SOMEONE TO CARE is the fourth book in Mary Balogh's
Westcott series. The
circumstances under which each
couple in this Westcott series meet is very
different
and unique to each couple. In SOMEONE TO CARE, the couple
first met
and experienced a spark years ago but, for various
reasons, chose not to act on that attraction. At the
opening of this story, Viola Kingsley and Marcel Lamarr,
Marquess of Dorchester are older, wiser, with adult and
teenaged children, but that spark is still there.
Although society in general, and their families, pose
something of a challenge to this couple's ability to
easily fit in each other's lives -- they prove to be their
own worst enemies.
This story can be divided into two sections -- the first
half involving Viola and Marcel meeting and rekindling an
old attraction, and the second half is largely about the
two of them trying to figure out how they will have each
other without blowing everything else in their lives to
smithereens. Although this hero and heroine are not
teenagers, Mary Balogh does a wonderful job of detailing
unexpected angst and inner turmoil. The Westcott family
is one of my favorite families written by Mary Balogh. At
several points in this story, you think that Viola and
Marcel would be better off without their respective
families and allowed to explore their new relationship on
their own. On the other hand, the Westcotts add a lot of
humor and lighten things up when this hero and heroine
seem determined to let their romance fizzle out due to
stubbornness or pique. Both families in SOMEONE TO CARE
are more of a positive force than a destructive one.
I like how these two main characters are a contradiction
-- starry-eyed lovers and world-weary adults. During the
honeymoon phase of this romance, at the beginning of
SOMEONE TO CARE, Marcel displays his mature charm and
Viola is an equally engaging companion. Mary Balogh
captures the excitement and sense of wonder at
discovering romance when least expected. Viola and Marcel
are realistically flawed characters and the things that
drove me crazy about them, are also the things that kept
me glued to the page hoping for them to work out their
issues. These characters are eventually able to learn
from their pasts and invest in the future that they both
want desperately.
SOMEONE TO CARE is a whirlwind of emotions anchored by
some amazing characters and sensational storytelling.
This is a great book for readers who enjoy complex
characters and "second chance" love stories. While
reading SOMEONE TO CARE, I groaned in frustration,
laughed at the witty dialogue, and got teary-eyed near
the end. I am dying to read the next installment in this
Westcott series, since it
features two intriguing
characters - Elizabeth and Colin.
Once the Countess of Riverdale, Viola Kingsley throws all
caution to the wind when adventure calls in the form of a
handsome aristocrat…
Two years after the death of the Earl of Riverdale, his
family has overcome the shame of being stripped of their
titles and fortune—except for his onetime countess, Viola.
With her children grown and herself no longer part of the
social whirl of the ton, she is uncertain where to look for
happiness—until quite by accident her path crosses once
again with that of the Marquess of Dorchester, Marcel Lamarr.
Marcel Lamarr has been a notorious womanizer since the death
of his wife nearly twenty years earlier. Viola caught his
eye when she herself was a young mother, but she evaded his
seduction at the time. A prize that eluded him before, she
is all the more irresistible to him now although he is
surprised to discover that she is as eager now for the
excitement he offers as he is himself.
When the two defy convention and run away together, they
discover that the ties of respectability are not so easily
severed, and pleasure can ensnare you when you least expect it….
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