Only Beloved by Mary Balogh

A nice ending to a wonderful series.

We've met both George, the Duke of Stanbrook, and Dora Debbins, spinster music teacher, in the previous Survivors' Club books. George is the older duke who had lost his son in the war and then created a hospital where many of the worst cases from the war were sent; those with both mental and physical ailments. 

Dora had once thought that she would marry and have a family. But the year of her come out, her father caused a scandal that ended in her parents' divorce. So Dora stayed home and helped to raise her sister Agnes. Agnes married once, was widowed, and then married one of the Survivors, Flavian, in Only Enchanting. In the meantime, Dora has been teaching music in a small town. It's a cozy life that leaves her mostly content. Until the day, over a year after she met him, the duke comes to propose marriage.

George has watched his six friends get married. And he doesn't begrudge them that. Even though his own marriage wasn't good and it ended when his wife committed suicide. But now he's realizing that he is lonely. He's not interested in the very young women that society would believe him to pick for his wife. And whenever he imagines the rest of his life, he sees Dora in his mind. And, yes, she's old (at 39) but he doesn't need an heir, his nephew Julian is good enough. So, the duke goes to propose.

They both go into the marriage with open eyes, knowing that contentment is the goal. But perhaps, there may be just a little more...

Four stars

This book came out May 3, 2016

Survivors' Club #7

Follows Only a Kiss

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh

Most of Mary Balogh's books read along like a gentle river. Maybe some ripples but mostly a comforting and relaxing ride. This one was just a little slower than the others in this series and I felt bad since I've been waiting for Imogen's story for a long time. 

We've reached the end of the series (except for maybe the Duke's story?) and we finally learn what brought Imogen to Penderris. And why she's secreting herself in the wilds of Cornwall. The same wilds that Percival Haryes, Earl of Hardford decides that he's going to escape to. He's drunk at the time and only half-remembers that he has an estate in Cornwall and somehow it makes sense that, to cure his boredom, he needs to be more bored. 

But then he gets there and finds out that his late cousin's wife is at the estate. And her aunt-in-law as well as a companion. Oh. And a LOT of dogs and cats. None of which he's pleased about. 

So it's a rough meeting for the two of them. But as they get to know each other, they find out that maybe they're not so different after all...

Three stars

This book came out September 1, 2015

Survivors' Club #6

Follows Only a Promise

Followed by Only Beloved

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

The Arrangement by Mary Balogh

Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh has let his mother and older sisters run his life for the past six years, ever since he was blinded. But them arranging for a wife without even talking to him is the last straw. He takes off to Barton Coombs, the village where he grew up.

The Marches are part of the local gentry who are ecstatic that he is back. After all, their daughter Henrietta is beautiful and of marriageable age (not to mention that she didn't really do well furing her comeout season.) In fact, maybe she'll just trap him and save the trouble of her failing again.

Called the mouse by her own family, Sophia Fry is a poor relation who is fed and clothed by the March family but otherwise derided. Her only comfort is her sketches. She listens to the March scheming and decides to help the viscount whose only sin, after all, is being too kind. For her troubles, she is kicked out of the house.

Vincent hears about it and decides to offer arrangement. He will marry her for an heir and to get his family off his back while she will get safety.

Four stars

This book came out February 17, 2013

Survivors' Club #2

Follows The Suitor (novella, 1.5)

Followed by The Escape

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

The Suitor by Mary Balogh

In book 2 of the series, we met Philippa Dean was being put forward as Viscount Darleigh's fiancee. He runs away from her. In this story, we get to see her side. 

It seems she's been in love for quite awhile but her intended (the nephew of one of the other survivors), though in line to inherit a dukedom, is young and was a little foolish when they first met. Now, he's willing to do anything, including crashing the house party to make sure he can get the woman he loves.

A nice interstitial to the main series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 22, 2013

Survivors' Club #1.5

Follows The Proposal

Followed by The Arrangement

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

A lovely, quiet, regency romance.

Hugo, Lord Trentham is part of a tight group of ex-military men (and one woman) who recovered together. They get together every year and celebrate being alive and check in with each other. Hugo missed last year's gathering so he's happy to be coming to this year's event but is irritated by the fact that he thinks it's time to marry. But where will he find a willing woman? Especially since he grew up middle class but has been granted a title and his sister wants to mingle in the ton.

Gwendoline, Lady Muir, is a widow who is visiting a... well, not a friend. She's visiting a woman who made her debut at the same time as Gwen. Both are widowed and Gwen was feeling lonely. She thought maybe sharing her loneliness with another widow might be helpful. But the woman is super irritating. Super irritating. So Gwen takes a walk down on the beach where she unfortunately twists her ankle. Luckily, Hugo is there to rescue her and take her up to the duke's house where the Survivors are gathering. And they begin to find some common ground. Or at least some common attraction that leads to learning more about them. 

This book is a link to the Bedwyn series through the prequels - Gwen is Neville's sister and was featured in Lauren's book, a Summer to Remember.

Four stars

This book came out April 13, 2012

Survivors' Club #1

Followed by The Suitor

Borrowed by audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Only a Promise by Mary Balogh

Chloe Muirhead is twenty-seven years old. At eighteen, her grandmother died and her debut into society was postponed. When she finally came out at twenty-one, her seventeen-year-old sister caused a scandal by running away with a married man. Her brother compounded the scandal by participating in a mockery of a duel. When the man's wife died and Chloe's sister married him, Chloe ventured out again. Only to be inundated by another shock of rumors when the daughter of the man who had courted Chloe's mother (only to marry another when he found out he was in need of funds) debuts and looks shockingly similar to Chloe. Rumors abound and the man who had publicly spurned her at twenty-one is one of the people rushing to spread rumors of her bastardy. Chloe decides to retire from society and asks her mother's godmother, a duchess, if she can perhaps become her companion. Instead, she is invited to their house as a guest, but she can't help but feel obliged.
Ralph meets Chloe when he visits his grandparents, the duke and duchess. He has felt massive amounts of guilt since he talked his three friends into going to war with him and they all died. Everyone except him, and even he was left with visible scars to remind him of what happened. Now, at twenty-six, he is being pressured to find a wife, since he is the last heir in the direct line. He is somewhat shocked when Chloe suggests they marry. She wants nothing except children and part of his reluctance in marrying is that he feels he has nothing to give.
Another lovely book in the Survivors' Club series and I can NOT wait for the next book and Imogen's story.

Four and a half stars

This book came out June 9, 2015

Survivors' Club #5

Follows Only Enchanting

Followed by Only a Kiss

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible Plus May 2024

Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh

Balogh just keeps hitting it out of the park with this series. If you've enjoyed this series so far, I can guarantee that this one will be a good pick.
We've met Flavian, Viscount Ponsonby, in other books. He was broken both physically and mentally during the war. When he got home, his fiancee married his best friend. Now that that friend is dead, his family (and hers) seem to expect that they will marry. But Flavian doesn't want to do that. He's not sure why, but his upcoming meeting with the Survivor's Club should help him relax.
Their meeting also brings him back in touch with Agatha Deering who he met on a previous visit. All of their meetings are just sweet and wonderful in ways that only Balogh can paint.
The character development is wonderful and the way the relationship builds between Agatha and Flavian is wonderful. They don't communicate completely from beginning to end but there aren't any Big Misunderstandings and it's wonderful.

Four stars

This book came out October 28, 2014

Survivors' Club #4

Follows The Escape

Followed by Only a Promise

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible Plus May 2024

The Escape by Mary Balogh

If you have enjoyed the rest of the Survivor's Club (or, really, any of Balogh's books), you will quite enjoy this book as well. Do you need to have read the first two books in the series? Not at all. 
Major Sir Benedict Harper nearly lost both his legs as well as his life after the Napoleonic wars. After struggling for six years to get healthy enough to live his own life, he is stymied by the fact that his younger brother already runs his estate and the brother's family is quite entrenched there. Benedict really has nothing to do and is at loose ends. Until he visits his sister who is convalescing after an illness. He nearly tramples a haughty widow and her dog when he leaps over a hedge on his horse.
Samantha McKay is escaping her house. Her husband convalesced for a long time after being injured in the war. Since his death, his sister has been keeping Samantha under a tight rein, telling her that she has to behave as befits a lady. See, Samantha has gypsy blood in her veins and her husband's family has always looked down on her as being "not quite." 
But the end comes when Samantha's father-in-law wants to throw her out of the house where she's been living for so long and sends men to take her back to London. She knows that she'll be stifled there for the rest of her life and she just can't do it. So she enlists Benedict to help her get to Wales where she's been left a small cottage. The journey, of course, is a time for them to get to know one another. And when they get to Wales, there's a whole lot of Samantha's history that she is ready to discover.
This is all told in such a gentle voice. It's like floating down a slow-moving stream. You don't really need to think, just look around and enjoy the scenery. Told in alternating points-of-view, each side overlaps the other, picking up just before the last ended. After reading so many hard and fast contemporaries, this is a wonderful read and delightful palate cleanser. Can't wait for the rest of the books in the series (especially the Duke, though I assume he is being saved for last. Le sigh.)
Imagine my delight when I got to the end of the book and there were still dozens of pages left and it turned out to be the story of Julian and Phillipa, the erstwhile fiancee of Vincent from "The Suitor." Normally, I don't like short stories but this was a sweet one of two young lovers who were star-crossed but who have worked hard for two years to find their HEAs.

Four stars

This book came out July 1, 2014

Survivors' Club #3

Follows The Arrangement
Followed by Only Enchanting

Borrowed as ebook from the library

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible Plus May 2024