Only a Promise by Mary Balogh

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

This, the fifth book in Mary Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series, is a gently moving marriage-of-convenience story in which a badly emotionally scarred young man is gradually brought back to the land of the living by a woman who has been dogged by scandal and who has her own emotional dragons to slay. Only a Promise isn’t just the story of a marriage of convenience turning to love, however; it’s also a story that shows us that sometimes the biggest barriers to happiness are internal rather than external, and that we are sometimes our own worst enemies. It explores the debilitating effects of guilt and uncertainty and the way in which they can be overcome with the help of a great deal of support, understanding and, ultimately, love.

Ralph Stockwood, Earl of Berwick and heir to his ailing grandfather, the Duke of Worthington, knows that it’s past time for him to do his duty to his family name and find himself a wife. He is fully sensible of what he must do, but isn’t thrilled at the prospect of selecting a simpering chit just out of the schoolroom, believing that a life with him is the last thing any young woman deserves. His doughty grandmother, to whom he is devoted, has summoned him to Manville Court to remind him of this necessity, this time gently hinting that time is running out for his grandfather, who would like to see Ralph happily settled. Recognising the truth of the duchess’ assertions, Ralph tells her he will begin his search as soon as he returns to London.

Their conversation is overheard by Chloe Muirhead, the young lady who is currently staying with the duchess as her guest and acting as a sort of companion. Chloe is the granddaughter of the duchess’ dearest friend as well as her goddaughter, and has come to stay with her following the recent eruption of a round of unpleasant gossip and scandal of which Chloe, through no fault of her own, is the subject. The next day, she startles Ralph by proposing that they get married. He doesn’t particularly want a wife, but he does need one; and she wants a husband and children, so what better solution could there be for both of them? Chloe tells Ralph that she wouldn’t be the sort of wife who would expect to live in her husband’s pocket and nor would she expect her husband to live in hers; she will run his household and bear his children in return for comfort and security, and will not expect affection or any other emotional tie. All she wants is to be able to live quietly, away from the glare of society – which happens to be something that Ralph is also keen to do. But it’s Chloe’s statement that she will not expect there to be any emotional involvement between them that is most attractive to Ralph. Having returned from war a very different man from the optimistic, confident young man who went off to fight, he is now nothing but an empty shell of a man, plagued by an inner darkness that has made him reluctant to condemn any young woman to a life with him. He has no wish for any emotional connection between himself and the woman he marries; he doesn’t wish to know her or for her to know him, so Chloe’s offer seems like the perfect solution to his dilemma.

Chloe is an engaging heroine and I liked her generally hopeful approach to life. She is sensible and pragmatic, realising that she must rely on herself for her happiness and determined to make the best of her bargain and create the life she wants. Ralph, on the other hand, wants and believes he deserves nothing. His physical scars are nothing compared to the mental ones he carries, his guilt over the death of the three friends who followed him to war having brought him to the point of suicide on a number of occasions. Despair and severe depression were the cause of his long period of recuperation at Penderris Hall, but even though he has since returned to society, Ralph continues to carry that burden of guilt, preferring to shut off his emotions rather than feel the continual pain of shame and loss.

I remember thinking, before I read or listened to this book, that Ralph’s character hadn’t made much of an impression on me in the other books. I couldn’t remember very much about him or picture him clearly at all, and now I realise why – he kept to the background and didn’t have much of a personality because there was nothing of him left on the inside.

The marriage of convenience is probably my favourite trope in the genre, and this is a wonderful example of how to do it properly. I loved listening to Ralph and Chloe fall in love without meaning to; their relationship grows from mutual respect and friendship and the way in which they support each other through difficult circumstances is wonderful and indicative of the fact that these two people are meant to be together. One of the things I enjoy most about Mary Balogh’s romances is that she invariably creates relationships that one can believe will last long into the future until well after the book has ended; and that is definitely the case here.

Rosalyn Landor once again does a splendid job in unearthing the emotional heart of this story and doesn’t so much perform as inhabit the central characters. Chloe’s good sense shines through in her voice, as does her deep-seated fear of having to face the society that has shunned her on two separate occasions. Ralph can sometimes be a less than sympathetic character given his reluctance to engage emotionally, and at the outset, sounds appropriately bland and detached. But as his association with Chloe progresses, Ms Landor begins gradually to allow a warmer note to creep into her portrayal so that the listener can hear that he’s not as indifferent as he insists he is.

I loved her portrayals of the elderly duke and duchess, and the narrative is as well-paced, expressive and emotionally nuanced as always.

There are a large number of secondary characters in this book, and I have to admit that there were a handful of times I needed to listen for the dialogue tags to make sure I knew exactly who was speaking in scenes where there are a large number of men present. In scenes that featured only two or three, it wasn’t a problem at all, but there are a few sections that feature at least six or seven male characters, many of them of similar age and station; and while Ms Landor does vary her pitch and tone for each one, the differences are often subtle and I only picked up on them on a second listen. This is a minor issue, however, as there is sufficient indication in the text as to who is speaking, and it never affected my understanding or enjoyment of the story. Overall, this is another excellent performance of a thoughtful and thought-provoking story, and I enjoyed it very much indeed.

Caz

Narration: A

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in, but at the tame end

Violence Rating: None

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Recorded Books

Only a Promise was provided to AudioGals by Recorded Books for a review.