Hello Friends! Welcome to The Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a gathering of book lovers who congregate once a month to discuss what they've read.
This month, I am doing this without having finished any of the books I started. I am
currently reading five books (mistake number one). Why do I always do this to
myself? I start one book, then I run across another and think, “Oh! I must read
that one.” In between my own writing, and editing other manuscripts, I find I
read a little of this one, a bit here, a chapter or two there…and then it’s the
end of the month and I’ve finished nothing.
But here we
are and I must choose something, so I’m going with my gut on this one. Of all
of the novels I began reading this month, the one I’m closest to finishing as well as
the one I’m most enjoying is Mary Balogh’s Only a Kiss.
Here is the
blurb from Amazon:
Since witnessing the death of her
husband during the wars, Imogen, Lady Barclay, has secluded herself in the
confines of Hardford Hall, their home in Cornwall. The new owner has failed to
take up his inheritance, and Imogen desperately hopes he will never come to
disturb her fragile peace.
Percival Hayes, Earl of Hardford, has no interest in the wilds of Cornwall, but
when he impulsively decides to pay a visit to his estate there, he is shocked
to discover that it is not the ruined heap he had expected. He is equally
shocked to find the beautiful widow of his predecessor’s son living there.
Soon Imogen awakens in Percy a passion he has never thought himself capable of feeling. But can he save her from her misery and reawaken her soul? And what will it mean for him if he succeeds?
Soon Imogen awakens in Percy a passion he has never thought himself capable of feeling. But can he save her from her misery and reawaken her soul? And what will it mean for him if he succeeds?
First of all, this novel takes place in Cornwall. I visited
Cornwall back in the 90s and found it breathtaking, but I’ve recently enjoyed a
renewed love of the region after watching Doc
Martin, Poldark, and last week’s
Lifetime Movie Network’s adaptation of Agatha Christie's And
then there were None. Mary Balogh is a wonderful writer and her words paint
beautiful descriptions of a Cornish coast (as well as detailing some of the
problems the Cornish suffered during the Regency such as smugglers, shipwrecks,
etc.) Additionally, I am not much of a lover of romance, but that’s why I like
this one. Aside from the romantic aspect, there is a much more serious side
plot featured. Imogen is a member of the Survivor’s Club, a group of people who
have survived insurmountable odds and lived to tell about them. In Imogen’s
case, she witnessed the death of her husband in the Iberian Peninsula during
the Napoleonic wars. Although she was treated well, her husband was tortured
(often within earshot of her holdings). In the end, she was witness to his
hanging. Along with the grief of his loss, she must also now deal with survivor’s
guilt.
While there
is the usual hot and heavy bedroom sequence in here, considering the length of
the novel, the sexual content is relatively small (although if you are offended
or bothered by such scenes, best to skip this one, as it’s pretty graphic).
Balogh is
master of creating secondary characters, and it’s virtually impossible not to
love Lady Lavinia’s character, Imogen’s aunt and an inhabitant of Hardford Hall,
who takes it upon herself to rescue every stray dog in the region. She treats them like her children, loving them back to health and providing them
with permanent homes either in her own house or others. She brings extra life and humor to the story.
The plot unfolds slowly and with much attention to detail from the Regency period. Fabrics, locales, foods, and language are all authentically created in Balogh’s novels. She is a prolific writer and has dozens of books to her credit. I read another one of her regency novels last year entitled Heartless with a similar reaction.
What have you been reading this month?
