Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
This story of Isabelle and Jack is very typical of Balogh's Christmas stories with all the obligatory merry-making of an old-fashioned English Christmas. Sugary sweet but bittersweet at times it is a cozy read for any time of year.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ohhh, I loved this one. This is the epitome of a second-chance romance, they fucked it up when they were young and stupid and they needed the time to mature— him particularly, especially when it came to their relationship, although she did make one big bad decision. But he gives good grovel and I loved seeing his realizations over the course of the story. The “twist” was pretty obvious from the start, but it didn’t make it any less satisfying. I loved the turnaround on age-gap romances also— Jack has been set up with a much younger woman and it makes him uncomfortable.
Balogh magically knows how to handle a large cast of characters, and although I didn’t like The First Snowdrop nearly as much as this, reading it first made this a lovely return to the Stewart-Frazer family, and a few years means marriages and kids, and it worked seeing all of them mature as well. (Freddie is still my favorite.)
Balogh magically knows how to handle a large cast of characters, and although I didn’t like The First Snowdrop nearly as much as this, reading it first made this a lovely return to the Stewart-Frazer family, and a few years means marriages and kids, and it worked seeing all of them mature as well. (Freddie is still my favorite.)
A follow-up to Balogh's [b:The First Snowdrop|690070|The First Snowdrop (Frazer, #1)|Mary Balogh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387663664l/690070._SY75_.jpg|676419], but written nearly a decade later, so lacking some of the annoying male arrogance of its predecessor. It features almost the same plot as one of my favorite romances, Liz Carlyle's 2006 [b:Two Little Lies|6649207|Two Little Lies (MacLachlan Family)|Liz Carlyle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328335815l/6649207._SY75_.jpg|478698]. A young man falls in love with an actress, and convinces her to be his mistress. But his immature jealousy (both of her male fans, and of her fame itself) lead to heated arguments, and ultimately to her fleeing to another country. Both feel done wrong by the other, for reasons.
But years later, after the actress has married and had children, she returns to England, where she encounters her first love again—right when he's on the verge of becoming engaged. Tempers & sexual sparks fly, and ultimately secrets come to light, that allow each lover to better understand the feelings and actions of the other. But will the impending engagement keep them apart?
Needless to say, while the plotlines of Balogh and Carlyle's books are nearly identical, both tell this story in their own, stylistically recognizable way. I particularly liked the lesson that Balogh's hero must learn here (although it may be rather anachronistic): that trying to jealously constrain a woman who has a drive to create art (through performance) is both pointless and cruel. As Isabella tells Jack, "It was not a good love... It was a jealous and possessive love. It was a love without trust and respect."
But years later, after the actress has married and had children, she returns to England, where she encounters her first love again—right when he's on the verge of becoming engaged. Tempers & sexual sparks fly, and ultimately secrets come to light, that allow each lover to better understand the feelings and actions of the other. But will the impending engagement keep them apart?
Needless to say, while the plotlines of Balogh and Carlyle's books are nearly identical, both tell this story in their own, stylistically recognizable way. I particularly liked the lesson that Balogh's hero must learn here (although it may be rather anachronistic): that trying to jealously constrain a woman who has a drive to create art (through performance) is both pointless and cruel. As Isabella tells Jack, "It was not a good love... It was a jealous and possessive love. It was a love without trust and respect."
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting set-up but for me the hero's "reformation" comes too late to totally buy the HEA. Years ago the actress heroine was his mistress and he treated her very badly (I would say he was emotionally abusive) due to his jealousy. She retaliated by playing into his fears and letting him believe she was sleeping with other men even though she was actually faithful. Eventually she left him, moved to France and married a count and he's been furious at her "betrayal" ever since. The story kicks off when they meet again now that she's widowed and back in England, performing for his huge family's holiday house party, and he treats her badly again. There are some really good scenes between the hero and the heroine's two children, especially her daughter. I always appreciate when child characters in romance have their own fleshed-out personalities and don't just exist as props, and Balogh did a great job with the children in this book. The hero comes to his senses after realizing that and having an honest conversation with the heroine. The basic idea of the book is that the first time around, their love was unhealthy (he was paranoid and cruel, she stayed with him even though he made her feel worthless and flung his jealousy in his face) but now that they've matured they can be together without hurting each other. It's interesting but ultimately I'm just not sure the hero is actually capable of being with the heroine in a healthy way, whether she's his wife or his mistress.
Spoiler
he's the father of her daughter
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not awful, but I only stayed for the secondary characters
Simple and straightforward. Found it hard to get into characters at first but improved by the end.