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Someone to Remember

(Westcott #6.5)

Mary Balogh

3.89 · Rating details · 2,421 ratings · 370 reviews

It's never too late to fall in love in this enchanting new novella in the Westcott series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

Matilda Westcott has spent her life tending to the needs of her mother, the Dowager Countess of Riverdale, never questioning the life of solitude she has spun for herself. To Matilda, who considers herself the aging spinster daughter, ...more

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Kindle Edition, 272 pages

Published November 5th 2019 by Berkley

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November 2019 - Historical Romance Releases

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· 2,421 ratings · 370 reviews

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Dec 06, 2019 Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers rated it it was ok

Shelves: authors-i-used-to-love-but-don-t-an, historical-romance

Sigh... I really didn't want to do this, but I have to do this, give one of my used-to-be fave-authors a mediocre rating.

Here's the thing:

* I got the sample just to be safe. The sample ended after 2 pages. Why???? Because all of the sample was taken up by MB's long, LONG introduction to the series and how she ended up writing this book. So I got 2 pages to judge the book by. So, not really a sample at all.

* So then I got the book. And I wish I asked someone and had the patience to wait for the Sigh... I really didn't want to do this, but I have to do this, give one of my used-to-be fave-authors a mediocre rating.

Here's the thing:

* I got the sample just to be safe. The sample ended after 2 pages. Why???? Because all of the sample was taken up by MB's long, LONG introduction to the series and how she ended up writing this book. So I got 2 pages to judge the book by. So, not really a sample at all.

* So then I got the book. And I wish I asked someone and had the patience to wait for the answer, but I leaped ahead. Paid for it, realized about a little bit of the way through that OVER 40% of the book IS NOT THE BOOK!!!! It's the intro stuff, as I mentioned, and the remaining 40% is snippets from other books in the series!!!!! The actual book itself is TOTALLY NOT WORTH $5.99+ tax!!!! WTH????!!!! It was short enough that it should have been FREE! Or $0.99 for the length! For heaven sakes!

* There's no sex. I researched this. There is NO SEX in this book. Not that I was hankering to see 56 year-olds go at it, but... if Lisa Kleypas can make Sebastian and Evie going at it as grandparents sound hot, why not still stunningly handsome Charles and OK-figured Matilda? Why not? Charles was a rake until recently. He's had SCORES and SCORES (these are quotes) of women, as in hundreds... so it ought to have been hot, right????

Which brings me to the last point:

* Charles is a man-whore. For 36 years, and also before he met Matilda, he's been a man-whore. Blame it on her rejecting him at 20, SUuuuuurrrrrRE....... that's why he has SCORES and SCORES of meaningless sex. And couldn't even wait ONE YEAR or whatever months to TRY AGAIN for the hand of the woman he supposedly loves and only ever loved and promised undying devotion and fidelity to. Days or weeks later, he impregnates a washer woman who has a son by him who he doesn't see for 36 years.

I am not fond of Charles!!! Nothing about him makes me feel like he deserves to have a second chance or that he was really in love with Matilda in the first place. The only reason I believe he'd be faithful to her now is because HE'S 56 AND he's finally gotten tired of playing the field!!!!!

HOW I ABSOLUTELY DETEST MANWHORES IN ANY GENRE!!!!

Ugh...

The only reason I give it 2 stars is that the writing is not bad. But the relationship progressed too fast, the rekindling, all because they were thrown together in the same place again, and he kept bringing up the past. It was just too sudden and unbelievable. Seriously woman, he had HUNDREDS of women and sired lots of children and GRANDCHILDREN for 36 years, and suddenly you're seeing each other for a couple hours over a couple days and BAM! You're IN LOVE again??????

UNBELIEVABLE. ...more

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May 29, 2019 Janine Ballard rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-releases

I squeeed so hard when I saw that Matilda would be getting a book!

August 20, 2019

Now read. Review to come.

November 7, 2019

3 / 3.25 stars

Not one of Balogh’s best, and much too short.

Reviewed with Kaetrin for DA:

https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o... ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Caz rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance-regency, aar, arc, romance-1800-1850

Someone to Remember is the seventh (and penultimate?) instalment in Mary Balogh’s Westcott saga, which has followed the fortunes of the various members of the large and close-knit Westcott family after the discovery that the late Humphrey Westcott, Earl of Riverdale, had committed bigamy and that his second marriage was therefore invalid. This discovery naturally had serious repercussions; his son and two daughters lost titles, fortunes and status; his widow couldn’t even claim to have been ...more

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Nov 12, 2019 Jacob Proffitt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, chaste

This is seventh in a series, and much of the lead-in or weight of this character is built in the previous books. Matilda has featured in all of them (I think) as a real romantic willing to support the happiness of the other leads and the first to rally the others to do something. That said, she's very much in the background of those others, so you can probably read this on its own. But why would you want to?

I can't say I was yearning for a separate story for Matilda. She has been a sympathetic c This is seventh in a series, and much of the lead-in or weight of this character is built in the previous books. Matilda has featured in all of them (I think) as a real romantic willing to support the happiness of the other leads and the first to rally the others to do something. That said, she's very much in the background of those others, so you can probably read this on its own. But why would you want to?

I can't say I was yearning for a separate story for Matilda. She has been a sympathetic character, but her fussy good will wasn't particularly interesting to me except as someone who could be counted on to look for the best in others. Admirable, yes. But kind of sappy-headed and often misguided. Still, I've enjoyed the series so well that I picked this up with at least mild expectations of a good story.

And I did get a mildly good story. This is a very short novella, with the print edition adding excerpts from all the previous books to pad it out to where it's economically feasible to make a soft-cover edition (that's not a swipe at the book, just the reality of publishing and I'm glad they went to the lengths so I could get a soft cover to go with all of the others).

Matilda and Charles had a thwarted love 36 years ago. Which makes them older than I am, which is increasingly rare in a romance. Unfortunately, that means I spent the entire time reading this thinking "so very much wasted time" because this is one of those "our love never died" stories where each recognizes that they never fully connected with anybody else because their thwarted love was still alive, though buried, all this time. A premise I have a hard time with, frankly. And the friction from that background awareness wore on my engagement more than a little, I'm afraid.

Still, Balogh is great with a story and this was exactly the right length for the story told and I did enjoy seeing them reconnect and discover their happiness together. I was particularly happy to see that Charles was as good-hearted as Matilda, in his own way. It made me happy to think that she'd have someone who not only appreciates her impulse of thinking the best of others, but who can engage with her on that level as well.

So this ends up at 3½ stars. I'm rounding up because I liked Matilda and because of something Charles thought in the end that just hit me square in the old-person feels. It's where he looks at her and thinks to himself how he can see not just who she is now, but also the reflection of who she was then colored by his love for her both then and now. And that paints his viewpoint in a way that nobody else can appreciate. I've felt that exact thing looking at Melissa sometimes and knowing that she is beautiful to me in ways nobody else will ever appreciate.

A note about Chaste: There are no explicit sex scenes in this story, which is rare for Balogh. It is perfect because of who they are and how short the story was, though, so I'm glad she went that route, here. ...more

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Nov 12, 2019 ♥Rachel♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical

Someone to Remember was such a lovely romance! Mary Balogh never fails to bring out emotions, and I actually shed a happy tear (or two) while reading.

Matilda as a secondary character in the past, kind of blended in, she was labeled a mild-aged, fussy spinster, and sort of shuffled off to the side. But in the last book Matilda took some initiative and made a bold move that would’ve been considered shocking at the time for the sake of a family member. There were hints at that point of a love lost Someone to Remember was such a lovely romance! Mary Balogh never fails to bring out emotions, and I actually shed a happy tear (or two) while reading.

Matilda as a secondary character in the past, kind of blended in, she was labeled a mild-aged, fussy spinster, and sort of shuffled off to the side. But in the last book Matilda took some initiative and made a bold move that would’ve been considered shocking at the time for the sake of a family member. There were hints at that point of a love lost between Charles and Matilda, and so I was hoping we’d get a romance between them. I was sooo thrilled that she got her second chance at with her first love!

As this is a novella, things do progress quickly between Charles and Matilda, and why shouldn’t they? They knew each other well thirty years prior, and now at a mature age it made sense that they knew exactly what they wanted once reunited. I didn’t feel cheated out of the process because at first Matilda and Charles are tentative, and unsure of each other’s feelings; they feel vulnerable admitting just how much their parting affected them at the time and over the years. But I’m happy to say that they both chose to leave regrets behind, and not dwell on the lost years, because what does that accomplish other than sorrow? And it would’ve made this a depressing read. Instead, their meeting again is a joyful reawakening of the intense passion and love they felt for each other. Matilda and Charles “twinkled” with happiness and it was such a delight!

Matilda might be considered to be in the “shady” part of her middle age, at fifty-five, but before you go thinking that fifty-five is old, think about some of these women and tell me if you see them as elderly: Gillian Anderson is fifty-one, Sigourney Weaver is seventy, Famke Janssen is fifty-four. As a woman turning fifty soon, I can tell you I don’t feel old, well most days I don’t, lol. I didn’t get into running until my mid-forties and I ran my second half-marathon earlier this year. So of course, I’m over the moon that Matilda got her chance to shine and reclaim her one true love.

A copy was kindly provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Rbette1299 rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: All romance readers

Shelves: romance, historical

So now I have read and absolutely loved this book. Charles made the renewed romance happen and I loved his inner thoughts. Matilda was short on courage most of her life but she finally finds enough to declare her love for Charles and to accept his. There is a scene that made me cry when Matilda tells Charles what is was like for her loving him over 36 years and hum realizing he had not done enough when he was 20 to pursue her hand in marriage despite her parents qualms. They both never found the ...more

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Nov 07, 2020 Els rated it really liked it

A nice and comfy read.

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Nov 05, 2019 Lu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: diverse-hero-or-heroine, great-stories, owned-e-book-kindle, series-great, short-stories, heros-alpha, second-chances, clean, series-to-continue

Sweet old aunt Matilda is about to have an HEA of her own and it is beautiful!

Aunt Matilda shows up in several books in the Westcott series and evolved from a small side character into an important instrument of the family’s happiness. She is old, prim, always fussing after her mother, but she is also loyal, intelligent and fun.
At the blooming age of 57, Matilda is about to rekindle an old flame and experience a mature, but not less intense love with the dashing Viscount Dirkson, aka Charles.
As ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Kiki Z rated it it was ok

Shelves: underwhelming

I'm not entirely sure how to criticize what I didn't like it about this book but I'm going to try.

1) Lazy, sparse characterization. Charles was a rake in the past, frivolous and free, ending with him impregnating a woman and refusing to marry her although he was unmarried and could have. I could not for the life of me get into Someone to Honor so I don't know the full effect of how this affected his illegitimate son, Gil, who's the hero in the other book. Some people say that Gil's version of ev I'm not entirely sure how to criticize what I didn't like it about this book but I'm going to try.

1) Lazy, sparse characterization. Charles was a rake in the past, frivolous and free, ending with him impregnating a woman and refusing to marry her although he was unmarried and could have. I could not for the life of me get into Someone to Honor so I don't know the full effect of how this affected his illegitimate son, Gil, who's the hero in the other book. Some people say that Gil's version of events is different than Charles's is here, and while I can't say for certain, I wouldn't put it past him. Charles's recollections seem very weird. He paints himself as the victim because Matilda once rejected him on her parents' say-so, even though nothing we learn about his behavior indicates he would be a good match to make. He's also not that great to her in his thoughts, which are at turns, obsessive, condescending, and off-putting. But we're supposed to believe he's just a great guy, and I'm not sure I ever got that impression totally. He definitely wasn't the worst romance hero--and he's better than half the heroes in this story--but something about his thought process in general seemed very off to me. I wasn't thrilled with him, but he could have been worse.

Matilda, on the other hand, has very little characterization in my opinion. I don't remember much of her from previous novels and she has very little to do here. She's 56 years old, and apparently all she does is fuss over her mother, who doesn't want her to fuss (we'll get to that in a minute). Matilda is basically just a good sport who takes care of her mother. I didn't hate her, but I can't think of anything to say about her. She's barely a character, let alone a person. She does absolutely nothing with her life but coddle her mother and pine for Charles. This is not what unmarried women do with their lives. Matilda exists in a space where she's just waiting for her life to start/mourning what she lost thirty years ago. It makes her an exceptionally bland character overall, although I liked her interactions with the twenty-something year olds.

The inconsistent characterization comes about in full force with Matilda's mother. Literally nothing about her interactions with Matilda give off the impression--well, without spoilers, Matilda's mother has a change of heart/apparently always felt this way at the end of the novella, and it comes out of nowhere and isn't remotely believable. (view spoiler)

2) Entirely too much focus on age, especially Matilda's. I was pretty sick of it. Who cares if people talk? It's not like she'd be marrying a man twenty years her junior--not that I'd think much of it if she did. Surely people wouldn't talk that much?

3) Contrived placement in each other's life. Not to mention, no real discussion on how this will impact Charles's illegitimate son, who also married into the Westcott family. It feels like that should have at least warranted a discussion.

4) Lots of talking about the same things over and over. Just lots of talking in general. A staple in Balogh's books. On the one hand, it was such a short book I almost didn't care. On the other hand, for such a short book, I was kind of annoyed with how many times Charles could bring up the past.

5) Too much focus on the Westcotts in general. This was too short of a book to function as a Westcott updater. It could have been saved for Jessica's book. It felt like they took too much time in the beginning.

6) No sense of romance--everything was from the past more or less. I hate when romance novels do this. If someone's still holding on ten years or more down the line, they have some serious issues to work out with a therapist. Granted, there weren't therapists in the Regency era, but I wish romance novelists stopped with this trope. After thirty plus years apart, their entire romance is based on them (unrealistically) remembering every detail of their few kisses and reconnecting in all the same places. I would have rather they hadn't had a past together more than just knowing each other because they ran in the same circles. The past connection was a crutch for the present day romance, and it ended up sapping the life out of it. ...more

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May 17, 2019 Britney (BookDrunkSloth) rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-historical-romance, read-2019, ramblings-from-this-chick

Someone to Remember is the 7th installment to Mary Balogh's Wescott series. I would call it book #6.5 since it is the length of a novella, but that's just me. It shines light on an older member of the Wescott family, Matilda, who has been cast until now as the spinster aunt who is a bit of a romantic.

After finishing Someone to Honor, I was intrigued by Matilda's past with Viscount Dirkson. I was so pleased to see that she was getting her own Happily Ever After! It is smaller than the rest of the ...more

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Oct 21, 2019 Lady Wesley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: amz-rev, arc-edelweiss, arc-rev, listened, older-couple

Just delightful.

As I have become older, I have grown to appreciate older heroines, and Aunt Matilda is a great older heroine. She has appeared in several of the earlier titles in this series, always as the almost elderly spinster who fusses over her mother. In this book, however, we learn that there is more to Matilda than we thought. Mary Balogh excels at writing this kind of sweet, insightful plot, and you'll be rooting for Matilda and Charles to make a go of it. ...more

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Nov 03, 2019 Tracy Emro rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

If you have been following the Westcott series, you know that at the end of Someone to Honor, Lady Matilda Westcott – Abigail’s maiden aunt, goes to see Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson and asks him to help Gilbert get custody of his daughter. In that book, it is clear to the reader that Charles and Matilda share a past and did not part on the best of terms, but the reader is never enlightened about what transpired and when.

Lady Matilda acts as caregiver/companion to her mother, the dowager Cou If you have been following the Westcott series, you know that at the end of Someone to Honor, Lady Matilda Westcott – Abigail’s maiden aunt, goes to see Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson and asks him to help Gilbert get custody of his daughter. In that book, it is clear to the reader that Charles and Matilda share a past and did not part on the best of terms, but the reader is never enlightened about what transpired and when.

Lady Matilda acts as caregiver/companion to her mother, the dowager Countess of Riverdale, she is fifty-six and has never married, but that doesn’t mean she was never in love or never wanted to marry, truth is, she was in love and wanted to marry Charles Sawyer, but her parents forbid the match and Matilda sent him away. Looking back, she believes it was the right choice, Charles went on to father an illegitimate child (Gilbert) and became a renowned rake, even after he married and sired 3 children. Matilda will admit to herself that she never stopped loving Charles, but wonders if he ever really loved her. It took all her courage to seek him out to help Abigail’s husband Gilbert and talking to him stirred up old feelings she has tried hard to bury. She was sure the worst was over, but now she has been invited to a family dinner honoring him for his assistance.

Charles doesn’t want to go to dinner any more than Matilda wants him there, but a small part of him needs to know why he has never forgotten her and why she is the only woman he has ever loved. At dinner he is annoyed about how she is treated by her mother and how her family largely ignores her, he tries to talk to her, but she brushes him off. Later when some of the young adult children want to visit Kew Gardens, Charles volunteers to chaperon and asks Matilda to help.
She goes to the gardens and is assaulted by memories of her courtship with Charles, later at the top of pagoda, he kisses her – just like he did 36 years ago. Thus begins a sweet courtship of two people who made mistakes years ago and are lucky enough to be granted a second chance at love.

This was a very sweet read, no real conflict, no drama and no villains, just two older people recapturing a love they shared 36 years ago. It is short, but well written and paced nicely, the love scenes are limited to kisses and the “courtship” does move rather quickly, but I felt considering their shared past, it was believable and I was rooting for their HEA.

This is the seventh book in the series, but it can easily be a stand-alone, however, if you read Someone to Honor – you will definitely want to read this book too, because it will answer the lingering questions you might have had at the end of that story. Either way, it is a very sweet read and I am happy to recommend it.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.* ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Kirsten rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bc-buddy-read-with-me, reading-with-catherine

This book seemed a bit big for a novella. (But I may not know the exact rules for that.)

A new Westcott novel is always an occasion. New family members. New romances for family members. And you know it's all going to work out (regardless how stubborn the main characters are), because - hey - the Westcotts are so cool.

This book was just wonderful - and a little different. It is so cool that the author pays attention to the older members of the family and gives them a second chance at love. ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Debby rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-audible-library-ku-google, x-2019-in-2019-book-count-challenge, a-series-reads, authors-a-b

A very delightful and comfy read by Mary Balogh. I enjoy her stories although she does have some that are hit or miss, however this did not fail for me as I enjoyed it alot.

4-Stars

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Jan 11, 2020 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: mo-lib2go-loan, 2020-reads

What a tragic story! Don't get me wrong ... there is a lovely beginning to a happily ever after here, but only after 36 years of separation. Thirty-six years!!!! It made me sad to think of the opportunities lost due to a series of tragic choices made while Matilda and Charles were young and in love. It hurt my heart. As we know from the earlier books in the Westcott series, Matilda is the "spinster" aunt who hovers around her dowager mother, giving her smelling salts and adjusting her shawls at What a tragic story! Don't get me wrong ... there is a lovely beginning to a happily ever after here, but only after 36 years of separation. Thirty-six years!!!! It made me sad to think of the opportunities lost due to a series of tragic choices made while Matilda and Charles were young and in love. It hurt my heart. As we know from the earlier books in the Westcott series, Matilda is the "spinster" aunt who hovers around her dowager mother, giving her smelling salts and adjusting her shawls at every chance. But it turns out that she had a chance at love when she was twenty and lost it when her parents refused to allow Charles to offer for her. Instead of fighting for their love Matilda sent Charles away, and the dejected and rejected Charles decided to nurse his hurt with riotous living. While Matilda was living a life of pious celibacy Charles fathered a child, got married, had three more children who also married and had children, and then eventually watched his wife of many years die. Now through a set of circumstances he finds himself thrown back into the path of his first (and only, it turns out) love, Matilda.

Here's where things were a little confusing for me. I have been getting these books from my local online library, and this book became available before book six. I thought I could read this without missing much, but it turns out that the events of book six in this series were pretty important for this story. In book six we are introduced to Charles' son, Gil, and there is a complicated history there that bleeds into the events of this story. It didn't totally harm my enjoyment of this book, but I feel like I would have really felt deeper emotions as I read if I understand all the backstory I had missed. It's okay. I think the hold for book six is almost over, so I'll get to catch up on things soon.

This was an unusual love story because the principle characters are in their mid-fifties, and they essentially begin the story already in love. Sure, they have been separated for a looooooong time, and they have tried to move past those initial feelings in the past 36 years. But they are in love. They just have to admit it out loud. It doesn't take all that long to fall back into a relationship, considering all that they've been through. In fact, if there were a criticism to make about this story I would say that it is that not enough time is really spent on showing exactly what happened in their youth, and then not enough time was spent showing the renewal of feelings in their older ages. I got all sorts of warm feelings seeing Matilda finally getting her happily ever after, but it might have been nice to have a slower pace in this story. Charles and Matilda are barely reacquainted, and before hardly any time has passed at all, they are engaged. Yay for the HEA, but it made for a surface level story. So, yeah, it was a surface level story, but I couldn't help but be happy to see Matilda get her HEA. She deserved it. Four stars. I really liked this. ...more

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Nov 05, 2019 eyes.2c rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, regency-romance

A bittersweet and tender romance!

After reading 'Someone to Honor' I noted 'the amazingly secretive meeting of Aunt Matilda (Lady Matilda Westcott) with someone she has previously known,' and exclaimed, 'therein lies a story!'
Therein did lie a story! A story of lost dreams, of lives taking different paths and an endearing love lying hidden for more than thirty-six years, pushed into the depths of the couple in question's respective hearts, until they meet again.
Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, a A bittersweet and tender romance!

After reading 'Someone to Honor' I noted 'the amazingly secretive meeting of Aunt Matilda (Lady Matilda Westcott) with someone she has previously known,' and exclaimed, 'therein lies a story!'
Therein did lie a story! A story of lost dreams, of lives taking different paths and an endearing love lying hidden for more than thirty-six years, pushed into the depths of the couple in question's respective hearts, until they meet again.
Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, and natural father to Gil Bennington, now married to Abigail Westcott, and Matilda's niece, loved Matilda when he was twenty. Charles had proposed but had been refused by Matilda as her parents disapproved of him and his lifestyle. Matilda has never married, despite various opportunities, and had reconciled herself to being a loving aunt and her mother's somewhat put upon companion.
Recently, unbeknownst to all but her nephew Bertrand, Matilda had visited Charles to ask him to assist Gil in a custody case for his daughter Katy. As a result the Westcott family has invited Charles to a social gathering 'en famille' to thank him. Charles and Matilda (upon inner reflection and to their own disturbance) find that that the attraction they had for other all those years ago has not lessened.
This is a delightful story of 'second chance' love. And the fact that it is with their 'first chance' love, the road not taken so long ago, makes the story even more bittersweet.
(A little digression, apparently this sub genre is being referred to as 'seasoned', to me a rather ghastly term as it conjures up a seasoned roast chicken or a slab of beef. Not an attractive thought to have ricocheting around in my head! So I am using 'second chance' until some enlightened soul finds a more endearing term.)
Back to the story! I loved that Matilda enjoys traveling in curricles. As we're so enchantingly told Matilda, "remembered that heady feeling of being much farther off the ground than she had expected. The feeling of danger and exhilaration. She laughed aloud." Wonderful!
I love that this apparently staid spinsterish, middle aged woman is a secret rebel with a heart for adventure, who would like nothing better than for Charles to "spring the horses."
Balogh has given us a poignant and at times whimsical (due to the two delightfully reflective and original lead characters) romance that pulls at the heartstrings.

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley ...more

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Nov 12, 2019 Eden rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction-1795-1837, area-great-britain

2019 bk 359. The 7th episode in the Westcott Family drama. This is truly a novella that has been padded out by an extensive author's comment and then at the back end with excerpts from the other 6 books. This is the story of fifty-something Matilda, the maiden aunt, seemingly stuck caring for her mother and eventually for nieces and great nieces with no real life of her own. I will say - I am tired of books depicting single women caring for parents and wasting their own lives in this manner. Bal ...more

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Oct 20, 2019 Sophia rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, net-galley-reads

In the last Westcott book, we learned a surprise about Mathilda's past- she had a disappointment in love and so had he and then they met again with that old magic still there. I needed that story... and, here it is. It was all I could have hoped for in a reunion romance.

Someone to Remember is the seventh installment of the Westcott series. Each could be read standalone in a pinch. However, the further one gets in the series, the harder it is to read standalone since there is a great deal of fami In the last Westcott book, we learned a surprise about Mathilda's past- she had a disappointment in love and so had he and then they met again with that old magic still there. I needed that story... and, here it is. It was all I could have hoped for in a reunion romance.

Someone to Remember is the seventh installment of the Westcott series. Each could be read standalone in a pinch. However, the further one gets in the series, the harder it is to read standalone since there is a great deal of family togetherness and references back to their connections.

Mathilda, oldest daughter of the Dowager Countess, has long since been on the shelf. She has been living out her days fussing over a mother who doesn't need the fussing. Her life is gray and she tries to be content. Until she encounters Charles once again while on a family mission for her niece Abigail. He is all that she remembered and regrets. She pushed him away when her parents declared him unsuitable and has wondered for over thirty years if she was right to do so- he certainly lived up to his rakish reputation. But... Now, they are in company again and she knows that she never stopped loving him, but can it still matter?

Charles once loved Mathilda and they spoke their love and then she pushed him away because of his reputation. If he had the rep before that, he certainly added to it afterwards and didn't give it up until later. His encounters with her are unsettling and he's angry with her for making him feel when he thought he got past all that decades before. But, he can't stay away from her and finds himself escorting her to the places where their tenderest moments happened. Dare he try again with an older, mature Mathilda? Would her answer be different?

This was a long novella and this second chance reunion romance fit into that shorter page count perfectly. It was as developed as the author's longer works, brought out the emotions, and engaged the reader with the characters and their romance. I liked how it explored their past and why it didn't worked, who they were then and now, and how a renewed romance would work in their present. Mathilda has to step out of the gray shadows and she is a lovely personage when she emerges. Charles is right there to encourage her even while coming to terms that his own behavior in the past led to her rejection and now he must show that he's not that young rakehell and that his family would welcome her with open arms. For those who wanted a bit more with Gil and his father, this is explored a little, too.

This one was light and full of tender romance and I adored it. Now, I'm looking forward to the next Westcott series installment. This is a great series for those who love Regency era romance with a focus on family and personal growth as much as the slow-burn lightly spiced romances.

My thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Oct 26, 2019 Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, arc, romance, kindle, older-protagonist, 2019-release

FINALLY someone has written the book I've been wanting for years: a romance starring a middle-aged woman (of 56), who is as capable of and as deserving of love, romance, and joy as a woman in her teens, twenties, or thirties. I cheered and smiled and even grew teary over Matilda's awakening to love and her decision to embrace happiness and the life she once gave up. A lovely second-chance novella. Full review to come. ...more

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May 11, 2019 Kaetrin rated it liked it

Shelves: ebook, historical, review-copy

Reviewed for Dear Author, with Janine.

https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/o... ...more

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Oct 25, 2019 Dorine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebooks-kindle, favorites, reunited-lovers, rj, regency, historical, romance, adventure, family-dynamics, read-for-review

Recommended Read! SOMEONE TO REMEMBER is perfection. I laughed, cried, smiled, and sighed my way through this novella. It is utterly lovely, and the sweetest midlife romance. Author Mary Balogh infinitely reigns as the Regency romance queen.

Charles and Matilda are enchanting together. Matilda is flawlessly designed as the suffering spinster, fussing over her aging mother, who decidedly does not want her assistance. Matilda’s first and only love, the notorious rake, Viscount Dirkson — her Charles Recommended Read! SOMEONE TO REMEMBER is perfection. I laughed, cried, smiled, and sighed my way through this novella. It is utterly lovely, and the sweetest midlife romance. Author Mary Balogh infinitely reigns as the Regency romance queen.

Charles and Matilda are enchanting together. Matilda is flawlessly designed as the suffering spinster, fussing over her aging mother, who decidedly does not want her assistance. Matilda’s first and only love, the notorious rake, Viscount Dirkson — her Charles — has never forgotten their moment in time. Can they really have a second chance?

Mary Balogh illustrates unrequited love with such heartache and longing that you can’t help but want more for these aging characters. Is it ever too late to rekindle love lost? In addition, she executes an outing with young people, and this couple as their chaperones, beautifully. It’s always such a joy to reenter the worlds Balogh lavishly creates.

As always, the author does so many things beyond compare in SOMEONE TO REMEMBER. Fans will adore glimpses of their favorite characters from the Westcott series. Avery, Duke of Netherby, was, as always, his “quite so” self while wielding his quizzing glass. He is my favorite, so I was thrilled with his appearance.

Even those who haven’t read the entire series are given enough explanation to hopefully entice them to read more. They won’t be disappointed. I love this series and have only missed one book (SOMEONE TO HONOR) which I hope to remedy soon.

Although this addition to the Westcott series is shorter than the other books, nothing is lacking. Balogh knows how to touch the reader with her words, no matter the length, and, truthfully, sometimes I love sinking into a quick love story just like this. Its length is the reason I chose to review it over SOMEONE TO HONOR.

Balogh is a master at depicting large gatherings. The confusion of everyone talking at once is brilliantly explored, making me laugh and anticipate more. Matilda is a perfect, ageless heroine. She blossoms before the reader, and it’s the best kind of character development. Charles is exactly who he should be for Matilda, making me adore him for admitting what they lost, then gained.

I am one happy Balogh fan. More, just like this, please!

Review by Dorine, courtesy of Romance Junkies. Digital ARC provided by publisher through Netgalley. ...more

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Nov 05, 2019 Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: guiltypleasures-amanda

I’m so happy to have read Someone to Remember because it was a second chance of love story for an older couple. The romance genre needs a story to show that love happens at any age and not just for the young. Matilda Westcott has lived in the background as a spinster and being her mother’s companion. She came to the forefront in the last story (Someone to Honor) to initiate a happy ending for its couple. Now she is about to find her match herself with the love of her youth.

36 years ago, she turn ...more

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Nov 28, 2019 Lit Reader rated it liked it

Shelves: historical

Too much regret and heartache and not enough sweet... I cried my eyes out through the story and did not get much satisfaction in the end to really balance it out. I hoped for more, both for Mathilda and for me...

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Dec 30, 2019 Gina rated it liked it

Shelves: big-misunderstanding, historical-romance

Novella featuring Matilda following the set up in the previous book. Matilda is the 50's aunt to many in the Wescott family most known for taking care of her mother and staying in the background. In book 6 we got to see her as a whole person, and this short expands on that as we learn the reasons she never married. It's a complete story, despite its length, but I felt some expansion would have been helpful, especially as the main couple get to know each other again after so many years apart. Thi ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 Katie rated it liked it

Shelves: how-library, books-read-in-2020, books-read-in-2020-new, format-physical-book

So I'm really glad Matilda got a story. She's not the kind of character who normally gets one. And I'm always into "old" characters getting romance (they're both 56). Buuuuut it's also a second chance romance, which rarely works for me (people change and grow! They hadn't talked to each other for 36 years!) and in this case, I think the fact that Matilda is "old" made it work even less well for me. What if you're 56 and DIDN'T have a great thwarted love when you were 20? Are you just out of luck ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 steph rated it really liked it

Shelves: lots-of-characters, books-read-in-2020, romance-regency, enjoyable, library-ocpl, romance

I enjoyed this little novella, it was a perfect and quick morning read. I have a soft spot in my heart for second chance love stories (I blame Persuasion for that) and the fact that this particular second chance story had a hero and heroine aged 56 made it all that better. I enjoyed seeing Matilda come into her own, I liked the open conversation she had (finally) with her mother and the fact that she was allowed to make her own choices re: marriage and Charles, something she hadn't done for many ...more

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Jan 27, 2020 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it really liked it

Shelves: part-of-a-series, romance-historical, humour

I really like the Westcotts and al their assorted friends and relations. This novella was a sweet addition to the series.

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Nov 09, 2019 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-romance, novella

Having devoted her life to caring for her mother's every need, she is forced to reevaluate her life's trajectory when it is determined that her mother's younger sister along with her even younger companion will be coming to live with the Dowager Countess, thus robbing Matilida of her sense of purpose in her mother's home. How different might her life have been had she married and left home?

This question is triggered for Matilda once more when Viscount Dirkson, Charles Sawyer, the lost love from Having devoted her life to caring for her mother's every need, she is forced to reevaluate her life's trajectory when it is determined that her mother's younger sister along with her even younger companion will be coming to live with the Dowager Countess, thus robbing Matilida of her sense of purpose in her mother's home. How different might her life have been had she married and left home?

This question is triggered for Matilda once more when Viscount Dirkson, Charles Sawyer, the lost love from her very first season, is brought back into her life. Thirty-six years later, Matilda will have a second chance at love and happiness with the man from her past.
_____________________________

This novella serves as the seventh book in Mary Balogh's Westcott series, which follows the various members of the Westcott family in the aftermath of discovering the patriarch of the family had married bigamously, shifting the dynamics of the entire family. Someone to Remember focuses on Matilda, the spinster aunt who has devoted her life to caring for her aging mother, the Dowager Countess of Riverdale.

Getting to know Matilda in the other books as a secondary character, I have always adored her and I was so happy when I saw she was to have her own story. I really felt heartbroken for Matilda when she felt as though the path she had walked in her life was utterly wasted hearing there would be other women living in the house to care for her mother and keep her company. She's always been such a central character to the family, steadfast and dependable, whether she or those around her even realized it; I just wanted her to find her own happiness.

Numbering at about 150 pages, this was a beautifully written novella. I really felt like we knew already knew Matilda from what we had seem from her thus far in the previous book in the series, which I think is what made her story work so well in a shorter book. The fact that this was a love rekindled, instead of a newly established love, made the quick development in a novella all the more organic and believable.

I was a bit worried going into it that given how carefully and beautifully everything come together gradually in Mary Balogh's full length books, I was nervous that this story wouldn't work as well for me consideing the limited number of pages. I was silly to be worried though because Mary Balogh pulled it off perfectly. This may be one of my favorite novellas that I've read.

I recommend this series and this novella. It is not necessary for you to have read the other books in the series first, but I would recommend it so you feel a connection and investment in her character. Looking forward to the next in the series! ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Teresa (Reads_Romance) rated it it was amazing

**4.5 stars**

How does Mary Balogh get me to invest more of my emotions in a ten chapter novella than many authors do in a full novel? She’s a magician, and the pen (or keyboard) is her wand. I’m sure of it. Mary Balogh novels are always chalked full of characters. SO many characters that I am never sure if I’ll be able to get into the book. Then the romance heats up, and I’m sold.

SOMEONE TO REMEMBER is a profoundly romantic second chance romance between two adults in their mid-fifties, how aweso ...more

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Nov 23, 2019 Christina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: happily-ever-after, historical-romance, favorites, regency-romance

Thirty-six years after a squashed romance, a reformed rake and a middle aged spinster are reunited. What an odd and unlikely scenario for a Regency romance! Is it possible to fall in love if one was already in it? Could one fall in love twice with the same person? And how old is too old for love?

When Lady Matilda and Charles Sawyer (now Viscount Dirkson) were twenty, they had fallen madly in love—but because he had the beginning of a wild reputation, her father refused his suit when the young v ...more

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About Mary Balogh

Mary Balogh

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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 curl ...more

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“I asked on my Facebook page recently how many people are rereaders and was surprised that the overwhelming majority of those who answered are. So am I. There is something very comforting about meeting old friends again within the pages of a loved book. It’s a bit like coming home.” — 0 likes

“It is not easy to be a woman, is it? Especially a spinster.” — 0 likes

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Someone to Remember

(Westcott #6.5)

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