REMEMBER LOVE is the first book in Mary Balogh’s “Ravenswood” historical romance series. The first half of this book is reminiscent of a fairy tale. Mary Balogh gives readers all the necessary background information on the seemingly idyllic setting and the main characters. There is enough foreshadowing to set readers up for the eventual upsetting of the proverbial apple cart. Apart from the evolving love story, this is a story about family dynamics and the importance of substance versus artifice. Pleasing lies versus complicated truths. Mary Balogh superbly weaves together a compelling story with all these elements.
This is a good story for readers who enjoy the “second chance at love” trope. Gwyneth Rhys grows up having Nicholas Ware as her partner in crime and BFF. Everybody assumes that the pair will eventually be a couple in a romantic sense. The truth is that Gwen pines for Nick’s brother Devlin. Unbeknownst to Gwen, Devlin secretly yearns for her as well. When Devlin’s family unexpectedly explodes, a wrench is thrown into a potentially epic romance. Just as Mary Balogh invites readers to question the definition of happiness in her stories, in REMEMBER LOVE, she has characters who venter into morally gray areas. So many relationships in REMEMBER LOVE have been broken – whether by circumstance or neglect – and the challenge for many of the characters is figuring out how to rebuild while living their truth. This is one of the reasons I love Mary Balogh’s books. Her characters are so multidimensional and work hard to find their version of happiness and sense of self. Like many first books in a series, a good portion of this story involves establishing the main characters and the world they live in. There is an epic quality to this love story, but it isn’t told more intimately until much later in the novel. This is different than many romances that focus on the couple for much of the tale. Although I usually prefer stories focusing almost exclusively on the main romantic relationship and its evolution, I appreciate REMEMBER LOVE because of the terrific storytelling.
REMEMBER LOVE is a story that starts as a fairy tale and evolves into a more complex character-driven tale. I like how Mary Balogh touches on the many ways in which the lives of several characters were forever altered by the same events, but how it took them each in a different direction. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
As a child, Devlin Ware thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenwood, their grand country estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twenty-two, he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor.
So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn’t look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It’s only when Gwyneth Rhys—the woman he loved and then lost after his family banished him—holds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.
It is Gwyneth’s loyalty, patience, and love that he needs. But is Devlin’s war-hardened heart even capable of offering her love in return?
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