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A review by tostita
Remember Love by Mary Balogh
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.0
I loved this book, absolutely adored it. When I had to put it down I could not wait for the moment I was able to pick it up again and resume reading. At the same time, I have to acknowledge that Balogh does a number of things in this book that I would absolutely hate if any lesser author tried to pull them off. If you are not already a Balogh fan, this book might not be a best place to start.
This is a story about the relationship between Devlin Ware, son of an Earl, and his neighbor Gwyneth Rhys, whose budding young romance was abruptly cut short by crisis and who reconnect years later when he returns from war. But it is also very much the story of Devlin learning to trust and to love again after the devastating event hinted at in the book blurb. (That event occurs about a third of the way through the book.) This is much more Devlin’s book than Gwyneth’s, and the title reflects that. Remembering love—what it means, what it requires, how it feels—is the essential mission that Devlin needs to complete in the text.
The first chapter of the book is devoted to describing in intimate detail the breathtaking estate, the charming community, every member of the Ware family and many of their neighbors. The heroine gets only the briefest of mentions and even the hero is not singled out from his family in his own book, not in the first chapter anyway. Balogh is clearly laying the groundwork for an entire series. With another author I would grumble about getting on with the story already, but because Balogh is so masterful and has earned my trust I’m fully here for this. Part of the reason this works here is because ultimately this is not just the story of two individuals but rather the story of them navigating the competing demands of their families, community and their own consciences. They do not exist in isolation, so their community is absolutely essential to tell the story.
In typical romance hero fashion, Devlin is a bit of a dummy when it comes to navigation emotions, familial as well as romantic. He tends to be an all-or-nothing thinker, and when his family’s facade of perfection crumbles he decides to go scorched earth and never speak to any of them ever again—except his half-brother Ben, who takes that decision out of Devlin’s hands and stays by his side for years whether Devlin wants it or not. (Ben is the stand-out side character is this book and I eagerly await his own story.) Gwyneth, on the other hand, basically has her shit together even if she had never fully gotten over her youthful feelings for Devlin. While seemingly opposites, the two balance each other exquisitely.
One side note—I would dearly love romance authors to quit waxing on and on about how very many meaningless sexual encounters their hero has had before ultimately getting together with the heroine. It does not convince me he’s virile, only that he is irresponsible and treats women like disposable objects. Especially in a historical without reliable contraceptives, that behavior is unjustifiable. While in the army, Devlin could conceivably have fathered dozens of bastard babies by lower-class women trapped in a war zone without knowing or taking responsibility for any of them. I don’t necessarily need or want the characters to be celibate, but I do want them to be considerate and responsible—see Ben’s behavior in this same book for a good example. I glossed over Devlin’s behavior here because I’ve done the same in countless other romance books before so why start drawing the line now, but really I would like authors to just stop this, please.
This is a story about the relationship between Devlin Ware, son of an Earl, and his neighbor Gwyneth Rhys, whose budding young romance was abruptly cut short by crisis and who reconnect years later when he returns from war. But it is also very much the story of Devlin learning to trust and to love again after the devastating event hinted at in the book blurb. (That event occurs about a third of the way through the book.) This is much more Devlin’s book than Gwyneth’s, and the title reflects that. Remembering love—what it means, what it requires, how it feels—is the essential mission that Devlin needs to complete in the text.
The first chapter of the book is devoted to describing in intimate detail the breathtaking estate, the charming community, every member of the Ware family and many of their neighbors. The heroine gets only the briefest of mentions and even the hero is not singled out from his family in his own book, not in the first chapter anyway. Balogh is clearly laying the groundwork for an entire series. With another author I would grumble about getting on with the story already, but because Balogh is so masterful and has earned my trust I’m fully here for this. Part of the reason this works here is because ultimately this is not just the story of two individuals but rather the story of them navigating the competing demands of their families, community and their own consciences. They do not exist in isolation, so their community is absolutely essential to tell the story.
In typical romance hero fashion, Devlin is a bit of a dummy when it comes to navigation emotions, familial as well as romantic. He tends to be an all-or-nothing thinker, and when his family’s facade of perfection crumbles he decides to go scorched earth and never speak to any of them ever again—except his half-brother Ben, who takes that decision out of Devlin’s hands and stays by his side for years whether Devlin wants it or not. (Ben is the stand-out side character is this book and I eagerly await his own story.) Gwyneth, on the other hand, basically has her shit together even if she had never fully gotten over her youthful feelings for Devlin. While seemingly opposites, the two balance each other exquisitely.
One side note—I would dearly love romance authors to quit waxing on and on about how very many meaningless sexual encounters their hero has had before ultimately getting together with the heroine. It does not convince me he’s virile, only that he is irresponsible and treats women like disposable objects. Especially in a historical without reliable contraceptives, that behavior is unjustifiable. While in the army, Devlin could conceivably have fathered dozens of bastard babies by lower-class women trapped in a war zone without knowing or taking responsibility for any of them. I don’t necessarily need or want the characters to be celibate, but I do want them to be considerate and responsible—see Ben’s behavior in this same book for a good example. I glossed over Devlin’s behavior here because I’ve done the same in countless other romance books before so why start drawing the line now, but really I would like authors to just stop this, please.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy