Publishers Weekly
03/21/2016
Balogh’s warmhearted final Survivors’ Club Regency (after Only a Kiss) finally turns to the compassionate Duke of Stanbrook, who brought six wounded strangers—five men and one woman—into his Cornwall home after their service in the Napoleonic wars and assisted in their physical and mental recovery. Now these close friends have all married happily, and the duke, who lost his son in the wars and his wife soon after, finally admits he is lonely. Even at 48, he would be considered a very desirable match, but he turns to unassuming 39-year-old spinster Dora Debbins, sister-in-law of Lord Ponsonby (familiar from Only Enchanting), instead of looking for a higher-status woman to be his wife. Dora has not dared to admit her yearning for the handsome duke she met when her sister married into the Survivors’ Club. She is stunned when the duke turns up in her modest cottage and proposes, but accepting his proposal brings heartache, because even the kind gentleman hides dark secrets that threaten their happy life together. Balogh deftly reveals Dora’s growth into an elegant duchess who earns the love of a sensitive man. This is a satisfying conclusion to an intense and popular historical series. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency. (May)
From the Publisher
Mary Balogh sets the gold standard in historical romance.”—New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz
“Once you start a Mary Balogh book, you won’t be able to stop reading.”—New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips
“Mary Balogh is simply wonderful.”—New York Times bestselling author Jo Beverley
“Today’s superstar heir to the marvelous legacy of Georgette Heyer, (except a lot steamier).”—New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips
“A romance writer of mesmerizing intensity.”—New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney
“A superb author.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Balogh can always be depended on to deliver a beautifully written Regency romance.”—Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
2016-03-03
When the Duke of Stanbrook announces his plans to marry spinster Dora Debbins, friends rally around them in celebration while an old nemesis swears vengeance against the couple, casting a shadow across their marriage. Eight years ago, George Crabbe, Duke of Stanbrook, opened his Cornwall estate to wounded officers of the Napoleonic Wars and ended up becoming especially close to six of them, known as the Survivors. Over the past couple of years, all the Survivors have made their ways back into the world and found soul mates, leaving the duke extremely happy for them but also lonely. At 48, having been a widower for more than a decade, he discovers he's contemplating marriage with a certain spinster he met a little over a year ago, the sister-in-law of one of the Survivors. Once the idea is planted, he moves forward quickly, and soon Miss Dora Debbins has agreed to be his wife. For her part, Dora's life hasn't turned out in any way as she expected, but she has found contentment in her modest, quiet path as a music teacher. When the Duke of Stanbrook turns up on her doorstep, proposing marriage, she is stunned but accepts. Finding him honorable and attractive, she's hopeful they can make a good life together. Neither is prepared for the true happiness they find in each other's company, and as they learn more about each other's past disappointments and struggles, they fall in love and help each other heal. The duke's first marriage was marred by shameful secrets he's never shared with anyone, and when a member of his first wife's family seems determined to make trouble for the newlyweds, even the couple's friends may not be able to shelter them from his dark intentions. Balogh wraps up her celebrated series with a perfect happy-ever-after for the older duke, his spinster bride, and the whole Survivors' Club.
