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amlibera's review
3.0
3.5 stars Another reissue of a Balogh Signet Regency, the sort you can read in an afternoon. This is a particularly good one - the characters are in their thirties and genuinely good friends. I would have liked some more insight into the young girl antagonist and the manner the complications at the end are handled include some sports of willful blindness (wouldn't it have occurred earlier to either of these adults that she might have gotten pregnant) but all in all quite good.
jackiehorne's review
4.0
3.5 Catching up on my Mary Balogh re-releases this December with this one and two others (SNOW ANGEL and A DARING MASQUERADE). I enjoyed this one almost as much as SNOW ANGEL, as it, too, featured an older, widowed heroine who found herself advising an old (male) friend about whom he should marry, and finding herself falling for him all over again. The friend's fiancee in this one turned out to be a scheming miss, which I didn't find as appealing as the situation in SNOW ANGEL, and it had the same effect of bringing about the happy ending through no effort on the part of the protagonists, which I find annoying rather than heartwarming. Still, Piers and Allie are appealing characters in themselves, and they are wonderfully fun and charming as friends, and also as a romantic pair.
taramisu's review
3.0
The premise: The story of two friends who love the same woman.
Miscellaneous notes: It is quite possible that the story was ruined due to the speed at which I was forced to read this book. I had only a week of free time and wanted to get the book done before my next paper was due. I felt the plot lumbered along and never really got a good head of steam going.
Alice and Piers, as we find out toward the end of the book, have loved each other for years. But, since neither gave any clues as to their respective feelings, Alice ended up marrying Web, Piers' best friend. Web is now dead, leaving Alice and Piers to discover their true feelings.
Miscellaneous notes: It is quite possible that the story was ruined due to the speed at which I was forced to read this book. I had only a week of free time and wanted to get the book done before my next paper was due. I felt the plot lumbered along and never really got a good head of steam going.
Alice and Piers, as we find out toward the end of the book, have loved each other for years. But, since neither gave any clues as to their respective feelings, Alice ended up marrying Web, Piers' best friend. Web is now dead, leaving Alice and Piers to discover their true feelings.
haewilya's review
4.0
Definitely one of my fave Mary Balogh books. I love the sense of humor of the protagonists. I love that they both loved their spouses even if they were in love with each other from the first. I can't say that I loved the villains because I wanted to wring their necks. I guess that's their purpose so I can't really complain. I'm a bit dissatisfied with the final scene for some reason though.
nipomuki's review
3.0
I guess Mrs Balogh is growing on me. I liked this story much better than the first one I read. Even had me some feels for the lovelorn couple of "just friends". Too bad I gave the other book three stars - since I do not quite want to give this one a full fourth star.
jericca89's review
3.0
3.5 stars. A charming but predictable quick read. Like drinking hot tea it warms you up inside and leaves you feeling happy.
kimalah's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
taisie22's review
5.0
A sweet second-chance romance that's one of Ms. Balogh's earlier books. Alice and Piers have been friends (and secretly in love) for years, though each married another. Now widowed, they have a chance to find romance when Piers is trapped by another woman.
I really enjoyed this story. Alice and Piers are sweet together, yet I wanted to shake Piers before he finally realized that Alice was the woman for him. When he was repeating the mistake of his first marriage, I was horrified. It was truly nice to see the happy ending.
I really enjoyed this story. Alice and Piers are sweet together, yet I wanted to shake Piers before he finally realized that Alice was the woman for him. When he was repeating the mistake of his first marriage, I was horrified. It was truly nice to see the happy ending.
ironskin's review
3.0
This was fine— my fave trope is second chance and know each other from childhood, and banter! So this should have been catnip. But there were loads of Yikes moments I couldn’t really pass over, and the heroine was kinda a Pick Me girl.