Left unable to walk by a childhood illness, Lady Jennifer, sister of the Duke of Wilby, has grown up to make a happy place for herself in society. Outgoing and cheerful, she has many friends and enjoys the pleasures of high society—even if she cannot dance at balls or stroll in Hyde Park. She is blessed with a large, loving, and protective family. But she secretly dreams of marriage and children, and of walking—and dancing.
When Ben Ellis comes across Lady Jennifer as she struggles to walk with the aid of primitive crutches, he instantly understands her yearning. He is a fixer. It is often said of him that he never saw a practical problem he did not have to solve. He wants to help her discover independence and motion—driving a carriage, swimming, even walking a different way. But he must be careful. He is the bastard son of the late Earl of Stratton. Though he was raised with the earl’s family, he knows he does not really belong in the world of the ton.
Jennifer is shocked—and intrigued—by Ben’s ideas, and both families are alarmed by the growing friendship and perhaps more that they sense developing between the two. A duke’s sister certainly cannot marry the bastard son of an earl. Except sometimes, love can find a way.
Release Date: Jan 16, 2023
Series: Ravenswood
Book: 3
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $14.99
Balogh’s latest release in the Ravenswood series hits different.
If I’ve said anything over my years of reading it’s this, very rarely do I read a book and cry. Maybe I’m getting older, maybe it’s the season of the year, but Mary Balogh and this book had me shedding ugly tears with a few sobs, late at night.
This series in general is this slice of life story where connections are forged, remade, or healed through the passage of time, change, and courage. Always remember is no exception, and tells the story of the eldest Ravenswood, Ben Ellis, the bastard son of the since-passed Earl. On the flip side our heroine is the sister of a duke, Lady Jennifer Arden.
Both Ben and Jennifer have lives filled with challenge. From Ben’s role as a widowed father, and not quite allowed to re-marry into the upper echelons due to the circumstances of his birth to Jennifer’s childhood illness that has left her unable to walk normally and mainly restricted to a wheelchair. These two, while familiar with each other due to their respective sibling’s marriage, have never really interacted one-on-one, until the summer of the Ravenswood fete. A month’s long gathering and stay that forces both Ben and Jennifer into each other’s paths, and forever changes them.
This is slice of life type story with lots of heart. Ben’s habit of being a fixer is heart-melting. He wants to help Jennifer have more freedom in her life and does so by trying to find ways to make her more mobile. In return she becomes the listening rock he needs, someone who will let him speak his mind about all the things bothering him and give good advice. These two actions start to form a closeness that neither can deny and the subsequent falling made this unable to put down by the time I hit chapter two.
Overall, if you want a historical romance that includes plenty of slow burn, family drama, and in general low-angst falling I highly recommend Always Remember.
~ Landra
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