May 6, 2019
A false impression hides the answer to a woman’s dreams in Balogh’s layered sixth Westcott Regency (after Someone to Trust). Abigail Westcott, raised in the nobility, had been disgraced on the discovery that her parents’ marriage was illegal, but now she is newly wealthy and content to remain single. Thrilled to welcome home her injured soldier brother, Harry, she’s not impressed by his friend, Gil Bennington, whom she initially mistakes for a servant. Gil, a high-ranking officer, is ashamed of his illegitimacy, and he assumes Abby’s introverted nature is merely snobbery. Only when they both stay with Harry during his convalescence do the two realize there’s more to the other than meets the eye. When Gil is faced with a family emergency, Abby risks everything to help him, and Gil must decide whether he deserves a place in her titled family—and in her heart. Through these charming characters, Balogh explores the universal question “Who am I?” and its related concerns about self-worth. This warmhearted addition to the Westcott series adds depth to a complex, congenial family.
Starred review from June 1, 2019
Overjoyed that her older brother, Harry, is returning from the Napoleonic Wars, Abigail Westcott joins the extensive Westcott clan in descending on the recovering hero at their childhood country home. Harry will hate being fussed over, so Abby doesn't plan to stay long. But when the peacefulness and familiarity lure her in (to say nothing of the promised refuge from the tedious London social whirl), Abby changes her mind, never thinking that her entire life is about to be upended, as Harry did not return alone. Lt. Col. Gilbert Bennington arrived from the continent with Harry, and while Gil and Abby clash from the start, Abby is appalled to find herself both annoyed and attracted by the dour, problematic man. Illegitimacy, child custody, social consequence, and self-perception are critical issues here, and assorted family members play key roles as the Westcotts rally as only they can. VERDICT A strong, compassionate heroine and a hero who learns to appreciate his worth discover the true meaning of love in this tender, perceptive, and infinitely entertaining romance that delightfully continues the saga of the unconventional Westcotts. Balogh (Someone To Trust) lives in Canada.
Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2019
Two wronged souls join their lives in a marriage of convenience in Regency England. Balogh (Someone To Trust, 2018, etc.) pairs the youngest daughter of the Westcott family with Lt. Col. Gilbert Bennington, a stoic war hero whose traumas are more personal than combat-related thanks to the trifecta of illegitimacy, childhood poverty, and a ruined attempt to establish a family. While he initially finds Abigail Westcott to be no different from others who have treated him with condescension, he slowly comes to trust her. Following her brother's prompting, the two decide to marry to help Gil win a custody battle--his late wife's parents have laid claim to his child--but also because they want each other. That the two are sexually compatible despite different upbringings and class status is to be expected in a Balogh novel, as is the support of her extended clan. The assortment of babies and adopted and biological children that come with this group, as well as Gil's Disney-ish dog, lends some charm to the otherwise anxiety-ridden plot, though their inclusion feels calculatedly mawkish. Most adult characters get a similar positive treatment, with one glaring absence: Gil's dead wife, who is a throwback to the misogynistic representations of women rivals once common in romance. Not only is she spoken of as a thoughtless privileged girl who fled motherhood, she is described in kink-phobic terms, striking an odd note in the increasingly sex-positive climate of the genre. A comic court scene toward the climax provides a nice break from the dramatic events and adds some vinegar to the pat sweet ending. A familiarly comforting addition to the Westcott series that will hold no surprises for Balogh fans.
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Starred review from June 1, 2019
Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Gil Bennington might be an officer, but he is no gentleman. At least that is what Abigail "Abby" Westcott thinks when she first encounters him, sans shirt, chopping wood at her family's country estate. After all, what sort of man would parade around exuding all that raw masculinity knowing that there might be ladies present? However, once Abby gets over her initial impression of Gil and learns exactly how much he has done for her brother, Harry, who is finally home recovering from the Napoleonic wars, she begins to think that of all the men she knows, Gil may actually deserve the honorific of gentleman most of all. Poignant, heartrending, hopeful, and quietly profound, the latest exquisitely written installment in Balogh's Regency Westcott series is another sure bet for the author's legion of fans as well as an excellent introduction for new readers to Balogh's effortlessly elegant and superbly romantic brand of literary magic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)