Stevie‘s review of Someone to Care (Westcott Novels, Book 4) by Mary Balogh
Historical Romance published by Berkley 01 May 18
When the Earl of Riverdale was posthumously discovered to have been a bigamist, the effects on his family were devastating. While at least some of his children have been able to accept their new, lowered status, his widow, who was never truly his wife, is still struggling two years later. Viola Kingsley feels that she has always been defined by other people’s expectations of her various roles: daughter, wife, mother – and now she gains far less enjoyment from the one option still open to her, that of mother, than she ever did before the family received the shocking news of the Earl’s previous marriage. Two days into a family gathering, ostensibly to celebrate the christening of Viola’s grandson, the pressure to appear happy with her lot becomes too much and Viola flees for home in a hired carriage, only to find herself stranded in a remote inn with a man she told to go away some fifteen years earlier.
Marcel Lamarr, who once tried to woo Viola – when she believed herself to be a married woman – is now the Marquess of Dorchester, no less the notorious rake than he was a decade and a half earlier. His and Viola’s paths have not crossed since that time, and she is unaware of his new, titled status. When the pair find themselves forced to stay in the same inn during harvest celebrations, they decide to partake of the village’s meagre entertainments and forget about their respective family burdens. Marc had been travelling with his brother to visit the son and daughter he has rarely seen since their mother’s untimely death when they were still babies, leaving to be brought up by his austere sister-in-law and her equally dour husband, surrounded by a large collection of hangers-on, all related to either Marc’s deceased wife or to the previous Marquess. Not a destination he’s looking forward to reaching.
Having sent his brother away after spotting Viola, Marc discovers that simple country pursuits with an attractive woman by his side are every bit as enjoyable as anything London has to offer. After spending the night together, the pair, believing that their families will be too busy to miss either of them for a while at least, determine to run away together to a small property Marc owns in Devon, although he has rarely visited it. Their families, however, do miss them; just as Viola and Marc’s time together seems to be reaching its natural conclusion, two parties – one from each family – descend upon their quiet hideaway. Marc’s attempts to make the situation look more respectable than it is backfire, and suddenly both families are planning a wedding neither bride nor groom is certain that either of them wants.
I liked this book a lot, Viola’s story especially. Marc felt a little too angsty at times, at least when he was blaming himself for his wife’s death, and the misunderstandings between them following their discovery by the families in Devon was a little too drawn out before they finally sorted things out by actually talking to each other. Having said all that, I hope we see a lot more of the Westcotts and get to spend time with these two again in subsequent stories.
Grade: B
Summary:
Once the Countess of Riverdale, Viola Kingsley throws all caution to the wind when adventure calls in the form of a handsome aristocrat…
Two years after the death of the Earl of Riverdale, his family has overcome the shame of being stripped of their titles and fortune–except for his onetime countess, Viola. With her children grown and herself no longer part of the social whirl of the ton, she is uncertain where to look for happiness–until quite by accident her path crosses once again with that of the Marquess of Dorchester, Marcel Lamarr.
Marcel Lamarr has been a notorious womanizer since the death of his wife nearly twenty years earlier. Viola caught his eye when she herself was a young mother, but she evaded his seduction at the time. A prize that eluded him before, she is all the more irresistible to him now although he is surprised to discover that she is as eager now for the excitement he offers as he is himself.
When the two defy convention and run away together, they discover that the ties of respectability are not so easily severed, and pleasure can ensnare you when you least expect it…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
