THE SURVIVOR'S CLUB SERIES BY MARY BALOGH

I have just finished reading books two and three of the Survivor's Club  series.  They are The Arrangement and The Escape.  I had read The Proposal when it first came out.  I like the premise that these victims of the Napoleonic Wars banded together to help each other on the road to recovery whether it be from blindness, crippling injuries or emotional pain.  Each story is very moving and the character development is excellent.  These books remind me somewhat of one of my favorite Balogh books, Simply Love

In The Arrangement, Vincent, Viscount Darleigh, is blind.  He lost he sight in his very first battle.   He is on a brief respite from his mothers and sisters who are trying to find a bride for him.  He wants to choose his own.  His journey back to the town of his boyhood brings surprises and a certain amount of joy at being home again.
Sophie is a little ragamuffin of a young woman who has been sent to live with relatives who basically ignore her and treat her worse than a servant but she comes into her own and finds the courage to do what she thinks is right.
The journey of Sophie and Vincent is a beautiful romance.  The plot is strong and moves at a good pace.  It definitely a must read for Mary Balogh fans and fans to be.  I have downloaded the audios and look forward to listening to them both.
In The Escape Sir Benedict, Ben to his friends,  has survived  crippling injuries which makes it very difficult to walk  He feels as though he has no place where he fits in even though he owns an estate which his younger brother, Calvin, manages.  He has a hard time asserting himself to take control of his life.  While visiting his sister he meets Samantha McKay, a recent widow, who is under the thumbs of her very conservative in-laws who are demanding a very strict mourning period.  When she is being sent to live at her father-in-laws she plans an escape in the middle of the night and Ben is her champion and protector.  This story really affected me.  I loved the two main characters and cheered them on!  I despised Matilda, the sister-in-law.  But I loved the setting in Wales and would love to go there to see what Samantha and Ben saw.  I give this book 5 stars!
Mary Balogh has long been a very favorite author of mine  ever since I read the Bedwyn Series and I look forward to the next book in this series, Only Enchanting, which will be released on October 28, 2014

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Mistletoe Bay by Marcia Evanick

As I reviewed all my old posts I realized that I have never reviewed books by Marcia Evanick and I love her books set in Misty Harbor, Maine.  I reread these books about once a year.  Maybe it is because I live in Maine that they hold so much appeal.
Her series begins with the story of Gwen Fletcher the first of three Fletcher sisters who all eventually end up in Misty Harbor.  Catch of the Day is Gwen's story.  Then Sidney becomes the town's doctor in Christmas on Conrad Street.  Jocelyn, who is an attorney and dissatisfied with her job, comes to Misty Harbor in the book Blueberry Hill to reevaluate her life and ends up staying.
The last book in the series is Mistletoe Bay and this one grabs at my heart.  Jenni Wright has bought an old rundown home just outside of Misty Harbor.  She is a young widow with three boys and her widowed mother-in-law and daughter also live with her.  Jenni bought the house because it had a well restored barn where she could begin her business The Mistletoe Bay Company.  She creates unique and natural lotions, soaps and other products.
The UPS delivery person is Cooper Armstrong.  Coop grew up in the area and has just returned to stay.  He makes the deliveries and pick up for the Mistletoe Bay Company and has learned to keep a close watch out for the boys as they are very active and one never knows when they might pop out.  In fact Tucker, the middle boy, gets into much mischief! The boys call him Mr. Brown!
I love the way Jenni and Coop met!  Jenni is trying to get the dog, Bojangles, out from under the porch as Coop is striding up for a delivery.  That scene has some very funny moments.  I really like the way that Coop took the family under his wing and started making some minor repairs to the house and came to really love Jenni and the boys.
Jenni and Coop are both strong characters and very likable.  The family is very close but as with any family there are issues and problems.  Evanick writes with a nice style and uses humor to help ,move the plot along.  These books of hers were the first contemporaries that I began reading.  While I am still a fan of historicals I have come to enjoy a few contemporaries and Marcia Evanick is the reason.
I love stories set in Maine along the coast.  Sometimes I think in another life I must have lived there or that it is my dream to live there.
I am sorry that Marcia Evanick does not seem to be writing any more and I am disappointed in that.  I highly recommend her series to anyone wanting a good read.

NIGHTINGALE WAY BY Emily March

OMG what a book!  Nightingale Way if the fifth book in the Eternity Springs series.  I got a signed copy in the mail as one of my Emily's Angels gifts.  I went to bed and thought I will just read a couple of pages to get a flavor of the book.  Well, five chapters later I reluctantly put it down and turned out the light.  The next day I finished it and I hated for it to end.  I have loved each book in the series but I think each book gets better than the last.
Jack Davenport has always been sort of a mystery man flying in and out of Eternity Springs in his helicopter.  He certainly helped save Gabe Callahan's life in the first book of the series, Angel's Rest.  However we never really got to know him as a person.  Now we find him to be a rescuer in the fullest sense of the word.  As the book begins he is abducting his ex-wife, Cat and flying her to his home, Eagles Way, in Eternity Springs to protect her from folks angry about some investigative journalism that she had published.
I really liked the way Emily March used flashbacks to let us see into Jack's and Cat's former lives.  It really explained how their relationship grew and then floundered. Could it be revived again?  Both Jack and Cat's characters are very likable although at time it seemed as though Jack's arrogance came through.
I love seeing the characters from the former books entwined in each others lives.  It promoted a desire in me for that sort of community that is so often missing in our society  and for which we all yearn and need.
The humor that surrounded the bachelorette party for Sarah had me laughing hysterically.  It just shows the range of emotions that March is able to draw out in her readers. Yes, I went from laughter to tears at some points in the story.
So who will be the focus of the next book?  Will it be Zack, the sheriff or some other character who has shown up in Eternity Springs.  I am rooting for Zack!!
If you haven't read any of the Eternity Springs series, please start with the first, Angel's Rest as each book really builds upon the previous ones.  They are all excellent and highly recommended.

THE PROPOSAL BY MARY BALOGH

Mary Balogh has long been a favorite author of mine.  Her latest book The Proposal does not disappoint.  It was fun to meet again some of the characters from her other books.  It was so good to know Lady Muir's (Gwen) story.

Her fateful meeting with Lord Trentham (Hugo) on a deserted beach at the Pendarris estate and the subsequent development of their relationship made for good reading.  Gwen always seemed so aloof and not quite alive and it was great to see her growth into a wonderfully alive and caring person.

Lord Trentham was a big, burly man who seemed at times so crude and rude but then so tender.  He was a very plain speaking man who had been through the horror of war and came back a titled hero who was wounded inside.  His care for his sister and stepmother was admirable.

I really liked the humor that was apparent from time to time especially as Hugo would say he hadn't decided if he was courting Gwen even as he actually was.
The secondary characters were well done and at times helped moved the story along but it was Gwen and Hugo that made this book!

Mary Balogh writes some of the best sex scenes.  She handles them with taste but does not leave out the feelings of passion and love  The way Hugo and Gwen traversed between two worlds was somewhat amazing although at times I was not sure whether they would be able to do that.
All in all a very satisfactory story that I highly recommend.  It is also available in audio from Audible.com

Beyond Seduction by Stephanie Laurens - Narrated by Steven Crossley

This sixth book in the Bastion Club series by Stephanie Laurens is a great book and I loved the series.  I have waited for along time for this book and Mastered By Love to come out in Audio.  What a disappointment to have Steven Crossley as the narrator.  He is terrible at women's voices and not much better at men's.  His children's voices are even worse than the women's.
Jill Tanner narrated the first books in the series and she did an excellent job.  Simon Preble has narrated the rest of Lauren's books and he is superb!
The narrator makes the audio book ands when Blackstone contracted with Crossley they made a big mistake!  Now I have the audio books I will listen to them but not with the enjoyment that I had anticipated.  It is a shame to take such a good book and give it to such a poor narrator.
Take note Blackstone and chose your narrators very carefully.

BRIDE BY MISTAKE by Anne Gracie

OMG, I just finished Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie.  I loved this book!  I have been waiting for Luke's story and it was worth the wait.
Luke Ripton married a young thirteen year old Isabella to save her during the war.  She is sent to live in a convent where her aunt is a nun.  When Luke applies for an annulment it is denied.  He begins his journey to Spain to collect his bride after 8 years.
Isabella has been dreaming of the day when he would come and has had very romantic dreams about how that would all work out.
Well it didn't work out the way either of them thought.  Luke thought he would find a very obedient, passive woman and was he ever surprised.  Isabella thought he would be so happy to finally see her and her disappointment and hurt was so obvious.
I loved seeing the way their relationship developed and how they came to trust and love each other.  These two characters were so well developed.  Luke from being withdrawn from all emotion and finally finding his heart and learning to trust and Isabella relatively open but hiding some secrets to becoming such a comforter and partner.
I didn't want this book to end as I was so drawn to Luke and Isabella, I wanted to know how their life developed after they reached England.  I am eagerly awaiting Gracie's next offering.