What do you think?
Rate this book
Web #4
The Temporary Wife / A Promise of Spring
In two classic tales of Regency-era romance from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh, the vagaries of love have a way of challenging the most convenient arrangements.
THE TEMPORARY WIFE
Miss Charity Duncan has no illusions about Lord Anthony Earheart’s proposal. The arrogant aristocrat has made it painfully clear what he a wife who will enrage the father he despises and then disappear from his life. In exchange, Charity’s family will receive the money they desperately need. But after Charity agrees to this mockery of matrimony, she soon discovers a startling She has fallen for Anthony, and breaking their marriage vows may also break her heart.
A PROMISE OF SPRING
Grace Howard has every reason to be devoted to Sir Peregrine Lampman. After all, the gallant gentleman rescued her from poverty by making her his bride. Even more nobly, he did not withdraw his affection after she confessed to a youthful folly that had compromised her virtue. But Grace did not tell the whole truth about the handsome lord who betrayed her—and now the one thing she’s kept from Perry threatens to destroy her last chance at true love.
THE TEMPORARY WIFE
Miss Charity Duncan has no illusions about Lord Anthony Earheart’s proposal. The arrogant aristocrat has made it painfully clear what he a wife who will enrage the father he despises and then disappear from his life. In exchange, Charity’s family will receive the money they desperately need. But after Charity agrees to this mockery of matrimony, she soon discovers a startling She has fallen for Anthony, and breaking their marriage vows may also break her heart.
A PROMISE OF SPRING
Grace Howard has every reason to be devoted to Sir Peregrine Lampman. After all, the gallant gentleman rescued her from poverty by making her his bride. Even more nobly, he did not withdraw his affection after she confessed to a youthful folly that had compromised her virtue. But Grace did not tell the whole truth about the handsome lord who betrayed her—and now the one thing she’s kept from Perry threatens to destroy her last chance at true love.
528 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
532 people are currently reading
796 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
196 books6,276 followersMary 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
May 2, 2016
This is a dual volume with two entirely separate Regency romance novels included in it. The first one, The Temporary Wife, is a lovely if somewhat predictable story. The second, A Promise of Spring, is a more unusual tale, but full of angst and needless drama--not my kind of read at all.
I've reviewed both of these novels separately in more detail:
• 4 stars for The Temporary Wife, reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• 2 stars for A Promise of Spring, reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've reviewed both of these novels separately in more detail:
• 4 stars for The Temporary Wife, reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• 2 stars for A Promise of Spring, reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 9, 2018
There are 2 Balogh regencies here and that caused me no end of trouble in trying to come up with a star rating for the whole book. THE TEMPORARY WIFE (from 1997) is almost a 5-star Balogh but A PROMISE OF SPRING (from 1990) was just too tedious and exasperating for me and, written by any other author, would deserve a 2-star rating.
Both are presented in the same volume because, I assume, they are both about marriages of convenience. No characters overlap from one to the other as in her previous 2-for-1 releases. (However, be on the lookout for characters in A PROMISE OF SPRING that show up in Balogh's WEB series.)
THE TEMPORARY WIFE is lovely and Kleenex-worthy. Lord Anthony Earheart has been estranged from his family for 8 years and wishes to annoy his tyrannical father by marrying beneath himself, so he advertises for a governess, intending to marry the first shabby genteel applicant of marriageable age who will agree to such a marriage. What's in it for the woman? A house of her own, with servants to take care of it, and several thousand pounds annual income.
Charity Duncan answers the ad because her family of siblings (parents deceased) is in dire need of funds. She's so desperate that she accepts the marriage proposal. So Anthony marries Charity and takes her to visit his dysfunctional family . (Did I mention that his father is a duke and that he is the heir? Well, he forgot to mention that to Charity at first also.) And we're off to a great read. Watch Charity work her magic not just on Anthony but on the whole family. A lovely story.
Then comes A PROMISE OF SPRING. You may need Kleenex for this one also but I was too exasperated by the H and h to feel the pathos attempts by Balogh. Heroine Grace Howard is 35 and living with her brother Paul, the village rector. He dies at the beginning of the story and Grace is seemingly alone in the world. Hero Sir Peregrine Lampman, 10 years her junior, had been a good friend of Paul's and proposes marriage to Grace to rescue her from certain poverty and loneliness. It's unclear why he has to do this. It seems like finding her a good job as housekeeper or lady's companion should have been enough, especially since neither one was attracted romantically to the other.
And there's my biggest problem with this whole story. I didn't feel the attraction at any moment in the story, not even at the end when they are professing their love. The romance is pretty blah and the heroine Grace is even blah-er. Yes, she has a tragic secret in her past but she was such a washed-out personality that I couldn't much like her, especially since every 2 seconds or so she agonizes over the 10-year age difference between herself and Perry. That got pretty old pretty fast.
And Perry? He's a nice guy, but perhaps too nice and too conflict-avoiding. I couldn't quite make out his personality and also found him to laugh and smile overmuch and never say what he was thinking or feeling. Grace and Perry never really talk to each other about much except the growing of flowers. It became unbearably frustrating for me. All their issues could have been resolved in half the time with some good heart-to-hearts.
Well, this is just my opinion of the second story. I'm sure there will be many other readers who like it very much. On the upside for me, it was worth buying the whole book just to read THE TEMPORARY WIFE.
Both are presented in the same volume because, I assume, they are both about marriages of convenience. No characters overlap from one to the other as in her previous 2-for-1 releases. (However, be on the lookout for characters in A PROMISE OF SPRING that show up in Balogh's WEB series.)
THE TEMPORARY WIFE is lovely and Kleenex-worthy. Lord Anthony Earheart has been estranged from his family for 8 years and wishes to annoy his tyrannical father by marrying beneath himself, so he advertises for a governess, intending to marry the first shabby genteel applicant of marriageable age who will agree to such a marriage. What's in it for the woman? A house of her own, with servants to take care of it, and several thousand pounds annual income.
Charity Duncan answers the ad because her family of siblings (parents deceased) is in dire need of funds. She's so desperate that she accepts the marriage proposal. So Anthony marries Charity and takes her to visit his dysfunctional family . (Did I mention that his father is a duke and that he is the heir? Well, he forgot to mention that to Charity at first also.) And we're off to a great read. Watch Charity work her magic not just on Anthony but on the whole family. A lovely story.
Then comes A PROMISE OF SPRING. You may need Kleenex for this one also but I was too exasperated by the H and h to feel the pathos attempts by Balogh. Heroine Grace Howard is 35 and living with her brother Paul, the village rector. He dies at the beginning of the story and Grace is seemingly alone in the world. Hero Sir Peregrine Lampman, 10 years her junior, had been a good friend of Paul's and proposes marriage to Grace to rescue her from certain poverty and loneliness. It's unclear why he has to do this. It seems like finding her a good job as housekeeper or lady's companion should have been enough, especially since neither one was attracted romantically to the other.
And there's my biggest problem with this whole story. I didn't feel the attraction at any moment in the story, not even at the end when they are professing their love. The romance is pretty blah and the heroine Grace is even blah-er. Yes, she has a tragic secret in her past but she was such a washed-out personality that I couldn't much like her, especially since every 2 seconds or so she agonizes over the 10-year age difference between herself and Perry. That got pretty old pretty fast.
And Perry? He's a nice guy, but perhaps too nice and too conflict-avoiding. I couldn't quite make out his personality and also found him to laugh and smile overmuch and never say what he was thinking or feeling. Grace and Perry never really talk to each other about much except the growing of flowers. It became unbearably frustrating for me. All their issues could have been resolved in half the time with some good heart-to-hearts.
Well, this is just my opinion of the second story. I'm sure there will be many other readers who like it very much. On the upside for me, it was worth buying the whole book just to read THE TEMPORARY WIFE.
June 21, 2015
Started off good but ran out of steam... Once everything with the hero and his brother's wife came into light, I sort of lost interest, and I slightly started hating the hero for ripping his mother's necklace off of the heroine's neck! Also, I felt like the heroine was more of a psychiatrist to the hero and his family than anything else. 2.5 stars
September 19, 2020
I loved reading these two Mary Balogh Regencies back to back, but I was careful to read A Promise of Spring first so I could see how her writing developed over the years.
A PROMISE OF SPRING is a fairly early Signet Regency by Mary Balogh. There's more telling than showing and you can see that she hadn't yet learned to balance the POV of hero and heroine as brilliantly as she later did. But there are some great things about this early book too. Perry the hero is not a rake or a soldier, just a nice guy who likes cheering up little old ladies and teasing shy young girls. But you totally buy that he's the hero! And Grace the heroine was fascinating. In the present she's an older woman, a silent spinster with enormous self control. But in her past she was a wild and passionate young girl, and now her past is catching up with her! The one problem with this story, as so often happens, is that the villain is such a buffoon, such a goofball, that you can't believe the heroine ever loved him. Gareth is supposed to be dangerously seductive, magnetic, and charismatic, but when he comes on to the heroine he's like Bluto coming on to Olive Oil!
THE TEMPORARY WIFE was written six years later, as Mary Balogh entered her "great" period. It's much more confidently written, and the early chapters are really sexy, as Anthony the hero pretty much "buys" a governess to pose as his wife when he goes home to the family mansion. But after a few chapters the heat starts to fade. Charity Duncan is what they call a Mary Sue -- she's so perfect and the moment she shows up to the mansion everyone falls under her spell! From the mean old father to the helpless baby sister, everyone in the family says "THIS WOMAN is what we need to make us happy forever!" The other thing was, the hero calls the heroine a "little brown mouse" when he first meets her. But no sooner do they get married then he "suddenly" notices her beautiful blue eyes. And her knockout figure. And how warm and charming she is. I get that they don't really know each other, and he's arrogant, but it's hard to believe he didn't notice her eyes or her shape even if she was dressed in drab garments. Men are stupid, but they're not that stupid!
Two very good Signet Regencies by the greatest Regency author who ever lived.
A PROMISE OF SPRING is a fairly early Signet Regency by Mary Balogh. There's more telling than showing and you can see that she hadn't yet learned to balance the POV of hero and heroine as brilliantly as she later did. But there are some great things about this early book too. Perry the hero is not a rake or a soldier, just a nice guy who likes cheering up little old ladies and teasing shy young girls. But you totally buy that he's the hero! And Grace the heroine was fascinating. In the present she's an older woman, a silent spinster with enormous self control. But in her past she was a wild and passionate young girl, and now her past is catching up with her! The one problem with this story, as so often happens, is that the villain is such a buffoon, such a goofball, that you can't believe the heroine ever loved him. Gareth is supposed to be dangerously seductive, magnetic, and charismatic, but when he comes on to the heroine he's like Bluto coming on to Olive Oil!
THE TEMPORARY WIFE was written six years later, as Mary Balogh entered her "great" period. It's much more confidently written, and the early chapters are really sexy, as Anthony the hero pretty much "buys" a governess to pose as his wife when he goes home to the family mansion. But after a few chapters the heat starts to fade. Charity Duncan is what they call a Mary Sue -- she's so perfect and the moment she shows up to the mansion everyone falls under her spell! From the mean old father to the helpless baby sister, everyone in the family says "THIS WOMAN is what we need to make us happy forever!" The other thing was, the hero calls the heroine a "little brown mouse" when he first meets her. But no sooner do they get married then he "suddenly" notices her beautiful blue eyes. And her knockout figure. And how warm and charming she is. I get that they don't really know each other, and he's arrogant, but it's hard to believe he didn't notice her eyes or her shape even if she was dressed in drab garments. Men are stupid, but they're not that stupid!
Two very good Signet Regencies by the greatest Regency author who ever lived.
January 15, 2013
The Temporary Wife is what I expected it to be. A marriage of convenience that turned into love.
Which was a amazing read in itself but A Promise of Spring was different, yes it protrayed a marriage of convenience, but unlike The Temporary Wife, it was more showing the life of a married couple who had nothing but obstacles and past transgressions being put in their way of the true married life they both wanted. Both books/stories are amazing read and be worth the time.
I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone.
Happy Reading!! :)
Which was a amazing read in itself but A Promise of Spring was different, yes it protrayed a marriage of convenience, but unlike The Temporary Wife, it was more showing the life of a married couple who had nothing but obstacles and past transgressions being put in their way of the true married life they both wanted. Both books/stories are amazing read and be worth the time.
I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone.
Happy Reading!! :)
February 10, 2019
I loved both of these!
September 1, 2017
My brain hurts.
I will put out a warning to all my little Petunias - don't glom Mary Balogh. I should know better, I've been reading Ms. Balogh for years, ever since she wrote her first novel for Signet. But silly me, I discovered some of her early Signets have been turned into electronic books – so, what the hey! It was time to reread!!! Did I go to the library storage area? Did I go to ye' ol' book shelf and pull out my paperbacks? That would be too economical of me - I ordered the electronic copies. And, now I have reread five of her books in a roll. Yes! Five. In. A. Roll. My brain hurts. In case you have never read a Mary Balogh book you should know that you are required to use those little brain cells when you read. You have to feel along with all the characters. It is a requirement! A Mary Balogh book is an experience. A Mary Balogh book is always character-driven, full of emotions and plenty of angst. Are all of them winners? She's written over 60 books, so what would be your guess? She's a very popular writer, been around for a long time and everyone has their favorite Mary Balogh book. Also, not so favorite. And, you are not allowed to skip words, because each one of her words is important to the storyline. So, yes, my brain is overtaxed right now - but it will get over it. Let's take a look at the stories that I reread, starting with The Temporary Wife.
The Temporary Wife was first published in 1997 and has been recently republished along with another of her early books The Promise of Spring. The Temporary Wife is not part of a series or connected to any other book. The Promise of Spring is connected to her Web trilogy.
The Temporary Wife, starring Anthony Earheart, Marquess of Staunton, as our hero and Charity Duncan as our heroine. Anthony has advertised for a governess. Here's the thing, he doesn't have any children. Well, why has he advertised for a governess? Here is how Anthony thinks. He thinks that governesses are desperate, meek, unattractive women - just the kind of woman his father would hate. So, what better way to seek revenge on his father than to marry a perfect doormat of a woman and drag her kicking and screaming to the family estate. He thinks the only way to get this kind of wife is to advertise for a governess and then tell her it's actually a wife job she's interviewing for. Sounds logical to me. But poor Anthony hasn't had too much luck finding a woman gruesome enough or desperate enough to fall in with his plans. Enter Charity Duncan.
Charity needs a job. She wants her family to have a nice comfortable life. But Charity has had problems keeping a job. She's either too pretty or too outspoken so her brother suggests she tone her next interview down a bit. Which she does. Anthony offers her the job of not a governess but a wife. Oh yes, he intends to pension her off after he's had his revenge. Charity is a little surprised, but after a few moments she accepts - sort of. She ups the amount of pension. Poor Anthony, even when confronted with a woman who barters for more money he doesn't have a clue that's she's not as meek as she appears. He thinks he is just imagining the gleam in her eye. If only these guys would read romance novels, they'd know.
Anyway, Anthony is expecting a marriage of convenience. He's expecting to drag his mousy wife to his family estates, irritate his family, especially his father, and leave. It isn't long before Anthony figures out that his wife isn't what he expected her to be. Once he figures out that she's not what he anticipated, he still finds a way to use her against his father. Let me tell you, his father was a hard person to like, in fact I never warmed to him. Anthony's father is a cruel man who also sees a chance to use Charity. So Charity is caught in the middle of these two men who are trying to hurt each other. However, Charity is no martyr. She ever so subtlety maneuvers Anthony's dysfunctional family back together again. There is even a reconciliation between father and son. And, through all of this family quagmire Anthony and Charity fall in love.
The Temporary Wife is one of Mary Balogh's better books. It's an emotional journey for Anthony and Charity and we get to watch from the sidelines as all of it slowly develops. I highly recommend this one.
KaysBlog
I will put out a warning to all my little Petunias - don't glom Mary Balogh. I should know better, I've been reading Ms. Balogh for years, ever since she wrote her first novel for Signet. But silly me, I discovered some of her early Signets have been turned into electronic books – so, what the hey! It was time to reread!!! Did I go to the library storage area? Did I go to ye' ol' book shelf and pull out my paperbacks? That would be too economical of me - I ordered the electronic copies. And, now I have reread five of her books in a roll. Yes! Five. In. A. Roll. My brain hurts. In case you have never read a Mary Balogh book you should know that you are required to use those little brain cells when you read. You have to feel along with all the characters. It is a requirement! A Mary Balogh book is an experience. A Mary Balogh book is always character-driven, full of emotions and plenty of angst. Are all of them winners? She's written over 60 books, so what would be your guess? She's a very popular writer, been around for a long time and everyone has their favorite Mary Balogh book. Also, not so favorite. And, you are not allowed to skip words, because each one of her words is important to the storyline. So, yes, my brain is overtaxed right now - but it will get over it. Let's take a look at the stories that I reread, starting with The Temporary Wife.
The Temporary Wife was first published in 1997 and has been recently republished along with another of her early books The Promise of Spring. The Temporary Wife is not part of a series or connected to any other book. The Promise of Spring is connected to her Web trilogy.
The Temporary Wife, starring Anthony Earheart, Marquess of Staunton, as our hero and Charity Duncan as our heroine. Anthony has advertised for a governess. Here's the thing, he doesn't have any children. Well, why has he advertised for a governess? Here is how Anthony thinks. He thinks that governesses are desperate, meek, unattractive women - just the kind of woman his father would hate. So, what better way to seek revenge on his father than to marry a perfect doormat of a woman and drag her kicking and screaming to the family estate. He thinks the only way to get this kind of wife is to advertise for a governess and then tell her it's actually a wife job she's interviewing for. Sounds logical to me. But poor Anthony hasn't had too much luck finding a woman gruesome enough or desperate enough to fall in with his plans. Enter Charity Duncan.
Charity needs a job. She wants her family to have a nice comfortable life. But Charity has had problems keeping a job. She's either too pretty or too outspoken so her brother suggests she tone her next interview down a bit. Which she does. Anthony offers her the job of not a governess but a wife. Oh yes, he intends to pension her off after he's had his revenge. Charity is a little surprised, but after a few moments she accepts - sort of. She ups the amount of pension. Poor Anthony, even when confronted with a woman who barters for more money he doesn't have a clue that's she's not as meek as she appears. He thinks he is just imagining the gleam in her eye. If only these guys would read romance novels, they'd know.
Anyway, Anthony is expecting a marriage of convenience. He's expecting to drag his mousy wife to his family estates, irritate his family, especially his father, and leave. It isn't long before Anthony figures out that his wife isn't what he expected her to be. Once he figures out that she's not what he anticipated, he still finds a way to use her against his father. Let me tell you, his father was a hard person to like, in fact I never warmed to him. Anthony's father is a cruel man who also sees a chance to use Charity. So Charity is caught in the middle of these two men who are trying to hurt each other. However, Charity is no martyr. She ever so subtlety maneuvers Anthony's dysfunctional family back together again. There is even a reconciliation between father and son. And, through all of this family quagmire Anthony and Charity fall in love.
The Temporary Wife is one of Mary Balogh's better books. It's an emotional journey for Anthony and Charity and we get to watch from the sidelines as all of it slowly develops. I highly recommend this one.
KaysBlog
April 4, 2015
TW was a great read. A Promise of Spring on the other hand. I just couldn't do it. There was way too much mental dialog with not much story development. The nice part was getting to see a marriage settle into itself. But oh, the pages and pages of 'does he? Does she? Am I worthy?' I just started skimming and then got bored and stopped.
Sex: Nothing. No sexual tension between Grace and Perry. To add another layer of dull is the fact that Grace just LAYS there. No participation in an act she enjoys.
Sex: Nothing. No sexual tension between Grace and Perry. To add another layer of dull is the fact that Grace just LAYS there. No participation in an act she enjoys.
June 30, 2012
3 stars – Historical/Regency Romance
The 3 star rating is primarily for The Temporary Wife, which is a classic Balogh Regency tale. A Promise of Spring was barely a 2 star read for me that I ended up skimming.
The 3 star rating is primarily for The Temporary Wife, which is a classic Balogh Regency tale. A Promise of Spring was barely a 2 star read for me that I ended up skimming.
November 18, 2024
An oddly somber tone for the Regency romance genre. No question why these two novels are packaged together: both feature a quick marriage THEN love, with an aristocrat traumatically isolated from their family whose spouse heals the wounded relationships by modeling compassion and communication. A step above Hallmark, but still very middle class Protestant North American mores about commitment and kindness.
The first novel is more typically satisfying. Miss Charity Duncan is a prime example of practical Eldest Daughter "I Can Fix Him" and she does, with a strong cast of ensemble characters and plausible backstories. It involves deathbed reconciliations with a tyrannical paterfamilias, which is not my favorite trope especially given that the dying duke never shows remorse for beating his sons. That's historically realistic of course but since Balogh obviously means us to be horrified by it, why is there no emotional closure? If you don't mind that, this is enjoyable enough on the terms of the genre. And the sex scenes are surprisingly detailed without being explicit. I can't remember the last time I read desire that was so unhorny. It's almost chaste. PG-rated sex.
The second novel is more intriguing if less fun. At first I was startled by a heroine who had an illegitimate child, until I realized this is just another version of The Love of A Good Man Heals Grief. Hurt/comfort, Protestant-style. What gives the narrative a little more juice is the reappearance of the villain, who argues that Grace is still in love with him and ought to return to him. And while she isn't - just understandably trapped by old scars reopening - her turmoil and potentially unhappy marriage had me appreciating a story where love DOESN'T solve everything. I believe the hero's actions during the first years of their marriage more than I believe his initial proposal, but I'm not fussed. All romance novels need a little shenanigans to get going. Once again the sex is repeatedly referred to but still chaste. I've read hornier Balogh novels than this - maybe it was her prude era.
The first novel is more typically satisfying. Miss Charity Duncan is a prime example of practical Eldest Daughter "I Can Fix Him" and she does, with a strong cast of ensemble characters and plausible backstories. It involves deathbed reconciliations with a tyrannical paterfamilias, which is not my favorite trope especially given that the dying duke never shows remorse for beating his sons. That's historically realistic of course but since Balogh obviously means us to be horrified by it, why is there no emotional closure? If you don't mind that, this is enjoyable enough on the terms of the genre. And the sex scenes are surprisingly detailed without being explicit. I can't remember the last time I read desire that was so unhorny. It's almost chaste. PG-rated sex.
The second novel is more intriguing if less fun. At first I was startled by a heroine who had an illegitimate child, until I realized this is just another version of The Love of A Good Man Heals Grief. Hurt/comfort, Protestant-style. What gives the narrative a little more juice is the reappearance of the villain, who argues that Grace is still in love with him and ought to return to him. And while she isn't - just understandably trapped by old scars reopening - her turmoil and potentially unhappy marriage had me appreciating a story where love DOESN'T solve everything. I believe the hero's actions during the first years of their marriage more than I believe his initial proposal, but I'm not fussed. All romance novels need a little shenanigans to get going. Once again the sex is repeatedly referred to but still chaste. I've read hornier Balogh novels than this - maybe it was her prude era.
May 23, 2023
I really liked the Temporary Wife. Guy posts for a governess, hires her to be a temporary wife so he can embarrass his father but having a shabby wife. But she’s just lovely. I just really liked all of it.
I really didn’t like a promise of spring. There was zero chemistry between the hero and heroine. At one point she compares it to the motherly love you would have for a child (to her husband). The age gap wasn’t too bad but it just kept getting pounded. Also there was more chemistry between the heroine and the villain.
So maybe just read a temporary wife. If you want to see a historical age gap with an older than the hero heroine, a promise of spring might be for you.
I really didn’t like a promise of spring. There was zero chemistry between the hero and heroine. At one point she compares it to the motherly love you would have for a child (to her husband). The age gap wasn’t too bad but it just kept getting pounded. Also there was more chemistry between the heroine and the villain.
So maybe just read a temporary wife. If you want to see a historical age gap with an older than the hero heroine, a promise of spring might be for you.
August 13, 2019
A regency romance two books in one... The story was enjoyable at times but as I was reading I kept thinkin that if the characters would just communicate then many of the problems would have been avoided. It seemed at times the story was drawn out more that it needed to be.
June 17, 2020
The Temporary Wife is Good
A Promise Of Spring isn't as good, but only because it's very sad without being angsty. It's missing passion. The only passionate person is the villian, which is depressing. It's a bit of a let down to watch boring win, you know?
A Promise Of Spring isn't as good, but only because it's very sad without being angsty. It's missing passion. The only passionate person is the villian, which is depressing. It's a bit of a let down to watch boring win, you know?
June 11, 2019
5 stars for the Temporary Wife, I didn’t read the second one.
December 30, 2020
3.5 stars
Overall, I enjoyed both stories but they both sort of lost steam towards the end. The second one I especially felt should have been shorter, but it actually was my favorite of the two.
I'm glad I picked this up, and I'll probably continue with some of her other works.
Overall, I enjoyed both stories but they both sort of lost steam towards the end. The second one I especially felt should have been shorter, but it actually was my favorite of the two.
I'm glad I picked this up, and I'll probably continue with some of her other works.
March 3, 2017
I enjoyed the first book in the duo, The Temporary Wife, and would give it four stars. I enjoyed the characters mostly, and the storyline. It was unexpectedly sweet. However, I did not enjoy the second book, A Promise of Spring. I liked Perry and I mostly liked Grace, but boy oh boy, I did not like Gareth. He infuriated me - I really just wanted both Perry and Grace to stand up and tell him to go away. It really seemed like sexual harassment to me, and I was just so uncomfortable whenever his character came around. Also, I did not see any love between Perry and Grace. Individually, I liked them. Together, not so much. It seemed like their relationship was never really expanded on, like a year passes, then two years pass: nothing happens.
Anyhoooo, I would reread The Temporary Wife on its own, because I was super into Anthony.
Anyhoooo, I would reread The Temporary Wife on its own, because I was super into Anthony.
June 2, 2013
Two stories for the price of one, I'm such a penny-pincher that I love when great authors like Mary Balogh put these anthologies together!
THE TEMPORARY WIFE
Convenient temporary marriage arranged by Lord Anthony Earheart to Miss Charity Duncan in this historical English romance. Lord Anthony has put everyone at a distance to protect his feelings, but Charity is witty and smart (although she hides these facts from him) so picks up on what he is hiding from the beginning of their temporary marriage.
Lord Anthony Earheart wants to really provoke a negative response from his estranged father, the Duke. So he marries Charity the day after he meets her (I love that he puts in an add for a governess in the newspaper because it was really original and smart way to get these two stranger together).
Anthony doesn't spend enough time thinking out his impulsive marriage to Charity and gets more then he bargained for in this sweet and sassy down-on-her-luck lady. She is from a genteel but poor family so she does have the manners and education to fit into this elitist family, but she doesn't have the wardrobe or outside trappings of that world which makes the Duke's Housekeeper think that she is a servant. This was a well written story about a girl that enters a broken family and fixes it before it is too late while finding love. Wonderful story about mistakes that parents make because they are human and imperfect.
3 stars!
A PROMISE OF SPRING
Grace Howard made a mistake when she was younger by giving away her innocence to her first love and childhood friend Gareth, which could have been hidden, but she finds herself pregnant with his child and he runs off with a rich heiress instead of treating her right. So begins the cycle of a guilt and recriminations against herself until a series of events finds her alone and without options, but her younger brother's friend steps up and marries her. Sir Peregrine Lampman is a good person but ten years younger then Grace which he never makes a comment, but Grace takes it to heart that she is so much older and damaged then him. I did like that they shared a bed every night, even when they traveled because that shows the state of their relationship better then the quiet contentment that is publicly shown. There is too much silence when communication would have solved all their problems much quicker and cleaner, but it is very understandable why they are scared and reluctant to open their hearts. HEA is guaranteed, but not crazy and passionate like other romance novels, this was a quiet long lasting kind of tender love and it was fun to read about it. The good people get what they deserve and the evil selfish folks are evicted from their lives (If only we were all as strong as this heroine to cut out the bad useless people from our lives!)
499 pages with a chapter of 'Proposal' at the back and bought used on Amazon 4.00$
3 stars
THE TEMPORARY WIFE
Convenient temporary marriage arranged by Lord Anthony Earheart to Miss Charity Duncan in this historical English romance. Lord Anthony has put everyone at a distance to protect his feelings, but Charity is witty and smart (although she hides these facts from him) so picks up on what he is hiding from the beginning of their temporary marriage.
Lord Anthony Earheart wants to really provoke a negative response from his estranged father, the Duke. So he marries Charity the day after he meets her (I love that he puts in an add for a governess in the newspaper because it was really original and smart way to get these two stranger together).
Anthony doesn't spend enough time thinking out his impulsive marriage to Charity and gets more then he bargained for in this sweet and sassy down-on-her-luck lady. She is from a genteel but poor family so she does have the manners and education to fit into this elitist family, but she doesn't have the wardrobe or outside trappings of that world which makes the Duke's Housekeeper think that she is a servant. This was a well written story about a girl that enters a broken family and fixes it before it is too late while finding love. Wonderful story about mistakes that parents make because they are human and imperfect.
3 stars!
A PROMISE OF SPRING
Grace Howard made a mistake when she was younger by giving away her innocence to her first love and childhood friend Gareth, which could have been hidden, but she finds herself pregnant with his child and he runs off with a rich heiress instead of treating her right. So begins the cycle of a guilt and recriminations against herself until a series of events finds her alone and without options, but her younger brother's friend steps up and marries her. Sir Peregrine Lampman is a good person but ten years younger then Grace which he never makes a comment, but Grace takes it to heart that she is so much older and damaged then him. I did like that they shared a bed every night, even when they traveled because that shows the state of their relationship better then the quiet contentment that is publicly shown. There is too much silence when communication would have solved all their problems much quicker and cleaner, but it is very understandable why they are scared and reluctant to open their hearts. HEA is guaranteed, but not crazy and passionate like other romance novels, this was a quiet long lasting kind of tender love and it was fun to read about it. The good people get what they deserve and the evil selfish folks are evicted from their lives (If only we were all as strong as this heroine to cut out the bad useless people from our lives!)
499 pages with a chapter of 'Proposal' at the back and bought used on Amazon 4.00$
3 stars
February 27, 2017
3.5 ratings.
Temporary Romance --- Classic Mary Balogh. Put a smile on my face. Lovely characters and premise. Would definitely revisit.
2 ratings.
A Promise of Spring --- The premise was interesting, but the misunderstandings that could have been solved by direct communication were pretty frustrating. Could have been better though the characters were solid as usual.
Temporary Romance --- Classic Mary Balogh. Put a smile on my face. Lovely characters and premise. Would definitely revisit.
2 ratings.
A Promise of Spring --- The premise was interesting, but the misunderstandings that could have been solved by direct communication were pretty frustrating. Could have been better though the characters were solid as usual.
March 26, 2015
There are two books in this reissue of Mary Balogh classics.
The Temporary Wife:
Deet’s review 5 glorious stars:
Grab a hold of the tissue box, this is a very emotional novel as only the inimitable Ms. Balogh can deliver. We are handed a marriage of convenience between a damaged Rake and a down on her luck governess. Throw in a belligerent Duke and a frosty homecoming and we have Balogh at her finest. Originally published in 1997 it is one of my favorite books by this author. When we are first introduced to Anthony we don’t like him very much. He is beyond haughty arrogance, bitter and wreaks of anger. On the other hand Charity is very likable right from the start with her intelligence, wit and sunny disposition. She also knows what will save her family from poverty. The story of love unfolds in spite of the efforts by the H/h to hold it at bay. This is a dream of a book and I definitely recommend it for all romantics.
The Promise of Spring:
Deet’s Review 3 okay stars:
Grace is fond of Perry, perhaps she even loves him. Perry is all that is charming, amiable and easy going. He loves Grace. Maybe not at first but it didn’t take him long. Why then is Grace even giving Lord Sander-whoever the time of day? I was so annoyed with Grace’s dilly-dally, maybe yes-maybe no, that it took some of the enjoyment from this book that had a good premise and Mary Balogh’s signature character development. Perry was such a paragon of all that was good, understanding and sensible that I just wanted him to sit Grace down and tell her to quit her wishy-washy complaining. This is an older woman younger man romance but Grace tried her best to destroy their relationship over and over by her thinking she was too old for Perry. So, no, I wasn’t thrilled with this book, but I can’t say it wasn’t well written and delivered on plot points.
The Temporary Wife:
Deet’s review 5 glorious stars:
Grab a hold of the tissue box, this is a very emotional novel as only the inimitable Ms. Balogh can deliver. We are handed a marriage of convenience between a damaged Rake and a down on her luck governess. Throw in a belligerent Duke and a frosty homecoming and we have Balogh at her finest. Originally published in 1997 it is one of my favorite books by this author. When we are first introduced to Anthony we don’t like him very much. He is beyond haughty arrogance, bitter and wreaks of anger. On the other hand Charity is very likable right from the start with her intelligence, wit and sunny disposition. She also knows what will save her family from poverty. The story of love unfolds in spite of the efforts by the H/h to hold it at bay. This is a dream of a book and I definitely recommend it for all romantics.
The Promise of Spring:
Deet’s Review 3 okay stars:
Grace is fond of Perry, perhaps she even loves him. Perry is all that is charming, amiable and easy going. He loves Grace. Maybe not at first but it didn’t take him long. Why then is Grace even giving Lord Sander-whoever the time of day? I was so annoyed with Grace’s dilly-dally, maybe yes-maybe no, that it took some of the enjoyment from this book that had a good premise and Mary Balogh’s signature character development. Perry was such a paragon of all that was good, understanding and sensible that I just wanted him to sit Grace down and tell her to quit her wishy-washy complaining. This is an older woman younger man romance but Grace tried her best to destroy their relationship over and over by her thinking she was too old for Perry. So, no, I wasn’t thrilled with this book, but I can’t say it wasn’t well written and delivered on plot points.
August 16, 2013
The second story was lovely. It hit so many points that made me happy:
1. The heroine was believable in her time period.
2. She wasn't a virgin, and was believably rebellious and also ashamed about it for that time period. Not that she should be ashamed, but I think that she'd have struggled with it then.
3. She loved the hero for lovable qualities; he was wonderful.
4. The hero was the younger party! Awesome.
5. The development of their feelings was over time and engaging.
The first story I was swept away by; I loved pretty much everything except one, glaringly huge problem.
There was some very scary rape/abuse/enforced pregnancy apology from the heroine, which I found profoundly disturbing. Especially since it undermined what made the hero forgivable for me. The hero isn't the rapist, or the abuser, so it was still readable (with carefully averted eyes).
SPOILER
The hero's father is a cold, uncaring, abusive man. The hero has been estranged from him for years. But the heroine engineers a reconciliation between them. The father, it turns out, didn't just repeatedly rape the hero's mother and keep her pregnant in spite of her repeated miscarriages and express unhappiness. He secretly loved her! So that's apparently okay! And so is the fact that he BLAMED her for talking to her son about it!
Personally, I liked the hero better when he wanted nothing more to do with the man.
1. The heroine was believable in her time period.
2. She wasn't a virgin, and was believably rebellious and also ashamed about it for that time period. Not that she should be ashamed, but I think that she'd have struggled with it then.
3. She loved the hero for lovable qualities; he was wonderful.
4. The hero was the younger party! Awesome.
5. The development of their feelings was over time and engaging.
The first story I was swept away by; I loved pretty much everything except one, glaringly huge problem.
There was some very scary rape/abuse/enforced pregnancy apology from the heroine, which I found profoundly disturbing. Especially since it undermined what made the hero forgivable for me. The hero isn't the rapist, or the abuser, so it was still readable (with carefully averted eyes).
SPOILER
The hero's father is a cold, uncaring, abusive man. The hero has been estranged from him for years. But the heroine engineers a reconciliation between them. The father, it turns out, didn't just repeatedly rape the hero's mother and keep her pregnant in spite of her repeated miscarriages and express unhappiness. He secretly loved her! So that's apparently okay! And so is the fact that he BLAMED her for talking to her son about it!
Personally, I liked the hero better when he wanted nothing more to do with the man.
January 28, 2017
So I started commenting on this mainly as a joke, but it's starting to really get to me. WHY DOES NO ONE ON THE FRONT OF CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S FICTION HAVE HEADS?
OK, just had to get that out of my system. I picked this book up because Mary Balogh showed up on a list of authors to try if one also liked Georgette Heyer. I don't really see that, but what the heck. I'll read anything once. There are two categories that seem to predominate in the more wholesome sorts of women's fiction: "Heartwarming" and "Life Affirming." As best as I can tell, if a book is labeled "heartwarming," it means there will be cute kids and/or marriage before sex. If a book is labeled "life affirming," it means bring Kleenex. I typically avoid life affirming like the plague. I don't like to sniffle through my fluff. Heartwarming I can take or leave, depending.
Despite being wholesome, Georgette was neither heartwarming nor life affirming which is one of the reasons I like her so much. The first of this pair of novels tries to be spicy at the start but ultimately lurches toward heartwarming and the second never makes it out of life affirming territory. Still, they weren't bad.... just not Georgette. The search for her successor continues.
OK, just had to get that out of my system. I picked this book up because Mary Balogh showed up on a list of authors to try if one also liked Georgette Heyer. I don't really see that, but what the heck. I'll read anything once. There are two categories that seem to predominate in the more wholesome sorts of women's fiction: "Heartwarming" and "Life Affirming." As best as I can tell, if a book is labeled "heartwarming," it means there will be cute kids and/or marriage before sex. If a book is labeled "life affirming," it means bring Kleenex. I typically avoid life affirming like the plague. I don't like to sniffle through my fluff. Heartwarming I can take or leave, depending.
Despite being wholesome, Georgette was neither heartwarming nor life affirming which is one of the reasons I like her so much. The first of this pair of novels tries to be spicy at the start but ultimately lurches toward heartwarming and the second never makes it out of life affirming territory. Still, they weren't bad.... just not Georgette. The search for her successor continues.
February 8, 2024
1st Story 5 stars!
Loved this story!! From the first page I knew that this rake would be reformed!! And he was!! In fact by the end of the book he was a totally different person!!
Loved the heroine more then the hero. She was the catalyst of the whole book .
The ending was great – wished there had been an epilogue – would really like to know what happened to hero and heroine – now I only have to use my imagination.
The love story was a very deep one. Love was not about sex, though sex played a role. Riches cannot buy love -
BEST USE OF: A large estate in England and a dysfunctional family that really is not dysfunctional. And big blue eyes.
ALPHA MALE 10
SPUNKY HEROINE 10
CUTE CHILDREN 10
SOME SEX 9
HEA(HAPPILY EVER AFTER) oh yes
PROLOGUE/EPILOGUE None – missed an epilogue - this is a story in need of an epilogue!!
Rating System
10 - Excellent – A keeper and a re read
Heat Level
3 – Mild – Lovemaking scenes are short but very effective.
HOLLYWOOD CALLING: I could see this story as a PBS TV show. Any English actor and actress would do.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
2nd Story DNF
COVER: Cover doesn't cover either story.
Loved this story!! From the first page I knew that this rake would be reformed!! And he was!! In fact by the end of the book he was a totally different person!!
Loved the heroine more then the hero. She was the catalyst of the whole book .
The ending was great – wished there had been an epilogue – would really like to know what happened to hero and heroine – now I only have to use my imagination.
The love story was a very deep one. Love was not about sex, though sex played a role. Riches cannot buy love -
BEST USE OF: A large estate in England and a dysfunctional family that really is not dysfunctional. And big blue eyes.
ALPHA MALE 10
SPUNKY HEROINE 10
CUTE CHILDREN 10
SOME SEX 9
HEA(HAPPILY EVER AFTER) oh yes
PROLOGUE/EPILOGUE None – missed an epilogue - this is a story in need of an epilogue!!
Rating System
10 - Excellent – A keeper and a re read
Heat Level
3 – Mild – Lovemaking scenes are short but very effective.
HOLLYWOOD CALLING: I could see this story as a PBS TV show. Any English actor and actress would do.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
2nd Story DNF
COVER: Cover doesn't cover either story.
May 7, 2020
Both of these books were Signet Regency Romance offerings back in the early 1990s. Of these two books, The Temporary Wife is my favorite of the pair. That story has the heir to a dukedom finding of an impoverished gentlewoman governess and offering her the position as his wife to spite his father's arranged match. The characters are very human and the love story that is woven around them is believable.
While I still love Mary Balogh books, the writing is an acquired taste. It's a bit stilted because she writes as if it's a period piece. There is a sense of her telling what the characters are feeling instead of showing it through the sense of the feeling. As a young woman, I liked these stories a lot. As an older one, I still love them but I see the flaws in the writing. The stories are always compelling.
A Promise of Spring is not one of my favorites. It's one of those books where the hero and heroine just need to sit down and have a decent clearing of the air. It's more of a misunderstanding keeping them apart than a real problem.
While I still love Mary Balogh books, the writing is an acquired taste. It's a bit stilted because she writes as if it's a period piece. There is a sense of her telling what the characters are feeling instead of showing it through the sense of the feeling. As a young woman, I liked these stories a lot. As an older one, I still love them but I see the flaws in the writing. The stories are always compelling.
A Promise of Spring is not one of my favorites. It's one of those books where the hero and heroine just need to sit down and have a decent clearing of the air. It's more of a misunderstanding keeping them apart than a real problem.
May 3, 2021
I was happy to see this book printed since it contains two of Ms. Balogh's earlier works that I am missing from my collection.
The Temporary Wife: A fun foray into a marriage where two people marry for all the wrong reasons and soon have the opportunity to regret it, not because the marriage isn't working out, but because it is! Ms. Balogh approaches this romance from the wrong end first but ends up in exactly the right place. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
A Promise of Spring: At first I was shocked that the couple in this book were ten years apart in age with the woman being the older. I could see no way it could work. Then I remembered a friend of mine who looks so young that she married a guy more than ten years her junior and it certainly works for her! I would really like to see this couple seven years or more later in another book to check in with them and see how they are doing.
The Temporary Wife: A fun foray into a marriage where two people marry for all the wrong reasons and soon have the opportunity to regret it, not because the marriage isn't working out, but because it is! Ms. Balogh approaches this romance from the wrong end first but ends up in exactly the right place. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
A Promise of Spring: At first I was shocked that the couple in this book were ten years apart in age with the woman being the older. I could see no way it could work. Then I remembered a friend of mine who looks so young that she married a guy more than ten years her junior and it certainly works for her! I would really like to see this couple seven years or more later in another book to check in with them and see how they are doing.
November 2, 2019
The Temporary Wife was good, and would give that separate story about 4 stars. The characters were nicely written and the story was interesting enough to hold your interest. It was like any other historic romance novel. Made my heart race, and my head swoon. Root for the main couple, etc. etc.
A Promise of Spring however, dragged the dilemma on chapter after chapter after chapter. 2.5 stars for A Promise of Spring.
A Promise of Spring however, dragged the dilemma on chapter after chapter after chapter. 2.5 stars for A Promise of Spring.
June 6, 2014
Two marriages of convenience, made for very different reasons, become love matches. In The Temporary Wife, Anthony Earheart, Marquess of Staunton, advertises for a governess and chooses one of the applicants as his bride to spite his father. In The Promise of Spring, Sir Peregrine Lampman marries the sister of a recently deceased friend, even though she is ten years older than he, so that she won't be forced to seek employment. Both ladies give their husbands far more than either man expects.
March 20, 2012
The two books are in one volume and a reissue of two of Mary's earlier books. My favorite of the two is The Temporary Wife. I have noticed something reading the reissues. I see elements of later stories in the earlier books. It is a little like a cut and paste. Take one elements here and another there put in a little change and you have a new story.
January 25, 2015
I just finished THE TEMPORARY WIFE and I'm giving my eyes a break this evening so I can begin A PROMISE OF SPRING tomorrow....loved TW...another great, great Balogh book!!!!!!!!
November 3, 2021
Both of these stories are delightful! I especially love the temporary wife. However, both are great! Mary Balogh does an amazing job
December 26, 2020
Mary Balogh's romances tend to be earnest rather than funny, but they are also usually light and uplifting. The conflicts are mostly characters coming to terms with themselves, learning to communicate, and forming healthy relationships. On a side note, I always feel Balogh's love scenes are a little awkward and dry, but that is not a priority for me...I read her books because both her characters and settings usually seem very authentic and she manages to express feelings very well. This book has two older stories by Balogh.
A Temporary Wife
I would say the stronger and more enjoyable of the two, mostly because of the spunky and generous heroine; perhaps it deserves five stars. This book examines family dynamics and the importance of expressing ourselves. The way the couple begins a physical relationship (to comfort each other since they are nervous about their marriage) did not seem too realistic to me, but it was needed for the story. The resolution was cute and made it clear why the hero would be a good partner--not always obvious in the early part of the story when he is overcoming his own issues with his family.
A Promise of Spring
The big dilemma to me is not the fact the heroine is older than the hero (though that worries her), but the fact she had a previous lover and feels guilty about it. Although you want to shake her sometimes and say "just forget about that loser (her former lover)," I actually could relate to her guilt and confusion. Anyone who has ever struggled to end a destructive relationship will empathize with her feelings, I think. The hero is very charming a sweet, though you also wish that he would just be a little more assertive earlier on--if they were just a little more honest with each other, the book would be resolved sooner. I actually think it would have been a much stronger novella, with half the angst. This is probably a 3 rather than a 4.
A Temporary Wife
I would say the stronger and more enjoyable of the two, mostly because of the spunky and generous heroine; perhaps it deserves five stars. This book examines family dynamics and the importance of expressing ourselves. The way the couple begins a physical relationship (to comfort each other since they are nervous about their marriage) did not seem too realistic to me, but it was needed for the story. The resolution was cute and made it clear why the hero would be a good partner--not always obvious in the early part of the story when he is overcoming his own issues with his family.
A Promise of Spring
The big dilemma to me is not the fact the heroine is older than the hero (though that worries her), but the fact she had a previous lover and feels guilty about it. Although you want to shake her sometimes and say "just forget about that loser (her former lover)," I actually could relate to her guilt and confusion. Anyone who has ever struggled to end a destructive relationship will empathize with her feelings, I think. The hero is very charming a sweet, though you also wish that he would just be a little more assertive earlier on--if they were just a little more honest with each other, the book would be resolved sooner. I actually think it would have been a much stronger novella, with half the angst. This is probably a 3 rather than a 4.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews