and friends. He has lived a fairly shiftless life for ten years, going from one form of entertainment to another, and has grown bored with the haut ton. What I loved about Percy is his desire to change and become the hero Imogen needs.

Imogen’s character was much harder to get close to, initially. She is so reserved and holds her cards so tightly, they have to be peeled from her breast. I would have liked to have had more insight into what she had experienced earlier on, just a few snippets filtered to me through her introspection would have been nice. Nevertheless, her story is truly heart-wrenching and brought me to tears at the climax.

I know some of the reviewers didn’t enjoy Percy’s family and all the pets, but I thoroughly enjoyed them and his eccentric aunt in particularly. I also loved the bit of mystery and intrigue involving the smuggling. After all, the story is set in Cornwall, an area well known for its nefarious activities during the Napoleonic wars.

While Only a Kiss is not my favorite book in the series, it is a fine addition and well worth the wait. I look forward to the last installment in this incredible series with great anticipation. In fact, I have already pre-ordered it. Ms. Balogh is an auto-buy author for me, and I don’t even bother to read the book description before I decide to buy. If you have never read books by the talented Ms. Balogh, I highly recommend reading A Summer to Remember first. You will fall in love with her engaging, yet unique love stories, and of course, the Bedwyn family. Happy reading!

The Weaver Takes a Wife by Sheri Cobb South

Publisher & Release Date:  Belgrave House/Regency Reads; 15th Anniversary Edition, January 2, 2014

Time and setting: 1816, London, England

Genre: Historical Regency Romance

Length: 269 pages

Heat Level: 1 Sweet Heart

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Book Description:

Beautiful, haughty Lady Helen Radney is the daughter of a duke who has gambled away his fortune. The duke’s plan is to marry her off to recoup his losses, but the only one interested in this sharp-tongued lady is Mr. Ethan Brundy. Once a workhouse orphan, Brundy is now the owner of a Lancashire textile mill, a very rich man—and smitten with Helen.

Regency Romance by Sheri Cobb South; originally published by PrinnyWorld Press

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/Weaver-Takes-Wife-Sheri-South-ebook/dp/B004NEVLSO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1435064185&sr=1-1&keywords=the+weaver+takes+a+wife&pebp=1435064180675&perid=0VR2B7B93HEXRZ7GG6ST

Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/The-Weaver-Takes-a-Wife-Audiobook/B00T56GG4Y

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24846103-the-weaver-takes-a-wife

Vikki’s Musings

I received a request from the author asking me if I would be interested in reviewing the audio version of The Weaver Takes a Wife. When I saw that the book had a foreward by Mary Balogh, one of my all-time favorite authors, I immediately accepted the request in exchange for an honest review. I’m so glad I did. This is a wonderful traditional Regency.

At first I was not sure I would like Lady Helen, but her character arch is incredible. Ms. Cobb South took me from almost dislike to love by the end of the book. Lady Helen starts out as a self-centered young woman who thinks everyone is beneath her. After all, she is the daughter of a duke. As the story progresses, she starts to see the world from a different perspective, her husband’s. I always love it when a character redeems themselves and Lady Helen does this in a most satisfying way.

Ethan Brundy is by far the most unusual hero I have ever come across, and I have read a lot of books. He is a fantastic hero with plenty of backbone and initiative. Once he makes his mind up, nothing will stand in his way. However, he accomplishes his goals the old-fashioned way, with hard work and determination. In many ways he reminds me of my father because he was also a self-made man.

This story has a sweetly unfolding romance between Lady Helen and Ethan. Their marriage does not start out as a love match, but through Ethan’s gentle wooing, his honor and his kindness, he wins Lady Helen’s heart. I loved it when the proud, haughty Lady Helen realizes Ethan is the man of her dreams, exactly the kind of man she has been longing for, ever since her come out.

As a narrator, Noah Michael Levine is fantastic. I normally have problems with a male reader because their female voices are uninspiring, but Mr. Levine does an outstanding job of portraying Lady Helen with just the right touch. His interpretation of the male characters is incredible. He gives each character, whether male or female a distinct voice and handles the different accents from cockney to upper crust with apparent ease. In many ways his reading style reminds me of the narrator, Jim Dale from the Harry Potter series. Mr. Levine is a true joy to listen to, and I will be looking for other books performed by him in the future.

The Weaver Takes a Wife is a sweet traditional Regency romance and anyone who is a fan of Georgette Heyer will thoroughly enjoy this delightful tale. It has been many years since I have read a traditional Regency romance, and this book reminds me of why I fell in love with this period as a young girl. Thank you Sheri Cobb South for giving a chance to take a trip down memory lane. Happy reading! 

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.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/Only-Promise-Survivors-Club-Novel-ebook/dp/B00O2BS4N8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1434728497&sr=1-1&keywords=only+a+promise

Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Only-a-Promise-Audiobook/B00YD7DVZC

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23274098-only-a-promise?ac=1

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!

Beyond the Sunrise by Mary Balogh

http://smile.amazon.com/Beyond-Sunrise-Mary-Balogh-ebook/dp/B00KWG634O/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Beyond-the-Sunrise-Audiobook/B00T3OCKFM

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Survivor’s Club novels comes “an epic love story” (Publishers Weekly) of intrigue and deception and the promises that can break a heart.…

“I will love you all my life and even beyond that.”
 
Even at fifteen, Jeanne, the privileged daughter of a royalist émigré, knew what she liked: Englishman Robert Blake, bastard son of a marquess. Yet his questionable birth rendered him forbidden. Forced to part, they were still young enough to believe in tomorrow. But as time passed, that brief ephemeral flirtation at Haddington Hall faded into memory.
 
Eleven years later in Portugal, during the Peninsular Wars, they meet again, both of them spies, and destined to be working on opposing sides. He is now a captain with the British army. She is the widowed Marquesa das Minas—sometimes going by the name Joana da Fonte. However for only one of them does the flicker of recognition still burn.
 
Amid the fury of war and in the shadow of secrets, passion flares once again. But for Joana and Robert, each entrusted to a dangerous mission that demands deception, falling in love could be the most dangerous risk of all.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22561759-beyond-the-sunrise

Published & Release Date: NAL Publishing, February 3, 2015 (Originally published November 1992)

Time and setting: 1810, Spain and Portugal

Genre: Historical Romance

Heat Level: 2 Scorching Flames

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Vikki’s Musings

I am a huge fan of Mary Balogh ever since I picked up a copy of Allyne Bedwyn’s story. She is definitely one of my auto-buy authors. I can honestly say that I have loved all the books I have read by her, and I have read many of them. Beyond the Sunrise is quite different from her other novels, but nonetheless very enjoyable. I have read many of the reviews of this book, and the ratings are all over the place, which is unusual for one of her novels. While this is not an easy, light-hearted read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fifteen-year-old Jeanne Morisette, is the daughter of an aristocratic French émigré. While visiting Haddington Hall, the home of the Marquess of Quesnay, she meets his bastard son, Robert. A sweet, innocence romance starts between the pair and for four glorious days, they revel in the feelings of first love.

Jeanne’s father finds out, and he tells her lies regarding Robert. While at first, she does not believe him, her insecurity and youth influence her feelings, thinking that Robert has shared some of their private moments with the stable hands. When she tells Robert farewell, she says some very hurtful things to him.

Robert’s tender feelings are wounded by her words and when his father laughs over his audacity in thinking he could be romantically involved with a girl so far above his status, he feels humiliated as well. This causes him additional anguish, and instead of allowing his father to buy him a commission, he runs away and joins the army as a private, determined to make his own way in the world.

They meet again eleven years later and while Robert recognizes her, she does not know that he is the young boy from her youth who professed his love for her with all the fervency only the young can have. He thinks the now widowed Marquesa des Minas is vane and a complete flirt. He can find no redeeming characteristics in her at all, yet he is immensely drawn to her.

Robert Blake has clawed his way up the ranks and is now an acclaimed war hero and a captain. Battled scarred and toughened by the rigors of battle, he has become a well-thought of comrade by his peers.

General Arthur Wellesley, who will in a few years become the Duke of Wellington, gives Robert a dangerous mission to complete, but before he ventures into enemy territory, he is asked to accompany the marquesa to her aunt.

The couple clash repeatedly while fighting an overwhelming attraction for each other. Lies and deceit keep them at odds much of the time. It does not help that both of them have been given missions that will lead them into peril, making it appear that they are on opposing sides. Is there any chance that the innocent love they had in their youth can become a love strong enough to weather all their secrets?

This is not a pretty read to say the least. Jeanne’s character is not easy to like. At times, I despised her and hated the half-truths and the tactics she employs with any man she comes in contact with, including Robert. She never gives him a straight answer, allowing him to believe the worst of her. However, underneath her tough exterior is a woman of great loyalty and dedication. She will accomplish her mission for Wellesley and her personal one, regardless of the loss for herself. While I cannot like her methods, I do admire her fortitude and determination in the face of the enemy.

Robert Blake’s character is brusque and at time even brutal, and he has his own secrets he holds tight to his chest for most of the story. He is just as much at fault as Jeanne when it comes to being honest with her, and just as quick to believe in her betrayal. But again, on a deeper level, he has tremendous courage and is just as determined to success in a mission that is not one he would have ever volunteered for.

While I enjoyed the romance between Robert and Jeanne, what made this such an incredible read for me is the historical details of the battles they fight in. The accuracy of the account takes my breath away. I can’t even imagine all the research Ms. Balogh must have done to write this fantastic tale of love and betrayal.

If you enjoy a rousing romance with a good bit of history interwoven, then Beyond the Sunrise is a book you will want to read. As with all of Ms. Balogh’s novels, this will remain on my keeper shelf for many years to come. Happy reading!