Review: Only a Promise by Mary Balogh

Posted May 3, 2015 by Elizabeth in Elizabeth B, Reviews / 0 Comments

Review:  Only a Promise by Mary BaloghOnly a Promise by Mary Balogh
Series: The Survivors' Club #5
Genres: Historical, Historical Romance
Published by Signet Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Pages: 400
Also in this series: Only a Kiss, Only Beloved
Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org
Find on: Goodreads
four-stars

The new Survivor’s Club novel from the New York Times bestselling author.

The Survivors’ Club: Six men and one woman, all wounded in the Napoleonic Wars, their friendship forged during their recovery at Penderris Hall in Cornwall. Now, for one of them, striking a most unusual bargain will change his life forever.…

Ralph Stockwood prides himself on being a leader, but when he convinced his friends to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, he never envisioned being the sole survivor. Racked with guilt over their deaths, Ralph must move on...and find a wife so as to secure an heir to his family’s title and fortune.

Since her Seasons in London ended in disaster, Chloe Muirhead is resigned to spinsterhood. Driven by the need to escape her family, she takes refuge at the home of her mother’s godmother, where she meets Ralph. He needs a wife. She wants a husband. So Chloe makes an outrageous suggestion: Strike a bargain and get married. One condition: Ralph has to promise that he will never take her back to London. But circumstances change. And to Ralph, it was only a promise.

Elizabeth’s Thoughts

One of the things I love about the Survivors Club series is how well each book works all by itself. They are all interconnected, but it does not feel as if any information is missing if you are reading the books out of order.

Only a Promise focuses on Ralph and Chloe. Ralph is dealing with a boat load of survivor’s guilt and feels he has nothing to offer; He is basically coasting through life. Chloe is in a tough spot through no fault of her own. She is significantly older than most single women of her class and has two aborted London seasons under her belt. Chloe is staying with a longtime family friend who also happens to be Ralph’s grandmother when the two meet.

These two wounded people are great fun to watch together. The situations they found themselves in almost right away caused Chloe’s true personality to come out and it was wonderful to see that she was a much stronger character than she first appeared. Watching the β€œreal” Ralph slowly emerge was a heartwarming part of the story, even if he tried to fight it.

There is no one big conflict in Only a Promise, but a slow build of a relationship from a marriage of convenience to a true relationship between two people who have a lot more to offer than they believe. One fun barometer of their relationship is the way Ms. Balogh deals with their sex life. What starts off as a very mechanical act with a sole purpose (to produce an heir) gradually becomes what most loving couples expect in the bedroom.

If you haven’t read any of the other Survivors Club books yet, this would be a great place to start. Only a Promise is a sweet, emotional story showing two hurt people that the right person can make you stronger and that love really does exist.

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I am a full time mom who works part time. I squeeze reading in wherever I can between work, volunteer stuff, and kid activities. I read a little bit of everything, but really enjoy indie authors and Happy- Ever-Afters. I've been reviewing for Cocktails and Books since January 2015.