Someone to Love

September 19, 2016
Genre veteran Balogh (Unforgiven) continues to create engaging characters, clever dialogue, and sweet romance in her first Westcotts romance, set in Regency-era London. High society loves nothing more than a good scandal, and the latest is delicious: a young woman named Anna Snow turns out to be Anastasia Westcott, the oldest daughter of the late Earl of Riverdale. More shocking than Anna’s existence is the fact that she is legitimate, the product of a secret marriage in her parents’ youth, which makes the earl’s acknowledged family illegitimate. Anna’s new extended family begins her formal education into high society, overwhelming the unpretentious, commonsensical young woman with their ideas of what makes a lady. Avery Archer, the Duke of Netherby, unexpectedly steps in to help Anna make the transition from orphan to heiress without losing her soul in the process. As his feelings for her grow, Avery must decide whether he will allow Anna behind the urbane ducal mask to know his long-hidden true self. And can Anna adapt to her new titled status without losing her principled core? Fans will be delighted to meet the Westcotts here and anticipate future installments of their series. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency.

October 1, 2016
An unexpected patrimony leads a young woman to love and family in this first installment of a new series by the beloved Regency romance author.An orphanage in Bath has been Anna Snow's home since she was left there as a toddler by a shadowy figure. She is largely content with living and working there as a schoolteacher now, partly supported by an unknown benefactors stipend. Like her fellow orphans, though, she has always weaved stories of her origins, and the best onewealth and statussuddenly comes true when she finds out that she is the daughter of the recently deceased Earl of Riverdale, born during a secret early marriage. Yet Anna, who learns that her name is Anastasia Westcott, longs most for familial affection, which seems impossible to gain from her newly discovered half siblings, who have been suddenly disinherited. Balogh (Unforgiven, 2016, etc.) specializes in romance novels that both accept the essential solitude of the human condition and offer love as a stalwart companion; here, Anna has Avery Archer, the Duke of Netherby, to help her in this balancing act. Netherby is an unusual romance hero in that he is a man of beauty with a physical stature that evokes Asian martial artists rather than the anachronistically muscled men often found in the subgenre. Anna is initially wary of his aura of refined nonchalance but finds him to be a true friend as she struggles to learn her aristocratic duties and searches for allies in her new role. Netherby is taken aback by his own attraction to the woman he had pegged as a rube but whose simplicity and dignity slowly amplify her loveliness in his eyes. A pleasant read with no major surprises, the novel profits from the authors skill at illuminating the most profound (and burdensome) of human desiresto love and be loved.

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Starred review from October 15, 2016

Although most orphans dream of being happily reunited with their families (rich and titled, of course), Anna Snow, abandoned at four and now a teacher at that same orphanage, knows such things never happen. Except they do, as Anna is in truth Lady Anastasia Westcott and has inherited a fortune, an event that turns her life, and the lives of her stunned, rather resentful family, upside down. Caught between two worlds, Anna is determined to make the best of things, but when Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, outrageously gorgeous, outwardly bored, and notoriously averse to anything resembling work, decides to lend a hand, she gains an unexpected ally and an equally unexpected love. An intriguing premise, a well-designed plot, and a delightful array of secondary characters ensure a compelling read. VERDICT Brilliant dialog, sly wit, and soul-searing emotion breathe life into a pair of unlikely but beautifully matched protagonists who will slip into readers' hearts. A stunning romance that puts a new spin on a familiar fairy-tale plot and gets Balogh's latest series off to a magnificent start. The incomparable Balogh (Only Beloved) lives in Canada. [See "Editors' Fall Picks," LJ 9/1/16, ow.ly/wkvx304GnLc.]

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2016
Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, has perfected the art of personal ennui so much that it takes something really unusual to shake him out of his normal state of boredom. Anna Snow's arrival at the gathering of the late Earl of Riverdale's family and heirs turns out to be just such an event. Everyone expected that Anna, the recently discovered illegitimate daughter of the earl, would be given some nominal sum and then sent on her way. Instead, it turns out that Anna is actually the earl's legitimate heir, and the vast majority of his wealth now belongs to her. Of course, Anna's education as the new Lady Anastasia Westcott must begin immediately, but none of her newly disinherited relatives seem terribly anxious to help. Already intrigued by Anna, Avery decides to lend a hand, because if he is correct, the whole thing might just prove to be very entertaining. With the first in her new Westcott series, Balogh (Only a Promise, 2015) proves once again why she is the heir apparent to Georgette Heyer's literary crown by gifting readers with another irresistible confection composed of exquisitely nuanced characters, an impeccably crafted setting, and an abundance of dry wit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)