A Summer to Remember

Rating:
Summary: Romance At Its Best! Balogh is a 21st century Jane Austen!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! It is now one of my favorites. It is also the first book of Ms. Balogh's that I have had the pleasure of consuming in one sitting! I definitely intend to seek out her other literary offerings.

The characters in A Summer to Remember were extremely well developed! Ms. Balogh succeeded in making me empathize with the characters and hope for their success. I was captivated by the settings, the dialogue... the entire story. Each page is filled with action and it kept me riveted to its pages, regardless of the fact that the love scenes didn't occur until well after the second hundred pages of this more than four hundred page novel. Speaking of which, I loved each intimate scene, especially the first sex scene, in the gallery, on the velvet bench. I could feel the awkwardness of Lauren's first sexual experience, just as I assume Ms. Balogh intended. It reminded me of my first experience (not the exact ignorance, though, since sex education was taught at my high school, but the feeling of awkwardness, of discovery, of not knowing exactly what the heck was happening to me)! Ms. Balogh is a genius!

I laughed my head off at reading the second love scene that occurred at the other side of the lake at Alvesley, on the towels that Kit had set on the daisies, buttercups, and clover. When she innocently thought that their lovemaking was complete and Kit was gentlemanly enough to allow her to think so, I fell in love with the hero! I don't know of any man who would have been so selfless!

Unlike some of the consumer reviewers of this book, I appreciated Ms. Balogh's inclusion of the horrific details of Syd's torture at the hands of the French. The details surrounding the capture and torture of Syd had a direct bearing on his brother, Kit, just as Lauren's apparent abandonment at age 3 by her mother had a direct bearing on Lauren. Such details are necessary in order for the reader to understand the characters' motivation, their inner struggle, the reason why they are who they are.

I can not say enough about how I enjoyed A Summer to Remember. It is first rate literature by an exceptionally talented author!


Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!!!!!
Review: I cannot say enough about this book!!! I LOVED this book! Kit and Lauren were wonderful together and Kit made my little ol' romantic heart go pitter patter!!! I felt so bad for Lauren and wanted to cry when she was finally happy! And Kit....I felt like Jerome and Syd were my brothers and I was there going through his pain with him!! This is my first Mary Balogh novel, but I have gone out and bought the entire Bedwyn series because she is an excellent author!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!!!!!
Review: I cannot say enough about this book!!! I LOVED this book! Kit and Lauren were wonderful together and Kit made my little ol' romantic heart go pitter patter!!! I felt so bad for Lauren and wanted to cry when she was finally happy! And Kit....I felt like Jerome and Syd were my brothers and I was there going through his pain with him!! This is my first Mary Balogh novel, but I have gone out and bought the entire Bedwyn series because she is an excellent author!

Rating:
Summary: Loved it - definitely a keeper and one to reread!
Review: I loved this book!!! Besides really liking the hero and heroine and their story, I found this book unique regarding the secondary characters - they were not just filler background providing best friend moral support or villians to battle and conquer. There were a number of important personal issues between the primary and secondary characters (family members and long-time friends)- long-standing disagreements and misunderstandings that were explored and resolved in a satisfactory (but not sappy) manner. The secondary characters were for the most part well-developed and I cared about them. The process of resolving the problems from the past involved the main characters - the hero and heroine each helping to bring the injured parties of the other one's issues together, bringing themselves closer to each other in the process. They each made the other's life better because of their caring actions, whether or not they'd end up together (which of course they do! Can you imagine a romance novel not ending "happily ever after"?). Anyway - I loved it and highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: It was ok, but not great. It will not be among my favorites.
Review: I see that a lot of people have reviewed this book with high praise, and have rated it 5 stars. It may be just my personal taste, but I did not find this book so great at all.

First of all, the first half of the book was quite boring, Lauren and Kit (the main characters) did not start to warm up to each other, and thus engage the reader, until too late in the book.

The second half was more like a romance novel, but even then, the references to the war, and the horrors that Kit's brother Syd had suffered, were a little disturbing. I felt really sorry for Syd. Even if the author tried to make him look like a courageos hero, I still think he is victim. I look upon his story like a dreadful tragedy that could have been completely avoided. I know that a little realism is necessary in all good romance novels, but the reason I read them is to scape reality and transport myself into a land were there are always happy endings. There will be no happy ending for Syd, no matter what, he will never be again how he used to be. That made me sad and dampened my enjoyment of the story too.

The love scenes beween Kit and Lauren were ok, but not moving like, for example, Stephanie Laurens' in the Cynster series. But then again, this may just be my personnal preference.

And finally, I don't know how the author is going to make me like Freyja enough to make me buy her book. I find her shallow, spiteful, selfish, too full of herself, lacking all femininity and completely unappealing. She is the antithesis of what a romance novel heroine should be. And I'm not saying this because of her tomboy ways, there are any number of heroines of this kind that I have enjoyed, but she is just too dificult to like.

All in all, this won't be one of those memorable books that I go back to, from time to time, just to read my favorite scenes.

Rating:
Summary: A deeply passionate and moving novel
Review: I'd rather not review this book but, instead, "share my thoughts" as we are invited to do by amazon. Mary Balogh is so talented that she rarely fails to please and those who may have been disappointed by this story perhaps prefer stories which are not quite so introspective as this one.

One aspect of this novel I enjoyed was that it brought a happy outcome for some of those wonderful characters in One Night for Love. It also allowed us to watch a deeply hurt and misunderstood man and woman reach tentatively, hesitatingly for mutual fulfilment and and happiness. Kit Butler, Lt Col Viscount Ravensberg had, from all outward appearances, a brilliant military career working under particularly dangerous circumstances. Balogh alludes to this sparingly but with great effect as she explores the impact that war and command can have on a man. However, he is damaged and confused and hurt as a result of his experiences and this has helped to bring about a collapse of relations with each member of his family.

Miss Lauren Edgeworth was the jilted bride from One Night for Love who, we now find out, has turned inward on herself because of loss of her parents at a young and vulnerable age. She has some rather deep psychological scarring which needs to be expunged if ever she is to find true happiness and serenity of spirit. Her calm and cool manner hides a deeply passionate and loving woman who, sadly, all her life has felt she must exist to please others and never herself. Balogh writes with great insight into Lauren's character.

Balogh has written a novel examining the psychological make-up of two very interesting and sympathetic characters. They think and behave in a wholly credible and believeable fashion. She has truly made them come alive for me and, by placing them in a setting of a large extended family, she shows how sadly isolated both of them are, despite the surroundings of the comings and goings of everyday family activity.

I am truly interested to see if the author can make me like Lady Freyja Bedwyn who makes her somewhat alarming debut here. I look forward to reading about her and her family in the Bedwyn saga. I also hope that Sydnam Butler, Kit's younger brother will find a happy outcome in a future story. Much of the torment and turmoil experienced by Kit is directly attributable to his relationship with Sydnam. Sydnam deserves "fleshing out" and I hope to read more of him.

All in all, another marvel from Mary Balogh and not to be missed if you like heart-wrenching, immaculately plotted fiction with a rounded, mature H/H who mature to loving completion in a most heart-warming way.

Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect....
Review: Kit Butler, Viscount Ravensberg, a rake, wagers with friends that he will marry Lauren Edgeworth. Lauren, a lady, was deserted at the altar, a year before. She considers herself unmarriageable. And, as luck and Ms. Balogh will have it, the two meet.

As Kit and Lauren become acquainted, they will bargain to meet each other's needs. Kit needs a pretend-betrothed to satisfy his family. And, Lauren needs to have a summer to remember, before she sets up her spinster life in Bath.

Two more likeable leads I've never read about, in a romance. And, I fully enjoyed their story. All the secondary characters are fascinating, too. And, I would like to see some of their stories continue.

My only quibble with this book, was in the way all of Lauren's and Kit's mysteries, problems, are wrapped up so quickly. A Summer to Remember, really should have been longer. Otherwise, this book was almost perfect.

Rating:
Summary: PERFECT
Review: Kit Butler, Viscount Ravensberg, returned to London a year ago, and has subsequently gained notoriety, not only as a rake, but also as someone who frequently engages in shocking behaviors. Kit takes all the negative attention in stride though. In fact, he appears to relish the fact he's the main source of talk in the drawing rooms of London. Now his estranged father wants him to return home, in order to prepare for the day he'll inherit the earldom. However, Kit's father has also picked a bride for him. Determined to make his own choices, Kit plans to find a woman imminently suitable and respectable, to take home with him as his bride. His family won't be able to object to a marriage to such a woman. Without meeting her, he decides on the perfect choice to meet his requirements, Miss Lauren Edgeworth.

A year ago, Lauren was abandoned at the alter, and since then she has decided not to marry. Lauren has always been utterly dignified and respectable, but after being jilted, she has managed to bury herself beneath her dignity to the point of icy aloofness. Hence, Lauren strikes a bargain with Kit. She will return home with him posing as his betrothed, if he'll agree to provide her with one adventurous, passionate, and unforgettable summer. A summer to remember. At the end of the summer, she will break off their engagement, and move to Bath to live her life alone and independent.

Slowly, Kit releases Lauren from the shell of her existence, then realizes he's done the unthinkable. He has fallen in love with her. But will he be able to convince her that life with someone you love is preferable to her intended plan?

Let me just start by saying this is one of the best books I've ever read, a true work of art. When the story began, I thought it would be a light, fun, and pretty much run of the mill romance. Instead, what I discovered was a rare and perfect gem. Kit and Lauren were expertly crafted by Ms. Balogh, to the point they literally breathed with a life of their own from the pages. They were each very complex, multi-layered, but flawed individuals, who while helping each other heal, fell in love. There was never a doubt in my mind that they were in love. After all they did for each other, how could they not be? The secondary characters were also well crafted, and served to add extra depth to the story.

This was the first novel I've read by this author, and I know I'll certainly be reading more of her work. I'm anxious to start the "Slightly" series, which portrays the Bedwyn family introduced here. This book is a keeper, and a must read for anyone who loves the genre of romance, because it just doesn't get any better than this!

Rating:
Summary: Can a marriage of convenience work?
Review: Kit is an infamous bachelor in London and now his family wants him married. But he doesn't want to give in that easily to his fathers matchmaking. He goes about to find his own bride. (Though [not a real] one)

Lauren has been stood up at the alter and now thinks marriage is not for her. She and Kit meet and determine to get what they both want they strike up a deal. An engagement of convenience. But, will this fool the family. For that matter will it fool them?

Or have they gotten more than they bargained for?

Rating:
Summary: An average romance
Review: Kit, Viscount Ravensburg needs a fiance before going home to his family's seat. He has a woman waiting for him at home but she is his dead brother's bethrothed and Kit's ex lover. He doesn't want to have to marry her now after the events of three years ago. He asks Lauren Edgeworth to marry him upon a wager with his friends that he can have her under his spell within two weeks time. Instead of marrying him Lauren agrees to pretending to be his bethrothed and go to his family's home for the summer. In return, Kit is to give her a summer to remember. A summer of fun and adventure before she breaks of the engagement and becomes a spinister. What seems like a simple plan where both will benefit becomes very complex as the two begin to develop feelings for each other.

A Summer to Remember was just an average romance for me. It is the typical rogue who sets his eyes upon a lovely, proper lady and sees a challenge ahead of him. Lauren is so prim and proper and Kit is quite the rogue in every aspect of his life. They both have their share of secrets that have turned them into the adults they are. The setting was nice and the romance scenes were nicely written. I liked the storyline but got a little bored with all of the war stories Kit told. They were a somewhat intrical part of the story but could have been told in much less time. I also found it a little hard to get interested in the story until the first 100 pages or so (hardcover). When their agreement was finalized and they started playing their respective parts the story became interesting and fun to read.

A Summer to Remember is a nice quick read for an afternoon. I would probably borrow it from the library though or perhaps buy a secondhand copy. Not a keeper for me.