Rating: 
Summary: an enjoyable 3 1/2 star read
Review: While I don't exactly share the first reviewer's sentiments about "A Summer to Remember" honesty compels to agree that while this was a rather agreeable and enjoyable read, there was really nothing incredibly earth-shatteringly new or fresh about this latest Mary Balogh Regency romance. Everything depends on one's personal taste: compared to "No Man's Mistress (too improbable a plot -- supposedly 'honourable' heroes don't force their presence on the households of respectable young ladies, no matter the circumstances) and "More Than a Mistress" (the last few chapters of that book made me quite ill), "A Summer to Remember," was a welcome relief. It seemed to herald (for me anyway) the return of the Mary Balogh who knew how to make her characters engaging and sympathetic. For all of us who wondered whatever would happen to Miss Lynn Edgeworth after "One Night of Love" this novel answers those all questions in spades. And while it is not exactly essential to have read that book before embarking on this one, being familiar with some of the finer workings of that plot does help. It's been almost a year since Lauren was left at the altar because of the return from the dead of her intended's previous wife. Outwardly, the very cool, calm and collected Lauren gives the impression that she's recovered from the humiliation of losing Neville (her intended and her greatest love) but inwardly, the pain of the rejection has never left. Now, she's in London for some time away from painful memories. Unfortunately, her family and friends seems to have plans to introduce her to as many eligible bachelors as possible. And for a young lady who has decided never to marry, such a situation is well neigh intolerable! In the meantime, Kit Butler, the Earl of Ravensberg, receives news that his father is planning to marry him off the his dead brother's fiance. Kit is both angry and bitter about his family's highhandedness; and desperate to thwart his father's plans, he concocts a scheme to find his own bride. However, which respectable young lady would marry an infamous rake such as he? And when he notices Lauren and learns of her reputation, he decides that Lauren just might be the bride for him. Lauren however has other plans -- she has no wish to marry. And so she poses a counter scheme: she will pose as his fiance, and Kit will give her a summer of fun (her previous life has suddenly struck her as being rather unadventurous and dull), but at the end of the summer, she will disengage herself from him and they will each go their separate ways. Kit is intrigued and nothing loath, agrees to Lauren's scheme. But as the summer progresses, Kit comes to see that Lauren just might be the ideal wife for him, and he discovers that he is in danger of losing his heart to her. But not only is Lauren (he thinks) still in love with Neville, she has no intention of marrying at all. Can a rake who used to pride himself on his ability to seduce any woman persuade a respectable and decorous young lady to give up her plans and settle on him? The plot is a much used and rather basic one. What makes this novel incredibly engrossing and enjoyable was the manner in which the authour brings Lauren to life -- the pain she suffers when her hopes were dashed, her dissatisfaction with her life, the joy she takes from the simple pleasures that Kit introduces her to (like swimming) and the manner in which she handles a few sticky situations. This is a tale of a young woman coming into her own, and what a joy it was to read those bits of the novel. Kit's and Lauren's romance however had me in two minds -- Balogh does show how well they deal with each other, but while their romance was quite sensuous, it was also at times a little ho-hum. As for Kit, well he's the usual self-centered hero, with some redeeming characters. I, personally enjoyed the scene in which his younger brother finally told him off. I probably would have broken his nose as well, but if you only have one arm (as Kit's brother has) breaking other people's noses could be a problem. On the whole, I'd say that this novel was quite an enjoyable read and rates somewhere in the 3 1/2 stars realm. It even hints that there may be more novels featuring a few characters from this novel. I do hope so, for I'm dying to see how things turn out between Gwen and Ralf Bedwyn! A good read.
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