Someone to Remember

Written by Mary Balogh

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

It's never too late to fall in love in this enchanting new 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 life of solitude she has spun for herself. To Matilda, who considers herself the aging spinster daughter, marriage is laughable--love is a game for the young, after all. But her modest, quiet life of order 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 see 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 if, after all these years, they have a chance at happiness together. Charles is determined to crack the hard exterior Matilda has built for over three decades or risk losing her once again...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980051619

Mary Balogh

New York Times bestselling, multi-award-winning author Mary Balogh grew up in Wales, land of sea and mountains, song and legend. She brought music and a vivid imagination with her when she came to Canada to teach. There she began a second career as a writer of books that always end happily and always celebrate the power of love.

Reviews for Someone to Remember

[A Chapple · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute story. Spinster aunt finds love again after rejecting her suitor 36 years ago. Reminiscent of Persuasion by Jane Austen. A bit confusing with the introduction of all the characters in the beginning, seems excessive for such a short book.

[Kyna D. Shaw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story focused on a 56 year old woman who looked middle aged. It was delightful.

[Paige Whitehurst · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good novella to get you out of a reading slump! Very sweet and simple love story.

[Jill R · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sweet story. You get to see some older characters. Fun

[Judy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Which of us does not have a first love t hat was denied us or that we heartbrokenly had to walk away from and yet our heart would not let go of them? Here is the happy ending...the one we dream about in our innermost private moments.

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A second chance romance between two people in their middle years. It had some sweet moments, and was done pretty believably actually. Once they admit their feelings though, there's really nothing else keeping them apart, so their struggle felt unnecessarily drawn out at that point. It made the person look a little daft for not just grabbing onto their chance for happiness with both fists immediately. Overall it was fine though.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh is a 2019 Berkley publication. A wonderful breath of fresh air! Matilda, now approaching her late fifties, has spent her life looking after her mother. In her youth, she was deeply in love with Charles Sawyer, the Viscount of Dirkson, but her parents dissuaded her from accepting his proposal. Over the years, Mathilda had opportunities to marry, but chose to pass on a loveless union, because deep in her heart she never stopped loving Charles. Charles never thought he would see Matilda again. Recent circumstances involving his son Gil, has put them back in contact with one another. Charles is surprised the emotions Mathilda stirs in him after all these years, as he grapples with his actions following their breakup. Now he finds himself falling in love with her all over again. Can he convince her it’s not too late for them to have their happily ever after?This is novella length story is part of the Wescott series, so if you have been following along, you will recognize both these characters. I love how this series has often featured more mature characters finding love later in life. I found this story to be especially nice because of how tender it is and how wonderful the characters are. Mary Balogh is one of the very few historical romance authors I know I can trust to write a romantic story full of emotion and great characters. This story has absolutely no steam, and I for one found it to be a refreshing change of pace. Overall, this is just an all- around lovely story, perfect for people who like sweet romance, with depth, maturity and charm!! 4 stars

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh I’m so glad to see Matilda get a story and second chance at love. I don’t know if there are any other heroines in their mid-fifties out there getting HEAs in romance, but this was lovely to see.

[readinggeek451 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A charming light-hearted romance, filled with Balogh's signature insight and humor. Well-rounded characters with believable problems and hangups make for a fun read.

[thereadingrebel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[phyllis2779 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've liked this series by Balogh a lot. But. This was a novella so there really wasn't much development done on the romance. The characters were fairly well developed for such a short piece but having them join together so quickly, even after it is known that they were young lovers, seems to tax belief. I like the series but if there are more of them, I hope they are full-length novels. Happily I didn't buy this but got it from the library.

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely second chance romance for a couple in their fifties. We've met Matilda Wescott in earlier books, the fussy maiden aunt, and Charles, Viscount Dirksen, appeared in the last Westcott book. They were reunited there and now they renew their acquaintance. It's a sweet romance, and it's nice to see an older couple get their chance to shine in a romance book.

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A bittersweet and tender romance!After reading 'Someone to Honor' I noted 'the amazingly secretive meeting of Aunt Matilda (Lady Matilda Westcott) with someone she has previously known,' and exclaimed, 'therein lies a story!'Therein did lie a story! A story of lost dreams, of lives taking different paths and an endearing love lying hidden for more than thirty-six years, pushed into the depths of the couple in question's respective hearts, until they meet again.Charles Sawyer, Viscount Dirkson, and natural father to Gil Bennington, now married to Abigail Westcott, and Matilda's niece, loved Matilda when he was twenty. Charles had proposed but had been refused by Matilda as her parents disapproved of him and his lifestyle. Matilda has never married, despite various opportunities, and had reconciled herself to being a loving aunt and her mother's somewhat put upon companion. Recently, unbeknownst to all but her nephew Bertrand, Matilda had visited Charles to ask him to assist Gil in a custody case for his daughter Katy. As a result the Westcott family has invited Charles to a social gathering 'en famille' to thank him. Charles and Matilda (upon inner reflection and to their own disturbance) find that that the attraction they had for other all those years ago has not lessened.This is a delightful story of 'second chance' love. And the fact that it is with their 'first chance' love, the road not taken so long ago, makes the story even more bittersweet.(A little digression, apparently this sub genre is being referred to as 'seasoned', to me a rather ghastly term as it conjures up a seasoned roast chicken or a slab of beef. Not an attractive thought to have ricocheting around in my head! So I am using 'second chance' until some enlightened soul finds a more endearing term.)Back to the story! I loved that Matilda enjoys traveling in curricles. As we're so enchantingly told Matilda, "remembered that heady feeling of being much farther off the ground than she had expected. The feeling of danger and exhilaration. She laughed aloud." Wonderful!I love that this apparently staid spinsterish, middle aged woman is a secret rebel with a heart for adventure, who would like nothing better than for Charles to "spring the horses."Balogh has given us a poignant and at times whimsical (due to the two delightfully reflective and original lead characters) romance that pulls at the heartstrings.A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley