Someone To Cherish Offers A Sweet But Anticlimactic End

 

  

Title:  Someone To Cherish

Author:  Mary Balogh

Length:  400 pages

Date Of Publication:  June 29th, 2021

Publisher:  Berkley

Rating:  4 Stars

 

Is love worth the loss of one's freedom and independence? This is what Mrs. Tavernor must decide in the new novel in the Westcott series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

When Harry Westcott lost the title Earl of Riverdale after the discovery of his father's bigamy, he shipped off to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, where he was near-fatally wounded. After a harrowing recovery, the once cheery, light-hearted boy has become a reclusive, somber man. Though Harry insists he enjoys the solitude, he does wonder sometimes if he is lonely.

Lydia Tavernor, recently widowed, dreams of taking a lover. Her marriage to Reverend Isaiah Tavernor was one of service and obedience, and she has secretly enjoyed her freedom since his death. She doesn't want to shackle herself to another man in marriage, but sometimes, she wonders if she is lonely.

Both are unwilling to face the truth until they find themselves alone together one night, and Lydia surprises even herself with a simple question: "Are you ever lonely?" Harry's answer leads them down a path neither could ever have imagined...

 

Praise For Mary Balogh

 

Praise for Mary Balogh and her novels Someone to Cherish “The seamless plotting and enticing characters make this a romance to be savored. Balogh is in fine form, and this may be her best Regency to date.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review Someone to Romance “Pitch-perfect…a riveting, fast-paced narrative…Regency fans will be delighted.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review Someone to Remember “Wistful yet hopeful, the story is a needed addition to a genre that usually celebrates the romances of younger protagonists.”—Kirkus Reviews  “…A charming novel, slowly paced and sweet, perfectly reflecting the gentle middle-aged woman at its center.”—Shelf Awareness Someone to Trust “The balance between sweet and bitter produces a complex and winning love story.”—Publishers Weekly “The sheer perfection of Balogh’s prose in the fifth superbly written installment in the Westcott series marries her rare gift for crafting realistically nuanced characters to produce another radiant Regency historical romance by one of the genre’s most resplendent writers.”—Booklist, starred review “With tenderness, humor, and infinite finesse, Balogh turns the classic younger woman/older man pairing on its well-worn ear in another sigh-worthy [novel] that readers are sure to savor.”—Library Journal, starred review “The quiet, authentic intensity of the characters’ emotions is a hallmark of Balogh’s work, and it is a pleasure to experience each heart-wringing moment in this romance made for warming a winter night.”—BookPage Someone to Care “A love story nearly perfect in every way.”—Booklist, starred review “A story that is searing in its insight, as comforting as a hug, and a brilliant addition to this series. Another gem from a master of the art.”—Library Journal, starred review Someone to Wed “With her signature voice and steady pace, Balogh crafts a thoughtful, sweet Regency-era love story to follow Someone to Hold.”—Publishers Weekly “Balogh’s delightful ugly duckling tale may be the nonpareil Regency romance of the season.”—Booklist, starred review Put your stuff here

My Thoughts

Lydia...Lydia...Lydia and Harry...Harry...Harry!

It actually took 8 books...

8 whole books for Harry to grow up and become a man.

Well, if one must resort to technicalities.

It took a major disinheriting, war service, several near death experiences, PTSD, becoming the consummate "country gentleman" and bringing the wife of the dearly departed "town saint and martyr" to scandalous ruin.  To bring about Harry's long awaited catharsis.

And now that it has arrived...

Well...

Hmmm...

The phrase "Still waters run deep."  Comes to mind here.  Because there is nary a splash to be had plot wise; in Harry's neck of the literary pond.

Because all the other plot worthy points in Harry's existence have been so thoroughly interwoven into every other stories in the series.

The only two real talking points left by the time that readers are to hear from the man himself?

Lydia and the fact that he has indeed survived long enough to meet Lydia.

OKAY!!!!

Insert side-eye here...

As for Lydia?

Well...

Hmmm...

Poor thing!!!

Married to a man who was so married to his work that he wanted her to marry it too.

But then he died.

So then she no longer had to be married to the late vicar or his work.

 

But now she is expected to be this "paragon of virtue".

What?

It appears that that is the last thing on her mind. 

Or Harry's 

But to what end?

This is the most staid of all the stories of the series.

It strikes one as being more reflective than romantic.

But it is nonetheless very sweet.

After the long wait for this last piece of the grand puzzle that is the Westcott series.

 

Reviewer's Notes

This book may be read as part pf its intended series.  Or as a standalone.

WTF Are You Reading?  Would like to thank Netgalley and Berkley Books for the review copy on which this unbiased review is based.

 

 

About Mary

Mary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.

Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.

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