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Book Review
Dec. 17th, 2023 09:34 pmSimply Unforgettable
by Mary Balogh
This historical romance was a bit frustrating. The heroine, Frances Allard, is a music teacher at a girls' school in Bath, and the hero, Lucius Marshall, is a young lord who has just turned from sowing his wild oats to taking a more serious approach to his life. When they get stranded together during a post-Christmas snowstorm, their irritation with each other gives way to liking and then attraction as they get to know each other better. Lucius is determined to make their relationship permanent, but Frances, bound by the secrets of past mistakes, refuses him. However, they keep meeting and each meeting makes it clear that their feelings for each other are deep and real.
I liked Frances a lot - she had a clear sense of herself and what she wanted, except when it came to her feelings for Lucius. I do think that when it came to her past, she was largely blowing things out of proportion. Lucius was often a little too relentless in his pursuit of Frances - not to the point of consent violations, just to the point of annoyance - which made him a less appealing hero. Most of their conflict could have been solved with an honest conversation or two, which was also frustrating. Those conversations do happen, but a bit late in the story, and after too much avoidable angst. I did, however, really like the way Lucius truly loved and appreciated Frances' complexity, even when it made him frustrated with her.
by Mary Balogh
This historical romance was a bit frustrating. The heroine, Frances Allard, is a music teacher at a girls' school in Bath, and the hero, Lucius Marshall, is a young lord who has just turned from sowing his wild oats to taking a more serious approach to his life. When they get stranded together during a post-Christmas snowstorm, their irritation with each other gives way to liking and then attraction as they get to know each other better. Lucius is determined to make their relationship permanent, but Frances, bound by the secrets of past mistakes, refuses him. However, they keep meeting and each meeting makes it clear that their feelings for each other are deep and real.
I liked Frances a lot - she had a clear sense of herself and what she wanted, except when it came to her feelings for Lucius. I do think that when it came to her past, she was largely blowing things out of proportion. Lucius was often a little too relentless in his pursuit of Frances - not to the point of consent violations, just to the point of annoyance - which made him a less appealing hero. Most of their conflict could have been solved with an honest conversation or two, which was also frustrating. Those conversations do happen, but a bit late in the story, and after too much avoidable angst. I did, however, really like the way Lucius truly loved and appreciated Frances' complexity, even when it made him frustrated with her.
