Can Lady Philippa Ware forgive the man who once shattered all her youthful dreams? Discover the passionate and heartwarming new novel on the redemptive power of love from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.
REMEMBER ME by MARY BALOGH
Series: Ravenswood #2
Publication date: June 20, 2023
Published by: Berkley
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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REVIEW
It was the irony of ironies perhaps thathe had fallen hard for the very womanhe had once insulted quite unforgivably.
Believe it or not, this is my first Mary Balogh read! I've been reading historical romance since I was a teenager, so that's a pretty shocking thing to admit. As one of the more established authors in the genre with a large fan base, I was very excited to finally read one of her novels. The synopsis intrigued me quite a bit as there were several themes that I like to read. Second chance, mysteriously forbidden love, and love-to-hate-to-love. The hero unintentionally caused the heroine emotional distress and suffering in the past, and he has to overcome his hurtful behavior before they can be together. Moreover, even if she were to forgive him, he is hiding a monumental secret that he feels unable to reveal to her. It's because of this secret that he decides they could never join their two families in marriage, despite his growing feelings for her. The conflicts are multi-layered and well-developed that are all woven together in a seamless way. For these reasons, Remember Me was a worthwhile and decent read.
One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that there was no fortune hunting on either side. Maybe it's the fact that a series I recently read was based entirely around that theme, or maybe I've just read it too many times in general, but the absence of it was really refreshing. The protagonists were on common ground financially as well as socially. From the outside looking in, these two seemed to be made to pair together. In addition, Philippa's mother Clarissa is very close friends with Lucas' Aunt Catherine. It would be a dream come true for them to have their families connected.
Lucas' ornery grandfather, the Duke of Stratton has given his emphatic stamp of approval after seeing the two of them together, and that is surely an impossible feat to achieve with him. So it almost seems as if it's a foregone conclusion that Lucas and Philippa will become engaged this season in London. They seem to have a friendly rapport, and even lock eyes across the room on a frequent basis. In everyone's mind, it's only a matter of time before they end up together. What they don't know is that Philippa is putting on a brave face in front of everyone every time she encounters the man whose words once cut her deep to her core. Lucas is ashamed and uncomfortable around her because he shoulders the burden of that terrible, destructive secret. It becomes a dance of sorts, as everyone around them tries nudging them a step closer, and they skittishly back two steps away.
Another unique feature of the plot was the ages of the main characters looking to get married. By Regency period standards, At 22 years old, Philippa is verging on the label of "spinster" by society's standards. She's looking for a husband later than usual because she was too emotionally wounded to enter the marriage mart. Lucas is wife hunting at the age of 26, which is quite early for a man of that time. His grandfather's failing health is a great cause for concern. Both of his grandparents are getting on in age and want to be assured that he is happily married and working on another "spare" heir to pass the title to. If Lucas were to suffer an untimely death like his parents, the estate would pass on to a distant relative whom nobody is particularly fond of. I appreciated this departure from the norm in your average historical romance.
Some cons about the plot were:
•lots of secondary characters taking up page time in book
There was her mother, sister, four brothers, a sister-in-law, his grandparents and aunt, cousins, uncle...etc. I normally like family-centric stories, but their involvement took away from the main couple a bit.
•3rd person POV
My personal preference is to read 1st person POV. Third tends to generally take me outside of the story and make it difficult for me to fully immerse in the story. This is just my own preference, and will not be an issue for many others.
•slow paced
The book dragged for portions where I felt that not enough action was happening to propel the story forward.
•lack of chemistry between characters
As much as I was rooting for the two of them to get together and respected both characters individually flaws and all, I didn't feel any passion or angst in their forbidden love/harmful secret conflict that dragged through most of the book. With themes like these, there was potential to feel some powerful butterflies and thrills, but I was left feeling a little cold. I think Philippa and Lucas resisted each other for a long time, denying themselves the indulgence of even thinking of each other romantically. So when they finally agreed to get engaged, the romance felt stiff, forced, and rushed. Don't get me wrong, they were sweet and caring with one another, but it was like watching two strangers politely navigate their new marriage.
Overall, I appreciated all of the unique aspects of the story, but the romance fell a bit flat in the end while the pace as a whole dragged for longer than I would have liked. I can definitely see why this author has a large fan base, and perhaps I chose the wrong book to introduce myself to her work. I didn't love this one, but there were enough positives that I would like to read another in the future to see if I can mesh with her writing style and a different couple.
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