On to Simply
https://marybalogh.com/
We all know that Mary Balogh is the Queen. But as I often say, Queens sometime have annus horribilis times. While the Simply series may not quite qualify as annus horribilis, this series certainly didn't have the spark as the previous Bedwyn series - as much as I wanted differently, I could not immerse myself into any of the stories. Let's look at the four stories which comprise the Simply series.
These stories are actually connected to the Slightly, aka Bedwyn series. If you remember Freya Bedwyn, you should remember her governess Ms. Martin. Freya and Ms. Martin had a run-in, Ms. Martin left, founded a school and hated alllll aristocrats. Well, this series is about three of the teachers at Ms. Martin's School for Girls, and eventually Ms. Martin herself.
We start with Simply Unforgettable, and we have a one-night stand told in Ms. Balogh's
voice. Usually Ms. Balogh's one-night stands are a better quality than most authors, but not this one. Maybe the problem was my mood, or maybe it was that I had just finished reading a ton of Ms. Balogh's other books. Whatever the reason I was not able to buy into a respectable teacher - Frances Allard, hopping into bed with a perfect stranger, Lucas Marshall, Viscount Sinclair. It's Christmas time, and Frances is headed back to the school when she's caught in a snow storm. Also caught in the storm is Lucas. In the beginning Lucas and Frances irritate each other, but that changes after only a few nights spent together at an empty inn. Maybe if there had been more humor in this story, I would have liked it better. While I liked Lucas, and I thought he was a wonderful hero, it was Frances who alienated me.
First of all, she throws off all of her principles. Then she mopes, and boohoos over what she has lost. Then she turns into a I'm-not-worthy heroine when Lucas proposes.
I was disappointed with Simply Unforgettable, the beginning of the Simply series.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Balogh warm C+
On to Simply Love. When Anne Jewell showed up as a secondary character in Slightly
Scandalous, I was intrigued. After all, she was an unwed mother - what could make for a better Balogh heroine? Well, Ms. Balogh chose an angst filled hero in the form of Sydnam Butler, a secondary character from A Summer to Remember. He only has one arm, one eye, and has a scar. So, we have an unwed mother and a scarred hero...there are troubles galore in this book. But it's a little crowded in this story, because Ms. Balogh has chosen Simply Love as a means to play catch up with alllll of the Bedwyns, and their friends. This was one of those books which was flooded with characters, so many characters it was hard to keep track of. Even when I had just finished reading about them, I still managed to get lost a couple of times.Sometimes when characters are given really big problems to overcome, it can be depressing. And, that's what happened in this book. Not only do we know about their problems when the book begins, we get to hear about it over, and over, because they talk about it. They have long, long discussions. Yes, I know I whine about books where the couple doesn’t talk to each other. But this time they were de-press-ing. I could have done with a good punch-line occasionally. Just one.
Ms. Balogh's has a wonderful way with words. She also knows how to write angst, but sometimes she goes toooo far down the angst hole. This story is written with a pretty heavy hand, and it was hard to dig myself out of the hole. On top of that, the narrative kept flipping back and forth between Anne and Sydnam's depressing conversations, to the Bedwyn family noise. It was all toooo much. I was disappointed in Simply Love.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm
C
Next is Simply Magic. This one has Susanna Osbourne as a teacher on vacation, and Peter
Edgeworth, a boring hero. And, once again the Bedwyn's show up. I'll make this short and sweet. This story had another respectable woman throwing caution to the wind for a little bounce with a man she doesn't know. It has a hero who doesn't withdraw, in fact, I'm not sure any of Ms. Balogh's men in this series thought about taking precautions. Then there was the wrong kind of proposal from Peter, then they parted, then they came together again. And along the way, they did a lot of thinking. Thinking, thinking, thinking...this story had a lot of sleep-inducing thinking in it. I know Ms. Balogh writes thoughtful books, and I rejoice in that. But this one seemed very lonnngg, and made me nod off. I was very disappointed in Simply Magic.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm
C-
Now on to the last book in the series, Simply Perfect. I opened this book with anticipation. Why an-tic-i-pation? Because I was anticipating this series finally coming to an end.
Claudia Martin has been hanging in the background through a number of books. The first impression I had of her was that she was an old, dried-up persimmon of a woman. Well, I was wrong, she's just a dried-up persimmon who jumps to conclusions, and blows those conclusions way out of proportion. In Simply Perfect, she turns into a very unlikable character. Then there is Joseph, Marquess of Attingsborough. Did I happen to mention that Claudia hatessssss the aristocracy?
All through this book we are bombarded with Claudia's prejudices. She jumps to one conclusion after another. She despises Joseph, and jumps to more conclusions. Even after she finds out the truth about some things, that doesn't stop her from being a big old humbug. How Joseph could fall in love with her I will never understand.
So, beside the couple that don't belong together, and a heroine who I wanted to kick in her stiff butt, there was also a big tear-jerk character in this book. Joseph has a blind illegitimate daughter, who he luvs more than anything else in the entire world. In one of the most contrived narratives I've ever read, Claudia steps in and helps his daughter. I couldn't believe this part was written by Ms. Balogh.
I don't know what happened between the Slightly, aka Bedwyn series, and the Simply series. I loved most of the books in the Bedwyn series, but Ms. Balogh Simply series was a big disappointment to me. She's still the Queen, but for me the Simply series was her annus horribilis. Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm
D
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