It’s never too late to fall in love in this enchanting new story, a novella in the Westcott series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.Matilda Westcott has spent her life tending to the needs of her mother, the Dowager Countess of Riverdale, never questioning the web of solitude she has spun herself. To Matilda, who considers herself an aging spinster daughter, marriage is … daughter, marriage is laughable—love is a game for the young, after all. But her quiet, ordered life unravels when a dashing gentleman from her past reappears, threatening to charm his way into her heart yet again.
Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, does not expect to face Matilda Westcott thirty-six years after their failed romance. Moreover, he does not expect decades-old feelings to emerge at the very sight of her. When encountering Matilda at a dinner hosted by the Earl of Riverdale, he finds himself as fascinated by her as he was the first day they met, and wonders whether, after all these years, they have a chance at happiness together. Charles is determined to crack the hard exterior Matilda has built up for more than three decades, or he will risk losing her once again….
Includes bonus excerpts from the Westcott novels
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If you have been following the Westcott series, you know that at the end of Someone to Honor, Lady Matilda Westcott – Abigail’s maiden aunt, goes to see Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson and asks him to help Gilbert get custody of his daughter. In that book, it is clear to the reader that Charles and Matilda share a past and did not part on the best of terms, but the reader is never enlightened about what transpired and when.
Lady Matilda acts as caregiver/companion to her mother, the dowager Countess of Riverdale, she is fifty-six and has never married, but that doesn’t mean she was never in love or never wanted to marry, truth is, she was in love and wanted to marry Charles Sawyer, but her parents forbid the match and Matilda sent him away. Looking back, she believes it was the right choice, Charles went on to father an illegitimate child (Gilbert) and became a renowned rake, even after he married and sired 3 children. Matilda will admit to herself that she never stopped loving Charles, but wonders if he ever really loved her. It took all her courage to seek him out to help Abigail’s husband Gilbert and talking to him stirred up old feelings she has tried hard to bury. She was sure the worst was over, but now she has been invited to a family dinner honoring him for his assistance.
Charles doesn’t want to go to dinner any more than Matilda wants him there, but a small part of him needs to know why he has never forgotten her and why she is the only woman he has ever loved. At dinner he is annoyed about how she is treated by her mother and how her family largely ignores her, he tries to talk to her, but she brushes him off. Later when some of the young adult children want to visit Kew Gardens, Charles volunteers to chaperon and asks Matilda to help.
She goes to the gardens and is assaulted by memories of her courtship with Charles, later at the top of pagoda, he kisses her – just like he did 36 years ago. Thus begins a sweet courtship of two people who made mistakes years ago and are lucky enough to be granted a second chance at love.
This was a very sweet read, no real conflict, no drama and no villains, just two older people recapturing a love they shared 36 years ago. It is short, but well written and paced nicely, the love scenes are limited to kisses and the “courtship” does move rather quickly, but I felt considering their shared past, it was believable and I was rooting for their HEA.
This is the seventh book in the series, but it can easily be a stand-alone, however, if you read Someone to Honor – you will definitely want to read this book too, because it will answer the lingering questions you might have had at the end of that story. Either way, it is a very sweet read and I am happy to recommend it.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
It’s always a treat to read about the Wescotts. It was especially so because Matilda so needed her own story told. Thank you from all of us over fifty!
I read 6 of the Westcott books and was halfway through the last before I realized this novella must indeed exist. I had wanted from the beginning for Matilda to have her story, and was deeply disappointed when I got to what was supposedly the last in the series—for Amazon doesn’t list this as part of the series—and realized Matilda was not at its center. I love this book, and absolutely recommend it, to be read after book 6 in the series and before book 7, if possible, but absolutely to be read and enjoyed in any case.
Touching story of spinster Lady Matilda Westcott who is reunited with the only man she has ever loved – Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson. Their romance 36 years ago was stopped by her parents – and Matilda obeyed their order. She stayed true to that love for her lifetime, keeping track of Charles’ wildness, then marriage and children. Charles on the other hand, became more wild to hide her rejection, but has never given his heart to another. Now fate has brought them together, but Matilda refuses to believe in his motives. She has become a slave to her mother in an effort to channel her love and usefulness, while her mother, Dowager Countess of Riverdale, is besieged with guilt for interfering with her daughter’s happiness – but shows it in constant pushing Matilda away. Can a day chaperoning the young members of their families convince Matilda that love never dies?? Poignant story of lasting love, but ended abruptly, with many unanswered questions. This series involves 3 branches of a family with many members and can get confusing. The author does fill in which is good even for someone like me who follows the series.
A short and sweet second chance…
Ahh, the Westcotts. Each story has had the same tempo and flavour, yet each couple that found love did so in very different ways. Matilda and Charles were no exception…
I have to say, I loved the (ahem) maturity of these two characters. Age should have no limit on love and here was proof! Much was made of their ages and how society would see and judge their second chance at a relationship. They were in their fifties (not their nineties!) yet the word spinster was mentioned more than once… Being the chaperone, or the recipient of one, marked their second chance and the formality seemed to make their determination stronger…
If I wished for more of why their love had stood the test of time, and how their experiences had not diminished their feelings, it just means I liked the characters and their families so much I didn’t want to leave. That seems to be the hallmark of this series that I hope has many more stories to tell…
*Reviewed for 1-Click Addict Support Group
**Thank you to NetGalley
This is a sweet novella although nothing much happens plot-wise. There is a lot of self reflections on both Matilda’s and Charles’ part as they navigate finding each other again later in life. They were separated early in their lives and now 30+ years later, they are finally reunited. I enjoyed watching Matilda’s transformation from a shadow of herself who fussed over her mother to a vibrant and happy woman in love.
Having not read any of the previous books in the series, I found the beginning of the book very confusing when all the relatives are listed. All in all, it was a quick and enjoyable read, but I would recommend reading at least some of the previous books in the series to understand better all the family relations.
I voluntarily read the advanced read copy and all opinions are my own.
Someone to Remember is a short story that will appeal to many. The story is very easy to read and offers a quick story. I will admit if this was my entry to Mary Balogh I probably wouldn’t read more. However I did overall enjoy this story it just seemed slow at times. If you want a sweet historical romance that may lead to you reading about the other characters in this series then yes read this one. If you are looking to read a first story from this author then pick another story to start with.
A love story with mature characters. An enjoyable book.
In this novella by Mary Balogh, Matilda Westcott gets a second chance at love with Charles Sawyer. They were in love as young adults but Matilda refused him because her parents didn’t approve. It has been 34 years and Matilda is now a spinster who takes care of her mother and Charles’s wife has passed and they are thrown together again. I loved this story so much. Second Chance romances are one of my favorite romance tropes. I loved both Matilda and Charles. They have both lived very different lives since they courted 34 years ago and I loved watching them reconnect and discover you are never too old to fall in love again. I wish this story was longer. That is my main complaint. I haven’t read the other books in the series before reading this one and it took me a while to get everyone straight as there are a lot of characters. I also fell in love with a few of the other characters even if they were not in the novel much. I am going to pick up the rest of the series as soon as I can. Mary Balogh is a genius at writing realistic regency romance. I highly recommend her books to all romance lovers. I prefer her later work but her early work is good as well.
Rating: 4 stars
*I was given this book for review by Berkley Publishing Group/Penguin Random House through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Content: Adult
Mary Balogh is an excellent author. Love her books
Sweet old aunt Matilda is about to have an HEA of her own and it is beautiful!
Aunt Matilda shows up in several books in the Westcott series and evolved from a small side character into an important instrument of the family’s happiness. She is old, prim, always fussing after her mother, but she is also loyal, intelligent and fun.
At the blooming age of 57, Matilda is about to rekindle an old flame and experience a mature, but not less intense love with the dashing Viscount Dirkson, aka Charles.
As always, Mary Balogh’s prose is enchanting and emotional and the result is a sweet and insightful novella.
Great read!
Mary Balough is one of my favorite authors. I have read the previous books in this series and it was interesting to see the story of a character who wasn’t particularly likable in previous books, but was really enjoyable in this one. Her characteristics were explained well with this story and it fit well with the rest of the series. I recommend reading the whole series from the start.
“Someone to Remember” by Mary Balough
A Regency second chance romance not to be missed. It is the 7th story in the Westcott series. I do recommend reading all the stories in the order written. Mostly so the reader will get the complete preceding history which will allow a deeper understanding of this story. This can be read as a stand-alone. This story may not resonate with the younger set… but it is well worth the read, as is this whole series.
I read the audio book that I purchased via Audible. I think it is time for me to go back to Book 1 of this series and relive this family’s stories.
A Love For All Time
What a tender love story of a young love that was lost, but rediscovered many decades later. Well, maybe never truly lost. Matilda and Charles’ book is positively captivating! As the Westcott family expands, this series continues to amaze. Love it!
This book is now my favorite Mary Balogh book, because it is a romance about an older couple, who have a second chance at love, which they foolishly blew away when they were very young. Matilda Westcott, who has been hiding in the background in all the other stories in the series, came into the spotlight in the last book, when she took it upon herself to see Charles Sawyer, the only man that she had ever loved, to inform him that his “natural” son, was fighting for custody of his daughter. He showed up at the hearing, and Gil got his daughter back. This book begins, with the Westcott’s wanting to thank him. Only Matilda and her mother know that 36 years ago, they had declared their love to each other, but her parents and forbidden it because of his reputation, and she meekly went along with her parents. Instead of cleaning up his act, waiting a year and trying again, he went into a tailspin and acted out even worse, resulting in an affair with Gil’s mother. But when she found out that he had no intentions of marrying her, she refused to let him have anything to do with Gil. Now they have a second chance, if they will just seize it.
I always appreciate it that the author provides a family tree at the beginning of these books, as it is difficult to keep so many characters straight, especially if the reader is not British, when sometimes they are called by name and others by their title. In this volume there are also excerpts from the other novels, as a reminder of what happened in each book and in the author’s introduction, she explains her writing process and how this novella came to be.
JD Robb never fails to provide a plot and return characters that make it extremely difficult to put the book down.
Mary Balogh is my favorite romance author. Her characters seem like real (read imperfect) people with challenges to face. Her books are a guaranteed winner for me.
Great book. Matilda needed a story. I liked her Lord
short novella that brings detail to the Wescott story
It was about older adults, that finally got together. Was romantic, original, and had wonderful characters. I have read all of Mary Balogh’s books and have loved every one of them.