The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware, née Greenfield, has just presented her younger daughter to the ton, and the rest of her life belongs only to herself. She returns to Ravenswood, intending to spend the summer alone there. But the summer has other plans for her.
Born a gentleman, Matthew Taylor has chosen to spend his life as the village carpenter. Growing up, he and Clarissa were close—dangerously so, considering his family’s modest fortune. As a young man, he never would have been a suitable match for the daughter of the wealthy Greenfields. Clarissa married Caleb Ware, the Earl of Stratton, so Matthew married another, though he was widowed soon after.
Now everything is different—Clarissa has already lived the life expected of her by society. And Matthew is as attractive and intriguing as he was when they were young. As their summer friendship deepens into romance, they stand together on the precipice of change—essentially the same man and woman they remember being back then, but with renewed passion and the potential to take their lives in an entirely new direction.
REMEMBER WHEN: Clarissa’s Story (A Ravenswood Novel Book #4) by Mary Balogh is a historical, mature, second chance at love story in this continuing Regency romance series featuring the Ware family. This novel is easily read as a standalone romance, but I have enjoyed reading the series in order.
Clarissa Ware, the Dowager Countess of Stratton, returns to Ravenswood for the summer for the first time without any of her children or other obligations. She is turning fifty and feels adrift in her personal life. Six years a widow, all her children grown, and her daughter-in-law assuming all the duties of being the Countess of Stratton, she wishes for solitude to decide on her future, but fate intercedes.
Matthew Taylor was born a gentleman and second son of landowners but is spending his life as the village carpenter and master woodworker. As a young man, he was a neighbor of Clarissa’s family and they were the closest of friends from childhood to seventeen years of age, but he knew he would never be suitable for her, and she accepted the proposal of the Earl of Stratton.
When Clarissa seeks out her old friend, they discover the attraction is still there. Clarissa has always upheld all expectations from society and her family. Can their renewed friendship and mature attraction overcome society’s restraints and family concerns and turn into something more?
I always look forward to returning to the Ware family of Ravenswood. This mature romance did not disappoint, and I was very happy that Clarissa finally found herself, not just what was expected of her. This is a slow burn romance due to the time period, society’s rules, and the side plot which has Matthew having to resolve his own old family issues to move on. That said, there is also a bit too much repetition especially in the beginning of the story, but I feel the romance and HEA are satisfying overall. I am looking forward to reading more of the remaining unattached siblings’ stories in the future.
An enjoyable historical, mature, second chance romance addition to this series.
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About the Author
Mary Balogh grew up in Wales and now lives with her husband, Robert, in Saskatchewan, Canada. She has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, more than forty of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, the seven-part Survivors’ Club series, and the Westcott series.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for ALWAYS REMEMBER (Ravenswood Book #3) by Mary Balogh on this Berkley Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Left unable to walk by a childhood illness, Lady Jennifer, sister of the Duke of Wilby, has grown up to make a happy place for herself in society. Outgoing and cheerful, she has many friends and enjoys the pleasures of high society—even if she cannot dance at balls or stroll in Hyde Park. She is blessed with a large, loving, and protective family. But she secretly dreams of marriage and children, and of walking—and dancing.
When Ben Ellis comes across Lady Jennifer as she struggles to walk with the aid of primitive crutches, he instantly understands her yearning. He is a fixer. It is often said of him that he never saw a practical problem he did not have to solve. He wants to help her discover independence and motion—driving a carriage, swimming, even walking a different way. But he must be careful. He is the bastard son of the late Earl of Stratton. Though he was raised with the earl’s family, he knows he does not really belong in the world of the ton.
Jennifer is shocked—and intrigued—by Ben’s ideas, and both families are alarmed by the growing friendship and perhaps more that they sense developing between the two. A duke’s sister certainly cannot marry the bastard son of an earl. Except sometimes, love can find a way.
ALWAYS REMEMBER (A Ravenswood Novel Book #3) by Mary Balogh is a beautiful heartwarming historical romance featuring Ben’s story. This is the third romance in the series and while I really enjoyed the first two, this one was special. This series consists of complete HEAs in each book, but I feel they are best read in order because there is a continuously evolving family story.
Ben Ellis and his daughter, Joy, have returned to Ravenswood for the summer fete and to decide what he will do about a very personal situation. Ben accidentally observes Lady Jennifer Arden, who he believed only moved about in her wheeled chair attempting to take a few steps on crutches. Ben always needs to fix problems and sets about finding better and easier ways for Lady Jennifer to have more independence of movement.
Lady Jennifer is shocked and yet intrigued by Ben’s ideas. The two soon have a growing friendship and discuss personal intimacies and fears they share with no one else. Both families are alarmed by the growing friendship even though Jennifer and Ben are adults because they cannot see a happy ending with a duke’s sister marrying the bastard son of an earl. Can friendship grow into a love that can overcome societal barriers?
I love Ben, Jennifer, and Joy! Ben was such a fine man and brother that all the Wares relied on and yet also unknowingly treated differently. He always felt incomplete because of his lack of maternal family knowledge. Jennifer was the coddled invalid who always had a smile on her face but longed for more. Ben helped free her from her self-imposed cage and made her dream again. Joy was always just a bundle of joy. Put the three of them together and it is a wonderful story of hope and romance. There is one sex scene close to the end which is romantic and not explicit. It is great to catch up with the rest of the Ware family and all the new relatives, children, and friends from the previous books, also. This romance pulled all my emotional heartstrings and is my favorite of this series to date.
I highly recommend this uplifting and emotional Regency historical romance!
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Excerpt
“I beg your pardon if you have found my daughter’s behavior offensive,” he said. “I have tried to explain to her that your chair is not a novelty vehicle invented to give rides to a child. But . . . Well, she is three years old and—”
She surprised him by laughing and holding up a staying hand. “Mr. Ellis,” she said. “I have two nephews and a niece in addition to Luc’s babies—my sister’s children. Each of them in turn had to have rides on my chariot when they were infants. Sometimes I had more than one of them at a time on my lap. Once, I can re- member, all three of them climbed aboard until my brother-in-law took pity on me. But I was never offended. Quite the contrary, in fact. It feels good to be a favored aunt when I cannot actually romp with the children. I have been charmed by your daughter’s requests for a ride. She is as light as a feather on my lap, you know, and sits very still. She has the prettiest curls. Please do not forbid her to ask again.”
“It is kind of you to call her demands requests,” he said. “She inherited the curls from her mother, who always hid her own in a ruthlessly tight bun.”
“That must have been a shame,” she said.
“It made practical good sense,” he told her. “She needed to keep it out of her face. The weather was often very hot in the Peninsula, and she was a washerwoman.”
There was a brief, startled silence. Or so it seemed to Ben. She was too well-bred to show it openly.
“She went to war with her first husband,” he told her. “He was a private soldier with the foot regiment in which Devlin was an of- ficer. The wives of the enlisted men had to compete in a lottery to
be permitted to go, but those who won a place were expected to make themselves useful. There was always a great need for washer- women.”
“You were her second husband, then?” she said.
“Third,” he said. “The other two died in battle. It was a common thing during the wars. Most of the women stayed with the army once they were there, and many married multiple times. Mar- jorie died when the regiment was fighting and slogging its way over the Pyrenees into France with the rest of the army. The conditions in the mountains were appalling and the weather was brutal. Win- ter was coming on. She was tough but not tough enough after she took a chill.”
Why the devil was he telling her all this? They were not the sorts of things one told a lady. He had not talked much of his years in the Peninsula even with his own family, and he was sure Devlin had not either. Or Nicholas. Was there a sort of defiance in his telling, as though he were thumbing his nose at any preconceived ideas she might have of him? As though he were telling her he was not ashamed of who he was or whom he had married? It had never occurred to him to be ashamed. It had never occurred to him either that he might be carrying a grudge against the world or some part of it. It was not a pleasant thought that perhaps he was. He ought to be making light conversation about the roses and the sunshine. How had this started anyway? With her comment on Joy’s curly hair?
“I am sorry about that,” she said. “Did she leave a family behind in England?”
“None,” he said—and his thoughts touched by natural association upon the letter in his pocket. “She never knew either of her parents or anything about them. She grew up in an orphanage in London. She married a fellow orphan when she was about sixteen.”
“I believe, Mr. Ellis,” she said, “she must have been very fortunate to meet you after being widowed for the second time. You did not put her child in an orphanage.”
He gazed at her in some shock. “She is my child too,” he said. “She is ours. She was the joy of our lives.”
“Joy,” she said, and smiled. “How lovely. You chose the name quite deliberately.”
And that was it for that topic. Unsurprisingly, he was not feeling any more comfortable with her despite the beauty of their surroundings and the normally soothing sound of the water gushing from the fountain and the heady summer scent of the roses. Perhaps the only thing to do was confront his discomfort head-on.
“Do you walk every day?” he asked her.
“I try,” she said. “I made the resolution soon after the passing of my grandparents earlier this year that I would make the effort, that I would boost my energy and spirits by doing something each day to make myself stronger and more healthy. More active. More . . . cheerful.”
She was always cheerful. It was something he had noticed about her when he met her last year—though there had been the exception of the days following the death of her grandparents this year, of course. He had noticed her cheerfulness again after her arrival here with her aunt. She almost always spoke with smiling animation. Her eyes frequently sparkled. She gave the impression of perpetual happiness. But it had occurred to him more than once that surely no one could be that cheerful all the time. She least of all. The dreadful and crippling illness she had suffered early in her life continued to affect her. She was more or less confined to a chair. She was unmarried, probably as a result of that fact. He estimated that she must be in her early to mid-twenties. He believed she spent
most of her life at a country home with only her aunt for company. She might have legions of friends in the neighborhood, of course. Lady Catherine Emmett was certainly a sociable woman and was always cheerful herself. Yet . . .
Well, he had found himself wondering if Lady Jennifer Arden’s habitual brightness of manner was something of a mask behind which the real person hid. It was none of his business, of course. Besides, did not all people wear masks to varying degrees? Were there any people who opened themselves up fully to the scrutiny of the whole wide world without keeping at least bits of themselves hidden safely away inside?
Mary Balogh has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, more than forty of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, the seven-part Survivors’ Club series, and the Westcott series.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for AN UNSUITABLE HEIRESS by Jane Dunn on this Austen Prose Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Following the death of her mother, Corinna Ormesby has lived a quiet life in the countryside with her cantankerous Cousin Agnes. Her father’s identity has been a tantalizing mystery, but now at nineteen Corinna knows that finding him may be her only way to avoid marriage to the odious Mr. Beech.
Deciding to head to London, Corinna dons a male disguise. Travelling alone as a young woman risks scandal and danger, but when, masquerading as a youth, she is befriended by three dashing blades, handsome and capable Alick Wolfe, dandy Ferdinand Shilton and the incorrigible Lord Purfoy, Corinna now has access to the male-only world of Regency England. And when she meets Alick’s turbulent brother Darius, a betrayal of trust leads to deadly combat which only one of the brothers may survive.
From gambling in gentleman’s clubs to meeting the courtesans of Covent Garden, Corinna’s country naivety soon falls away. But when she finds her father at last, learns the truth about her parentage and discovers her fortunes transformed, she must quickly decide how to reveal her true identity, while hoping that one young man in particular can see her for the beauty and Lady she really is.
AN UNSUITABLE HEIRESS by Jane Dunn is an entertaining Regency historical romance/historical fiction with an adventuress young woman who dresses in men’s clothing and travels to London to find the father she never knew and pursue her dream of being a professional painter. This is an easy and fun to read standalone Regency story with enchanting characters.
Corrina “Cory” Ormesby has always known she is an illegitimate child. Since her mother’s death she has spent the last seven years with a cousin in the country. Her cousin is no longer willing to support her and rather than being forced into an unwanted marriage, she dresses in men’s clothes and travels with her pet poodle to London in search of the father she knows nothing about but does have the yearly gifts he sent on her birthdays until her mother’s death.
When she tries to stop the abuse of a horse at a carriage stop, she is knocked down and a trio of young blades come to her aid and befriend her. They assist her in solving the unknown identity of her father, learn her true gender, and then they all must learn to navigate the difference in circumstances for the sexes in Regency London.
I really liked Corrina and her bravery as she sets out on her journey and her determination to live the life she wants without losing her innate kindness to people and animals and her sense of adventure. The author’s research is evident in the description of norms, clothing, and language. All her gentlemen friends are realistic representatives of this period. This story has a mix of romance, a search for personal independence, friendship, adventure, and cute pets. It also demonstrates a balance between light and fun predictability vs. societal norms and strictures.
I recommend curling up in your favorite reading chair with a cuppa and letting this story take you on an enjoyable journey to Regency London.
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Author Bio
Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters, and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which, The Marriage Season, is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A ROGUE AT STONECLIFFE (A Stonecliffe Novel Book #2) by Candace Camp on this HTP Books Spring 2023 Romance Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, and the author’s bio and social medial links. Enjoy!
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Book Summary
New York Times bestselling author Candace Camp invites you back to Stonecliffe for a second adventure! Action and romance ensue on this adventurous trip through the beautiful English countryside.
When the love of her life left without any explanation, Annabeth Winfield moved on despairingly, knowing she’d never have a love as thrilling as her first ever again. Sloane Rutherford was roguish and daring, but as Annabeth grew up, she realized that their reckless romance was just a passing adventure, never meant for stability. Twelve years later, Annabeth is engaged to someone new, ready to start her life with a dependable man.
That’s when Sloane returns. And he brings with him a serious warning: Annabeth is in trouble.
After spending the last dozen years working as a spy, Sloane thought he’d left espionage behind him. But now a dangerous blackmailer is after Annabeth. Sloane offers to hide his former lover at Stonecliffe, the Rutherford estate, but stubborn Annabeth demands to be part of the investigation. As the two embark on a dangerous and exciting journey, memories of their past romance resurface. Sloane and Annabeth aren’t the wide-eyed children they used to be, but knowing they’re wrong for each other makes a nostalgic affair seem very right…
A ROGUE AT STONECLIFFE (A Stonecliffe Novel Book #2) by Candace Camp is an intriguing and fast-paced historical second chance romance/romantic suspense set in the Regency period. This is the second book in the series following An Affair at Stonecliffe and while you have more background on the relationships between characters if you read these books in order, this second book still stands well on its own.
Sloane Rutherford is considered a rogue in the worst sense of the word. He broke the heart of his young love when he left and became a spy and smuggler during the war twelve years ago with the belief that he had no choice. He has returned and has no love of his noble relations as he runs his shipping line, gambling hells and taverns and believes he is done with espionage.
Annabeth Winfield is shocked when the man who left her heartbroken returns to Stonecliffe to warn her that her life may be in danger. A letter of confession her father wrote while he was still alive is a danger to an unknown person and they are willing to do anything to find it. Annabeth thought she was done with Sloane, but when there is an attempt made to kidnap her, he is determined to protect her, find out where the letter is and who is after her. Annabeth is no longer that you girl left behind and she demands to part of the investigation.
Annabeth and Sloane are investigating a world of lies, double agents, and traitors all while the love they thought they had buried once again grows. Will Sloane walk away again?
I really loved Annabelle and Sloane and believe they made a wonderful pair. Second chance romances are always so interesting because I get to understand them as young characters and then see how they have changed and matured as they come back together. The sex scenes are steamy, but not gratuitous. All the secondary characters are fully drawn and believable and I especially love Lady Lockwood, Annabelle’s grandmother. The mystery/suspense plot in this story is just as prevalent as the romance plot and kept me turning the pages as Annabelle and Sloane traveled London and the countryside searching for her father’s letter.
This is an exciting and entertaining historical second chance romance/romantic suspense and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.
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Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
1822
Sloane Rutherford wasnot a man who hesitated. He made his decisions, for good or ill, and he lived with them. But today he sat slouched at the breakfast table, food untouched, turning a note round and round in his hand, unable to make up his mind. Should he go to the wedding or not?
Actually there was no question whether he should do it; clearly he should not. The question was whether he would. The event itself didn’t figure into his thoughts. While he was surprised and faintly pleased by the fact that Noelle had invited him, he held most of his own family in disregard…and they looked on him with even less liking. Estranged wasn’t the word for his relationship with the Rutherfords. Shunned would be more like it.
So, no, he had no interest in the wedding itself, no reason to go, and normally he would have tossed the invitation in the ash can. But what drew him almost painfully to attend was precisely the thing that set up an equal ache of reluctance inside his chest: she would be there.
“Annabeth?” Marcus said from the doorway.
Sloane glanced up, startled, and scowled at his father.
“So you’re reading minds now? One would think you would have done better at the card tables.”
“Yes, wouldn’t one?” Marcus replied amicably, and strolled across the room. “Sadly, it didn’t seem to work that way. And your problem didn’t take much intuition. It’s written all over your face.”
Marcus settled into a chair across from Sloane. Clad in his dressing gown and soft slippers, Marcus looked every inch the indolent aristocrat that he was—his luxurious white mane of hair combed back stylishly, his jaw smooth from his valet’s shaving, and his dressing gown made of the richest brocade and cut to fit perfectly. Even if he looked somewhat more worn than his age from years of reckless living, he was still a handsome man.
Sloane wondered if his father might catch the eye of some wealthy widow who would take the man off his hands…but no, Marcus was equally banned from the ton—more because of Sloane’s history than his own numerous vices.
“What are you doing up so early?” Sloane asked, ignoring Marcus’s comments. “You usually don’t stir from your room until ten or eleven.”
“Unfortunately the only appointment Harriman had available was at the ungodly time of nine. It’s quite difficult to get in to see him on such short notice.”
“Ah, your tailor. That would be enough to pull you out of bed.” Sloane’s mouth quirked up. Marcus was still a peacock at his age. No doubt the bill the tailor sent Sloane would be enormous, but Sloane didn’t mind. He’d far rather spend his money on his father’s fashion than on some of Marcus’s other habits.
“But I won’t complain. I was lucky he was able to make room to see me.”
“I expect he’s grateful that I pay your bills on time, unlike most of his aristocratic clients,” Sloane said dryly.
“And I’ll have the entire afternoon to enjoy the prospect of the wedding,” Marcus went on.
“A wedding?” Sloane asked skeptically. “You look forward to weddings?”
“Not everyone is as much of a hermit as you are. Some of us find social occasions agreeable.”
“I’m not a hermit.”
“Mmm, yes. No doubt that’s why you spend so much time alone, brooding. Cornwall suits you perfectly.” Marcus picked up the cup of tea the footman had just set before him and took a sip, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “But this wedding, I must admit, offers rather more entertainment than the usual one.”
Sloane made no response. The last topic he wanted to discuss was this wedding.
But his father needed no reply. He went on, “For one thing, there is Noelle, the lovely bride herself, and the potential of gossip over her scandalous past.”
“I can’t see how running from Thorne is any scandal,” Sloane interjected. “Anyone with sense would do so. I find it far stranger that she stopped.”
Marcus chuckled. “Yes, he is a dull one, isn’t he? But I suspect Noelle livens him up. Still, the wedding offers more excitement than that. Lady Lockwood can always be counted on to cause some sort of contretemps…though hopefully she will not bring her dog. Of course Lord Edgerton will be there. I believe he annoys her ladyship even more than her first son-in-law—who knows what barbs she will cast his way?” He paused, then added, “And just imagine the stir if you show up.”
Sloane grunted and slid back from the table, standing. “Which is precisely why I am not going to the wedding.”
“Of course not. That’s why you haven’t tossed out that invitation. Why you were sitting there mooning over it when I came in.”
“I wasn’t mooning over anything. I was just…” He trailed off his sentence with a grimace.
“You were just contemplating whether facing down your relatives outweighed the prospect of seeing Annabeth Winfield.”
“I don’t give a tinker’s damn about facing my relatives.”
“Ah…then it’s whether seeing Annabeth is worth the pain.”
“Don’t be absurd.” Sloane’s voice held little conviction, and he turned away, walking over to the window. He crossed his arms and gazed out at the street below. A moment passed, and he said in a quiet voice, “It would be foolish to see her.”
“No doubt.” Marcus let out a sigh. “The foolish things are always the ones you most desire.”
“I’ve done well enough not seeing her for eleven years.” Being out of the country most of that time had helped. But even since he returned to England, Sloane had avoided Annabeth—well, maybe there was that one time when he first returned and he’d stood outside Lady Lockwood’s house in the dark to get a glimpse of Annabeth coming down the front steps and getting into a carriage. With Nathan. Sloane’s lips tightened at the thought.
It had come as something of a shock to see her at Stonecliffe two months ago. He had not realized that she and Lady Lockwood were visiting or he wouldn’t have gone there.
But as he had stood in the entryway with Noelle and the others, a door had opened down the hall, and there she had been: her soft brown hair in a little disarray, her face faintly flushed from activity, carrying a basket full of flowers. And in the moment, he couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, could only stare. She was as lovely as ever. And he was as dumbstruck as ever.
He’d turned and left like someone had shot at him. He wasn’t sure whether he even tossed a goodbye to Noelle and Carlisle. And bloody Nathan—of course he’d been there. That moment had disrupted Sloane’s carefully nurtured indifference, and even after his heart stopped beating like a madman’s and he’d reminded himself that he’d gotten over her years ago, he had not been able to keep his mind from going back to Annabeth time after time. Like a tongue returning to a bad tooth.
Behind him his father said, “Why do you continue like this? Why don’t you go to see her, tell her how you feel?”
Sloane snorted. “I’d have to fight my way through the butler and probably Lady Lockwood, too, to talk to her.”
“I’ve never known you to avoid a fight.”
“Maybe not. But I can’t fight Annabeth. And she’s the one who hates me.”
“How do you know that?” Marcus persisted. “She’s never married in all this time. She has no money, of course, but a sweet, pretty girl like that? She’s bound to have had plenty of offers.”
“No doubt.” Sloane’s jaw tightened. “But that doesn’t mean she’s been pining after me. I broke her heart. I knew I was breaking her heart. And the fact that I broke mine as well wouldn’t have made her feel any better or despise me any less.”
“Why don’t you tell her the truth?” His father’s voice turned sharp, his usual affability gone. “Explain what you did. Why you did it. Tell her that bastard Asquith blackmailed you into it.”
Sloane whirled, his eyes flashing. “I can’t tell her that. The truth would cause her just as much pain now as it would have then. I knew when I did it that I was sacrificing her love for a lifetime. I just thought my lifetime wouldn’t last very long.”
Letting out a disgusted noise, Sloane started out of the room. Before he’d taken two steps, there was a furious pounding at the front door. Frowning, he turned toward it. The pounding continued, along with someone shouting his name. Sloane reached the entry hall just as the footman opened the door and began an indignant dressing-down of the boy before him.
But the boy on the doorstep paid no attention and shoved his way past the footman, calling again. “Mr. Rutherford!”
“Timmy.” Sloane strode toward the door, alarm rising in him. “What is it? What the devil are—”
“It’s the docks, sir. Mr. Haskell sent me. You’ve got to come quick. The new warehouse is on fire.”
Candace Camp is a New York Times bestselling author of over sixty novels of contemporary and historical romance. She grew up in Texas in a newspaper family, which explains her love of writing, but she earned a law degree and practiced law before making the decision to write full-time. She has received several writing awards, including the RT Book Reviews Lifetime Achievement Award for Western Romances. Visit her at www.candace-camp.com.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for REMEMBER ME (Ravenswood Book #2) by Mary Balogh on this Berkley Blog Tour.
Below you will find and about the book section, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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About the Book
Philippa, elder daughter of the Earl of Stratton, grew up eagerly anticipating a glittering debut and a brilliant marriage. Then her brother caught their father out in a clandestine affair and denounced him publicly. The whole family was disgraced, and Philippa’s hopes grew dim, then were fully shattered when she overheard the dashing, handsome Marquess of Roath viciously insult her upon learning of her father’s identity. Only years later does Philippa find the courage to go to London at last to meet the ton. She is an instant success and enjoys a close friendship with the granddaughter of a duke. Only one man can spoil everything for her, but surely he will not be in London this year.
The Duke of Wilby is nearing death and has tasked his grandson and heir, Lucas Arden, Marquess of Roath, with marrying and producing a son before it is too late. Lucas, who usually shuns London, goes there early in the Season in the hope of finding an eligible bride before his grandparents come and find one for him. He is instantly attracted to his sister’s new friend, until that young lady asks a simple question: “Remember me?” And suddenly he does remember her, as well as the reason why the daughter of the Earl of Stratton is the one woman he can never marry—even if his heart tells him she is the only woman he wants.
Unfortunately for Philippa and Lucas, the autocratic duke and his duchess have other ideas and believe them to be perfect for each other. They will simply not take no for an answer. Telling Philippa the full truth is the hardest thing Lucas has ever faced, and the discovery of it will change them both before they discover the healing power of love.
REMEMBER ME (Ravenswood Book #2) by Mary Balogh is an enchanting Regency historical romance. This is the second book in the Ravenswood series, and it can be read as a standalone, but to get Phillipa’s entire backstory, I suggest you read book #1, Remember Love first.
Lady Phillipa “Pippa” Ware grew up eagerly awaiting her first London season until the public disgrace of her family. After overhearing the handsome Marquess of Roath calling her “soiled goods” when he visited a neighbor, she refused to go to London and isolated herself on her family’s estate.
Four years later, with the encouragement of her brother who is now the Earl, she leaves for her first season in London.
Lucas Arden, Marquess of Roath has been tasked by his grandfather the Duke of Wilby, who is elderly and not well, to find a bride and produce an heir. When he attends his first ton event, he is attracted to his sister’s new friend. When he asks to be introduced, he learns Lady Phillipa overheard his long-ago hurtful words spoken to his friend. Pippa wants to know why he said those words, but Lucas has a terrible secret of his own which involves her dead father that he never wanted to share.
His grandparents like Pippa and believe she would be the perfect match for Lucas, but can they overcome their pasts and discover the healing power of love?
This is another entertaining historical romance from Ms. Balogh. The characters are fully developed, and the dialogue is witty. There is a lot of family interaction and at times, I wish it was more focused on the hero of heroine’s love story. The sex scene was between an experienced man and a virgin which is expected for the time, but it also seemed a bit one sided in execution which I do not expect in a romance written today. Lucas’s grandparents are wonderful characters in this story with a beautiful love story of their own.
Overall, another emotional addition to the Ravenswood series and I am looking forward to following the other Ware family members as they meet their HEA mates.
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Excerpt
Voices hummed all around them and glass and china clinked as the other guests feasted upon the sumptuous tea set out before them. Spoons scraped upon dishes of fruit trifle. Philippa glanced down at her plate and was surprised to see that the cucumber sandwich had disappeared. She even had the taste of it in her mouth.
But would this tea, to which she had looked forward with such eager anticipation, never be over? She felt as though she were suffocating. The room seemed unnaturally stuffy.
“I have just realized to my shame that I have not yet spoken with at least one third of our guests,” Jenny said as she set her napkin down on the table. “I was so absorbed in my conversation with Pippa before you arrived, Luc, that I neglected everyone else. And I kept you from mingling too, Pippa, though I know you have very few acquaintances in London and came here to make some. I do apologize.”
“We can put your first concern to rest without further delay, Jenny,” Sir Gerald said, getting to his feet. “I see your wheeled chair in the corner here beside the mantel. Let me get you into it, and we will move about together from table to table, greeting people we have not already spoken with.”
He was fetching the chair as he spoke. He bent over his cousin and, with what was obviously practiced ease, lifted her into it.
“That is kind of you, Gerald,” Jenny said. “But now I am abandoning Pippa after begging her to stay with me. Luc, will you be so good as to give her your company until everyone begins to move about again?”
“It will be my pleasure,” he said while Philippa smiled and her heart thumped uncomfortably and she felt robbed of breath.
The Marquess of Roath was on his feet, moving his chair out of the way so the wheeled chair could pass behind it, and bending to tuck the hem of his sister’s dress about her ankles so it would not catch beneath a wheel.
When he sat down again, he did not move his chair back to where it had been. It was now closer to Philippa than before. She was aware again of the voices around them, seeming to enclose them in a cocoon of silence, which neither of them broke for a few moments. Their eyes met. His were brown, but not very dark. There were hints of green in them. He opened his mouth to speak, but she forestalled him. She had learned something in the last seven or eight months, since Devlin’s return home from the wars. She had learned the importance of speaking truth rather than suppressing it and living with the illusion that all would be well in her world if only she kept quiet about what was not well.
“Remember me?” she said.
* * * * *
The sound of many voices talking at once had grown louder as more of the guests finished eating. A few had risen from their places and were moving about to talk with fellow guests at other tables. Lady Philippa Ware had spoken quietly. Lucas was not quite sure he had heard her correctly.
But all through tea, while the four of them had chatted amiably and shared family anecdotes and laughed over them—his and Jenny’s and Gerald’s on the one hand, Lady Philippa’s on the other—he had been dragging up a distant memory from that place in the mind where one stuffs away gaffes one would dearly love to obliterate altogether if only it were possible. It was a memory from four or five years ago of going to spend Easter with James Rutledge, a friend from his Oxford years. James lived with his parents and siblings somewhere close to the village of…Boscombe? Lucas thought that was the name. It was in Hampshire anyway. When he had accepted the invitation, he had had no idea that the Earl of Stratton lived at Ravenswood Hall, a mere stone’s throw from the village. He had discovered it within a day or two of his arrival, however. James had taken him—because he had thought it would amuse Lucas—to watch a crowd of his neighbors practice maypole dancing in someone’s large barn, or what was supposedly a barn. It had clearly not seen either animals or hay for many a year, if ever.
Lady Philippa was not going to speak again, it seemed, until he did. But her eyes—those large, very blue eyes—did not waver from his own. And though she had spoken quietly, she had also spoken quite distinctly. He did not need to have her repeat the words.
Remember me?
“Have we met before, Lady Philippa?” he asked. But he had the ghastly feeling that they had.
Mary Balogh has written more than one hundred historical novels and novellas, more than forty of which have been New York Times bestsellers. They include the Bedwyn saga, the Simply quartet, the Huxtable quintet, the seven-part Survivors’ Club series, and the Westcott series.
Today is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review for THE WHISPERING TONGUES by Beth Andrews for this Books ‘n’ All Promotions. This series is promoted as a Regency romance series, but to me they are more Regency cozy mysteries featuring a young married couple who love to solve murders.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Anthea Halliwell’s life was ruined by scandal. Her once-bright future was cruelly taken from her the moment she was accused of theft. For seven long years she has been shunned by society, her reputation in tatters.
To make matters worse, her father loses their fortune to gambling, and Anthea is forced to ask the handsome Gideon Rodrigo for help.
But instead of giving her money, he asks for her hand. What may be a marriage of convenience for Anthea is a life-long dream for Gideon. He’s admired and loved her for years.
Now he will do anything to clear his beloved wife’s name. Gideon enlists the help of John and Lydia Savage, a couple known for their sleuthing skills, to clear Anthea’s name.
While tongues wag and suspicions mount, John and Lydia suspect more than theft and slander are at play. Someone is killing to keep their secrets hidden.
If Anthea is to have any chance at happiness, she must catch a killer, clear her name and restore her reputation.
ALSO BY BETH ANDREWS SUSSEX REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES Book 1: HIDDEN IN THE HEART Book 2: THE UNFORGIVING EYE Book 3: THE WHISPERING TONGUES
STANDALONES LOVE AND FREINDSHIP (SIC) AND OTHER DELUSIONS
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE WHISPERING TONGUES (Sussex Regency Romance Book #3) by Beth Andrews is another entertaining addition to this series featuring a young Regency couple who love to solve murder mysteries. This series is promoted as Regency romance books, but I feel the entire series are cozy Regency mysteries. This book is easily read as a standalone, but the couple’s personal lives evolve throughout the series.
For seven years, Anthea Halliwell has been shunned and in hiding due to accusations of theft. When her father has lost all his money to gambling, Anthea sees no other solution than asking Gideon Rodrigo for help setting up a small business, but Gideon has other plans. He has loved Anthea in secret for years and offers her marriage and safety instead.
Gideon and Anthea elope and then he sets his mind to clearing his wife’s name once and for all. He enlists the help of John and Lydia Savage, a couple known for their sleuthing skills. John and Lydia suspect more is involved than a simple theft and solving murder after all seems to be their specialty. John and Lydia are not in Bath for the waters, but to clear the new Mrs. Rodrigo’s name and reputation, which may be more dangerous than they believed.
I enjoyed this book as well as the entire series. They are solidly written cozy mysteries with an engaging young couple, the Savages, that we follow throughout the series. The plot moves at a steady pace and is filled with red herrings. While lighter reads, the author did illustrate the prejudice against the Jewish population in this time period. This is another intriguing investigation with the Savages and I hope there are more to come.
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About the Author
Beth Andrews (a.k.a. Paul Bethel) was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. At the age of about seven, ‘Beth’ was reading lurid and completely inappropriate tales of murder in True Detective magazine — which may explain her somewhat twisted sense of humour. Writing soon followed. Graduating to Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, Regency romance and mystery was a natural progression — though Paul still indulges in scribbling occasional contemporary stories and song lyrics just for fun, as well as non-fiction articles and essays for Jane Austen’s Regency World. Paul also enjoys music, gardening, travel (pre-pandemic, of course) and the beach.
