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Ravenswood #1
Remember Love
The handsome and charismatic Earl of Stratton, Caleb Ware, has been exposed to the ton for his clandestine affairs—by his own son.
As a child, Devlin Ware thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenwood, their grand country estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twenty-two, he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor.
So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn’t look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It’s only when Gwyneth Rhys—the woman he loved and then lost after his family banished him—holds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.
It is Gwyneth’s loyalty, patience, and love that he needs. But is Devlin’s war-hardened heart even capable of offering her love in return?
As a child, Devlin Ware thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenwood, their grand country estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twenty-two, he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor.
So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn’t look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It’s only when Gwyneth Rhys—the woman he loved and then lost after his family banished him—holds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.
It is Gwyneth’s loyalty, patience, and love that he needs. But is Devlin’s war-hardened heart even capable of offering her love in return?
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2022
816 people are currently reading
10925 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
200 books6,341 followersMary 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.
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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 700 reviews
July 27, 2022
I am already 20 minutes into the audiobook and so far there has been a listing of every person in the immediate Ware family, a very long description of their Ravenswood estate, and then a description of the history of an annual event held there for the entire community. There’s not even a hint of a plot yet and if I didn’t read the blurb I would have no clue which of the many characters are supposed to be the main ones. Where was the editor for this book?? Life’s too short to weed through this much info dumping at the very beginning of a book.
September 20, 2022
A beautifully written story, drenching with emotions. Random spoiler-y reading thoughts below.
Beginning:
Who are all of these people?!
Why do I need to know all about all of them? I'm so bored.
Aww, they both love each other and don't know!!!
For a 22-year-old, he's quite mature.
I love how he thinks.
I love her fire.
This is the sweetest first kiss, I love them!
His father is a completely selfish asshat.
His family are jerks.
Nooooooooo!
Middle:
Six YEARS!!??
War is horrific.
What the actual hell?
Camp cooks, washerwomen, widows but never the wives?
Well at least he has some morals.
I hate that the author made him like this.
Of course she's still a virgin 😒
Warning. Ranting ahead. Is it possible for ANY author to write a second chance of romance, where the H isn't a complete manwhore while the h is celibate? What if we reversed roles, could she be the one having all the sex while he pines away? I'm so tired of this BS.
End:
These people are quite forward thinking for this time period.
Really? Thinking of all your ow right now?
Of course her love heals his jaded heart.
Of course all is joyful and hea.
Wished we actually got to see them falling in love.
Wished there were more parts of the story with the actual main characters.
Wished we had more than one pathetic love scene.
Wished he had saved himself for her. What a unique story that would have been.
Beginning:
Who are all of these people?!
Why do I need to know all about all of them? I'm so bored.
Aww, they both love each other and don't know!!!
For a 22-year-old, he's quite mature.
I love how he thinks.
I love her fire.
This is the sweetest first kiss, I love them!
His father is a completely selfish asshat.
His family are jerks.
Nooooooooo!
Middle:
Six YEARS!!??
War is horrific.
What the actual hell?
Camp cooks, washerwomen, widows but never the wives?
Well at least he has some morals.
I hate that the author made him like this.
Of course she's still a virgin 😒
Warning. Ranting ahead. Is it possible for ANY author to write a second chance of romance, where the H isn't a complete manwhore while the h is celibate? What if we reversed roles, could she be the one having all the sex while he pines away? I'm so tired of this BS.
End:
These people are quite forward thinking for this time period.
Really? Thinking of all your ow right now?
Of course her love heals his jaded heart.
Of course all is joyful and hea.
Wished we actually got to see them falling in love.
Wished there were more parts of the story with the actual main characters.
Wished we had more than one pathetic love scene.
Wished he had saved himself for her. What a unique story that would have been.
July 13, 2022
This was beautiful, heart wrenching, romantic, and honestly perfect.
In typical Mary style this is a slowly developing story with a longer introduction to the family as I would expect for the first in a series. Our couple gets introduced right away and it's clear that they both have secret feelings for each other, believing them to be unrequited by the other person.
They share one day where they realize their feelings are in fact returned before a scandal strikes that tears them apart for several years.
The bulk of the story is the two of them trying to deal with their changed lives, while fighting once again, the fact that they are still in love.
This book was a beautiful romance full of so much longing it made me ache. And the siblings were all so well fleshed out that I can't wait for future books. This is going to be a series I look forward to every year.
*I received an advance copy for review*
In typical Mary style this is a slowly developing story with a longer introduction to the family as I would expect for the first in a series. Our couple gets introduced right away and it's clear that they both have secret feelings for each other, believing them to be unrequited by the other person.
They share one day where they realize their feelings are in fact returned before a scandal strikes that tears them apart for several years.
The bulk of the story is the two of them trying to deal with their changed lives, while fighting once again, the fact that they are still in love.
This book was a beautiful romance full of so much longing it made me ache. And the siblings were all so well fleshed out that I can't wait for future books. This is going to be a series I look forward to every year.
*I received an advance copy for review*
September 3, 2022
Hummmm how do I describe this book...I had a lot of trouble getting "into" the story. I started and stopped 3 times and ended up skimming a good part of it, so I know I missed out on some of the nuances. The intro was waaaaaaay too informative. My attention wandered before I even met the main characters.
The book seemed more a philosophical debate with a love story wedged into the plot. Did or did not Devlin do the right thing the night of the party. I (again many have LOVED this book) thought he was a very young 22. Even in his world he must have realized that people can have feet of clay and not turned his back on his entire family for the mistakes of others for years. Some of the challenges of women in the early 1800's are brought up but I still felt like a bit of a modern take on the era. 2.75* The book is what happens when you toss a stone into still waters and watch the effect of the ripples.
The book seemed more a philosophical debate with a love story wedged into the plot. Did or did not Devlin do the right thing the night of the party. I (again many have LOVED this book) thought he was a very young 22. Even in his world he must have realized that people can have feet of clay and not turned his back on his entire family for the mistakes of others for years. Some of the challenges of women in the early 1800's are brought up but I still felt like a bit of a modern take on the era. 2.75* The book is what happens when you toss a stone into still waters and watch the effect of the ripples.
July 2, 2022
A harsh but gentle love story. Of love denied, gone wrong and Remembered.
Just as the untamed Gwyneth Rhys finds her heart’s desire, as the young Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, recognises and bravely tells her he loves her, and asks her to marry him, ‘just like that’ within moments, their hopes are dashed.
At the local fete Ball held at Ravenswood Hall, Devlin and Gwyn come upon his father comporting with a lovely widow who has newly taken up residence in the village of Bascombe. Devlin confronts his father over his actions, the older family adults club together in the face of scandal and accusations, and Dev is gone, banished from Ravenswood and Bascombe, as are Gwynn’s dreams.
Six years later and two years after his father had died, Dev returns to Ravenswood, a man who doesn’t know love, a hardened, battle weary soldier from the Napoleonic wars.
What he returns to remains to be seen.
Gwyn is unmarried but that seems about to change. She is keeping company with Alec Morgan, a well known musician and composer. Gwyn has decided that romantic love was for the past. It was painful and for the very young.
Now Dev is home and of course they meet. The chemistry between Gwyn and Dev is curtailed and halting. Gwynn’s wildness has retreated. The promise of her beginning seems to have faded. Dev is shutoff, fortressed. I felt there should have been so much more between them on their reacquaintance, but then I looked again at the title and I remembered. So maybe this is all there can be. Dev has to learn to feel and trust again. In his interactions with his siblings he was little more than an uptight vey young man. In youthful righteousness and anger, he called out a situation that he knew to be wrong. For that, he suffered. Can one remember love, or must that fade away with the past?
It’s only when Dev returns to Ravenswood that he begins to realize that he was not the only one to suffer.
There’s more hidden in the folds of this book, about love and life, about relationships, and taking stands that on the surface are correct, but it seems there’s always a price for those beyond the immediate focus.
An interesting and thoughtful start to the series, not mind blowing, but laying the groundwork for another Balogh family saga. I very much look forward to seeing how this work expands.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley. Many thanks to the author and publisher
BTW Marketers! P-leeze can we stop appealing to the Bridgertons as a bona fide reason for reading Historical Romances by other authors!
Just as the untamed Gwyneth Rhys finds her heart’s desire, as the young Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, recognises and bravely tells her he loves her, and asks her to marry him, ‘just like that’ within moments, their hopes are dashed.
At the local fete Ball held at Ravenswood Hall, Devlin and Gwyn come upon his father comporting with a lovely widow who has newly taken up residence in the village of Bascombe. Devlin confronts his father over his actions, the older family adults club together in the face of scandal and accusations, and Dev is gone, banished from Ravenswood and Bascombe, as are Gwynn’s dreams.
Six years later and two years after his father had died, Dev returns to Ravenswood, a man who doesn’t know love, a hardened, battle weary soldier from the Napoleonic wars.
What he returns to remains to be seen.
Gwyn is unmarried but that seems about to change. She is keeping company with Alec Morgan, a well known musician and composer. Gwyn has decided that romantic love was for the past. It was painful and for the very young.
Now Dev is home and of course they meet. The chemistry between Gwyn and Dev is curtailed and halting. Gwynn’s wildness has retreated. The promise of her beginning seems to have faded. Dev is shutoff, fortressed. I felt there should have been so much more between them on their reacquaintance, but then I looked again at the title and I remembered. So maybe this is all there can be. Dev has to learn to feel and trust again. In his interactions with his siblings he was little more than an uptight vey young man. In youthful righteousness and anger, he called out a situation that he knew to be wrong. For that, he suffered. Can one remember love, or must that fade away with the past?
It’s only when Dev returns to Ravenswood that he begins to realize that he was not the only one to suffer.
There’s more hidden in the folds of this book, about love and life, about relationships, and taking stands that on the surface are correct, but it seems there’s always a price for those beyond the immediate focus.
An interesting and thoughtful start to the series, not mind blowing, but laying the groundwork for another Balogh family saga. I very much look forward to seeing how this work expands.
A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley. Many thanks to the author and publisher
BTW Marketers! P-leeze can we stop appealing to the Bridgertons as a bona fide reason for reading Historical Romances by other authors!
July 11, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, and Ms. Balogh for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.
I’m a longtime reader of Ms. Balogh’s and I was very excited to be given early access to her new series launch. Unfortunately, while the series itself has promise, the opening book just didn’t fully succeed for me.
Devlin Ware, eldest son of the Earl of Stratton, is described even in his (idealistic, naïve, bucolic, joy-filled) youth as “dour” by his neighbors. He and Gwyneth Rhys, daughter of neighboring landowner Lord Rhys, have been attracted to each other for years but due to miscommunications, shyness, misread signals and personality quirks, they each felt the other one disliked them. (Sorry about the cumbersome sentence!) They confess the truth to each other at the summer festival, immediately followed by Devlin’s discovery of his father’s indiscretion and subsequent loud, dramatic and messy public scene. (This is my opinion, but I felt that the Big Messy Scene itself was a little overblown. It seemed like a scene straight out of a Maury Povich confrontation show.)
Devlin is basically evicted from his family and, along with half-brother Ben, joins the army to fight in the Napoleonic war. His dourness evolves into a granite-hard shell of moroseness and bitterness until he is suddenly recalled to Stratton following his father’s death. Meanwhile, Gwyneth follows a frequent Balogh heroine pattern and stays single throughout these six years since no man can really live up to Devlin’s memory in her heart.
The storyline had so much promise. Unfortunately, the pacing is completely off. The vast majority of the book is preliminary scene-setting: describing the beautiful, bucolic, happy family and gorgeous estate, establishing Gwyneth’s friendship with Nick (Devlin’s younger brother) and her true feelings about Devlin, spending lavish time on Gwyneth and Nick deciding to separate due to friends and family getting the wrong idea about their friendship, and describing the summer festival in extensive detail. The messy scene itself, and its immediate emotional fallout, receive a large chunk of the book as well. Even Devlin’s time in the war, with its attendant descriptions of dangers and aaaaaaaaalllllllll the many women he sleeps with but doesn’t love (of course, because they are not Gwyneth), receives more than its fair share of attention.
Devlin’s reunion with his family and all his estranged family members is given equal page time (if not more) than his reunion with, and complicated feelings for, Gwyneth. I was really surprised that the actual adult romance only started happening around 75% or so. Devlin was still insisting he would not, could not, love anyone at 95%. Of course, Gwyneth and Devlin have a happy ending (it is a romance, this is not a surprise) but it was very unexpected to me that such a large portion of the book was devoted to preliminaries and so little to Devlin and Gwyneth’s mature relationship. I felt that as slowly paced as the beginning was, with its pages and pages of descriptions, the ending was absolutely rushed. This IS a series starter. I get that. Clearly each of the family members will get their own books. But shouldn’t Devlin, arguably the most emotionally disturbed of them all, get more time in his own book? For all the time we spent with him as young man and at war, his emotional recovery once he returned home was hurried and his time spent primarily on reconciling with and helping his family members. There wasn’t a lot of romance with Gwyneth, just angst, and their single intimate scene together was peppered with his recollections about his wartime dalliances (how sweet).
I don’t know. It’s Mary Balogh, so I’ll probably give the series another chance, but this one did not leave me feeling happy and full of those loving feelings. It felt more like a long therapy session. I do hope that the role of this book as the series starter means that the next books will benefit from the absence of the long explanatory portions and introductions featured here. If the next book is about Philippa, I’ll probably read it. I’d love to see her get some revenge.
I’m a longtime reader of Ms. Balogh’s and I was very excited to be given early access to her new series launch. Unfortunately, while the series itself has promise, the opening book just didn’t fully succeed for me.
Devlin Ware, eldest son of the Earl of Stratton, is described even in his (idealistic, naïve, bucolic, joy-filled) youth as “dour” by his neighbors. He and Gwyneth Rhys, daughter of neighboring landowner Lord Rhys, have been attracted to each other for years but due to miscommunications, shyness, misread signals and personality quirks, they each felt the other one disliked them. (Sorry about the cumbersome sentence!) They confess the truth to each other at the summer festival, immediately followed by Devlin’s discovery of his father’s indiscretion and subsequent loud, dramatic and messy public scene. (This is my opinion, but I felt that the Big Messy Scene itself was a little overblown. It seemed like a scene straight out of a Maury Povich confrontation show.)
Devlin is basically evicted from his family and, along with half-brother Ben, joins the army to fight in the Napoleonic war. His dourness evolves into a granite-hard shell of moroseness and bitterness until he is suddenly recalled to Stratton following his father’s death. Meanwhile, Gwyneth follows a frequent Balogh heroine pattern and stays single throughout these six years since no man can really live up to Devlin’s memory in her heart.
The storyline had so much promise. Unfortunately, the pacing is completely off. The vast majority of the book is preliminary scene-setting: describing the beautiful, bucolic, happy family and gorgeous estate, establishing Gwyneth’s friendship with Nick (Devlin’s younger brother) and her true feelings about Devlin, spending lavish time on Gwyneth and Nick deciding to separate due to friends and family getting the wrong idea about their friendship, and describing the summer festival in extensive detail. The messy scene itself, and its immediate emotional fallout, receive a large chunk of the book as well. Even Devlin’s time in the war, with its attendant descriptions of dangers and aaaaaaaaalllllllll the many women he sleeps with but doesn’t love (of course, because they are not Gwyneth), receives more than its fair share of attention.
Devlin’s reunion with his family and all his estranged family members is given equal page time (if not more) than his reunion with, and complicated feelings for, Gwyneth. I was really surprised that the actual adult romance only started happening around 75% or so. Devlin was still insisting he would not, could not, love anyone at 95%. Of course, Gwyneth and Devlin have a happy ending (it is a romance, this is not a surprise) but it was very unexpected to me that such a large portion of the book was devoted to preliminaries and so little to Devlin and Gwyneth’s mature relationship. I felt that as slowly paced as the beginning was, with its pages and pages of descriptions, the ending was absolutely rushed. This IS a series starter. I get that. Clearly each of the family members will get their own books. But shouldn’t Devlin, arguably the most emotionally disturbed of them all, get more time in his own book? For all the time we spent with him as young man and at war, his emotional recovery once he returned home was hurried and his time spent primarily on reconciling with and helping his family members. There wasn’t a lot of romance with Gwyneth, just angst, and their single intimate scene together was peppered with his recollections about his wartime dalliances (how sweet).
I don’t know. It’s Mary Balogh, so I’ll probably give the series another chance, but this one did not leave me feeling happy and full of those loving feelings. It felt more like a long therapy session. I do hope that the role of this book as the series starter means that the next books will benefit from the absence of the long explanatory portions and introductions featured here. If the next book is about Philippa, I’ll probably read it. I’d love to see her get some revenge.
May 22, 2023
So, so depressing.
The young hero thinks he has the perfect family, the perfect father. Only to find out that the father is a self-indulgent womanizer and his mother has to create her own happiness in a small protected world of her own while she fakes it.
The H does the worst. He actually believes the adage he's been taught that Honesty is the Best Policy as he outs his father's behavior at a ball. The fallout is epic for all involved and he's the one banished.
Emotional shutdown, be comes home eventually to find his family are living zombies.
The young hero thinks he has the perfect family, the perfect father. Only to find out that the father is a self-indulgent womanizer and his mother has to create her own happiness in a small protected world of her own while she fakes it.
The H does the worst. He actually believes the adage he's been taught that Honesty is the Best Policy as he outs his father's behavior at a ball. The fallout is epic for all involved and he's the one banished.
Emotional shutdown, be comes home eventually to find his family are living zombies.
August 12, 2022
Even a slightly boring Balogh is better than most HR books these days, BUT I really struggled finishing this. Too descriptive and slow-paced by far. I had the impression of reading a novella with many unnecessary additions. Still, the overall set-up, characters and family dynamics have caught my interest and I will probably pick up future additions to this series.
July 9, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up because it is Mary Balogh
For years Gwyneth Rhys has yearned for Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, and heir to the Earl of Stratton, but was too shy to make her feelings known. In fact, most people would assume that she was in love with his younger brother Nicholas, as they were best friends and constant companions. But little did she know that Devlin returned her feelings and kept his distance because like many others he thought she and Nick were in love. All that changed on the day of the annual Ravenswood fete, when Devlin learned the truth of Gwyn’s love and they shared their first kiss, and promises of forever were made. But within moments of attaining his heart's desire, his perfect world came crashing down when he caught his father kissing his mistress.
What happens next changes everyone’s lives, Devlin causes a scene by berating his father in front of their family and guests, believing his rage was in fact righteous anger in defense of his mother and female relatives, but instead of supporting him, his mother turned on him and demanded he leave. So he did, he walked away from his family, friends, and his love and stayed away even after his father died. For six long years, Devlin fought in the Penninsula wars, cutting himself off from everyone, save his half-brother/batman Ben and his brother Nick, who was also fighting. But with Napoleon defeated, he could no longer ignore his duty to his title and his family.
Gwyn is still living with her parents, she has had offers of marriage over the years, but no one has touched her heart, she is on the brink of settling for a comfortable marriage when Devlin returns, but gone is the man she knew. Regardless of his proclamation that he cannot love her, her heart refuses to believe that the darkness she senses in him has annihilated the man she loved and she sets out to help Devlin remember their love.
This was a bit of a slow read with a lot of setup for the series, so the book ended up being on the wordy side and the romance seemed to be lost in the details. I also feel like Gwyn and Devlin never really “fell in love” they were in love when the book started, so this book was more of a story of healing and remembrance, rather than a true romance novel. I also wasn’t a huge fan of Devlin for most of the book, especially in regards to multiple mentions of the women he was with while in the military – nothing shouts romance like reading about how the hero slept with A LOT of other women after proclaiming his everlasting love for the heroine. In the end, he comes around and there is healing and love, but their journey to HEA was a slow trek. This is the first book in a new series, and while it was not my favorite MB, I am not sorry I read it and I will certainly be looking forward to the next installment.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
For years Gwyneth Rhys has yearned for Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, and heir to the Earl of Stratton, but was too shy to make her feelings known. In fact, most people would assume that she was in love with his younger brother Nicholas, as they were best friends and constant companions. But little did she know that Devlin returned her feelings and kept his distance because like many others he thought she and Nick were in love. All that changed on the day of the annual Ravenswood fete, when Devlin learned the truth of Gwyn’s love and they shared their first kiss, and promises of forever were made. But within moments of attaining his heart's desire, his perfect world came crashing down when he caught his father kissing his mistress.
What happens next changes everyone’s lives, Devlin causes a scene by berating his father in front of their family and guests, believing his rage was in fact righteous anger in defense of his mother and female relatives, but instead of supporting him, his mother turned on him and demanded he leave. So he did, he walked away from his family, friends, and his love and stayed away even after his father died. For six long years, Devlin fought in the Penninsula wars, cutting himself off from everyone, save his half-brother/batman Ben and his brother Nick, who was also fighting. But with Napoleon defeated, he could no longer ignore his duty to his title and his family.
Gwyn is still living with her parents, she has had offers of marriage over the years, but no one has touched her heart, she is on the brink of settling for a comfortable marriage when Devlin returns, but gone is the man she knew. Regardless of his proclamation that he cannot love her, her heart refuses to believe that the darkness she senses in him has annihilated the man she loved and she sets out to help Devlin remember their love.
This was a bit of a slow read with a lot of setup for the series, so the book ended up being on the wordy side and the romance seemed to be lost in the details. I also feel like Gwyn and Devlin never really “fell in love” they were in love when the book started, so this book was more of a story of healing and remembrance, rather than a true romance novel. I also wasn’t a huge fan of Devlin for most of the book, especially in regards to multiple mentions of the women he was with while in the military – nothing shouts romance like reading about how the hero slept with A LOT of other women after proclaiming his everlasting love for the heroine. In the end, he comes around and there is healing and love, but their journey to HEA was a slow trek. This is the first book in a new series, and while it was not my favorite MB, I am not sorry I read it and I will certainly be looking forward to the next installment.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
April 19, 2024
Another nice story from Mary Balogh.
Second chance romance. A young couple found love, only for it to be taken away from them by family events. Which takes 6 years for them to meet up again.
Second chance romance. A young couple found love, only for it to be taken away from them by family events. Which takes 6 years for them to meet up again.
July 16, 2022
I haven’t read a Mary Balogh book for a long time and was very excited to be reading this one and the start of a new series, yay. We get to meet Devlin Ware heir to the Stratton title and Gwyneth Rhys neighbours who have grown up together and after a slow start to the story part two brings out some truths and lots of emotion.
Devlin has grown up in a close and happy family, their country estate of Ravenswood is open to the village and all are welcome, they hold many events including fetes and balls, Devlin is twenty two when the world as he knows it is turned upside down and he speaks up about his father and is sent away from all that he loves, his family and home and the girl he wanted to marry.
He enlists to fight Napoleon with not much care about his safety and wiping his family from his memory, but six years later his father is dead and he now is the Earl of Stratton and it is time to go home and take up his position, his family are all different and Devlin is a very different person having decided that there is no such thing as love, but when Gwyneth decides that Devlin does have a heart and wants to pick up where they left off six years before, things move with her strong determination and there are lots of smiles from this reader.
Although this books starts very slowly with too many characters and names and descriptions, when Delvin returns, part two of the story it moves really well and digs deep into the emotions of Devlin and Gwyneth, will she be able to help Devlin return to himself and find love, because I really loved Devlin and Gwyneth they were made for each other, will the family once again become the happy family they were before the scandal, and who’s story is next, it is one that I am really looking forward to.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review
Devlin has grown up in a close and happy family, their country estate of Ravenswood is open to the village and all are welcome, they hold many events including fetes and balls, Devlin is twenty two when the world as he knows it is turned upside down and he speaks up about his father and is sent away from all that he loves, his family and home and the girl he wanted to marry.
He enlists to fight Napoleon with not much care about his safety and wiping his family from his memory, but six years later his father is dead and he now is the Earl of Stratton and it is time to go home and take up his position, his family are all different and Devlin is a very different person having decided that there is no such thing as love, but when Gwyneth decides that Devlin does have a heart and wants to pick up where they left off six years before, things move with her strong determination and there are lots of smiles from this reader.
Although this books starts very slowly with too many characters and names and descriptions, when Delvin returns, part two of the story it moves really well and digs deep into the emotions of Devlin and Gwyneth, will she be able to help Devlin return to himself and find love, because I really loved Devlin and Gwyneth they were made for each other, will the family once again become the happy family they were before the scandal, and who’s story is next, it is one that I am really looking forward to.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review
September 26, 2022
Devlin Ware is 22 and struggling under the realization that he's nothing like his charming, debonair father. He's also got the hots for his younger brother's bff, the lovely Gwyneth Rhys. The day they confess their mutual boners, he discovers that his father has brought his latest mistress all the way out to the family estates and is attempting a landspeed record of sex in a gazebo while fully dressed in under 10 minutes.
Devlin is NOT AMUSED and orders his father to send her away. Instead, he gets sent away and ends up going off to war for SIX YEARS where he becomes a Captain, an Earl, and good at fucking (but not kissing what do you think he is some kind of LOOSE PERSON???). He returns to his long lost familial estate and it is only the power of Gwyn's superior loving that will unlock his dark, dark, batman-esque, dark heart. ♥
1. Seriously: the melodrama in this was A LOT.
2. It's hard to fully lean into the philosophical wont of this book when literally everyone in it eventually admits that Devlin did the right thing. Like, the original setup—that Devlin did irreparable harm to his family by the means and mode of how he brought the truth to light—does have some weight to it. It does, or seems to have, damaged the reputation of his younger sister and absolutely caused some emotional harm to his mother.
Except then everyone is like "BUT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO"—including, by the way, his dead FATHER who wrote him a letter shortly before he died where he was like "YEP GOOD JOB CALLING ME OUT I'M NOT SORRY BUT YOU DID THE RIGHT THING I GUESS" so, um? What was the POINT? It's hard not to excuse your hero of all sins when he's the protagonist, I GUESS, but also setting him up as infallible UNDERMINES THE WHOLE POINT OF EVERYTHING?
3. I did mostly like his moments with his siblings but was annoyed that it only took like one serious conversation with each of them to completely set aside 6 years of silence and hurt. FAKE.
4. I did like Gwyn as a heroine! That sensation of being 18, of having the world at your toes, was really poignant and interesting. Too bad it was kind of squandered by the 6 year jump. :\
5. The set up for this novel was particularly difficult to get into; it was only my library's helpful reminders they were going to take it away from me that spurred me to finish it. Good job, library system: you made me finish a thing.
6. I AM interested in the other Ware books if only because I am interested in their perspectives on the 6 year gap and how things changed / didn't change during Devlin's disappearance. Hopefully we'll get something of that detail?
Devlin is NOT AMUSED and orders his father to send her away. Instead, he gets sent away and ends up going off to war for SIX YEARS where he becomes a Captain, an Earl, and good at fucking (but not kissing what do you think he is some kind of LOOSE PERSON???). He returns to his long lost familial estate and it is only the power of Gwyn's superior loving that will unlock his dark, dark, batman-esque, dark heart. ♥
1. Seriously: the melodrama in this was A LOT.
2. It's hard to fully lean into the philosophical wont of this book when literally everyone in it eventually admits that Devlin did the right thing. Like, the original setup—that Devlin did irreparable harm to his family by the means and mode of how he brought the truth to light—does have some weight to it. It does, or seems to have, damaged the reputation of his younger sister and absolutely caused some emotional harm to his mother.
Except then everyone is like "BUT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO"—including, by the way, his dead FATHER who wrote him a letter shortly before he died where he was like "YEP GOOD JOB CALLING ME OUT I'M NOT SORRY BUT YOU DID THE RIGHT THING I GUESS" so, um? What was the POINT? It's hard not to excuse your hero of all sins when he's the protagonist, I GUESS, but also setting him up as infallible UNDERMINES THE WHOLE POINT OF EVERYTHING?
3. I did mostly like his moments with his siblings but was annoyed that it only took like one serious conversation with each of them to completely set aside 6 years of silence and hurt. FAKE.
4. I did like Gwyn as a heroine! That sensation of being 18, of having the world at your toes, was really poignant and interesting. Too bad it was kind of squandered by the 6 year jump. :\
5. The set up for this novel was particularly difficult to get into; it was only my library's helpful reminders they were going to take it away from me that spurred me to finish it. Good job, library system: you made me finish a thing.
6. I AM interested in the other Ware books if only because I am interested in their perspectives on the 6 year gap and how things changed / didn't change during Devlin's disappearance. Hopefully we'll get something of that detail?
August 6, 2022
7/19/22
3.5 stars
My joint review with Kaetrin was posted on July 19th, 2022 and can be found at Dear Author. Here is an excerpt.
Our review continues here: https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o...
Nov. 9, 2021
No more Friends of the Westcotts? I hope not because I was happy to see Balogh moving a little beyond the Regency era. Still, this one sounds good too. I have already formulated a theory on just what it is that Devlin called his family to account for...
3.5 stars
My joint review with Kaetrin was posted on July 19th, 2022 and can be found at Dear Author. Here is an excerpt.
Kaetrin: Remember Love is clearly the beginning of a new series for Balogh – the first chapters introduce a huge cast of characters (so many names!!). I counted a potential of at least 6 more novels in the Ravenswood series.
Devlin Ware is the eldest legitimate son of the Earl of Stratton, owner of Ravenswood Park in Boscombe. There is an older brother, Ben Ellis (and I want his story so much now) who is illegitimate and was born before the earl’s marriage to Devlin’s mother. He came to live with the Wares as a very young child and appears to have been largely raised with the Ware siblings. Ben is now the steward at Ravenswood and he and Devlin run the estates for the earl.
The book begins in 1808 when Devlin is 22. The earl is vibrant and entrepreneurial, great at socialising and always the life of the party. Devlin is… not. Devlin’s next younger brother, Nick, has inherited their father’s affable flair but Devlin is more contained and introverted. He’s a serious young man and very self-righteous, valuing duty and integrity and service to those he loves. He’s not a stick in the mud though and he’s also not jealous of his brother constantly outshining him.
Janine: I thought what happens later revealed him to be a bit of a stick in the mud, actually. There was a rigidness to him.
Kaetrin: I guess it depends on your definition of “stick in the mud”. He was pretty rigid about duty but he was not humorless or lacking in emotion.
Janine: Yes, you’re right.
Kaetrin: Devlin is in love with their neighbour Gwyneth Rhys, daughter of Sir Ifor and Lady Bronwyn Rhys who own a property which borders Ravenswood.
Our review continues here: https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o...
Nov. 9, 2021
No more Friends of the Westcotts? I hope not because I was happy to see Balogh moving a little beyond the Regency era. Still, this one sounds good too. I have already formulated a theory on just what it is that Devlin called his family to account for...
November 14, 2022
You know sometimes when the rest of your life feels chaotic and awful, you just need some good predictable fluffy Mary Balogh.
Does the plot make sense? Not really. Would the aristocracy or even the gentry in any way care that the earl had a mistress? No. Would Philippa have been described as “spoiled goods” due to this? Never. Would Devlin have lasted a day in the Napoleonic wars? Absolutely not. If he had would he have come home riddled with STIs to pass along to his beloved Gwen? Absolutely.
Oh well. It was fluffy and predictable, and I needed fluffy and predictable.
Does the plot make sense? Not really. Would the aristocracy or even the gentry in any way care that the earl had a mistress? No. Would Philippa have been described as “spoiled goods” due to this? Never. Would Devlin have lasted a day in the Napoleonic wars? Absolutely not. If he had would he have come home riddled with STIs to pass along to his beloved Gwen? Absolutely.
Oh well. It was fluffy and predictable, and I needed fluffy and predictable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2022
A warning: this is going to be slightly spoilery, because it’s impossible to analyse the book properly without getting into the nitty-gritty, so if you really don’t want to know anything, don’t read on.
I really don’t know what to make of this. My first reaction is that it’s a shambles - too long spent on the preliminaries, then a huge explosion, an inexplicable flounce and then some over-angsty tidying up. It’s unbalanced, with too much time wasted on description and not enough on character development. But on the plus side - well, it’s Mary Balogh.
Here’s the premise: Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, is twenty-two, and the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Stratton. Their home, Ravenwood, is portrayed as some kind of paradise on earth, and the beautiful and loving Ware family as paragons of virtue and duty, bent on giving everyone, high or low, a rattling good time at fetes and balls and feasts throughout the year. Naturally they do all the work and organising themselves. Fully a third of the book, believe it or not, is devoted to painting a cloying, not to say nauseating, picture of the beautiful Ware family and their idyllic life with all the rosy-cheeked and loyal locals (who are all named, by the way, as if we need to know all this stuff). It is an info-dump of astronomic proportions.
The info-dump culminates in a grand fete and ball, at which Devlin and all his family run round selflessly ensuring the locals are all enjoying themselves, while the locals make appreciative noises and hold log-splitting contests and dance round the maypole (in July? Well, whatever). At the ball, Devlin dances with the eighteen year old daughter of neighbours, Gwyneth Rhys, and dances her right out into the garden where they discover that they have been in love with each other for years, he proposes, she accepts, they kiss, and isn’t all this just so sweet?
And then a thing occurs, and this is where it gets spoilery. Devlin and Gwyneth come across another couple hoping for a spot of privacy in the garden, and perhaps something more than a kiss. Unfortunately, it’s Devlin’s father and the mysterious widow who’s recently moved to the village, and they seem to know each other rather well. Oh noes! She must be his mistress, yet the earl has brought her here as a guest into his home, under the nose of his countess. Now, the Regency (in fact the whole Georgian era, and the Victorian too) was quite relaxed about a married man having a mistress, but the cardinal rule is you don’t bring her anywhere near your wife.
Devlin is incandescent with rage at this insult to his mother and his sisters, and creates a huge and very melodramatic scene. I imagine the author intended this sudden explosion as a contrast with the peaceful scenes that preceded it, and it actually does that very well, like a sudden thunderstorm at the end of a perfect summer day. But the effect is not what Devlin expected - his family turn on him, and he is banished.
Now this is the point where the book goes off the rails for me. His mother wants him gone, for whatever reason, so go he must, but there is a whole world out there he could have gone to. What he does is, frankly, inexplicable to me - he signs up to join the army and go off to fight Napoleon. I can only suppose that he had some kind of death wish, but it’s never really explained. When he goes to say farewell to Gwyneth, she rails at him that they could have gone to her relatives in Wales, they could still have married, so why does he have to join the army, and it’s a very good question. I suppose the main reason is: because the plot demanded it.
Devlin survives the war, albeit with an interesting scar. His half-brother, Ben, who had chosen to go with him, also survives. Another brother, Nicholas, who had planned to enter the army himself, also goes off to fight (why? Two brothers from one family in the war is just madness), but he also survives. And the Earl of Stratton dies and Devlin is forced to return home and pick up the threads of his old life as best he can. Except that everything has changed. He has changed, but everyone else in the family has changed too. There are no more fetes and open days. There is no happy family, selflessly arranging entertainments for the locals (they’re doing their own arranging). Everyone is miserable.
Gwyneth, meanwhile, is still unmarried (well, we never saw that coming, did we?). She tells herself she’s over Devlin and is ready to marry the nice Welshman who’s passionate about music and seems to be passionate about her, too. But then Devlin reappears and all bets are off. I’m going to be honest here, and say that the rest of the book runs on fairly predictable rails. Devlin takes up the reins of the estate, rebuilds bridges with his family, develops a new relationship with the locals and ends up marrying Gwyneth after all, and absolutely none of it is surprising, with one exception. Gwyneth turns out to be the saving grace of this book, because Devlin is a wet blanket almost to the end. And then we get the schmaltzy wedding day, which is twelve teaspoons of sugar sweet, so you have been warned. There is one fairly soft-focus sex scene, which made no sense to me at all, but I suppose a Balogh book without any sex would be too much of a novelty.
I love Mary Balogh to pieces, and even though I was saying ‘Wait, what?’ at frequent intervals and nothing happened for far too long and Devlin was a drip, she still hit me right in the feels time after time. But this just doesn’t feel like the Regency, to me. That whole first third of the book, with the frankly over the top generosity of the Wares, rang false with me. The very idea that they would open the park to anyone who wanted to enjoy it is (for me) incredible, and far too modern an idea. The whole point of large estates was to keep the riff-raff out so that the toffs never had to encounter them. They might conceivably hold an open day once a year, but even that feels more Victorian than Regency to me.
And then the oddities, like face painting for the children - really?? And a baby carrier. These things are not impossible to imagine happening in the Regency, but to my mind, they sound too modern. Gwyneth rides astride sometimes, a huge no-no. Then there’s the baby fat that gives younger daughter Stephanie such grief. Look, fat was absolutely not a problem in the Regency. Right up to the 1920s, when the health craze kicked in, being plump or downright fat was a sign of wealth. Conspicuous consumption was a real thing, and only poor people were thin (or anyone with actual consumption - TB - so being thin was regarded as dangerously unhealthy for anyone who could afford to eat well). Then there are feeders for the wild birds. Well, that’s possible, I suppose, but Regency people kept exotic birds like parrots or songbirds in cages. Wild birds were either for eating or for scientific study (by stuffing or dissecting) or not interesting. Also, the author obviously doesn’t realise that a university education in the Regency was nothing like the modern version. Far from needing to work hard for exams, the sons of the nobility had no need to take any exams, or even to turn up to lectures. They paid, they got a degree.
On the whole, this book was a disappointment. It’s beautifully written, because of course it is, it’s Mary Balogh, for heaven’s sake. But the pacing was all wrong, and the central conceit felt contrived. If I were writing it, I’d have been tempted to start with the fatal fete, condensing all the dull info-dump into little vignettes. Or it could have started with Devlin returning home as earl, showing the earlier events in flashback. Either would, in my opinion, have worked better than the long, long opening chapters.
I also didn’t find any of the characters terribly interesting (apart from Ben, and maybe Stephanie), and it was just too darned sweet for my palate. I like a little tartness in my Regencies, and I also like to be surprised, and that just didn’t happen. And having grumbled at ridiculous length about this book, I confess I read it avidly the whole way through, if only to see the big explosion and find out how things worked out for Devlin’s family. This is the first of the series, so maybe the rest, unburdened by the scene-setting of the opener, will be more interesting. Three stars.
I really don’t know what to make of this. My first reaction is that it’s a shambles - too long spent on the preliminaries, then a huge explosion, an inexplicable flounce and then some over-angsty tidying up. It’s unbalanced, with too much time wasted on description and not enough on character development. But on the plus side - well, it’s Mary Balogh.
Here’s the premise: Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, is twenty-two, and the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Stratton. Their home, Ravenwood, is portrayed as some kind of paradise on earth, and the beautiful and loving Ware family as paragons of virtue and duty, bent on giving everyone, high or low, a rattling good time at fetes and balls and feasts throughout the year. Naturally they do all the work and organising themselves. Fully a third of the book, believe it or not, is devoted to painting a cloying, not to say nauseating, picture of the beautiful Ware family and their idyllic life with all the rosy-cheeked and loyal locals (who are all named, by the way, as if we need to know all this stuff). It is an info-dump of astronomic proportions.
The info-dump culminates in a grand fete and ball, at which Devlin and all his family run round selflessly ensuring the locals are all enjoying themselves, while the locals make appreciative noises and hold log-splitting contests and dance round the maypole (in July? Well, whatever). At the ball, Devlin dances with the eighteen year old daughter of neighbours, Gwyneth Rhys, and dances her right out into the garden where they discover that they have been in love with each other for years, he proposes, she accepts, they kiss, and isn’t all this just so sweet?
And then a thing occurs, and this is where it gets spoilery. Devlin and Gwyneth come across another couple hoping for a spot of privacy in the garden, and perhaps something more than a kiss. Unfortunately, it’s Devlin’s father and the mysterious widow who’s recently moved to the village, and they seem to know each other rather well. Oh noes! She must be his mistress, yet the earl has brought her here as a guest into his home, under the nose of his countess. Now, the Regency (in fact the whole Georgian era, and the Victorian too) was quite relaxed about a married man having a mistress, but the cardinal rule is you don’t bring her anywhere near your wife.
Devlin is incandescent with rage at this insult to his mother and his sisters, and creates a huge and very melodramatic scene. I imagine the author intended this sudden explosion as a contrast with the peaceful scenes that preceded it, and it actually does that very well, like a sudden thunderstorm at the end of a perfect summer day. But the effect is not what Devlin expected - his family turn on him, and he is banished.
Now this is the point where the book goes off the rails for me. His mother wants him gone, for whatever reason, so go he must, but there is a whole world out there he could have gone to. What he does is, frankly, inexplicable to me - he signs up to join the army and go off to fight Napoleon. I can only suppose that he had some kind of death wish, but it’s never really explained. When he goes to say farewell to Gwyneth, she rails at him that they could have gone to her relatives in Wales, they could still have married, so why does he have to join the army, and it’s a very good question. I suppose the main reason is: because the plot demanded it.
Devlin survives the war, albeit with an interesting scar. His half-brother, Ben, who had chosen to go with him, also survives. Another brother, Nicholas, who had planned to enter the army himself, also goes off to fight (why? Two brothers from one family in the war is just madness), but he also survives. And the Earl of Stratton dies and Devlin is forced to return home and pick up the threads of his old life as best he can. Except that everything has changed. He has changed, but everyone else in the family has changed too. There are no more fetes and open days. There is no happy family, selflessly arranging entertainments for the locals (they’re doing their own arranging). Everyone is miserable.
Gwyneth, meanwhile, is still unmarried (well, we never saw that coming, did we?). She tells herself she’s over Devlin and is ready to marry the nice Welshman who’s passionate about music and seems to be passionate about her, too. But then Devlin reappears and all bets are off. I’m going to be honest here, and say that the rest of the book runs on fairly predictable rails. Devlin takes up the reins of the estate, rebuilds bridges with his family, develops a new relationship with the locals and ends up marrying Gwyneth after all, and absolutely none of it is surprising, with one exception. Gwyneth turns out to be the saving grace of this book, because Devlin is a wet blanket almost to the end. And then we get the schmaltzy wedding day, which is twelve teaspoons of sugar sweet, so you have been warned. There is one fairly soft-focus sex scene, which made no sense to me at all, but I suppose a Balogh book without any sex would be too much of a novelty.
I love Mary Balogh to pieces, and even though I was saying ‘Wait, what?’ at frequent intervals and nothing happened for far too long and Devlin was a drip, she still hit me right in the feels time after time. But this just doesn’t feel like the Regency, to me. That whole first third of the book, with the frankly over the top generosity of the Wares, rang false with me. The very idea that they would open the park to anyone who wanted to enjoy it is (for me) incredible, and far too modern an idea. The whole point of large estates was to keep the riff-raff out so that the toffs never had to encounter them. They might conceivably hold an open day once a year, but even that feels more Victorian than Regency to me.
And then the oddities, like face painting for the children - really?? And a baby carrier. These things are not impossible to imagine happening in the Regency, but to my mind, they sound too modern. Gwyneth rides astride sometimes, a huge no-no. Then there’s the baby fat that gives younger daughter Stephanie such grief. Look, fat was absolutely not a problem in the Regency. Right up to the 1920s, when the health craze kicked in, being plump or downright fat was a sign of wealth. Conspicuous consumption was a real thing, and only poor people were thin (or anyone with actual consumption - TB - so being thin was regarded as dangerously unhealthy for anyone who could afford to eat well). Then there are feeders for the wild birds. Well, that’s possible, I suppose, but Regency people kept exotic birds like parrots or songbirds in cages. Wild birds were either for eating or for scientific study (by stuffing or dissecting) or not interesting. Also, the author obviously doesn’t realise that a university education in the Regency was nothing like the modern version. Far from needing to work hard for exams, the sons of the nobility had no need to take any exams, or even to turn up to lectures. They paid, they got a degree.
On the whole, this book was a disappointment. It’s beautifully written, because of course it is, it’s Mary Balogh, for heaven’s sake. But the pacing was all wrong, and the central conceit felt contrived. If I were writing it, I’d have been tempted to start with the fatal fete, condensing all the dull info-dump into little vignettes. Or it could have started with Devlin returning home as earl, showing the earlier events in flashback. Either would, in my opinion, have worked better than the long, long opening chapters.
I also didn’t find any of the characters terribly interesting (apart from Ben, and maybe Stephanie), and it was just too darned sweet for my palate. I like a little tartness in my Regencies, and I also like to be surprised, and that just didn’t happen. And having grumbled at ridiculous length about this book, I confess I read it avidly the whole way through, if only to see the big explosion and find out how things worked out for Devlin’s family. This is the first of the series, so maybe the rest, unburdened by the scene-setting of the opener, will be more interesting. Three stars.
July 17, 2022
Mary Balogh is off to a great start with her newest series, Ravenswood, and this first book, Remember Love introduces us to a plethora of new characters who’s future books are likely to be quite enjoyable. If you have read any of Balogh’s books then you know her writing style which certainly holds true in this book. If you are new to Balogh then get ready for a story featuring some amazing world building, excellent character development, detailed past relationship information, slow burn, highly emotional, and relatively low heat romance - that leaves you breathless and completely in love with the characters. In short… Balogh knows how to write a romance story that packs an emotional punch and once you read a book of hers you will become addicted to her writing style!
The connecting setting for this story and new series is Ravenswood which as Balogh details is “ Ravenswood Hall in Hampshire, home and principal seat for a number of generations of Barons and Earls of Stratton, was the center of the universe to most of the people who lived within five miles or so of its imposing splendor.” The story begins in 1808 and after the introduction jumps to 1814 so we get to see the idealistic younger characters and then see them a little older and for some just a bit jaded.
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The MCs are Devlin Ware and Gwyneth Rhys - these two have been acquainted with each other since young children; However, neither of them were brave enough to initiate an actual friendship or actually talk with the other. Instead Gwyneth was best-friends with Nicholas Ware who is the younger brother of Devlin. Likewise Devlin grew up being best-friends with Idris Rhys who is Gwyneth’s elder brother. These friendships between siblings allows both Devlin and Gwyneth to “get to know the other” from a distance, and somehow fall in love with each other, without spending any time together or actually speaking beyond acknowledging each other’s presence. It is definitely a daring way to begin this couples romance yet Balogh weaves her magic and makes it work!
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Remember Love goes beyond a typical romance and asks the reader to contemplate if our worlds are really full of “right or wrong” situations or is it not that simple and we live in a world of shades of gray with no true “right or wrong” and instead various degrees of truth. Balogh brings up the central theme of how our own actions impact our world, specifically how intent to pursue the “right” choice may not always be the “correct” response and can cause unintended repercussions. The way these concepts are presented is brilliant and I am still not 100% sure of the answer to the conflict posed in this story which is “was Devlin wrong in revealing what he’d learned of his father’s behavior?” The story definitely makes you think and consider what you would have done in Devlin’s shoes … It is near impossible to answer—at least for me, each response has its own repercussions and neither choice is easy to make, especially in the heat of the moment. The conflict between righteousness versus impropriety is definitely not always black and white. If nothing else this story will definitely make you ponder your actions and beliefs and the possibility that nothing is really as simple as right or wrong. As Devlin comes to understand “ His father, imperfect and aware of his own shortcomings, had ultimately been honest with the son who had seen through the illusion to the heart of a weak man.” However that didn’t mean his father didn’t love him, instead it highlights the fact that “perhaps love was no more a pure thing than evil was. Perhaps it was possible to love and to do harm to the loved one at the same time.” Which leads to a healing and understanding that it’s okay to love someone who isn’t perfect, “ I will remember what was good about him and accept what was not. He was human. We are a bewildering species.” While we go through our lives “Everyone and everything was in a state of becoming. That was the terror and the wonder of life.” Which is okay!
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I have to say that some of Devlin’s actions with Gwyneth raised my hackles a bit 🤔 and without ruining the story for anyone I will say that when Devlin and Gwyneth have their first carnal encounter it felt as if Devlin cheapened the joining and cared little for Gwyneth’s comfort. I know he is battling his own demons during this timeframe and I tried to give him extra leeway; Ultimately, his behavior stuck out as cold towards his future bride. I will say Devlin does a lot of soul searching between their initial joining and the end of the book and he does redeem himself once he learns that emotions are not actually tasks he needs to master.
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So FINALLY Devlin & Gwyneth get their happily ever after ❤️ The story leaves you with these two in a good place…and with tons of opportunities for future books in the series. I am eager for the stories of Devlin’s siblings and I am also hoping for Idris’s story. For now though…
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I highly recommend this book and any book written by Mary Balogh - you won’t be disappointed!
Review Copy of Remember Love purchased by reviewer.
❥❥**´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•`*More Reviews by Jaime can be found at Alpha Book Club and via Goodreads.
The connecting setting for this story and new series is Ravenswood which as Balogh details is “ Ravenswood Hall in Hampshire, home and principal seat for a number of generations of Barons and Earls of Stratton, was the center of the universe to most of the people who lived within five miles or so of its imposing splendor.” The story begins in 1808 and after the introduction jumps to 1814 so we get to see the idealistic younger characters and then see them a little older and for some just a bit jaded.
[image error]
The MCs are Devlin Ware and Gwyneth Rhys - these two have been acquainted with each other since young children; However, neither of them were brave enough to initiate an actual friendship or actually talk with the other. Instead Gwyneth was best-friends with Nicholas Ware who is the younger brother of Devlin. Likewise Devlin grew up being best-friends with Idris Rhys who is Gwyneth’s elder brother. These friendships between siblings allows both Devlin and Gwyneth to “get to know the other” from a distance, and somehow fall in love with each other, without spending any time together or actually speaking beyond acknowledging each other’s presence. It is definitely a daring way to begin this couples romance yet Balogh weaves her magic and makes it work!
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Remember Love goes beyond a typical romance and asks the reader to contemplate if our worlds are really full of “right or wrong” situations or is it not that simple and we live in a world of shades of gray with no true “right or wrong” and instead various degrees of truth. Balogh brings up the central theme of how our own actions impact our world, specifically how intent to pursue the “right” choice may not always be the “correct” response and can cause unintended repercussions. The way these concepts are presented is brilliant and I am still not 100% sure of the answer to the conflict posed in this story which is “was Devlin wrong in revealing what he’d learned of his father’s behavior?” The story definitely makes you think and consider what you would have done in Devlin’s shoes … It is near impossible to answer—at least for me, each response has its own repercussions and neither choice is easy to make, especially in the heat of the moment. The conflict between righteousness versus impropriety is definitely not always black and white. If nothing else this story will definitely make you ponder your actions and beliefs and the possibility that nothing is really as simple as right or wrong. As Devlin comes to understand “ His father, imperfect and aware of his own shortcomings, had ultimately been honest with the son who had seen through the illusion to the heart of a weak man.” However that didn’t mean his father didn’t love him, instead it highlights the fact that “perhaps love was no more a pure thing than evil was. Perhaps it was possible to love and to do harm to the loved one at the same time.” Which leads to a healing and understanding that it’s okay to love someone who isn’t perfect, “ I will remember what was good about him and accept what was not. He was human. We are a bewildering species.” While we go through our lives “Everyone and everything was in a state of becoming. That was the terror and the wonder of life.” Which is okay!
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I have to say that some of Devlin’s actions with Gwyneth raised my hackles a bit 🤔 and without ruining the story for anyone I will say that when Devlin and Gwyneth have their first carnal encounter it felt as if Devlin cheapened the joining and cared little for Gwyneth’s comfort. I know he is battling his own demons during this timeframe and I tried to give him extra leeway; Ultimately, his behavior stuck out as cold towards his future bride. I will say Devlin does a lot of soul searching between their initial joining and the end of the book and he does redeem himself once he learns that emotions are not actually tasks he needs to master.
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“I love you,” he said. “I honor you and I . . . I want you. I want you as my countess and my companion and lover. I want to have children with you. I came here to remember. I did it on my own a day or two ago. But I needed you here with me. Not to remember what happened but how it felt. I can remember love. I can remember the euphoria and the hope and the . . . trust. I can remember being in love. I believe I can offer you almost all I could offer when I was able to love. And I will do my best. I will even remember to tell you from time to time that I love you, and I will not be lying. But I am not that young man any longer.” … “Devlin,” she said. “Love is not a feeling. It can reveal itself in feelings. It can bring intense happiness and the depths of despair. But it is not a feeling. It is not a belief or action either, though it can show itself in both. It is . . . But there I am stumped, of course, for the word itself means nothing, and what it represents cannot be confined within words at all. I did not even know you very well six years ago, even though I had been in love with you for at least six years before that. But I am very sure that you love far more deeply and compassionately now than you did then. Including me. You love me more now than you did then. If that word does not suit you, then let it go from your vocabulary. It is not important. It is just a word.”
So FINALLY Devlin & Gwyneth get their happily ever after ❤️ The story leaves you with these two in a good place…and with tons of opportunities for future books in the series. I am eager for the stories of Devlin’s siblings and I am also hoping for Idris’s story. For now though…
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I highly recommend this book and any book written by Mary Balogh - you won’t be disappointed!
Review Copy of Remember Love purchased by reviewer.
❥❥**´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•`*More Reviews by Jaime can be found at Alpha Book Club and via Goodreads.
July 15, 2022
Gwyneth Rhys and Devlin Ware, the future Earl of Stratton, have been in love with each other from afar for years, until one perfect day when they discover their mutual feelings. That same day the situation unravels when Devlin finds out his father’s fidelity is a farce. Devlin calls him out on it in a very public way and is cast out ruining their plans, at least for now.
Devlin goes off to fight in the Napoleonic War while Gwyneth stays home and attempts to move on with her heart. Six years later, Devlin returns to take up his duties of Earl since his father has died, but he’s a changed man who feels incapable of being in love after everything he’s gone through. However, seeing Gwyneth and his beloved family reawakens feelings he never thought he’d have again, feelings that he’s intent on denying.
Remember Love, the first book in the Ravenswood series, was oh-so-lovely! I’m a huge sucker for a second chance romance. I just loved every minute of the story, from Devlin and Gwyneth’s initial time together, longing from afar and that magical time spent together, to years later discovering that attraction and pull had never died, even though Devlin was in a bit of denial and had to work through his feelings. But I also adored the rest of the families. Gwyneth’s parents and brother were so loving and supportive, and Devlin’s siblings were as well, even though I can see Philippa, Stephanie and Ben bear the scars from finding out that their father wasn’t the man they thought. That very public revelation had repercussions they each had to endure, and I think we’ll be finding out just how it affected each of the siblings in the books to come. I hope we get a story for each of the Ware’s and for Ben, the oldest son, of the clan from a dalliance before the senior Earl was married.
Mary Balogh’s writing is beautiful, she brought each of the characters to life, and I felt their hopes, dreams, disappointments, heartbreak, and joy deeply! I eagerly await the next story!
A copy was kindly provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
Devlin goes off to fight in the Napoleonic War while Gwyneth stays home and attempts to move on with her heart. Six years later, Devlin returns to take up his duties of Earl since his father has died, but he’s a changed man who feels incapable of being in love after everything he’s gone through. However, seeing Gwyneth and his beloved family reawakens feelings he never thought he’d have again, feelings that he’s intent on denying.
Remember Love, the first book in the Ravenswood series, was oh-so-lovely! I’m a huge sucker for a second chance romance. I just loved every minute of the story, from Devlin and Gwyneth’s initial time together, longing from afar and that magical time spent together, to years later discovering that attraction and pull had never died, even though Devlin was in a bit of denial and had to work through his feelings. But I also adored the rest of the families. Gwyneth’s parents and brother were so loving and supportive, and Devlin’s siblings were as well, even though I can see Philippa, Stephanie and Ben bear the scars from finding out that their father wasn’t the man they thought. That very public revelation had repercussions they each had to endure, and I think we’ll be finding out just how it affected each of the siblings in the books to come. I hope we get a story for each of the Ware’s and for Ben, the oldest son, of the clan from a dalliance before the senior Earl was married.
Mary Balogh’s writing is beautiful, she brought each of the characters to life, and I felt their hopes, dreams, disappointments, heartbreak, and joy deeply! I eagerly await the next story!
A copy was kindly provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2022
3 to 3.5 stars. A reasonable read, first in a new series. Devlin and Gwyneth have a rather rocky road to their eventual HEA. Devlin makes a difficult decision that changes everyone's lives, and it then takes some time for his romance with Gwyneth to fully establish itself. I didn't mind the storyline, but, perhaps due to the nature of the plot line, I didn't really feel as much chemistry between the two MCs as I would have liked. It also moved a little slowly for me, and there were a few too many unnecessary descriptions.
January 11, 2022
Sigh. I just couldn't with this one. The first part was over-the-top, and the last part was too easily resolved. I'm obviously still going to read the rest of the series when those books come out. Come on, it's Mary Balogh. Everybody hits a rough patch now and again. 2.5 stars rounded up.
August 18, 2022
Mary Balogh at her absolute best.
Heartwrenching, heartsoaring...everything.
An amazing book and beginning to a much anticipated series.
I loved every moment.
Not to be missed.
Heartwrenching, heartsoaring...everything.
An amazing book and beginning to a much anticipated series.
I loved every moment.
Not to be missed.
August 10, 2022
Remember Love is a second chance historical romance. It is the love story between Gwyneth Rhys and Devlin Ware. They've known of each other since childhood. Gwyneth's best friend is Devlin's younger brother, Nick. Devlin's best friend is Gwyneth's brother, Idris. Now at twenty-two, Devlin finally tells Gwyneth he loves her and she tells him the same. But this new love is shattered when Devlin finds his father, Caleb Ware, the Earl of Stratton, in a compromising situation with his mistress; a woman whom of which he has flaunted in the very presence of his Countess and daughters. When Devlin confronts his father publicly, Devlin is the one sent away from his family and Gwyneth. He enters the army and fights against Napoleon. Upon Devlin's return home, following the wars, he has developed into a hardened man who tells his shattered family that he is there to fulfill his duty to the title. Gwyneth sees some of the old Devlin behind the emotionless, war-hardened man. Can she reach out to that man to help him find himself and to rediscover the loving feelings he claims he no longer feels?
Remember Love is the first book in the new Ravenswood series. The first part of the novel is a slow build. There is a lot of information dropped into the reader's mind. Mary Balogh creates a vivid setting, coupled by a host of characters. It is an ideal world of a perfect family in a perfect community. But it is only an illusion. The real world of the Ware family is not the black and white truth Devlin believes, but more of a gray truth. The plot is a romance, plus the subplot concept of what is truth and when it should or shouldn't be brought to light? At times, the truth concept overshadows Devlin and Gwyneth's romance. The setting is well-planned and executed. The dialogue is realistic. The descriptions vibrant in describing setting, garments and characters. The pace is slow in the first half and felt rushed in the second half. The tone and atmosphere is well balanced in both halves. This is a well-written, well-organized Regency novel. The one detracting element is, in my opinion, that the subplot practically overshadows the plot. This makes the romance feel essentially unimportant in the two halves. I still plan to read book two. I'm hoping it will be either Devlin's half brother's (Ben) book or his brother's (Nick) book.
Remember Love is the first book in the new Ravenswood series. The first part of the novel is a slow build. There is a lot of information dropped into the reader's mind. Mary Balogh creates a vivid setting, coupled by a host of characters. It is an ideal world of a perfect family in a perfect community. But it is only an illusion. The real world of the Ware family is not the black and white truth Devlin believes, but more of a gray truth. The plot is a romance, plus the subplot concept of what is truth and when it should or shouldn't be brought to light? At times, the truth concept overshadows Devlin and Gwyneth's romance. The setting is well-planned and executed. The dialogue is realistic. The descriptions vibrant in describing setting, garments and characters. The pace is slow in the first half and felt rushed in the second half. The tone and atmosphere is well balanced in both halves. This is a well-written, well-organized Regency novel. The one detracting element is, in my opinion, that the subplot practically overshadows the plot. This makes the romance feel essentially unimportant in the two halves. I still plan to read book two. I'm hoping it will be either Devlin's half brother's (Ben) book or his brother's (Nick) book.
August 4, 2022
If Mary Balogh was not my favorite romance author I would not have finished this book. I understand it's a new series, and the author wants to introduce the characters. However, certain portions of this book read like the begat section of the bible. I really didn't need to be introduced to every single member of the extended family and the entire population of the village. I'm hoping the remainder of the series has a bit more substance.
did-not-finish
November 11, 2022DNF 12%
Gonna take a break from this one. My skip the line loan is expiring and I never could get into this. It was taxing.
Gonna take a break from this one. My skip the line loan is expiring and I never could get into this. It was taxing.
August 24, 2022
It is always hard to rate the first book in a series, it is almost like an appetizer and you just have to be very patient for the main course. The first half was a crash course of every person, thing, and place associated with Ravenswood, it was hard to keep up with the who and what. It drag and I was very bored. Eventually the writing did slow to showcase the main players but I did find the first half less than engaging. The romance lacked, looking back there wasn't much romance at all.
Devlin is the heir to the Earl of Stratton, he is reserved and serious with a great love for his duty and family. He lives a some what charmed life and has what is believed to be an happy, loving family. He has quietly loved his neighbor, Gwyneth but believes she has no fondness for him. Gwyneth has secretly loved Devlin but believes he takes no notice of her and see her only as his brother's friend. For only one day they both learn of each others love and quickly make plans for the future only for them to be pulled apart.
Devlin was in a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. He makes a decision in the heat of the moment to defend the honor of this family, but he did not see the consequence and reactions of those who happily turn their head away from the truth. We is banished by his family and by his own choice breaks his promise to Gwyneth and joins the Army. Only to return 6 years later as a hardened man.
You really feel for Devlin in the first half of the story, I would be raging at my family if I was put in a position like that. I did quickly lose sympathy for him after he decided to not only leave Ravenswood but leave break his promise to Gwyneth and join the Army. I always find that Mary Balogh's heroines are so passive and bland. Once there heart is broken they just float along life until the hero comes back. The hero get to galivant around with out a second thought for the heroine and when he returns there is no groveling.
There was so many unnecessary scenes! The foreshadowing up to that point was subtle and well done, we didn't need a random fortuneteller telling them what was going to happen in 10 pages. Gwyneth's suitor, Aldous (sp?) she was set on marrying him and then immediately changes her mind when Devlin comes back. Why even bring him in to the mix only for him to disappear after 2 scenes?
Mary Balogh has always been an inconsistent author to me. She is insanely talented but my heart is never fully engaged with her characters. I will read the rest of this series, I am especially looking forward to Stephanie's story. Over all I was underwhelmed and ironically I don't think I will remember Remember love at all.
Devlin is the heir to the Earl of Stratton, he is reserved and serious with a great love for his duty and family. He lives a some what charmed life and has what is believed to be an happy, loving family. He has quietly loved his neighbor, Gwyneth but believes she has no fondness for him. Gwyneth has secretly loved Devlin but believes he takes no notice of her and see her only as his brother's friend. For only one day they both learn of each others love and quickly make plans for the future only for them to be pulled apart.
Devlin was in a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. He makes a decision in the heat of the moment to defend the honor of this family, but he did not see the consequence and reactions of those who happily turn their head away from the truth. We is banished by his family and by his own choice breaks his promise to Gwyneth and joins the Army. Only to return 6 years later as a hardened man.
You really feel for Devlin in the first half of the story, I would be raging at my family if I was put in a position like that. I did quickly lose sympathy for him after he decided to not only leave Ravenswood but leave break his promise to Gwyneth and join the Army. I always find that Mary Balogh's heroines are so passive and bland. Once there heart is broken they just float along life until the hero comes back. The hero get to galivant around with out a second thought for the heroine and when he returns there is no groveling.
There was so many unnecessary scenes! The foreshadowing up to that point was subtle and well done, we didn't need a random fortuneteller telling them what was going to happen in 10 pages. Gwyneth's suitor, Aldous (sp?) she was set on marrying him and then immediately changes her mind when Devlin comes back. Why even bring him in to the mix only for him to disappear after 2 scenes?
Mary Balogh has always been an inconsistent author to me. She is insanely talented but my heart is never fully engaged with her characters. I will read the rest of this series, I am especially looking forward to Stephanie's story. Over all I was underwhelmed and ironically I don't think I will remember Remember love at all.
October 21, 2022
I think I should stop reading new Mary Balogh's books. They can't compare with her old ones. Those were so much better.
This one, for example, starts with a lengthy exposition. The entire first chapter and part of the second chapter are nothing but an info dump - the family history and the architectural designs of their home. Nothing at all happens until the end of chapter two. If I were the editor of this novel, I would've chopped those parts off. They are not necessary for the story, just the opposite: a long filler of text where none was required.
And then, chapter three starts with the author's prolonged description of the annual fete. She catalogs every attendee by name and states all their children and relatives by ages. The exhaustive list takes 3 pages. As far as I know, none of those people actively participate in the story that unfolds later on. Why is this name roll included in the book?
The entire boring first part of the novel ends in a metaphorical explosion. The hero, Devlin, discovers that his father has a mistress. Oops! Devlin is shocked. He makes a public scandal and loudly shames his father. After he realizes that most people already knew but tried to keep the unpalatable truth quiet, his shock deepens. He can't live a lie, so he leaves his home.
The second part of the novel is controversial. It happens 6 years later. His father is dead, and Devlin returns home. But the reverberations of the scandal he created 6 years ago are still very much in evidence. His family had suffered. Now, he tries to understand if his telling the truth then and revealing the lie 6 years ago was a mistake. Was he right or was he wrong?
This part of the novel concentrates on the moral dilemma of the protagonist. Do you always have to tell the truth? Are sometimes lies more beneficial?
The author thinks the truth is mandatory, whatever the consequences, no matter how many people suffer as the result. I disagree. I think Devlin was wrong in accusing his father publicly, creating a spectacle and laundering his family's dirty laundry in public. He could've achieved the same ends without exposing his family to ridicule, quietly and privately.
The author pictures her hero as a man of great integrity, unbending no matter what. I see him as a heartless fanatic who perceives the world in black and white. He always acts as if a moral principle is more important that people's happiness. For him, it is. I hate people like him. All the religious zealots are made from the same cloth, and they've caused countless damage to millions throughout the ages in every part of the globe. If it was my wish, I would've killed Devlin slowly and horribly for all the harm he caused by his righteousness. He doesn't deserve his happy ending.
This one, for example, starts with a lengthy exposition. The entire first chapter and part of the second chapter are nothing but an info dump - the family history and the architectural designs of their home. Nothing at all happens until the end of chapter two. If I were the editor of this novel, I would've chopped those parts off. They are not necessary for the story, just the opposite: a long filler of text where none was required.
And then, chapter three starts with the author's prolonged description of the annual fete. She catalogs every attendee by name and states all their children and relatives by ages. The exhaustive list takes 3 pages. As far as I know, none of those people actively participate in the story that unfolds later on. Why is this name roll included in the book?
The entire boring first part of the novel ends in a metaphorical explosion. The hero, Devlin, discovers that his father has a mistress. Oops! Devlin is shocked. He makes a public scandal and loudly shames his father. After he realizes that most people already knew but tried to keep the unpalatable truth quiet, his shock deepens. He can't live a lie, so he leaves his home.
The second part of the novel is controversial. It happens 6 years later. His father is dead, and Devlin returns home. But the reverberations of the scandal he created 6 years ago are still very much in evidence. His family had suffered. Now, he tries to understand if his telling the truth then and revealing the lie 6 years ago was a mistake. Was he right or was he wrong?
This part of the novel concentrates on the moral dilemma of the protagonist. Do you always have to tell the truth? Are sometimes lies more beneficial?
The author thinks the truth is mandatory, whatever the consequences, no matter how many people suffer as the result. I disagree. I think Devlin was wrong in accusing his father publicly, creating a spectacle and laundering his family's dirty laundry in public. He could've achieved the same ends without exposing his family to ridicule, quietly and privately.
The author pictures her hero as a man of great integrity, unbending no matter what. I see him as a heartless fanatic who perceives the world in black and white. He always acts as if a moral principle is more important that people's happiness. For him, it is. I hate people like him. All the religious zealots are made from the same cloth, and they've caused countless damage to millions throughout the ages in every part of the globe. If it was my wish, I would've killed Devlin slowly and horribly for all the harm he caused by his righteousness. He doesn't deserve his happy ending.
January 13, 2023
Het 1e deel in wat weer een uitgebreide familie serie gaat worden . Ik hou daar wel van maar het heeft wel als nadeel dat zo'n 1e deel veel namen bevat , gelukkig is er een familie stamboom voorin het boek afgedrukt en hoef je die namen niet allemaal meteen te onthouden .
Het verhaal is een klassiek M. Balogh liefdesverhaal ( precies zoals ik van haar gewend ben en ook verwacht ) met de nadruk op liefdes gevoelens zonder de vele seksueel getinte gedachten en scènes die in de meeste boeken van dit soort de boventoon voeren .
Het verhaal is een klassiek M. Balogh liefdesverhaal ( precies zoals ik van haar gewend ben en ook verwacht ) met de nadruk op liefdes gevoelens zonder de vele seksueel getinte gedachten en scènes die in de meeste boeken van dit soort de boventoon voeren .
July 7, 2022
4.25 Stars
As a child, Devlin Ware eldest son of the Earl of Stratton thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenwood, their grand country estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twenty-two, he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor. So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn't look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It's only when Gwyneth Rhys-the woman he loved and then lost after his family banished him-holds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.
This is the first in a new series & I always look forward to a new book by the author. This book is in two parts the first introduces the family & portrays them as a loving close family, then there’s the fete & the ball when the family’s lives are turned upside down. Whilst the event that rocked the family wasn’t unusual in itself it was unusual for a supposed very close loving family. The second part takes place six years later when Devlin returns & he discovers he isn't the only one to have suffered. A very well written book, as you’d expect, the characters have lovely depth & on the whole are likeable. I loved Dev who, in my opinion was wrongly banished but it did make him grow up & become a better man, I also loved Gwyn who saw Dev & empathised with him. I loved their second chance of love, I would have liked them to have been together more but could still see the chemistry between them.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
As a child, Devlin Ware eldest son of the Earl of Stratton thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenwood, their grand country estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twenty-two, he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor. So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn't look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It's only when Gwyneth Rhys-the woman he loved and then lost after his family banished him-holds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.
This is the first in a new series & I always look forward to a new book by the author. This book is in two parts the first introduces the family & portrays them as a loving close family, then there’s the fete & the ball when the family’s lives are turned upside down. Whilst the event that rocked the family wasn’t unusual in itself it was unusual for a supposed very close loving family. The second part takes place six years later when Devlin returns & he discovers he isn't the only one to have suffered. A very well written book, as you’d expect, the characters have lovely depth & on the whole are likeable. I loved Dev who, in my opinion was wrongly banished but it did make him grow up & become a better man, I also loved Gwyn who saw Dev & empathised with him. I loved their second chance of love, I would have liked them to have been together more but could still see the chemistry between them.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
September 15, 2022
This one was just ok for me. I very nearly DNF'ed it since the first 20% or so read a little too much like a cross between the Book of Genesis with all the begats and a 19th century travelogue for me - pages and pages devoted to listing the entire Ware family tree and an exhaustive documentation of Ravenswood as well as a history of village events hosted there.
Not even a whiff of plot or characterization to be had in those pages.
Yet, I read on, which I suppose is a testament to Balogh's way with words. Overall, I give this a solid meh. There is just so much dang telling instead of showing in this book that it renders things rather flat.
The "romance" frankly wasn't much of one - the two MCs apparently loved each other for years despite spending almost no time together and thinking the other one didn't like them, then realized that their feelings were mutual one day - based upon which, they planned to get engaged the next day. Then things happened, Devlin was basically exiled and that was that. Until he returns. Based on that one magical day, they get back together but it's rather transactional and very unromantic.
Not even a whiff of plot or characterization to be had in those pages.
Yet, I read on, which I suppose is a testament to Balogh's way with words. Overall, I give this a solid meh. There is just so much dang telling instead of showing in this book that it renders things rather flat.
The "romance" frankly wasn't much of one - the two MCs apparently loved each other for years despite spending almost no time together and thinking the other one didn't like them, then realized that their feelings were mutual one day - based upon which, they planned to get engaged the next day. Then things happened, Devlin was basically exiled and that was that. Until he returns. Based on that one magical day, they get back together but it's rather transactional and very unromantic.
October 9, 2022
It's close to a four-star, but there's too much padding and repetition to get it that high.
This should have been a novella about Devlin and Gwyneth, childhood friends who have always loved each other but who have been separated for six years due to a family scandal brought about by Devlin's exceptional sense of propriety and honesty.
Mary Balogh has set us up for a new series -- looks like book 2 is about Devlin's younger sister Philippa. Future books will surely focus on Devlin's brothers Ben, Nicholas, and Owen, and his other sister, Stephanie. That's six ... not sure who else might be included, unless she tosses in Gwyneth's brother but that might be sad because's he's already engaged to be married in this story. Maybe Devlin's mother will get her own romance.
This should have been a novella about Devlin and Gwyneth, childhood friends who have always loved each other but who have been separated for six years due to a family scandal brought about by Devlin's exceptional sense of propriety and honesty.
Mary Balogh has set us up for a new series -- looks like book 2 is about Devlin's younger sister Philippa. Future books will surely focus on Devlin's brothers Ben, Nicholas, and Owen, and his other sister, Stephanie. That's six ... not sure who else might be included, unless she tosses in Gwyneth's brother but that might be sad because's he's already engaged to be married in this story. Maybe Devlin's mother will get her own romance.
February 29, 2024
This was quite adorable. At first, there was a lot of information dropped, but things gradually picked up as the characters gained greater depth.
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