A
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
If you’re going to read Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh, plan on calling in sick to work. Trust me–just do it. Either you’ll need the day off to power through the book because putting it down is not an option, or you’ll need time to recover from the crushing weight of your own feels and the emotional hangover you’ll have. I recommend calling your boss and starting off with “I got dinner from a food truck that looked a little sketchy, and by ten p.m. the cramping and bloating had started. By midnight–well, I guess streaming is the right word, but–” At this point no more detail is required.
I loved this book. I read it in one sitting and it made me smile a lot and cry a little. It’s the sixth book in her Survivor’s Club series (all of which have emotionally devastated me in no small way) and the book I’ve personally been dying to read because the survivor is in question is a woman. The Survivors Club is made up of men (and one woman) who have served in the Napoleonic War and been scarred either physically, mentally, or both, and who have come together to form a support network.
Imogen, Lady Barclay, is the only female member of the group. She traveled to Portugal with her husband during the war. Imogen’s husband was a spy, and when they were both captured she was forced to witness his torture. Imogen herself was never harmed while in captivity (although rape is discussed in this book, it’s because everyone assumes that’s what happened to her), she did endure the unspeakable with regard to her husband.
If you absolutely must know what the big, dark reveal is before picking up this book:
Since coming back to England, Imogen has walled herself away in the dowager’s house at her late husband’s estate. She has friends and makes social calls, but she is very much detached emotionally from the world around her.
Enter Percival Hayes, the new Earl of Hardford. Percy has lived a charmed life–he’s handsome, he’s popular, he’s rich and he has oodles and oodles of family members who love him. He even gets his title due to the death of a distant relative so there’s no heartbreak there. He should be happy, but instead he’s getting shitfaced on his thirtieth birthday and reflecting on the fact that he feels like he’s missing something:
He was the most fortunate man on earth. There was not a cloud in his sky and never really had been. It was one vast, cloudless, blue expanse of bliss up there. A brooding, wounded, darkly compelling type he was not. He had never done anything to brood over or anything truly heroic, which was a bit sad, really. The heroic part, that was.
Yup, here’s Balogh subverting typical romance gender roles. The heroine comes back from war scarred and the hero needs to show her the restorative power of love.
So Percy decides he’s going to check out his estate in Cornwall and shows up and finds out he’s got Imogen living in the dowager house and two older, distant female cousins occupying the main house along with an assortment of stray dogs and cats that they’ve taken in.
He’s already crabby because he’s in Cornwall in February because it seemed like a good idea when he was drunk, and now he’s got relatives living with him and strays animals. In the early parts of the book he tries the Grumpy Earl routine without much success. “Rawwrr rawwrr this is not an animal refuge I will not have dog hair all over my study rawwrr–but this little fellow is looking quite weak so I shall just carry him about.”
Right in the ovaries, you guys.
He’s also not happy that Imogen is not impressed with his handsome, young earl shit. He’s used to being the toast of the ton and she’s irritated that he’s shown up and is interfering with her solitude.
One thing I love is that Balogh does slow burn. Percy doesn’t look at Imogen for the first time and think “OMG I must put my penis in you.” It’s all squinty-eyed dislike initially. Also there is so much verbal sparring, you guys. When they finally do start getting pants feelings and he kisses her, she slaps the shit out of him and then laments that she was too ladylike to use a closed fist.
Initially they quarrel about the stray animals, about the dowager house (it needs a new roof and she insists on paying for it, which pisses him off), about him suddenly showing up all full of himself and disrupting everyone’s lives. The great thing about the quarreling is that it leads to talking and so much of this book occurs in conversation. All of the character growth and the moments that push the plot along happen in dialogue which I truly love. Action is good, but words are necessary for character development.
As Percy starts to fall in love with Imogen, against his better wishes, he longs to make her happy in a real and meaningful way:
He wondered if she was smiling, if only inwardly. It would be a worthy, heroic thing to do, he thought, to make this woman laugh again as she had laughed at the Kramer house, and to make her do it again and again. Perhaps he ought to make that his life’s mission.
He does make her laugh, and Imogen starts to love him in this precious, fragile way. She’s so traumatized that she can only think of their budding relationship in brief periods of time–a few days, a few weeks. She doesn’t believe that she deserves any lasting happiness. Percy also doesn’t treat her like she’s made of glass. At one point he flat out asks her if she was raped then feels immediately ashamed. He has so much verbal diarrhea that he should be calling in to work. But the fact that he comes right out and just says what he’s thinking works because it lays the cards on the table and keeps Imogen from having a safe place to retreat to when she just doesn’t want to deal. It also lets her know exactly what he’s thinking which I think was paramount to her feeling safe.
Mary Balogh has this magical way of writing complex, emotionally fraught characters who aren’t magically healed by the power of love. That sounds like an unlikely compliment in the romance novel review, but I appreciate so much that she takes deeply damaged characters and says, “This awful, awful thing may have happened to you and you will never totally get better from it and it’s okay. It’s okay to just be as okay as you can be. And it’s okay that True Love won’t heal all your wounds, but it will make your life better.”
There was also a subplot about smuggling that at first I wasn’t sure about–it seemed extraneous–but made a ton of sense later on.
I was hooked from the slow build right through to the “everything is as okay as it can be” happy ending. It wasn’t a bittersweet ending; it just acknowledged that some things are super shitty and we never totally get over them, but we can still be happy. I didn’t want this book to end and when it did end, I was a little weepy because I was right there with Imogen and Percy emotionally.
I’m sucking up my feels hangover and going to work tomorrow because we reviewers are a tough group who take this shit on the chin. My eyes will definitely be puffy from lack of sleep, though I’m totally blaming that on allergies.
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I glommed the first five books of this series based on a Bitchery review earlier this summer and loved it. Don’t recall offhand who wrote that review but I thank them anyway. Somehow, this release slipped past me. I will make grabby hands until it is received and devoured.
I keep thinking about book 7 and George. I’m probably so far off base as to be out of the park, but I’m hoping that the heroine is Agnes’ sister (can’t recall her name atm). I remember the scene where she performed for everyone after dinner and he was entranced by her piano playing. I thought she deserved a HEA as well.
Saving this book for my annual beach vacation. Ten days to go and it is really, really hard not to swipe past the chapter list and just see how that first page begins . . . I should have never read this review!
Do I have to read the others first? I have no idea why I missed this series, but this one intrigues me no end. I just need to know if it’s a stand alone enough or not so I can collect the others over times…
The next books is about Dora and the Duke of Stanhope. There is a preview at the end of the book.
@nightsmusic I did read them a couple of them out of order, but I think it would be better to read them in order to get the full effect.
Hmmm…I see a buying spree in my future then. Thanks! 🙂
My library had most of them in ebook format. (No idea about physical books since I haven’t set foot in there since I got my library card.)
We moved last October and I still haven’t switched my library card over to the ‘new’ one that’s in our city. But I’ve never checked out an eBook. Maybe I should try it, huh? 🙂
Go for it! Unless your card has expired, the library won’t know you’ve moved. 🙂
DEEEEELIGHFUL review. Such a joy to read.
I have read two of the Survivors Club books and loved one, liked the other. I gotta get with the rest of ’em.
I love Mary Balogh’s writing. It’s challenging emotionally yet so comforting. I always feel like I’m wrapped in a big fluffy blanket when I read her books. This one sounds like it will hit the spot next time I have a rough day. Thanks for the review!
@JanetL
Library cards expire? I did not know that! I’ll have to go in and check something out then.
As an aside, all of Kresley Cole’s Immortal series at Audible are $4.95 each today…
@nightmusic I read Only a Promise, then went back and started reading in order. I think doing it either way is ok
@sandyl: Thank you! I’ll have the book in my hands before the day is through, but it’s nice to know that now.
Elyse, thank you for the review and the warning! I have been looking forward to Imogen’s story. Only A Kiss hit my doorstep yesterday afternoon. I must read Mary Balogh’s books on paper and have peanut M&Ms in the house. It was all I could do to not start reading and miss a few conference calls. I’m hiding the book until the weekend. Meanwhile, I’ll remain distracted by The Highwayman….
@TheoLibrarian – totally agree with you!
@TheoLibrarian
I’m just curious, are you male or female? I have a real reason for asking, but I’d like your answer before I say…
I think my Labor Day holiday has just been planned. Thanks!
Okay, fine. You convince me. I bought them all…
I hate reviews like this because I come to read them expecting to buy on book then end up buying six…
I’ve loved this whole series. I have this book but am saving it–for what I don’t know, maybe for a point in time that I NEED to read a really good book.
Mary Balogh is an auto buy for me. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book of hers that I didn’t like. Some are better than others, but even her worst books are better than many writers good books.
As far as reading in order, it helps but isn’t essential.
My library has a number of the series’ titles in digital format. Based on this review, it’s no wonder the books are always checked out. Now I just have to brace myself for all the feels.
Love Mary Balogh and the Survivors Series. Love this review. (“OMG I want to put my penis in you”) Cracked me up. And you’re so right about Mary and her wounded characters. Nobody does it better.
I’m definitely looking forward to reading this! Thanks for the review.
Omg, this book made me cry. The fate of her husband and what she had to do. I read this on release day in one go and didn’t get to sleep until 2 in the morning.
I also liked the preview chapter – I had been hoping that this particular woman would be George’s heroine.
Read it, loved it.
I started this series with the second book, The Arrangement and went back to the first after that. I’ve loved every one of them, with the exception of The Escape, which I merely liked. Only a Promise might be my favorite of the lot.
But I am a bit bummed since my digital copy doesn’t have a preview of George’s book. Instead I got the first chapter of The Proposal, the first book in the series.
@nightsmusic Um. Female. Why?
Because if your name is Theo, I have never, ever in my life met someone else with my first name! I’m female too!
Balogh. Is. A. Goddess.
@Laine: I bought the ebook and mine does have the preview of George’s book. I wonder what happened??
I wasn’t sure George would get a book and I’m so glad he is.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s what I call an adult romance, or maybe I should use mature instead to describe it. I loved the way the whole thing unfolded and I’ve fallen in love with Percy. Loved the way his character grew.
A year to wait for the next one. *sigh*
I am at 90% of the way through and have to take a break because of the feeling that I don’t want it to end yet. Sooooo good! My dog is mad at me, too. So a walk and then I will finish the book, because I can’t not keep reading!
I’m a book (or two?) behind in this series, but it’s because I’ve been reading slower than usual not because it isn’t a wonderful series. I’m going to try to put it on my schedule to get caught up. Thanks for the review/reminder.
@nightsmusic Oh! I’m sorry but my name isn’t Theo. It stands for Theological Librarian. Theo is a lovely name, though!
Oh. I’m a bit bummed by your news, but it’s okay. My name was supposed to be Thea but my aunt had abominable handwriting and the person who typed up my information didn’t bother to ask for clarification. The only other female Theo I’ve ever come across was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and then, the character name was Theodora. Thanks for answering though!
@Carolyn. Yes, absolutely, that’s the right word, mature. And that’s what makes the books so delightful to me. Because the dialogues are among adults who’ve been through all kinds of stuff and who are trying to figure out who they are and what they want. My personal favorite is The proposal. The dialogues, people, the dialogues
I have been reading Balogh since before most of you were born, I’m sure. Sadly, I kind of gave up on her in the midst of all the Simplys and Slightlys. However, I never stopped reading her backlist, and this review has encouraged me to try out The Survivors series. In fact, I am going to go back and buy digital versions of One Night for Love and A Summer to Remember, since they tie into this series. I always liked those books even though they lead into the seemingly neverending Simplys and Slightlys.
Ohhhh, I do love my Mary Balogh, always right in the feelings. I have all this series in my TBR pile, because she tends to let me in a melancholy mood and I need to study for finals 🙁
Loved it.
Hector is a darling, as well.
@nightsmusic There’s Theo Lane in Ballet Shoes. She’s the dance teacher/lodger who gets the girls into the ballet school.
Her name might have been Theodora too, though. I can’t remember if it’s ever made clear.
@Valsha
I am afraid to say I’ve never read the Shoe books. Isn’t that awful? When they came out, my girls were at that independent point where they thought they were “too old for you to read to us, mom!”
Sandyl – did you read the intro to the 2016 book in a paper version? My Kindle version, bought from Amazon, has included the intro to the first book in the series only.