Starred Review. With his memory still full of holes and his behavior unpredictable, war survivor Flavian Arnott, Viscount Ponsonby, knows he's a dangerous if charming risk. Gentle, sensible widow Agnes Keeping knows it, too, despite her growing feelings and their startling attraction to each other. Then Flavian proposes marriage, surprising them both and setting off a series of reactions that will either bring them closer together or pull them apart. Secrets, scandal, and a malicious, spiteful woman up the ante in this mesmerizing, compelling read. VERDICT With her classic flawless execution and insight, Balogh highlights the importance of communication and explores the true meaning of love through two emotionally scarred characters. Another profoundly touching novel that is nothing short of "enchanting"; a brilliant addition to this satisfying series. Balogh (The Escape) lives in Canada. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In Balogh's (The Escape, 2014) latest Survivors' Club installment, Flavian, Lord Ponsonby, a volatile, brain-injured member of the club, may have big gaps in his memory, but he knows he was once was in love with Velma, his late elder brother's fiancée, who became his fiancée and then dumped him for his best friend when he was wounded in the war. With the young woman in question now a widow finishing her year of mourning, he knows their families will do everything they can to put them back together and unite their neighboring estates. When the members of the Survivors' Club assemble for their annual reunion, Flavian meets Agnes Keeping, a sensible, no-nonsense widow, and finds her strangely enchanting. Fearing his family's plots, Flavian proposes to Agnes. Although she's never been in love or wanted to be, she accepts. This prompts Velma to use a decades-old scandal to try to destroy Agnes. As always, Balogh weaves an exquisite story with strong, intelligent, and deeply scarred characters.--Tixier Herald, Diana Copyright 2014 Booklist

In Balogh's Survivor's Club series, six men and one woman seek recovery from the travails of the Napoleonic wars. Their close friendship and somewhat anachronistic but heartwarming mutual support helps them rebuild their lives. In this often poignant fourth entry (after The Escape), Flavian, Lord Ponsonby, is possessed of looks and fortune, but he suffered a mental breakdown after returning home from battle and was repudiated by his fiancée. While his friends have dealt with physical injuries, Flavian wrestles with unseen demons. He impulsively proposes to the quiet and calming Agnes Keeping to protect himself from being hurt again, not realizing that Agnes has fallen wholeheartedly in love with him and is determined to capture his heart. There is always great pleasure in reading a new book from Balogh, and this one is no exception. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A widow clinging to a safe, dull life falls in love with a former soldier recovering from a head injury in this entertaining novel.Balogh builds on her many past successes with the fourth book in her Survivors' Club series, which features six men and one woman who have all been irreparably damaged during the Napoleonic wars. Agnes Keeping's life was changed forever when her mother ran off with a lover when Agnes was 5. As a result, Agnes grew up thinking of romantic passion as her biggest enemy, one that might steal her reason and cause her to hurt the people she most cares about. So she was quick to embrace an unexciting marriage with William Keeping, "a neighboring gentleman of sober address." When he dies, Agnes moves to the village of Inglebrook, where her spinster sister, Dora, teaches music. There, Agnes befriends the new Viscountess Darleigh, whose husband is a member of the Survivors' Club. At their home, Agnes meets Flavian Arnott, Viscount Ponsonby, a golden god of a man whose stammer is the only outward sign of the trauma and tragedy he experienced during the war. For Agnes, falling in love with Flavian is a risk to her tranquil life of painting watercolors and taking tea with the viscountess. For Flavian, Agnes represents a safe harbor from the manipulations of his family. Their precipitous marriage is a shock to Flavian's mother and sister, who want him to marry Velma, the widowed Countess of Hazeltine. Velma was once betrothed to Flavian, but she abandoned him for his best friend when he returned home injured from the war. Fortunately, Agnes refuses to be cowed by the self-important Arnott family. Although it lacks pizzazz, Balogh's latest effort is a comfortably entertaining read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.