Review: Only Beloved by Mary Balogh

Posted April 17, 2016 by Elizabeth in Elizabeth B, Reviews / 0 Comments

Review:  Only Beloved by Mary BaloghOnly Beloved by Mary Balogh
Series: The Survivors' Club #7
Published by Signet Publication Date: May 3rd 2016
Pages: 400
Also in this series: Only a Promise, Only a Kiss
Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org
Find on: Goodreads
three-half-stars

From the legendary New York Times bestselling author of Only a Kiss and Only a Promise comes the final book in the rapturous Survivor’s Club series—as the future of one man lies within the heart of a lost but never-forgotten love...
For the first time since the death of his wife, the Duke of Stanbrook is considering remarrying and finally embracing happiness for himself. With that thought comes the treasured image of a woman he met briefly a year ago and never saw again. 
Dora Debbins relinquished all hope to marry when a family scandal left her in charge of her younger sister. Earning a modest living as a music teacher, she’s left with only an unfulfilled dream. Then one afternoon, an unexpected visitor makes it come true.
For both George and Dora that brief first encounter was as fleeting as it was unforgettable. Now is the time for a second chance. And while even true love comes with a risk, who are two dreamers to argue with destiny?

Cocktails and Books received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.

George Crabbe, The Duke of Stanbrook, has been a fixture in all 6 of the prior Survivor’s Club books. He’s been the wise counsel, father figure, and dear friend to all of the other Survivors when they have needed him. In Only Beloved, George gets to be the focus of the story.

George’s story picks up shortly after the wedding of Imogen, the one female member of the club, when he figures out that he is lonely and would like to be married again. He immediately focuses on and decides to pursue Dora who is the sister-in-law of another Survivor.

The story that follows is sweet. Dora is a spinster and well beyond the age where a woman of the time would expect to marry. It also turns out that she developed a bit of a crush on George when they had their previous meeting. I got the sense that both George and Dora went into the courtship/marriage hoping for one thing and then were pleasantly surprised when more romantic feelings developed.

Only Beloved is well written and the characters are entertaining. The interactions/romance are typical of books written about the period (post-Napoleonic war England). It was interesting to learn more of George’s history, especially since the truth of it was somewhat different than expected. Technically, this book is a stand-alone. But, as the conclusion of the Survivor’s Club series, there is more inter-mingling of characters from other books than happens in the prior books and this makes it a little harder to keep track of who’s who is you haven’t read at least some of the prior stories.

The following two tabs change content below.
I am a full time mom who works part time. I squeeze reading in wherever I can between work, volunteer stuff, and kid activities. I read a little bit of everything, but really enjoy indie authors and Happy- Ever-Afters. I've been reviewing for Cocktails and Books since January 2015.