The Trysting Place

Rating:
Summary: She¿s hunting her man... but which one does she want?
Review: Newly widowed, Felicity, Lady Wren finally gets the chance to have a London Season for herself. She was married at the age of 18 to a man in his late fifties, because her family was practically bankrupt and they needed the marriage settlement to save them. At the time, she'd been in love with her childhood friend, Tom Russell, and both of them had been devastated that Felicity had to marry someone else.

However, time passes and heals many wounds, and now that Felicity is free again at the age of 26 she's matured and she feels that Tom would have been the wrong man for her. He's a country farmer, after all, and she likes Society life. She wants a man who is not only charming, handsome and close to her own age - all of which Tom is - but who is also wealthy, titled and who enjoys Society life.

In London, she meets Lord Edmond Waite, a handsome sophisticate who is obviously attracted to her; unfortunately, she discovers very quickly that he wants her as his mistress, which is something she's definitely not interested in. So how to make him come around to the idea of marriage?

Simple - make him jealous.

And how better to do that than to enlist the help of her oldest friend, who most conveniently has followed her to London and is squiring her and her younger twin sisters about?

So Tom agrees to pretend to be a devoted suitor, and of course they have to be very convincing in order to make Lord Edmond believe that he really has competition. The only problem for Felicity is: is she risking awakening old feelings by getting so close to Tom again? Is she absolutely sure that what she once felt for him is dead?

This is another Balogh classic, which I was delighted to find. As usual, she creates some very believable and entertaining characters - in particular, I loved the secondary characters of twins Lucy and Laura, and their suitors. And as usual, Balogh doesn't write a one-dimensional villain; I'm looking forward to seeing his story in the third book of the trilogy to which this belongs!

Admittedly, at first I thought that Felicity was rather shallow, with her desire for a life of froth and pleasure and her wish to marry a titled, wealthy man (who cares about love?). But then I realised that her nature at that point - or at least what she believes to be her preferences - were very much influenced by her sudden freedom from a marriage to a man much older than she was. It's a classic case of someone thinking that they know what they want, only to discover, when they have it, that it wasn't what they wanted after all.

If I had one criticism of The Trysting Place, it's that Tom is just a little bit too perfect. He agrees to everything Felicity asks of him, including pretending to be engaged to her; he's always there when she needs him; and, even though he's deeply in love with her and the thought of seeing her married to another man almost kills him inside, he's still unselfish enough to help her get what she thinks she wants. Once or twice I wanted to scream at him to develop some backbone... but then he is a pretty unselfish character.

As this is an early Balogh, there's a minor niggle in the shape of titles used incorrectly: for instance, Lord Waite is not the same title (and therefore person) as Lord Edmond Waite, and likewise Lady Dorothea Page may not also be addressed as Lady Page. However, Balogh doesn't make these errors in later books.

All in all, definitely a keeper and one of my favourites of the early Baloghs.

Rating:
Summary: Painful Experience.
Review: The amazing thing about being an author is "your characters" can become anything you want. When outlining "The Trysting Place," Mary Balogh reached far into her pen drawer and pulled out the quill marked "a shallow self-centered heroine."

Felicity Wren jumps from the pages as a silly young woman. Breaking free from her widow's grieving period, Felicity's campaign is to find a young, titled, FUN husband. She will flourish and the rest of the world can rot. Tom Russell, her childhood neighbor and friend, just happens to get in the way and Felicity Wren walks all over him. Good old Tom takes it like a faithful hound waiting patiently for Felicity's adoration. She is so totally unaware of his loving affection that the reading words become painful.

Pacifying the troubled reader, Mary Balogh creates two surprising characters in Felicity's twin sisters. These young women come to London to take advantage of the "season" and score they do! Merrily, both receive advantageous marriage proposals. This writing ploy is a good strategy by the author. It eases the tension and allows her reader to continue with the book.

Mary Balogh is very good at her craft, but this storyline is uncomfortable. Although, in the end everyone lives happily ever after, it was a brutal journey to get there.

And there are some critical flaws:
Page 134. A viscount's wife is a viscountess -- not a countess.
Page 9. Exactly why was Felicity called Lady "Felicity" Wren? It was not a birthright. Her father was only a country gentleman.
Page 11. Felicity referred to her late husband as Sir Wilfred Wren, so she is simply Lady Wren.
Ok, they may be pointless errors, but as I read, they drove me crazy.

This is one of the many Signet Regency Romance books written during the late eighties and nineties. The authors filled these delightful books with wonderful storylines that were both educational and entertaining.

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.