Someone to Wed

Wren Hayden opens Someone to Wed by entertaining her new neighbor, The Earl of Riverdale, Alexander Westcott, for tea, alone except for a maid. She is veiled and and not long into the visit asks him if he would be willing to marry her as she is a wealthy heiress and able to help him rebuild his tumbling down estate with her inheritance. The first chapter of the book is this meeting alone.

What follows is the story of a scarred woman, still crushed from a disastrous childhood that lasted until she was ten years old and rescued from her own mother by an aunt. Additionally, Wren has a birthmark that covers one half of her face and has scripted the story of her entire life up until that fateful tea. Alexander is all that we want from a hero who is the opposite of shallow, – empathetic, handsome, kind, and practical. This is the story of a strong woman, a recluse, well out of practice with normal social interactions, and a man dealing with his own challenges, although happily part of a large and loving family. Their romance was a slow, steady building of respect and attraction that had me reaching for my tissues at its declaration.

Still thinking of this book long after closing my Kindle, I wondered how many children Alexander and Wren would have and how long the restoration of the Earl of Riverdale’s principle seat, Brambledean, would take and what would the meeting be like when Alexander met the managers and artisans at Wren’s glassmaking business. Ms. Balogh has the enviable and rare talent of making her characters believable and real. Another fabulous read! I can’t wait for Viola’s story this spring! Write faster, Mary!

Lord Riverdale (Alexander Westcott) had inherited lands and buildings that needed money infused into them. Rowina “Wren” wanted someone to wed, as a year had passed since her aunt and uncle passed away and she was now wealthy, but very lonely. Wren’s desire to remain a recluse was an obstacle in their possible courtship—courtship is what Alex would require, as it was distasteful to think of himself as just marrying for money. He at least wanted to feel comfortable with his betrothed. There was beauty in the way Alex gradually got her to become vulnerable enough to slowly shed her desire to be a recluse and to accept herself as she was. Some themes include discovering one’s identity, trust, and the importance of honest communication. Balogh’s writing in the Westcott series has not failed to make me smile and always leaves me feeling happy.

This took a while for the story and the romance to take off. Wren is a very, very shut down heroine due to a horrific childhood as a result of a large port stain birthmark and one bad mama. Her back story is worth reading.

Adopted and raised by a loving aunt and uncle she is that rare entity, a businesswoman in Regency England. MB makes it work without making Wren a strident, corset-burning feminist. The h is very wealthy.

The hero is the now heir to the Westcott title after the previous Earl died with a nose thumb to everyone. He left his wife and children in the lurch by making them bastards and beyond the pale in Regency society. This is touched on in other books and pops up repeatedly because the H is such a Dudley Doright about inheriting the title and all his responsibilities. Luckily, despite being a big and somewhat boring Boy Scout, he’s very handsome and very poor.

She’s wealthy: he’s poor. You can do the math.

The heroine meets him when she starts interviewing prospective husbands because she wants a family and wants some sex. She doesn’t know that’s what she wants, but she suspects that is the issue.

It’s all kind of

B
O
R
I
N
G

for a while. Until the H, his very nice mother and sister lure the h to London.

MOC where they connect in bed and the heroine opens up and stretches her wings until …dun dun DUN…her past comes back to haunt her and her backstory is revealed.

I had a hard time with this as the couple are so reserved for so long, a true courtship and marriage-of-convenience. The writing was well done as always, and I enjoyed the heroine’s courage in opening up to the world via the whole Westcott family.

Money isn’t everything…

Ahh, the Westcotts are back! This author has hooked me again on the Regency romance genre with this sweet, family-filled series. Drama wasn’t created on reality TV, instead I think it may have started in mansions and ballrooms just a few hundred years ago…

“She was wealthy and wanted a husband. He was not wealthy and needed a rich wife.”

Wren was once again without family. With a career she loved, and no need to worry about money, she wanted a husband and children. And, despite her hermit-like existence, had the courage to find it. Alexander unexpectedly inherited an estate desperate for an infusion of cash and a lot of TLC. They needed different things but they were going to find out they would get far more than they bargained for…

“The heart was too unpredictable and too capable of feeling pain and doubt…”

I loved how this story had dialogue and society restrictions of a by-gone era alongside characters pushing the envelope of what was deemed ‘seemly’. Wren’s self-confidence in herself faltered in one key area but in all others her plain-speaking and empathy called to Alexander and his family. I loved these characters who took a well-known story plot and made it uniquely their own.

A beautiful, meandering tale of secrets long kept and a future worth fighting for…

*Reviewed for 1-Click Addict Support Group
**Thank you to NetGalley

f you are looking for a fast-paced story this is not your book. But if you love a slowly developing story with deep emotional impact you will love Someone to Wed. This is a lovely story of triumph over a horrendous past.

Wren Heyden is seriously scarred, noticeably on the outside, but even more severely on the inside. That doesn’t stop her from wanting what other women have — a husband and a family. So she creates a plan to trade her wealth for a husband that needs it. Enter Alexander Westcott, a decent, responsible man that has inherited an earldom and an impoverished estate. When Wren interviews him as a husband it begins a slow chain of events that change both their lives.

Make no mistake, this one is a major league tear-jerker. Wren’s life is genuinely sad, in every sense. Cruel things were done to her and she became very hard on herself. Her journey to a better life was gradual and sometimes painful. Alex was honest in all of his dealings, even when he wasn’t sure about the relationship. Problems were not miraculously solved, but the reader is made to believe that huge progress was made and would continue. The book was a little slow and wordy in places, but it was an inspiring story and I liked it very much.

Advanced reader copy of the book provided by the publisher.

Great book, easy to read with a happy ending.

Any book with Mary Balogh is an automatic buy! Her books are wonderfully emotional and always HEA!

Mary Balogh is wonderful at making romance possible where it seems impossible.

I love the whole series…each can be read separately (there is mention of their common history); but it majes you want to read the rest

“Someone to Wed” (nook) is an exceptional story. Wren and Alexander are complex individuals with numerous flaws but many more qualities. The story is an enthralling, romantic, well-written book. I would like to rate it at 6 stars.