Mary Balogh

Includes an excerpt from Someone to hold.

Someone to Love

azliana aziz

like majority of the starter book in a new series this one also got trapped by the necessity to give space to everyone else who matter to the series and left either the H/h quietly suffered by minimal characterization. for someone to love, the hero, Avery does appeared in majority of the story but i can't quiet grasp what was the deal with him and the revelation at the end came out of nowhere and really seems forced. Avery reminds me to Sebastian of Kleypas' beloved Devil in Winter so imagine my disappointment when his character felt so flat. and goodness me, why does Mary Balogh had to be so stingy with the sex scenes. i know she can write better than this so why she withheld herself in this book i'm so baffled. 

p/s: i just skimmed through the family parts because it's just too much and too long

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

  
    
  




Someone To Love is the first book of the Westcott series and I finally caved into starting this series. I had thought about working on her other previous series before beginning these books, but I realized I have been wanting to read these books so much. Mary Balogh is an author I have respected for so long and she was one of the first that introduced me to authentically real regency. I was thrilled to see that my local library carried this one in audio format. Sometimes this author writes more slow burn and it can be difficult to get fully into, but she has some wonderful narrators that portray the story so well in the way that it deserves. 



Someone To Love is a story that begins with our heroine, who grew up in an orphanage. Anna Snow is now a teacher in the orphanage in which she grew up. She has very little memory of her time before the orphanage. But then she is brought to the Wescott family and delivered the startling news that she is the sole heir of the Westcott fortune and that the truth of her stepfamily was hidden from them as well. While she has been aching for a family all of her life, the moment she realizes she has one, many of them distrust her and don't want to be involved with her at all. It is heartbreaking for Anna to have her dream come true only for all the hope of it to have dwindled in such a way. But there is one person that gives her the light and hope she has been looking for....Avery Archer. He is distantly related to the family she has now become a part of (but they share no blood with each other) and he becomes a true friend to her in the time of need. He is steady and strong and when a scandal erupts, he shows up for her and offers her a marriage of convenience. While she expects a contented life with Avery, she doesn't expect passion and deep love to form with him. But will Avery be able to give her what she needs and hopes for? 



“Why ask a question,” she said, “if one does not want a truthful answer?” Ah. Now he understood. He liked her. That was extraordinary enough, but it was easier to understand than sexual awareness.



Someone To Love is a story that I found to be a really beautifully sweet story that I was definitely in the mood for. I had such a fun time with this book. It was highly intriguing to see this setup and seeing the way that this author starts off the series involving this family. And color me intrigued, because I can't wait to get all the stories from all these family members and seeing them all find their HEA. I found it truly an interesting situation that this heroine finds herself in. The story is more focused surrounding her and her path. I loved her growth while at the same time standing her ground for her own values and integrity. My heart just ached for Anna especially her thirst for family connection and being pushed out the door out of a situation that is not her fault at all. While I could understand why her step-siblings were angry, I really couldn't stand how they treated her but since their father had passed and they couldn't be angry with him they wanted someone to pin the blame on. It should prove interesting to see how Mary Balogh writes their stories and what she has planned for the series as a whole. Now on the part of the hero, I really found Avery to be quite different from what you normally expect in regency. He isn't this big and brawny male at all but has his own reservoir of strength and solitude. He has had to fight for everything he has gained in his life. I loved the core of his character and seeing the aspects of what has built him into the man he has become. The romance that develops between Anna and Avery is quite interesting. It's so slow and sweet and has a power of strength and resilience hidden underneath the depths of it all. Seeing them having developed the seeds of friendship and with the blend of passion that builds into a powerful love story, I couldn't put this one down. 



"You can be and may be and already are, Anna. My someone to love. My everything"



Overall I found Someone To Love to be a captivating story that was yearningly deep and sweet. it has a perfect blend of authenticity and realism that is balanced with a connecting romance to empower its reader.

Lorena

TL Wright

'Today's superstar heir to the marvellous legacy of Georgette Heyer' Susan Elizabeth Phillips The New York Times bestselling author of Only a Kiss launches a new series with the death of an earl and the revelation of a scandalous secret... Humphrey Wescott, Earl of Riverdale, has died, leaving behind a fortune that will forever alter the lives of everyone in his family - including the daughter no one knew he had... Anna Snow grew up in an orphanage in Bath knowing nothing of the family she came from. Now she discovers that the late Earl of Riverdale was her father and that she has inherited his fortune. She is also overjoyed to learn she has siblings. However, they want nothing to do with her or her attempts to share her new wealth. But the new earl's guardian is interested in Anna... Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, keeps others at a distance. Yet something prompts him to aid Anna in her transition from orphan to lady. As London society and her newfound relatives threaten to overwhelm Anna, Avery steps in to rescue her and finds himself vulnerable to feelings and desires he has hidden so well and for so long. This is the sparkling first novel in the Regency romance Westcott series by New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh - perfect for fans of Grace Burrowes and Stephanie Laurens The Westcott Series: Someone to Love Someone to Hold Someone to Wed Someone to Care Someone to Trust Someone to Honour Someone to Remember Praise for Mary Balogh: 'One of the best!' New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn 'A grand mistress of the genre' Romantic Times 'Balogh is the queen of spicy Regency-era romance, creating memorable characters in unforgettable stories' Booklist 'Mary Balogh sets the gold standard in historical romance' New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz 'A romance writer of mesmerising intensity, Mary Balogh has the gift of making a relationship seem utterly real and utterly compelling' Mary Jo Putney 'A matchless storyteller' RT Book Reviews