Friday, November 2, 2018

Review: Someone to Care

TitleSomeone to Care
Author:  Mary Balogh
Series:  Westcott #4
Genre:  Historical Romance
Publisher:  Berkley
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages:  356 Pages
Date of Publication:  May 1, 2018
My Rating:  4 Stars


DESCRIPTION:

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.



MY THOUGHTS:

They met once before. She was married with three children. Although they shared a powerful attraction, she told him to go away, and that he did. Now, it is fourteen years later, and Marcel Lamarr, who is now the Marquess of Dorchester, cannot believe his eyes when he spies Viola Kingsley, who at one time was the Countess of Riverdale. Viola endured an entirely unhappy marriage and Marcel is widowed with two children. He led the life of a rake for years, while she played her role more than dutifully. They are now both around the age forty, but the connection is just as powerful.

Their paths crossed because they both had problems with their carriages. They were waiting at a small inn during repairs. Marcel does not let the opportunity to talk with Viola pass him by. He was traveling with his brother, and his carriage is ready rather quickly. Determined to not lose this opportunity, Marcel sends his brother on, and then he approaches Viola.

For twenty-three years Viola was married to the Earl of Riverdale. Upon his death, facts immediately proved that it was an illegal marriage. Viola and her children lost everything - their titles, wealth, home, and even their dignity. Unbeknownst to Viola, the Earl was married to someone else when he wed her and had a daughter from that union who inherited everything. It has been two years since her life was turned upside down, and quite a bit has happened. Viola is completely overwhelmed. She flees. She just needed to get away and acted rashly.

Marcel makes what might seem like a ludicrous suggestion to Viola - running away together for a time. Although it may seem rather impulsive, and quite scandalous, surprisingly, she agrees. Their chemistry is incredibly intense. Will it lead to a happy future for them? 

At some point in this wonderful story there is a change of events that is rather humorous and a bit exciting. However, I cannot convey what transpired because it would be a serious spoiler. One thing that I have especially enjoyed about this series is that each title is truly special to a significant point in the story. It was a great discovery to see how the title Someone to Care is so relevant.

This, as with the other stories so far, is a very sensitive read. Both Viola and Marcel are excellent characters, each with serious baggage and angst. Despite the excess of family members and the sometimes overwhelming drama, I found this to be a truly compelling read.

As this is the fourth story in the Westcott series, fans of Mary Balogh will no doubt be familiar with many of the family members and circumstances from previous stories. This book certainly would do just fine as a standalone, but I am rather certain that it would be far more enjoyable if it is read as part of the series.



Series list:
*Someone to Love (2016)
*Someone to Hold (2017)
- review link: https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2018/10/review-someone-to-hold.html
*Someone to Wed (2017)
- https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2018/10/review-someone-to-wed.html
*Someone to Care (2018)
*Someone to Trust (2018)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I grew up in post-war Wales as Mary Jenkins. It was in many ways an idyllic childhood even though Swansea, my home town, had been heavily bombed during the war, rationing was still on, and material possessions were few. If anyone knew how to stretch a penny to do the work of two, it was my mother.

My sister, Moira, two years older than I, was my constant playmate and soul-mate. We both have a hard time convincing people who did not know us then that we were almost inseparable yet never quarrelled. Our few dolls became our family. They had names, personalities, histories. We used to lie awake in bed at night–until our mother would call up, promising dire consequences if we did not stop talking–inventing stories about our dolls’ antics. On summer days Mam would construct a tent out of blankets, string and clothes pegs attached to the clothesline and the garden fence, and we would play “house” all day. The neighbours must have cringed when we took our dolls for walks in the strollers Dad made for us, complete with solid–and excruciatingly noisy–wooden wheels.
Moira and I both used to fill notebooks with stories. We read voraciously–especially every book of Enid Blyton’s we could get our hands on when we were younger, the classics when we were a little older. We both used to say that we wanted to be authors when we grew up, though the word we used then was authoress. We both fulfilled our dream, though we both financed it with careers as high school English teachers.

Much more about this talented author can be found on her website at: http://www.marybalogh.com.  


13 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good read. I like historical romance novels. Might check this series out.

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  2. I enjoy second chance romances, this sounds good!

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  3. Interesting! I don't normally go for historical romances but this sounds good ❤️

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  4. Glad you liked it, I don't often read historicals

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  5. This series sounds good. I love historical romances and as I approach thirty I'm getting sick of reading about 18-year-olds falling in love, ha. This appeals to me a lot more! :)

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  6. Great review! You make me want to give historical romance a chance ;-)

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  7. i think i read the first one too but somehow did not get around to the others, now i want to

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  8. What a lovely review. Sounds very intriguing.

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  9. I know how hard it is not to spoil a book;. This one seems good though without the spoiler.

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  10. Sounds intriguing. I have not read a historical fiction in a while I might take this upon!

    Gayathri @ Elgee Writes

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  11. Great review Robin I absolutely love a great historical romance book and this one looks and sounds absolutely amazingly great and right up my alley as well. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and for putting this book on my radar.

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