Only Beloved

March 21, 2016
Balogh’s warmhearted final Survivors’ Club Regency (after Only a Kiss) finally turns to the compassionate Duke of Stanbrook, who brought six wounded strangers—five men and one woman—into his Cornwall home after their service in the Napoleonic wars and assisted in their physical and mental recovery. Now these close friends have all married happily, and the duke, who lost his son in the wars and his wife soon after, finally admits he is lonely. Even at 48, he would be considered a very desirable match, but he turns to unassuming 39-year-old spinster Dora Debbins, sister-in-law of Lord Ponsonby (familiar from Only Enchanting), instead of looking for a higher-status woman to be his wife. Dora has not dared to admit her yearning for the handsome duke she met when her sister married into the Survivors’ Club. She is stunned when the duke turns up in her modest cottage and proposes, but accepting his proposal brings heartache, because even the kind gentleman hides dark secrets that threaten their happy life together. Balogh deftly reveals Dora’s growth into an elegant duchess who earns the love of a sensitive man. This is a satisfying conclusion to an intense and popular historical series. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.

March 15, 2016
When the Duke of Stanbrook announces his plans to marry spinster Dora Debbins, friends rally around them in celebration while an old nemesis swears vengeance against the couple, casting a shadow across their marriage. Eight years ago, George Crabbe, Duke of Stanbrook, opened his Cornwall estate to wounded officers of the Napoleonic Wars and ended up becoming especially close to six of them, known as the Survivors. Over the past couple of years, all the Survivors have made their ways back into the world and found soul mates, leaving the duke extremely happy for them but also lonely. At 48, having been a widower for more than a decade, he discovers he's contemplating marriage with a certain spinster he met a little over a year ago, the sister-in-law of one of the Survivors. Once the idea is planted, he moves forward quickly, and soon Miss Dora Debbins has agreed to be his wife. For her part, Dora's life hasn't turned out in any way as she expected, but she has found contentment in her modest, quiet path as a music teacher. When the Duke of Stanbrook turns up on her doorstep, proposing marriage, she is stunned but accepts. Finding him honorable and attractive, she's hopeful they can make a good life together. Neither is prepared for the true happiness they find in each other's company, and as they learn more about each other's past disappointments and struggles, they fall in love and help each other heal. The duke's first marriage was marred by shameful secrets he's never shared with anyone, and when a member of his first wife's family seems determined to make trouble for the newlyweds, even the couple's friends may not be able to shelter them from his dark intentions. Balogh wraps up her celebrated series with a perfect happy-ever-after for the older duke, his spinster bride, and the whole Survivors' Club.

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Starred review from April 15, 2016

Content with her quiet country existence as a well-respected music teacher, 39-year-old Dora Debbins is speechless when George Crabbe, the Duke of Stanbrook, comes to call and offers a proposal of marriage. But with all of his fellow Survivors now happily wed, George realizes that he wants a friend and companion of his own--a wife--and Dora, a woman he met once and never forgot, is the only one who will do. Surprisingly, Dora accepts, and their journey from friendship to love is as exquisite as one could wish--and the perfect conclusion to one of Balogh's most compelling series. VERDICT A pair of wonderfully matched protagonists find happiness and a wonderful helping of romance in this unforgettable, danger-tinged story. It tugs at the heartstrings and will leave fans thoroughly gratified. Balogh (Only a Kiss) lives in Canada.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2016

Seven survivors of the devastations of the Napoleonic Wars gather once a year to raise a glass or two to "absent friends" and celebrate (or commiserate) that they all survived. None of these survivors (six men and one woman) have had an easy time of it in the years since the war, and their peace of mind and happily ever afters are every bit as hard won as those in any contemporary military romance. This seven-book series shows that the difficulties of reentry into civilian life aren't restricted to modern times. Balogh is never to be missed.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.