Remember Love

Written by Mary Balogh

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

The beloved queen of Regency romance is back with a brand-new story perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

The handsome and charismatic Earl of Stratton, Caleb Ware, has been exposed to the ton for his clandestine affairs—by his own son.

As a child, Devlin Ware thought his family stood for all that was right and good in the world. They were kind, gracious, and shared the beauty of Ravenswood, their grand estate, by hosting lavish parties for the entire countryside. But at twentytwo
he discovered his whole world was an elaborate illusion, and when Devlin publicly called his family to account for it, he was exiled as a traitor.

So be it. He enlisted in the fight against Napoleon and didn’t look back for six years. But now his father is dead, the Ware family is broken, and as the heir he is being called home. It’s only when Gwyneth Rhys—the woman he loved and then
lost after his family banished him—holds out her hand to help him that he is able make the difficult journey and try to piece together his fractured family.

It is Gwyneth’s loyalty, patience, and love that he needs. But is Devlin’s warhardened heart even capable of offering her love in return?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705061497

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 Remember Love

[phyllis2779 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, Balogh is a great Regency writer.

[Rebecca Marie Chipman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am a huge Mary Balogh fan, but tbh this is honestly probably one of my least enjoyed books of hers (and I’ve read like 35).

Hoping this series improves…

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So much detail in the beginning about the perfect life that Devlin Ware thought he had. Not enough about an actual relationship, for me I need to see more of a build to a relationship rather than longing glances. And then there's the angst, so much angst!Devlin knows that his father has had at least one relationship that wasn't with his mother, which produced his half-brother, older than him who is training to be steward of the estate. At this time there were many, many people who married for status or family alliances (or to shore up funds) and once the heir and the spare were produced both parties often had relationships, and as long as they were discrete that was fine. However one didn't air dirty laundry in front of guests, however everyone seems to blame Devlin for being self-righteous rather than treading on the bounds of polite behaviour. What he did was simply Not Done.So he runs away from it all and joins the Army (and what's more the infantry, oh Devlin, you really are piling on the angst here) leaving Gwyneth Rhys, who he had just sworn undying love to, behind and bereft.When his father dies he goes back and is still quite self-righteous, even if he did enjoy the "favours" of many a young woman while fighting Napoleon in Europe, accompanied by his older brother.It's not bad but I expected more from the author.

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn’t sure about the structure of this book once I realized that the first forty percent was the 1808 past that had been mentioned in the blurb; it took me a bit to get through all the descriptions and didn’t understand the reasoning behind them until we realize (along with Devlin) the lie that’s being lived.I definitely enjoyed the present of 1814 but would have appreciated seeing Devlin and Gwyneth together more as I loved them both and look forward to seeing them in future books. I’m interested in learning about more of this family (and am assuming Pippa’s story is next) but this felt more like a pilot of a show that needs refining; I might need to reread sooner though as there were some amazing insights with the characters.

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a start to a new series which I'm more interested in than this particular book. Remember Love is a fine second-chance romance with interesting characters and a good setting, but it felt more like a setup for the series. Devlin and Gwyneth's story seemed a bit shallow, but the rest of the Ware siblings look ready for some good romance books.The plot here was telegraphed well in advance of the big event that leads to the breakup and honestly felt weak. Suddenly, Devlin and Gwyneth declare their love after years of hiding it and just as quickly separate, so it never really felt like they were in love. While Devlin is a good character, he's so black or white in his dealings that it made him unlikeable. It's a fine book, Mary Balogh is a great writer, but there was a lot of repetition; yes, Gwyneth is 'wild' and Devlin is somber so I don't need it told to me over and over. Maybe this one isn't one of my favorite of her books, but I am excited about the rest of the family's stories, especially Ben, Stephanie, and Phippa.

[squiresj_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An earl, Devlin Were and Welsh woman grew up together as kids. The night they had their first kiss and Gwyneth agree to marriage, Devlin makes a scene that turns into a disaster. The Earl of Stratton found by his son, Devlin, with his mistress. Devlin cannot stand to be quiet anymore. He is shocked but then he is banished from his home. He leaves his intended and joins military. His brother, Ben, leaves with him. 6 years he stays gone until he is summoned home to rule because his father died. Military life changes a man. But Gwyneth realizes she still loves him. She goes to him with a proposal. As they prepare to marry, Devlin begins to feel the love he had before. Love can see beneath grief and situations.

[barbararogers-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had been looking forward to this book because it is the first book in a new series – and – because – well – Mary Balogh. The book is presented in two halves – Part I takes place before the ‘event’, and part II that takes place six years later. I thought Part 1 was a bit slow and dragged. Its purpose was to present the Ware family as the idyllic family, living the idyllic life, in an idyllic place – until the ‘event’. Another purpose was to show the budding romance between young Devlin and Gwyneth. The purpose of Part II is to show all of the damage caused by the ‘event’ and to begin the healing process for all involved. Part II moved faster, but was very predictable. We were introduced to the siblings in the Ware family as well as their mother, and I assume the series will feature each of them in books of their own.Devlin Ware is the son and heir of the Earl of Stratton. He adores his father, his mother, and all his siblings – Nicholas, Owen, Philippa, Stephanie, and their older illegitimate brother, Ben Ellis. They were all happily raised together at Ravenswood where the wealthy earldom sponsored fetes, picnics, and other community events and opened the Ravenswood grounds to the villagers. It was a happy time in a happy place. They are the perfect family, living the perfect life – until – it was all ripped apart and they were separated for six long years. Devlin had just proposed to Gwyneth and they were ecstatically happy – until they too were separated.After six years apart, the old earl has died, and Devlin has been summoned home to assume the role. Nobody would recognize the hardened, cold man who arrives as the same joyful, naïve, very hurt young man who left. Everyone he finds at home is different too – they have all suffered. Can they make it right? Can they find their joy again? Can Devlin and Gwyneth find their way back to each other?The sound of the story was good, but I just couldn’t get into it. I couldn’t see the real romance between Devlin and Gwyneth because they spent very little on-page time together. But, to me, the ‘event’ was just much ado about nothing. I certainly didn’t personally like what happened, but it isn’t anything compared to other ton scandals and I can see absolutely no reason for the major chaos it caused. So, I was happy to meet the Ware family, but I don’t believe I’d be interested in reading this book a second time – and I’m not sure I’ll read the next book in the series.I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A harsh but gentle love story. Of love denied, gone wrong and Remembered.Just as the untamed Gwyneth Rhys finds her heart’s desire, as the young Devlin Ware, Viscount Mountford, recognises and bravely tells her he loves her, and asks her to marry him, ‘just like that’ within moments, their hopes are dashed.At the local fete Ball held at Ravenswood Hall, Devlin and Gwyn come upon his father comporting with a lovely widow who has newly taken up residence in the village of Bascombe. Devlin confronts his father over his actions, the older family adults club together in the face of scandal and accusations, and Dev is gone, banished from Ravenswood and Bascombe, as are Gwynn’s dreams.Six years later and two years after his father had died, Dev returns to Ravenswood, a man who doesn’t know love, a hardened, battle weary soldier from the Napoleonic wars.What he returns to remains to be seen. Gwyn is unmarried but that seems about to change. She is keeping company with Alec Morgan, a well known musician and composer. Gwyn has decided that romantic love was for the past. It was painful and for the very young. Now Dev is home and of course they meet. The chemistry between Gwyn and Dev is curtailed and halting. Gwynn’s wildness has retreated. The promise of her beginning seems to have faded. Dev is shutoff, fortressed. I felt there should have been so much more between them on their reacquaintance, but then I looked again at the title and I remembered. So maybe this is all there can be. Dev has to learn to feel and trust again. In his interactions with his siblings he was little more than an uptight vey young man. In youthful righteousness and anger, he called out a situation that he knew to be wrong. For that, he suffered. Can one remember love, or must that fade away with the past?It’s only when Dev returns to Ravenswood that he begins to realize that he was not the only one to suffer. There’s more hidden in the folds of this book, about love and life, about relationships, and taking stands that on the surface are correct, but it seems there’s always a price for those beyond the immediate focus.An interesting and thoughtful start to the series, not mind blowing, but laying the groundwork for another Balogh family saga. I very much look forward to seeing how this work expands.A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley. Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Remember Love by Mary Balogh is a 2022 Berkley publication. Devlin grew up believing in love, honor and duty- the values his parents practiced and instilled in him. His life seemed to be moving in the direction in which he intended when he discovers that the woman he has secretly loved, Gwyneth Rhys, loves him in return. He is all set to seek her father’s blessings for their engagement when certain suspicions about his father prove correct. After a public, scandalous confrontation at a crowded fete, Devlin is convinced he has shamed his family. This prompts him to leave not only his home, but his beloved Gwyneth, as well, vowing never to return...After learning of his father’s death, Devlin realizes it is time for him to finally return home and resume his duties as the heir to Ravenwood. What he finds upon his arrival is devastating. His family is broken, the community no longer the vibrant social hub it once was, and worst of all, he finds that Gwyneth, despite several proposals, has been unable to get over him and settle into a happy marriage. Logically, Devlin knows he needs to help his family heal and restore his relationship with his mother, do right by the community and uphold his duty to marry and produce heirs. But his disillusionment is so great, his embitterment now so deeply embedded in his mind, heart, and spirit, he’s forgotten how to feel and experience love. Can Gwyneth help him remember love? As always, Mary Balogh brings us a lovely, gentle story that restores one’s faith in love and always leaves this reader feeling refreshed, with a fuller heart. “When people live in denial of the truth- sometimes large groups of them all together- they lose their…. I am not sure of the right word. They lose something precious, something good and right and true. Their integrity, perhaps?”There is a gentle message in this story, though. It is one that I took to heart, because I have in recent years discovered some hard truths about some people, I thought I knew, and then saw humanity show its true self in a way I never thought possible. To protect myself, I have, like Devlin, hardened my heart against them and in humanity itself. Perhaps, I too need to accept that, although I’ll never see things through the same lens again, I need to forgive… And remember love…Overall, a solid start for this new series by one of my favorite historical romance authors. I’m looking forward to seeing how the series will progress and hope to see the secondary characters get their very own happily ever after! 4 stars

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm a huge fan of Mary Balogh, and I think part of the reason this book didn't wow me is that it as the set-up for a new series it introduces a lot of good characters and a framing event that impacts all of their lives, and the exposition on those things doesn't leave as much space for the romance. That said, I love the characters and can't wait to read the next book in the series. Trying really hard not to spoil things here for others.

I especially loved that Gwyneth is strong willed about her own needs and wants and takes action in very unladylike ways. I found the framing event problematic -- is Devlin really that naive? Why were there no social repercussions for the family that weren't self-imposed? Is this a likely scenario in-period, or is it a modern drama with modern sensibilities imposed on another time? Why does this cause such a ruction? Anyway, it's a solid story, if a little over-dramatic (Devlin) and it offers a space to wrestle with the demons of needing to be right over protecting the sensibilities of others, and that is an interesting, painful, and worthy topic.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

[readinggeek451 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The start of a new series of Regency romances, about the Ravenswood family, this has all of Balogh's gentle charm and relateable characters.The Ravenswoods seem like the perfect family, happy, loving, and adored by all. But when a shocking secret is brought to light, it all comes crashing down. Six years later, it seems beyond mending, as does the romance between the heir and a charming neighbor. But things are seldom what they seem.Recommended.