ONLY ENCHANTING is Book four in Mary Balogh's Survivors' Club series. Although ONLY ENCHANTING is part of a series, I believe it can still be enjoyed by readers who may be new to the series. I have been waiting for this book to come out for what feels like forever. Flavian has always intrigued me in past Survivors' Club stories. I'm a sucker for fair-haired, witty, urbane heroes. While Mrs. Agnes Keeping has an immediate physical attraction to Flavian, his charm and ability to make her laugh are what make her fall for him. Just when she is about to write him off and be done with him, he says something absurd and puts a smile on her face.
Β Enchanting is exactly the right word to describe the romance that develops between Flavian and Agnes. The backdrop for their unusual courtship is the home of Flavian's friend, and fellow Survivors' Club member, Lord Darleigh. Flavian and Agnes are very different from the hero and heroine in the previous book, but I like them just as much. I like that the story is told from Flavian's point- of-view as well as the heroine's. Flavian's inner commentary is amusing and adds to the overall entertainment of the story. I love the magical and quirky nature of their courting -- one minute discussing the weather in an oddly flirtatious way, and then cocooned on a bed of daffodils the next.
Β Just as I adore Flavian's charm, I admire Agnes's strength. There are a couple of times in ONLY ENCHANTING when, rather than fade away and be beaten down by catty remarks, she confronts the situation head on and reacts in a smart way. I love that she is a complex character -- both extremely strong as well as vulnerable when it comes to emotional scars left by her parents. Agnes and Flavian's struggle to define and come to grips with love and passion make for an interesting philosophical debate. Equally as compelling is Flavian's missing pockets of memory due to his war injuries. The multifaceted characters and great story- telling make ONLY ENCHANTING such a delight and a pleasure to read. Β
ONLY ENCHANTING immediately pulls you in with a charming hero wary of love, and a heroine wary of passion. Mary Balogh weaves a riveting tale with a quirky romance and strong characters. I eagerly await the next installment in this series. After each book in the Survivors' Club series, you can't help but develop a connection with the characters.
The Survivors' Club: Six men and one woman, all wounded in
the Napoleonic Wars, their friendship forged during their
recovery at Penderris Hall in Cornwall. Now, in the fourth
novel of the Survivors' Club series, Flavian, Viscount
Ponsonby, has left this refuge to find his own salvationβ
in
the love of a most unsuspecting woman.β¦
Flavian, Viscount Ponsonby, was devastated by his
fiancΓ©eβs
desertion after his return home. Now the woman who broke
his
heart is backβand everyone is eager to revive their
engagement. Except Flavian, who, in a panic, runs straight
into the arms of a most sensible yet enchanting young
woman.
Agnes Keeping has never been in loveβand never wishes to
be.
But then she meets the charismatic Flavian, and suddenly
Agnes falls so foolishly and so deeply that she agrees to
his impetuous proposal of marriage.
When Agnes discovers
that the proposal is only to avenge his former love, sheβs
determined to flee. But Flavian has no intention of
letting
his new bride go, especially now that he too has fallen so
passionately and so unexpectedly in love.
No excerpt available.
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