A Summer to Remember

Rating:
Summary: If you only read one Regency romance...
Review: ... do yourself a favor, and make it this one. This is my second-favorite romance of any genre, of all time. It is the most purely romantic novel I've read.

Everything is perfect. The two leads are complex, interesting, vulnerable and flawed, and the tentative way they both slowly flower within their relationship made me weep, in more than one place within the story. I can't remember when I was more moved by a romance novel, and as a voracious reader of every star author of the Regency genre that is saying something. Few books even approach this one both in satisfaction of a great read by a skilled author or in the way the story itself resonated within me.

The heroine Lauren was especially well-written. Her pride and gentility broke my heart. She is exactly what a regency-era heroine should be, but crafted in the timeless mold of a Jane Austin character. She isn't wild, or spunky, or goofy/silly/helpless, she isn't motivated by lust, or financial need, nor does she use the speech patterns and vocabulary of a modern American woman. She is British and she is refined, elegant, and every bit a lady. I wanted her to be happy. She deserved happiness.

Likewise, Kit, her partner, is also exceptionally attractive as a human being and a man, not a cliche of the genre. He is a realistic man, not a real macho man, vulnerable, occasionally thoughtless, and refreshingly kind.

The novel itself does conform to the standards of the romance genre, but not so much so that the inevitable conflict and resolution detract from the character's growing love for one another. They fall, and stay, in love. Isn't that, and not some sub-plot/murder mystery/comedy of errors/love-hate-love-hate abuse & forgive S&M knot the essence of a romance?

Some may fault the story for not being lust-driven but I cheered the novelty and the skill of the author in crafting desire based almost entirely upon affection and mutual respect. I enjoy an erotic romance more than most, but I loved this gentler story even more.

Get this book. You can't go wrong.

Rating:
Summary: A little different from the rest .........
Review: A summer to remember is a little different from the "usual" historical romance story you might find! Mary Balogh ("MB") manages to instill romance amongst an interesting storyline full of adventure and ... well action, but action in terms of there's a lot happening in the plot! MB interlaces family "ties" (if you know what I mean) to make a memorable story ....Kit is a most entertaining wee chap and Lauren has a depth to her character that makes for a great read.

I must admit that when I first started this story I was thinking, hmmmm, am I going to enjoy this (a little different from your normal story-line start in a romance .... not bad or boring JUST different) BUT the story gets better and better and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire story from start to finish!

I have since read the second story of "Bedwyn" related tales and MB manages to make her story lines even better (if that were possible).... this is a wonderful read and worth the effort and time to read and buy.

Good reading my friends, Kristina

Rating:
Summary: I will now be finding every Mary Balogh book ever written!
Review: After reading my first Mary Balogh book, A SUMMER TO REMEMBER, I am so impressed with the author's writing. I know that I will now be on a quest for all of her books. While this particular story had small problems I do not think that they distract from the main story which is quite enchanting. What I liked most about the story is that is was character-driven and showed that appearances can be true but that there are many other facets to a person than what he or she shows the world or themselves. I grew to love Kit and Lauren and enjoyed their story very much.

Rating:
Summary: One Lovely Summer!
Review: As a long time reader of historical romances, I'm embarassed to admit that this is my first book by Mary Balogh! And it won't be my last. An absolutely lovely, warm and poignant story and a highly recommended read!

Stubborn and reckless Christopher "Kit" Butler, Viscount Ravensberg, refuses to succumb to his father's plans for him to marry the fiancee of his deceased older brother now that he is the heir. Determined to do things his own way, he plans to return to the family seat with a bride of his own choosing - one that is beyond reproach. But where to find such a creature? And more importantly, how to woo and win her (especially with his wild reputation)? When his friends suggest a candidate, and a wager is made, Kit is off and in hot pursuit of his quarry.

Being left behind by those she loves has been Lauren Edgeworth's greatest sadness and continuing fear. At the age of three, her mother left her and just the year before, she was left at the altar. She's always been proper, dutiful and perfectly behaved so that no one will ever want to leave her again. Her self-esteem has taken a devastating hit leaving her feeling unattractive and unwanted. So when rogue Kit Butler begins to energetically and enthusiastically pursue her, she knows that something is up and calls him on it.

A contrite Kit confesses his plans to Lauren, apologizes for using her, and moves to leave when she does the unexpected. She agrees to become engaged to Kit in exchange for a summer of adventure. Once the summer is over, Lauren will then break the engagement and retire to a quiet life alone in Bath leaving Kit the option to marry where he chooses. But the reality of what they've agreed to is much more complicated than either had planned and both wonder what they've gotten themselves into. Feelings start to develop and not just between Kit and Lauren. Kit's family comes to love Lauren and she them, making the charade even more painful. And while Lauren is resolved to help Kit reconcile with his family before she leaves, Kit is equally determined to give Lauren the most wonderful summer of her life in the hope that he can convince her to become his wife for real! Just a wonderful book!

This book introduces the Bedwyn siblings (Freyja Bedwyn was the woman Kit was supposed to marry) who will star in 6 upcoming books. They are arrogant, proud and sound like fascinating subjects to follow and I look forward to their stories.

Rating:
Summary: I apologize to all Mary Balogh's fans out there...
Review: But I just cannot click with her particular style. Yes, this book was a decent read. The characters were definitely well-developed and I liked the change of pace of having a distant and seemingly cold heroine. But that is where my enjoyment of this book ended.

This was definitely my last Balogh novel. I have tried to read several of her books-while I always enjoy the plot and character development, the romance part just fizzles. There is such a lack of passion and sensuality in her books. These are G-rated books...I guess you could say I prefer something with a little more spice. :) The sex scenes are dull and don't contain any sort of variance or heart-pounding excitement.

This book is for those romance fans who prefer mild, G-rated, almost pure love stories. If you're looking for a really great read, try Kinley Macgregor or Nicole Jordan.

Rating:
Summary: Readers will rediscover the joy of simple pleasures
Review: Cocooned in queenly grace, the Honorable Miss Lauren Edgeworth is an unapproachable beauty whose very countenance is reminiscent of a marble statue's. Her cool, unruffled demeanor is something of a challenge to Kit Butler, Viscount Ravensberg, however, the ton's most infamous rake. (Why, his contretemps are legendary, having stripped to the waist in Hyde Park recently to participate in fisticuffs).

After spending a raucous night out on the town with friends, Miss Edgeworth's name is mentioned in passing as a prospective bride for Kit, instigating a heated debate about her apparent frigidity. Kit is quick to take up the proverbial gauntlet and wager over Miss Edgeworth's susceptibility to his charms. A deadly dull bride should appease his family, after all, while avoiding an unwanted marriage to his deceased brother's betrothed.

At six and twenty, Lauren has weathered both heartbreak and humiliation after being abandoned at the altar. With her self-imposed exile at an end, she has returned to society's bosom, albeit to the outer fringes, where she is content to remain forevermore. Viscount Ravensberg's attentions are flattering, of course, but he has no respect for propriety or one's sensibilities, for that matter.

Nor is Lauren fooled by his flowery speech and proclamations of love. Indeed, when all pretense is removed, Kit confesses to the wager he made and the motivation behind it, his remorse genuine for acting so dishonorably. Instead of voicing her displeasure and delivering a scathing set down, Lauren is curiously silent, her profile averted. Instinct warns her she is at a crossroads.

Choosing to go forward in a new direction, Lauren agrees to pose as Kit's betrothed and visit his family's estate (just in time for his grandmother's seventy-fifth birthday) in exchange for a memorable summer, one of passion and adventure prior to retiring to a sedate life in Bath. What little Kit thought he knew about Miss Edgeworth is roundly set on its ear by such a proposal. Hoping to convince her to make their betrothal real by summer's end, a deal is struck -- and two lost souls are bound together for however long it lasts...

If Mary Balogh isn't one of your favorite authors, she really should be. In A Summer to Remember, Ms. Balogh transports her readers to Regency England (a familiar backdrop, to be sure) only to set a reader's expectations spinning and tumbling into a tidy heap. Although the plot is unremarkable, readers will rediscover the joy of simple pleasures, as Kit and Lauren's blossoming relationship slowly unfurls petal by petal, so to speak. The storyline is deceptively simple, in fact, and may be too sedate for some. A rake in pursuit of a prim and proper lady is hardly a new plot twist, after all, yet everything old is brilliantly, brightly new again.

The Kit we are first introduced to is a handsome prankster, a reckless, uncaring rogue defiant of society's disapproval, but his twinkling eyes and merry grin are merely a mask to disguise his inner turmoil and the hurt that dwells within. Lauren has every intention of healing that hurt, and mending Kit's relationship with his family while spreading her wings and indulging in behavior she has never dared to attempt before. She has always acted respectably because to behave otherwise would jeopardize her happiness -- or so she thought as a child.

A Summer to Remember is very much a character driven novel. Kit and Lauren's "carefree" summer together is an awakening for them both, where old wounds are cauterized and new strengths are discovered. Their relationship is that of an understated passion, whereas a tenderness and growing respect for each other fuse into one, providing a potently emotional dimension to the story. Secondary characters, specifically Kit's younger brother and Lauren's cousin, are keenly drawn as well and beg for their own stories to be told. Ms. Balogh is an author you can confidently spend a lazy afternoon and evening with without feeling regret over the passing of time.

Rating:
Summary: Quiet pleasure
Review: Contrary to the previous reviewer, I found this latest Mary Balogh to be gentle, subtle and quietly satisfying. Both the heroine and hero were appealing people who grew and deepened into truly likable personalities. The book moves more subtly than many of the author's previous books, not slowly just subtly. During several hours of reading. you can enter the world called the Regency Period, to join in the country life (as opposed to the preoccupation of the "ton") and breath a sigh of real pleasure with a heart-warming conclusion. I found this book to be a rewarding escape from the cares of the world.

Rating:
Summary: A Summer to Remember - NOT!
Review: Disappointing after "NO Man's Mistress"! An ice maiden and a rakehell who turns out to be an "angst-ridden man". I read the entire book from 11 am till 7 pm. I am glad I had the library's copy and didn't have to pay for it! Too much hype and not enough susbstance. Lauren Edgeworth meets Kit Butler. Two opposites! She agrees to pose as his betrothed - why? You ask? So did I! She submits. Why? You ask? So did I! Sigh. D+U+L+L!

Rating:
Summary: Not only a pleasure to read, but an honor.
Review: Five stars are simply not enough. If a romance could reach perfection, this would be a very serious contender.

I had no choice but to stay up to the wee hours to finish it. It is, by far, one of the most emotionally compelling books I have ever read. I frequently had to get up to fetch more tissues--tears of both joy and sorrow. It is emotionally and psychologically deep and honest. Although I have often been moved by good writing, few novels have touched me so deeply.

Balogh convincingly shows us the growth of a relationship based on true knowledge of another person and selfless compassion. Although desire is there, unlike most romances, it hardly takes center stage. The result is beautiful and warmly haunting.

Kit and Lauren are well-rounded and compelling characters. Balogh sets their characters before the reader and slowly peels back the layers until we (and the other) can see who each one truly is underneath their social masks. The reader has no doubt that this is a love that continue until death and beyond.

I am near to tears just writing this review--that's how marvelous this book is. If you read only one romance in your life, make it this one.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: Having read so many rave reviews of this book, I was really looking forward to it. But it was so wordy that it really took a while to get going.

Rule number one of romance--never start a book with a weather report, and graphic descriptions of physical brutality as the hero enjoys pummeling three men witless.

It was also so littered with tons of secondary characters with impossible names and titles, that it was like wading through Debrett's.

All of the standard regency slang was piled up everywhere it could be fit. There were so many scenes with the hero and heroine separated I wondered if they were ever going to have a real conversation!!

The hero Kit is completely inconsistent, and while charming, is not really a heart throb for me at all. He seems neither one thing nor another, neither rake nor noble gentleman.

As for the heroine, she is so insipid as to be as dull as she claims to be. The four love scenes are equally so. There was never any real heat between them at all.

Heat? Yes, the kind of gut-wrenching desire Kit felt for his brother's fiancee, who we are then supposed to believe Kit just gives up on when she becomes available and in fact engaged to him thanks to his father. Kit balks because he does not wish to be married or have things decided for him, but he alienated his whole family for his ex Freyja. Then he jilts her for a milksop he is only using to deceive his family with? No way! You get the feeling he is settling, and the happy ending at the end is really not convincing.

The introduction of the obnoxious Bedwyn clan in order to further them in the next three books by the author, which they have promotion for all over the place in the book front and back, further muddied the already murky waters. I am really starting to dislike novels where the author is so determined to set you up for the rest of the series, that they forget that romance is supposed to focus on ONE magical couple falling in love.

Overblown style in some places, crude in others, it was a real mish-mash. I had heard a lot of good things about this author, and will try some of her earlier work, but this was really poor and not worth the effort to slog it out to the end. Any sizzle simply fizzles. Save your time and money.